The Soulless Souls

2+2+2

The next morning, I woke up alone in bed, unsurprisingly. Ari was probably already awake, if he has been sleeping at all. It wouldn't shock me if I found him still sitting in the kitchen and reading.

But when I shuffled through the hallway, I noticed how eerily quiet it was in this apartment and I had this strong gut feeling that I was alone.

Ari wasn't loud but he would still make noises. Typical Ari-noises, like when he turned a page in his book or when he placed a cup of coffee on the table. But right now, it was just silent.

"Aryan?", I called through the hallway, just to make sure I was really alone. No response came back.

Where did he go? Today was Saturday, so he wouldn't go to work. Maybe grocery shopping? But I already went yesterday. Maybe I forgot to buy something? Or he needed something else that he's buying right now? But why didn't he wait until I wake up? He always told me where he was going before leaving, even though I've never asked. And he never left while I was sleeping.

In the kitchen, I grabbed cornflakes, milk and a bowl and went to the living room where I noticed that I forgot the spoon and went back.

In the living room, I turned on the TV and watched the morning news. After five minutes I became bored and switched to a cartoon.

It's always the same anyways. Crime rates were rising, the underground mafia expanding, politicians were scheming and celebrities were having affairs. It's all stuff intelligent people were supposed to worry about, so not me.

A few hours passed and Aryan didn't come home yet. I couldn't ignore the nagging feeling of worry inside my chest and my fingers tapped on the remote, anxiously.

Should I look for him? Should I call the police first? Or my parents? Should I wait a little longer?

You made him angry, a voice in my head whispered and I closed my eyes. He is annoyed by you. You were noisy. You were offensive. You didn't understand him properly. He left you.

I gasped and physically flinched. Lately, or rather since I was in Chicago, my thoughts really became too much for me to handle. And if this happened, I would get strong urges to hurt myself, or how Ari put it, I would be triggered. I never used to have this urges that often when I lived in my hometown.

I just need fresh air. Fresh air will calm me down.

I put on my shoes and opened the door to step out in the open hallway, but when I pulled down the door handle, a weight pressed against the door from the other side and I was pushed a few steps back.

A shriek escaped me as my eyes met Ari's wide ones, his brows rosed in surprise. He layed on his back right in front of me, wearing his jacket and his tinted glasses tucked in his pocket.

"Edith? What are you doing?"

"What are you doing? Why are you sitting in the hallway like a freaking creep? Where were you?"

My heart was beating way too fast but I couldn't ignore the relief that eased the tension in my body.

He didn't leave.

"I've been outside but I forgot my keys and I thought you were still sleeping, so I didn't ring. I didn't want to wake you up." He stood up, dusting his back.

"I was worrying about you! I thought something might have happened to you. Why didn't you tell me?"

He tilted his head. "Do I need to? Or do you also want to monitor the times I'm going out?"

My shouldered sunk. His tone wasn't as cold as yesterday but he was still so distant.

I ruined it. Whatever we had, I ruined it.