I've been bored during the winter break between college semesters so I've been writing some fiction. Honestly haven't been too happy with most of them but that's okay!

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He called me. I picked up the phone and said hello, only to hear a shaky breath on the other end of the line. "Zach? You okay?"

A sharp breath. "Yeah," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I just...." he trailed off. He sniffled and his voice got shakier. "Thank you. I just need you." He paused. "I need you."

"Hey, it's okay," I reassured him. "I'm here for you, you know. I'm here. I'll be there in 10 minutes, okay? Stay on the line with me."

Another sniffle. "Okay," he whispered. The next 10 minutes were both a whirlwind and yet so slow at the same time.

I grabbed my keys and rushed out the door. Slamming the car door shut, I buckled myself in and put in my airpods. "You there, Zach?"

He was barely audible. "Yeah," he sniffled. "I'm okay." It was then that I heard a sob.

My stomach tightened. He's not a crier. He hadn't cried in over a decade. It must've been something really bad that happened. Another sniffle came through the phone to pull me out of my thoughts. "Is there anything you want me to bring?"

I seemed to pull him out of his thoughts. "Um..." he sighed. "No. I just need you." His voice shook as I imagined fresh tears making their way down his cheeks. "Just be ready, okay. I'm a mess. Please don't judge me."

"Hey." I whispered. "I love you, I would never judge you. I wanna be there for you. Let me be your safe space."

I pulled into the parking space underneath his penthouse. There was silence, I didn't even know if he was still there. "Okay," he whispered quietly.

I got to his door and tried to brace myself for this. He hadn't cried in a decade and now here he was basically asking to cry to me. This was a big deal. I had a spare key he had given me and I unlocked the door but no preparing would get me ready for this. You see, we're both pretty well off. We buy the nice things and have art pieces in our house and pride ourselves on our taste. The things we buy are expensive so we take care of them.

That's why I wasn't expecting the mess I found. His paintings smashed into his art pieces, his vases shattered on the ground. His TV cracked on the wall. His couches askew. It looked like he had grabbed literally everything and thrown it across the room.

I walked past the kitchen where there were plates and glasses shattered on the floor. The hallway had paintings that were lopsided on the wall. His room was at the end of the hallway. I was so distracted, that I absentmindedly hung up the phone without even saying anything. It was when I hung up the phone that I began to hear wild, despairing sobs coming from his room. I probably should've said something before hanging up, he must've felt abandoned in that moment.

I rushed to open his bedroom door. I found him curled up on his bed. His eyes were shut as he grimaced through the tears. I realized I should've brought tissues. So I went into his bathroom to look for a tissue box to bring him. His sobs continued unconstrained.

When I found a box, I walked back to his bedroom door and gently knocked. I heard a gasp as he tried to calm his crying down. He quieted down to voiceless sobs as his tremulous voice invited me in. His once grimacing expression now calmer and more sorrowful. His eyebrows creased together, downcast eyes, and tears dried.

He was sitting up now. His hair was touseled and wild. I crawled into his bed and sat next to him and tangled my legs with his. He wouldn't look at me but I saw him trying to hold back his irrepressible tears. I entwined my fingers in his and squeezed. Down they fell, copious and profuse. Every blink would send more tears rushing down his cheeks. I grabbed a tissue and put it in his hand, but he seemed more interested in ripping it apart than using it.

I reached up toward him and pulled him into me. He leaned into me, wrapping his arms around my waist and laying his head under my chin. He held on so tight, I could barely breathe. I held him with my arms and pulled him in as tight as I could.

His deep breaths slowed as he tried to keep calm but I could feel him shaking and eventually he was reduced to sobs again.

After a few moments, he pulled away and tried to collect himself. I kept my arms around him and got the courage to ask him. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and let more tears fall. "I don't know if you know this but I have a twin. I don't mention him because we never got along as kids. Once we became adults we parted ways. He betrayed me and..." He leaned into my chest. His shoulders shook with his tears. "He died today."

His raspy, low cries resumed as he sobbed. I held him close, not knowing what to say. What do you say to that? Sorry means nothing, words are empty. "I love you," I reminded him. "I'm gonna be here until you don't need me anymore."

He cuddled against me as his tears fell. "Thank you," he whispered. I turned his face against me and gave him kisses on the cheeks, and dried his eyes with my thumbs.

Last edited by Cryophilia (January 24, 2022 8:33 am)