Long Journey Back

Chapter 1 - Leaving L.A.

Chapter 1 – Leaving L.A.

TYLER'S PERSPECTIVE

"Troye?" I texted for the third time. He wasn't responding. This wasn't like him. Maybe he was just sleeping in later today. I decided to let it go for another hour. It was 10:30 at night in L.A. that meant it was 1:30 the next afternoon in Perth. Knowing Troye, he could genuinely still be sleeping. But he'd promised we'd Skype tonight and he wasn't online yet.

ONE HOUR LATER

"Troye Sivan. Wake up. I want to see your face. Please?" I added a sad face emoji and sent the text. I waited and waited and still no response. Was he really still sleeping at 2:30 in the afternoon?

HALF AN HOUR LATER

"Troye? Babe? Did something happen? Did I do something wrong? Why aren't you answering me? I love you, Babe. Please tell me what's happening. I just want to see your face." I wasn't usually this clingy, but he'd promised me a Skype date. Had I said something wrong to make him angry? I reread every single text, tweet, tumblr post, facebook post, instagram comment, everything I'd said in the time since we last spoke and there was nothing I could find that would make Troye mad at me. It was getting late and I was getting desperate. It was almost 1 in the morning in L.A. and I was really tired after a long day, so I tried one last thing and I called Troye's phone. I usually wouldn't do that, since it costs so much, but I had to know what was going on.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ri – "Hey, Tyler." That wasn't Troye's voice.

"Tyde. What's going on? Why isn't Troye answering his own phone...or my texts for that matter?"

I heard his voice crack as he tried and failed to respond. Another voice in the background said, "Is that...?" before cutting off sudden. Tyde must have nodded. The second voice was clearly feminine, but at the distance I couldn't tell whether it was Laurelle (Troye's mother) or Sage (his younger sister) speaking.

"Tyler," Tyde croaked my name, though he was clearly speaking away from the receiver. "What...what should I...what do I say?" he managed to squeak out.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?!?" I demanded immediately. He hadn't been speaking to me, but clearly something was wrong. I only hoped his ear was still to the phone. I was raging some hybrid of anger and concern racing through my veins. What did Tyde not know how to tell me? What had happened? Why wasn't I speaking to Troye instead of his younger brother? Why did my boyfriend live so damn far away? These questions among other raced through my head a million miles a minute until...

"Just," the feminine voice spoke unevenly, hesitation evident. "Just...just tell him what happened."

"But, I mean," Tyde mumbled through audible tears. "I can't just say that. I mean..." his voice trailed off, but I could hear is quiet sobs.

"TYDE!" I said impatiently. "Please just tell me what happened."

"Give me the phone," the feminine voice said, still uneasy, but clearly better off than Tyde at the moment. I could hear the phone changing hands as he obliged her request. A moment later, she spoke to me. "Hello? Tyler, dear?"