Love Next Door

Chapter 12- Gone

The next morning he woke up smiling. As he lay there with his eyes closed, Jay revelled in his satisfaction and happiness. He didn't remember his dreams, they were unimportant. He smiled broader and spread his arms wide, turning to find his partner. Instead, he found empty air, but he quickly accounted the emptiness for breakfast preparation. It had become a routine, that, waking up on weekends to Ash cooking breakfast. Turning on his back again he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times. In his half-awake state, he couldn't understand why the ceiling wasn't the light blue it usually was. Why did Ash's ceiling have cracks in it like his did?

Finally, he turned to his side and realised he wasn't in Ash's bed, or his room for that matter. He was lying on his small single mattress. His mouth parted in confusion and his brows furrowed. Oh well, I suppose Ash had something to do so took me back to my room so I would be more comfortable, He thought. He got up, slightly sore for some reason, and assumed a pair of pants.

He walked into the kitchen and calmly made coffee. It was already ten in the morning, an unusually late start for him. They had probably fallen asleep at some ungodly hour. He blushed at his own thoughts.

After his coffee, during which he purveyed social media and scrutinised his latest piece of art that was half finished, he decided to go next door. He had actually planned to have finished painting something for Ash by yesterday, to give to him after dinner. It was a piece based on a photo he took of Ash one evening when they walked along the boardwalk by the harbour. It was a perfect moment. Ash was standing with his back to the railing, the sea in the background, his hair and navy coat being whipped up by the wind. He looked magnificent, and he wasn't even posing. He hadn't told Ash anything about it. He was very annoyed at himself for not getting it done, but work and general laziness had got in the way.

He was also worried that it wouldn't turn out right and it would just be a disappointment. Really, that may have been the actual major reason for him not finishing it in time.

He knocked on his lover's door three times. No answer. Why didn't he tell me he had errands to do this morning? It was then that he figured that today Ash may have gone to his underground market. Occasionally he had some sort of 'market stall' like thing set up there so he could get some extra cash flow and clients. He hadn't mentioned it yesterday, though. Perhaps it had been an oversight on his part. He hoped so. As much as he didn't want to worry or be overbearing, the thought did pass his mind that Ash might be keeping secrets from him.

He decided to go outside himself. He had some groceries to fetch; he was running dangerously low on coffee and milk. Ash had tried to get him to try more luxurious (And expensive) store bought coffee but he had scoffed at it. As much as he liked good quality coffee, he could always just get it from the various coffee shops around their apartment block. He didn't need expensive store bought stuff at home. Jay wasn't exactly a thrifty or particularly frugal person, but he was much more reserved in his spending than Ash appeared to be.

Once he got back to his apartment and dumped the shopping, whilst complaining about the insane heat, he again went to see if Ash was home. He figured that he would be back by early afternoon. He knocked on the door, four times. No answer. He began to sweat a little. He tried to calm himself down, he'll be back by this evening.

His hopes soon fell when later that evening at five o'clock Ash still hadn't called in or anything. The whole afternoon he had spent trying to paint but failing because he was anxious. It was stupid, he wouldn't just disappear. But what if something bad happened to him? What if he can't get back home for some reason?

He recalled what Tahlia had once told him: 'There's no point worrying about bad things happening because worrying won't change anything,' harsh but true. He played that idea through his head for another hour before he inevitably started to feel himself breathe quicker and shallower. He went once again back into the hallway and knocked on his door. After two knocks he stopped breathing altogether. He heard a noise from inside. He sighed, the door began to open.