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His phone rang and the ache in his knees and legs registered for the first time since he kneeled in front of his safe.How long have I been sitting here?He grabbed his phone and groaned.Pins and needles, shit.“Hello?”
“Where are you?”Kristen.“We were supposed to have drinks tonight, remember?”
He pressed his hand to his forehead. “I’m... I’m going to have to bow out. I’m not feeling well.”I feel like I’m going to puke.
“Oh, honey,” Kristen said. “I hope it’s not that nasty bug going around. Drink plenty of fluids and call me tomorrow.”
“I will, love.” He hung up then tried to stand or at least climb onto his bed.The office.“Shit.”
His legs shook as he stood, and his knees locked momentarily. With each step he took, the pain receded in his extremities, but not in his heart. After the bitter disappointment of not being able to find a Dom who could handle his snappiness or his ‘bratty behavior,’ as Kristen called it, he’d given up on joining The Covenant. And, when Tristan came along, well, he rushed into the relationship headfirst. At twenty-eight he hadn’t wanted to be left behind by his friends or left out, crazy as it sounded. He loved the idea of being in love. Of being part of the crowd. Now, on the cusp of turning thirty, he wondered where it’d all gone wrong.
The apartment was pitch black when he stepped out of his bedroom except for a single light in his office. Will swallowed hard. Half of him wanted to run away and never come back. The other half of himself wanted to rip the band-aid off and open the door. The battle raged within him. Though he didn't keep anything from the museum in the office, he did occasionally procure artwork for individuals and he kept those records in there. Fear clogged his throat. His heart hammered. If Tristan took all of his important documents, what would stop him from ransacking the rest of the place.
Please...
Will pushed the door too and stepped inside. All of his paperwork lay strewn around the floor. The framed photo of him and Tristan from their trip to Aspen last Christmas, lay cracked and broken amongst the other items, just like his heart. But, it appeared, nothing had been taken. Reason told him to call the police, yet he couldn’t make the call. It felt like an invasion of his privacy having people traipsing through his home. He understood he had to report his passport being taken, everything else...
A lesson.
He needed to get out of there for the night. Escape the mess and the heartache. His day had already been long as it stood, considering the break-in at the museum, and appeared to be never-ending now. He went back to his bedroom and packed a few things. It struck him then, he should have called Kristen back, as well, and told her the truth, but she'd want him to call the police and he didn't want to. It wasn't like someone broke in. It was Tristan.
His thoughts swirled as he placed his toiletry bag into his suitcase before he zipped it up. Dio stuck by his side, keenly aware of the turmoil raging inside of Will. He stroked the pup’s head then forced a smile, hoping it would calm Dio. “We’re going to go on an adventure.”
Dio's face brightened as he tilted his head. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, giving Will a momentary reprieve from the emotional tsunami swallowing him whole.
"We can't stay gone for long, because I have to make kibble money." He placed a kiss on Dio's forehead while he finished gathering their things. On Monday morning, he'd go to the police department and report his passport being missing. As for the rest, he'd deal with it as it came.
It washisfault after all.
2
Six months later...
Will sat in his office going over the paperwork for the coming event at the museum when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and knew he couldn’t ignore it. Kristen had been all up in his business since he announced he and Tristan were no more. What he hadn’t told anyone was that his ex-boyfriend had ransacked his house the day he left, taking with him almost five thousand dollars in cash, some of his mother’s jewelry, and Will’s passport. Nor had he told them about the huge credit card bill he’d been saddled with.
He slid his finger across the screen and put the call on speaker. “Hey, love, what can I do for you?”
“You’re avoiding us,” Kristen said in greeting. “Again.”
He glanced at the calendar and frowned. He missed another girls’ night. This time, he didn’t have an excuse—or not one they’d believe. The well of lies and avoidance tactics had dried up. “Sorry.”
“You can make it up to us this weekend.”
He glanced back at his calendar, half praying he’d be able to use some work assignment to get him out of it but came up empty since the next event was still several weeks away. “What’s the plan? Movies at your place?”
“No. We’re leaving Friday morning for Kissimmee.”
“Uh...” Even though he only had the event coming up at the museum, all of the preliminary work was done. “I’m not sure if I?—”
“Wiiilllll...”
He cringed. “Okay, fine. I’ll let Ted know. What time are we leaving?”
Kristen made an excited noise. “I’m so glad you’re coming. We’re all meeting at Angie’s house at six a.m. Friday morning.”
He groaned. “Why so early?”
“We have this trip planned out by the minute, and trust me, you don’t want to delay us on this trip.”
