Love Unfortunately

Joel 1

The apartment felt vacant and insignificant. An ominous gloom had swept through all the rooms leaving them in the dim colors of depression, and the light overcasting the retreating shadows of dawn brought no hope. When Joel had returned last night he had brought with him a bouquet of snow white Lilies, but there was no one to receive them. Tom had disappeared. It didn't take Joel long to scan the apartment, and he realized the tragedy of his absence when he found his IPhone on their bedroom floor, with its screen cracked, and his voice mail open. Despair rushed as one with his blood rushing through his body accompanied with a dozen other emotions he could not clear out. He tried to warm himself with a shower, but the blistering water only seemed to lash out at his back in disappointment inserting flashbacks into his mind; all the times Tom would unstoppably tickle him under the pouring showerhead, and the sweet aroma of his luscious golden helmet after he had painstakingly ruffled it with his tender fingers until it shone brighter than ever. Guilt had followed his trail out of the shower that night, and under the covers of the bed they cuddled into every night. But now it was empty. Grief and confusion put weight onto his mind all night, keeping him from getting an at least decent night's sleep. He wanted to let go off everything for just a few hours before he got back into all the troubles that would find him with the next sunrise.

And now he was awake once again and for the first time since he settled with Tom, he feared what the day would bring upon him, he doubted his strength against all the struggles he would face, and worst of all he wasn't happy. Tom made him happy; waking up to his morning presence was one of the greatest gifts he ever had. What was I thinking? He cried to himself as tears swelled in his eyes. His whole body ached, and his mind wasn't doing much better; it felt burdensome. His breathing became unstable and every time he exhaled more tears poured onto his cheeks. Without getting dressed he moved into the kitchen where he grabbed the basic materials for his breakfast. His shaking hands tried to grab a plate from the shelf, but his loose grip resulted in the plate giving into gravity and dropping onto the marble beneath his feat. Joel gave out a frustrating groan but it sounded more like a sound of help, and now there was no one there to answer it. He left the shattered pieces scattered on the floor and struggled his way into the living room. Before dumping himself onto the comfort of the couch, he noticed the blanket he used to cover Tom the previous evening. He dragged it close him, and held it in a tight grip; he could feel the muscles of his palm holding on to fabric like it was his most precious procession.

Suddenly his phone began to ring and fortunately he had placed it onto the coffee table in front of the couch last night after he found it nearly broken. Kate's familiar burning curls appeared on the screen along with the usual provocative stare shooting out of the sharpness in her eyes. With one glance, Joel felt hate pumping through his veins. It was irrational to blame her but he was desperate to take off the pain onto someone or something. A tormented scream climbed up his throat, one carrying all the torture and agony boiling up inside his chest.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" He screamed at the device, hoping all the intensity and animosity was heard at the other side. His fingers clenched tightly around the device and he could feel his fingernails fig into the leather casing.

"Damn boy, what the hell was that?" An arrogant squeal sounded from the other end with a dash of surprise. Joel paused. Suddenly he felt a scorch in his eyes, and he covered them with his other hand; his thump and pointer putting pressure onto his sealed shut eyelids and slowly he began feeling something running down his fingers.

"He...he listened to your messages. He's g-gone..." It all came out at once. His tears, his emotions, and his thoughts, all took path down his cheeks until they reached his lips. He now had a taste of his own salty crimes, and he could not believe it himself.

"Ohhhh honey, why don't you come over?" They were words of carelessness, something he never felt with Tom. "I am sure I can just make you some coffee and you will feel better!"

"No, NO! Oh my gosh..." His hands began to shake once again, like an earthquake began to spread throughout his entire body. His chest began to pain and his palm was racing uncontrollably in an unsteady rate. "You were the d-devil on my sh-shoulder Kate. You-you never let me realise h-how much I-i-I loved him, until I l-lost him." His beaten up breathes cut sharply through his words. Before he closed the phone he stuttered one last thing. "I am g-going to find him."

Joel closed the call before Kate could reply. He placed both of his elbows on the glass cover of the coffee table and tried to take in some deep breathes. He could see his reflection, and it was not pretty. He was no longer the handsome man Tom always thought he was, and the charm in his eyes was gone like ghost, leaving only trails of guilt. He lifted his back and stood up. Grabbing the easiest clothing from the bedroom, he dressed himself and grabbed the car keys from the safe placed at the side of the closet. Tom had taken most of his possessions, leaving behind only a few small things he probably didn't need with him at such a time. It felt dark and ominous. Joel was not surprised Tom did not take the car; it was never of his character to take shared possessions for himself.

Running down to the garage, he jumped into the car and turned on the engines. A smooth vibration was felt as the black Lexus went into motion. The wheels screeched as they rolled onto the floor or the garage; the horrible sound pierced through Joel's ears as he drove the vehicle outside. The sun outside seemed to shoot down right through a cluster of gathering clouds, and onto the left pair of windows. The road seemed less dense than usual, and Joel got to the first crossing down the street in record time. He felt as if his heart pumped fuel into the flames of his hands, sharpening the movements on the steering wheel as he sped across the lights.

As Joel steered the wheels to make a left turn at the cross, a loud horn blasted from the left, and his eyes shifted their position to see an enormous truck coming up from behind, and a smaller Lamborghini in front of it taking a sharp turn to avoid it. A deafening sound of impact exploded in the middle of the road as the truck rammed itself into the car and the power of its turn flipped it on its side. With only a few seconds to react Joel slammed his food onto the accelerator. But before he could fully take the turn another horn was heard, and Joel turned to see the hood of the truck struck Lamborghini, crashing down onto his window accompanied by shattered glass and snapping flames.