AllFreeNovel
Share Us
*****
Jake pushed through the door to Grounds and scanned his surroundings, looking for the man who’d been constantly on his mind for what felt like months. The café was busy, people lining up at the counter and others waiting for their coffee to be called out. Most of the tables were full, too, unsurprising for early on a Monday morning.
He lined up, waiting for his turn, and as the queue moved forward, Jake kept his gaze tracking around the room. The one person he wanted to see was either out back, on break, or not there at all. He hoped it wasn’t the latter but was steeling himself for the disappointment. Jake looked at his watch, calculating how much time he had left, and put on his most charming smile for the older woman serving. “What can I get you, hon?”
“An espresso, please, and is Phoenix here?” he asked.
“No, sorry, he isn’t.” She shook her head, pushing the white square device closer to him so he could scan his card. “What’s your name?”
“Can I leave a message for him?” Jake asked.
“He’s no longer working here.” The matter-of-fact answer had the impact of a wrecking ball crashing into the side of Jake’s world. His entire foundation shifted, falling away and leaving him in that horrible state of flux where he knew he was about to fall, crash landing in a painful heap, but the rapid descent hadn’t begun yet. He swallowed and opened his mouth, devastation stealing his words. She lifted her gaze to him, her pursed lips softening when she saw what must have been painted on his face. If his expression was anything like the utter devastation wreaked by the tornado that had ripped through his insides with the news she’d just delivered, there would be no hiding his distress.
“Since when?” he whispered.
“This morning.” She motioned to the side where people were waiting. “Your name, sir?”
“Oh, um, Jake.” He stepped to the side, but before the next person in line could speak, he leaned over the counter and added, “Do you have a number for him?”
The lady raised her brow at him and replied, “You know I can’t give you that even if I wanted to.” She held up her hands in a stopping motion. “And before you ask, no, I can’t pass on a message.”
Jake nodded once, his mind fighting the knowledge that he had no way of contacting Phoenix. No way of finding him.
But wait. He did. “Never mind the coffee,” he called out, dashing out of the café. His heart raced, pounding out a staccato rhythm as he looked up and down the street. Phoenix lived in the student accommodation only a few blocks away.
He sprinted for the apartment building, his shoes slapping the pavement as he dodged between the morning commuters on their way to work. He uttered, “Sorry,” and “Excuse me,” as he muscled past people.
The building loomed up ahead, and Jake pumped his legs harder, pushing himself until his chest was tight and oxygen was sawing in and out of his lungs, burning them with every inhale and exhale. He slammed through the door and hit the button for the elevator, pressing it over and over, muttering, “Come on, open.”
As the doors obeyed, he stepped in and cursed. He’d forgotten needing the security fob to get upstairs. Could he get up the stairs? Unlikely, but it was worth a shot. He stepped out of the lift and went to the stairwell. The door was locked. “Bloody hell.”
“You looking for something, buddy?” a woman behind him, carrying a moving box, asked.
“A friend.” That word didn’t seem enough to describe the connection he’d experienced with Cassidy and Phoenix. It was only a few moments in time—barely a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of life—but they’d had something special. “He lives here, but I don’t have his number. I was going up to his floor to see if he was in.”
“What level?”
“Fifteen.”
“There’s no one left up there. I’ve just come from level fifteen. Everyone’s already moved out.”
Jake growled and slammed his fist against the wall behind him. “Fuck. Why’s everyone leaving?”
“End of semester and the rent’s due tomorrow so we’re all moving out today.”
“Do you know the other people on level fifteen? I’m looking for Phoenix.” He sounded desperate even to his own ears, but the woman froze, her gaze hardening.
She flicked her gaze to the door before standing up straighter and pulling her shoulders back. “Do I know him? No, I don’t.”
Jake studied her eyes for any flinch, but she didn’t crack under the weight of his gaze. He was certain she was lying, but she had one hell of a poker face. He sank back against the door and scuffed his shoe against the linoleum floor. He could picture the sands of time slipping through his fingers; Phoenix going with them. He didn’t want the man to become a memory—the one that got away—but what choice did he have? If this woman really did know him, she wasn’t saying. But maybe he could tell her what he needed to say. Maybe if the universe was favouring him, she’d pass it on.
The doors opened behind him, but he ignored the interruption.
“He’s… hell, I don’t even know how to explain how incredible he is. I really like him—so does Cass—and I needed to apologize for everything that happened. My father is an arsehole, and Phoenix copped the worst of it. I needed to make sure he was okay. See it with my own eyes, you know? But yeah—”
“Yeah, sucks that you can’t tell him. But look, unless you’re a resident here, you shouldn’t be in the building so...” She left the rest unsaid, but there was no mistaking her intentions. He wanted to wait. Everything in him called to him to find Phoenix. To sit in front of the building for a week, a month, if he had to. To walk the city and knock on every door until he found their man.
But he couldn’t.
