Triphilia - together forever | one-shots

Away |3|

After they had sent out the message, Scott and Mitch stared at the phone, hoping that Avi would reply straight away.

But he didn't. After a while they put the phones away and tried their very best to focus on something else, something that was not missing Avi.

The day passed without any news from their fiancé.

“Should we call Esther or his parents? Maybe one of them knows where he is.” Scott mused while they were both on the sofa staring at their phones, again.

“I really don't know” Mitch replied. “It is possible that they know but if they don't I don't want them to worry about him. Maybe let's do it tomorrow?”

Scott shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.”

Mitch rolled his eyes. “If you want to call them just do it. You don't have to listen to me you know.”

Scott took a deep breath. “I asked for your opinion, not for you to tell me what to do. If I wanted to call anyone, I would just do it. And I really get that you are on edge. I am, too. Just please, don't be like that. I am trying my very best...”

Mitch scoffed. “And I am not? This is not about you. This is about Avi. Our boyfriend, fiancé, husband what about the fck you want to call him. I just want to know where he is.”

“I want nothing more, Mitch” Scott said. “No, cross that out, I want him back here with us. But we'll just have to manage somehow.”

“Yeah you're right...” Mitch shook his head. “Just hurts... I...” he got up. “I'll see you later?”

Scott looked up. “Yeah, sure.” he looked after Mitch as he walked upstairs, away from him.

He spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch. Each time his phone rang he hoped that it was Avi. But  it never was. He ignored everything else and just waited for something to happen.

In the evening, he and Mitch had a simple dinner of pasta, watched some TV and went to bed rather early.

They turned off the lights and stayed quiet but neither of the men fell asleep.

Suddenly both phones vibrated, announcing messages.

"It's Avi" Mitch said immediately and opened the chat:

"Hello Scott, hello Mitch. Don't worry about me, please. I am in a bed and breakfast on the road. Thank you for respecting my decision.
I'm sorry."

"Oh..." Scott simply said. He didn't know what else to say.

Mitch just scoffed and almost slammed his phone on the nightstand.

"Mitchy?" Scott asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"He cannot leave us just like that and be somewhere 'on the road', ask for our understanding and think that everything is okay. We are supposed to get married in a few weeks. And in a marriage trust is one of the most important principles. How can we trust him when he just leaves like that, because some shit we don't know about happened" Mitch said, raising his voice.

"There must be an explanation for his actions" Scott replied. "For now, we should try to sleep."

"I don't want to."

Scott moved closer and spooned his fiancé, holding him tight.

"Scott, let me" Mitch tried to get out of the embrace, but Scott was stronger. He held him until he stopped struggling, then waited until he heard a sob. He couldn't hold back his tears either.

"Do... do you think he will come back?" Mitch whispered once he had calmed down.

"I hope so" Scott replied. "I miss him so much..."

"Me too... so much."

"We'll text him tomorrow and try finding him. For now we know that he is safe..." Scott said, not only to calm Mitch down, but to calm himself as well.

It was an uneasy feeling, but at last, the two men fell asleep.

~

Avi good up way before his alarm went off. It was still dark, but he was wide awake. So he got up, got himself a glass of water and sat down on the balcony. He meditated for a while, while watching the sun rise in the east.

Sunrise. A new day, a new chance to start again.

Avi thought back to the first time he watched the sunrise with Scott and Mitch. It was on the roof of the cabin. Even though so many years had passed, the memory still was there.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he went inside and got ready for the day. He took a shower, got dressed and then went downstairs to the reception desk.

"Are you enjoying your stay so far?" the elderly lady asked him.

Avi nodded. "Yes, it's a really nice room and the view is amazing. Is it possible to extend my stay for another night? I need a break from driving and wanted to see if there are any nice places around for a hike..."

"Of course you can stay another night" the lady answered. "And yes, there are a lot of trails through the forests surrounding our little town. How experienced are you and how long do you want to be on your way?"

"Very experienced. I grew up hiking mainly through Sequoia National Park, Yosemite and everything down there and I certainly want to be gone all day. I need a break in nature" Avi explained.

The lady smiled. "Well, I think I've got just the right place for you." She showed Avi a route on a map and gave him pointers of what he needed to see and where to take a break, before showing him to the hotel's breakfast room.

"Thank you so much for your help" Avi said as he left her to have breakfast. After he had finished his breakfast and was on his second cup of tea, he checked his phone.

Scott had texted:

"Hello Avi, this is just Scott. I am glad that you texted us and told us you're alright. Made us sleep a bit better.
Still, we are wondering where you are and why you left us. When we texted yesterday, we just wanted to make sure that you know that we're here for you. You just have to trust us. We'll take care of you. Whatever you need.
I guess that you are struggling. Was it something I said? That Mitch said? Or did? I don't know why else you would just leave without saying a word.
Whatever it is, we can work this out. We have been through so much shit together, we can make this. Please contact me, whenever you are ready.
I don't know what else to say and this message is probably a mess...
Just come home, please. I love you. We love you.
Xx Scott

Avi sighed. He didn't know what to do. His finger hovered over the 'call' button for a long moment, but he couldn't get himself to do it and put his phone away. Even if he wanted to call them, he didn't know what to tell them. He needed clearance, first. The hike would help.

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