Two Heartbeats on One Page

Chapter 13

When they parted ways the next afternoon, both Darcey and Jordan were nothing but smiles and laughter and kisses.

"Give me a call soon, okay?" Darcey said. He pressed a kiss to the top of Jordan's head.

"Yeah, of course!" Jordan grinned. "You can call me, too, you know."

"I'll text you first, to make sure you're not asleep."

Jordan's grin softened into a smile. "That's really thoughtful. Thank you."

Darcey grinned and tilted Jordan's chin up as Jordan stood on his toes to reach him for a kiss.

"We'll see each other again soon," Darcey said.

They didn't talk for almost two days after. After the first twenty-four hours, Darcey sent a text: Is everything okay?

But it was at ten at night, and Jordan didn't answer. He was probably at work. That was all.

But he didn't hear back in the morning, or later that afternoon. He tried again that evening just before six.

You all right?

It took over twenty minutes for Jordan to respond, and it was short.

Yeah, sorry, lots of overtime last night. Probably tonight too. Extra shift tomorrow, so we'll have to wait til my next day off.

"Okay," Darcey breathed. Work was important. Jordan had bills to pay and things to save for. Darcey couldn't be upset about that.

The next evening, he and Brett sat down with his parents, and after some time, they all decided it would be best for Darcey to move back into their house for a while. Brett was generous with his space, but it was small even for one person, much less two. Brett drove Darcey's things over and helped him unpack, and after he went home, Darcey didn't go to sleep. He sent Jordan another text, a simple one: Have a good night at work.

Jordan didn't respond. Darcey spent most of the night rearranging his old bedroom and shuffling around posters and pictures and furniture. It was disconcerting to think he was back home again. But it was for the best, and he was settling.

Jordan's phone went off after he'd been at work for an hour, silently vibrating in his pocket, just once. Just a text. Couldn't be that important. He'd get to it later, when he was on his break.

But his phone didn't once come out of his pocket. He ate a sandwich and drank two cups of coffee and went back to the kitchen to start on the breakfast scones. When he got out three hours late, at 9:00 a.m., he fell asleep on his couch still in his clothes and shoes, his phone still tucked in his pocket, Darcey's text unseen and unanswered. He'd completely forgotten about it when he woke up, and when he saw it that night, he thought it was from when he was sleeping.

Thanks =) Hope so! You have a good night, too. Next day off is five days! Sundayyyyy!

It had taken over twenty-four hours for Jordan to respond. Darcey frowned at the message, confused. The tone was the same as it had always been, so why were they talking so infrequently? Jordan was busy, yes, but surely not so busy he couldn't respond to a simple text message in a reasonable amount of time?

We should get together, if you can. I miss you.

But Jordan was already on the clock, his phone on silent and ignored in his back pocket. When he got it on his break, he texted back with one hand:

Not tomorrow. I'd just be sleeping and it would be a waste of time. Sorry. =(

Darcey was asleep. When he woke up, he went about his morning routine, making coffee, reading the newspaper, brushing his teeth. By the time he got Jordan's message, he was already asleep, and didn't see the response.