Up in the Clouds

6. Distance

*Violence warning. Please be careful while reading it. If you know anyone who requires help and is suffering from domestic violence please reach out to them. *

Asher.

Asher collapsed on his bed after a failed attempt at work. He needed to finish the new edits for the photoshoot but he kept getting distracted.

It felt like an intuition, like a warning about something bad. He couldn't understand what it was or why he was thinking things like these in the first place but his mind couldn't stay still. He couldn't concentrate at all.

It started in the morning when he was about to leave his house and since then it had only worsen. Now a fear lingered in his mind and he couldn't pinpoint either it's trigger or cause.

He called up every one he knew, his parents, friends, cousins; everyone, to ask if they were okay. Everyone was well. Everything was good.

He tried to think about his work, but things were going good work wise and yet, his heart only raced.

He tried to calm down and drank his seventh coffee in one go, hoping to relax him but he just couldn't focus on his work. He began feeling breathless in the his own bedroom.

Giving up, he threw his laptop across the bed. Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair in frustration and headed towards the balcony for some fresh air.

But of course, it wasn't just the cool breeze he was hoping to help him relax. He was also hoping to see Red . He hadn't seen her in a while.
Maybe she is on a holiday with her partner, He tried to reason with his heart. He missed her and their daily conversations in actions that neither understood properly.

He looked towards her house, it was dark just like it has been for past few days.

The street lights glowed beneath the buildings and cars appeared to move slowly from the height he was at. Very few houses had the lights on at this hour of night.

The clouds were growing darker in the sky and a light drizzle fell on towards the city.

He bend over the balcony railing and closed his eyes, letting the rain wash away his worries. He tried to focus on his breathing and started making a list of things he needed to finish at work. He counted all the things he could finish by the morning and the things that he needed to go over with his team. Compartmentalizing his thoughts always helped him get work done faster, especially when his brain was playing games.

Once he felt relaxed, he opened his eyes again.

There was a change in the air. The breeze was becoming harsher while the rains started pouring down.

The lights had switched on in Red's house. He could see shadows behind the curtains. The curtains moved with the wind and swayed inside their house and as they parted slowly, Asher noticed something that he shouldn't have.

Or maybe he should have noticed it earlier. He saw the life that Red was living.

As the curtains moved slowly with wind, he got a glance of her partner and her.

As the curtains moved slowly with the wind and the rains started again, he realized Red was thrown against the wall. Her head hit against one of the frames. Her partner walked up to her, and while she cried and tried to pull herself up, he slapped her. In one swift move she fell on the floor again.

He picked her up again. She was begging him to stop but he was shouting at her. Before Asher could blink again, he threw her on the floor again, kicking her stomach.

He couldn't wrap his mind around everything that he was seeing. She was lying on the floor while her partner pulled out his belt and lashed out on her.

He could see her mouth crying out with pain but her cries were lost somewhere in the distance between them.

He screamed her name but she couldn't hear him. He screamed again, shouting towards her, that he is coming, that he is bringing her help but his voice couldn't reach. The rain started pouring again, getting heavier by the minute, blurring his vision. He could not see Red properly anymore or what was happening to her. Swiftly he turned around to reach exit his apartment, to exit the building, to cross this distance between them to help her but the universe had other plans it seemed. If he had been careful, or maybe if hadn't started pouring this heavily or maybe if he had paid attention to the drainage of his balcony; he wouldn't have slipped. He wouldn't have fallen down and would have concurred a mild concussion. He would have reached her in time, if only.

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Heyooo,
Look who is back from that coma! A lot of things happened in past few months, from making it to the final year of college to getting diagnosed with depression and anxiety for third time. So, for these last few months I have been trying my best to recover and feel better or feel something, anything, that would help to start writing again.

It wasn't easy to update given the circumstances and my mental state but I finally did it. I finally wrote this chapter. So, I really hope you guys enjoy it.

Asher finally knows the truth, so what do you think will happen next?

So that was a small cliffhanger.
Will he be able to reach her in time? Will he be able to help her? What do you guys think?

As always, let me know in the comments and if you enjoyed this chapter please vote and share it with your friends.

Until then, I hope I feel better enough to write more.

Cheerio.

Love,
Alice.

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