Lost & Found

Chapter Nine

James liked to think of himself as a heavy sleeper, often able to sleep through the night without stirring. But a couple of nights after his evening with Sly and Aleks, he was abruptly shaken out of slumber by frantic pounding on his apartment door.

He dismissed the idea of someone trying to break in quickly, knowing they wouldn't be making that amount of noise. The knocking was frantic, panicked - like someone needed help, and that's what forced him out of bed. He retrieved his phone from the bedside table, intending to use it as a flashlight to guide him through his dark apartment, when he saw that the screen was illuminated with an influx of missed calls and messages.

They were all from one person, and suddenly James knew exactly who was at his door.

He forgot about everything else - mainly the fact that he was half naked and bare footed - and raced to the door. He yanked it open, squinting into the harsh light of the corridor to see Aleks, his tattooed arm still raised in a knocking position.

His soulmate was noticeably dishevelled, his brown hair in disarray as if he'd been running his hands through it continuously. The deep circles under his eyes were so dark that they looked like bruises under his eyes, and his skin was ashen. He was trembling all over, which was no surprise to James considering it was the middle of the night and he was only dressed in a thin white t-shirt, joggers and a pair of converse.

Their eyes met, and James knew Aleks could see him, but his gaze seemed to look right through him. He was here, but his mind was clearly somewhere else.

That immediately spurred James into action, and he moved back from the door to practically yank Aleks into his apartment. "Jesus Christ Aleksandr," He found himself whispering, in a state of shock himself. Shutting the door behind them, he reached for the switch to put the main light on, watching as Aleks flinched when the light came on.

He didn't react to anything else though, staring unseeingly ahead at the black sky that was just visible through the open parting in James's living room blinds.

James however, recovered quickly, Aleks's health his main concern. Placing his hands on Aleks's shoulders, he gently pushed him towards the couch.

Aleks seemed to understand where he was being directed to, and he sat down on the edge, back ramrod straight. James leaned over him to grab the throw that was draped over the back of the couch, and then wrapped it around Aleks's body to warm him up.

As if on auto-pilot, Aleks reached up to grip the blanket to hold it in place. His knuckles went white from the exertion he was using to hold it, and James bit his lip worriedly. Knowing there was only one person who might know what to do, he told Aleks he was going to make him a hot drink - not that Aleks appeared to hear him - and then headed into the kitchen.

After switching on the kettle, he used his phone to call Sly.

Aleks's roommate picked up on the first ring. "James, thank God. Have you -"

"He's here," James chose to reply in Spanish, not wanting to alert Aleks to the conversation he was having - although it was unlikely Aleks was even listening. "Cold and in shock, but he's safe. I'll look after him, I promise."

"I know you will. Jesus, I was so scared James. I heard him screaming in his bedroom, and then he ran out of the apartment before I could do anything." Sly sounded distraught - and James could only imagine what he was going through. "I think he had one of his nightmares, but I've never heard him like that. It killed me, knowing that he was gone and there was nothing I could do. I'm just...I'm glad he found his way to you."