CEM MIB ~Secrets & Lies

Dark Mirrors

"Hello? Hello? Are you there?" He wished only silence came from the other end of the line. His heart broke as quiet tears rolled from his bright blue eyes. "I'm here. Don't hang up." He kept his voice soft and low trying, with a huge amount of effort, to not let the sounds of his own heart breaking drift to the ear holding the other phone. They sat in silence, each clinging to the other as they held tight to their phones and the only shelter either had from the pain. It seemed a tangible thing, that burning pain, sitting there in his hotel room listening to the heartbreak drifting from the other phone to his. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. He could feel his tears just as well as he heard them. The pain and hurt traversed the waves just fine.

Scott was sitting with his legs folded under him on the end of the bed when Mitch found him. The light and luster in Mitch's chocolate brown eyes and the words on his lips faded then disappeared the moment he spied Scott's solemn expression and saddened blue eyes. He held his phone to his ear, his knuckles white from the pressure he was using to hold onto it. Every word Mitch wanted to ask simply died before it lived. Tears formed in Scott's wondrous eyes and fell liberally, silently to the bed before him. Mitch moved to his best friend to offer him strength and comfort. He slipped a strong arm around his waist and sat on the bed next to him, helpless to help him in any other way.

'Who is it?' He mouthed when Scott's eyes finally focused on his. Scott only shook his head and kept his secret.

"I have to get ready for dinner." The deep and rich voice weakly whispered once the sounds of his crying had finally stopped. There was no melody in the sound of his voice. No life to be had. His voice was simply dull and toneless, flat like the line from a lifeless heart. She had pulled the music from within his soul and left him a cold and empty being, barely a shadow of his former self. Scott choked on his tears.

"Okay. Please. Call if you need to. I'm here. Always."

"Thank you." A broken Avi whispered quietly from the other phone. "I know." He said before breaking the connection.

Avi muddled through the mundane things he normally did to prepare himself for public appearances. The minutes dragged on into hours as he showered alone, brushed his teeth alone, and pulled up his hair by himself. He combed his beard and looked up into the mirror. For a moment, he saw her standing there with tears in her eyes and her heart breaking from the inside out. Then the moment was gone and the pain hit him again. He was helpless to stop the tears from falling from his already bloodshot and itchy eyes. He didn't want to go to the damn dinner, he didn't want to shower or shave or do his hair. He didn't want to do anything. He didn't even want to breathe, but he had to. Every breath he took was like a dagger to his aching heart. He felt lost and empty, alone and afraid. He looked in the mirror again and wiped the tears from his hollow eyes for what felt like the thousandth time. He considered trimming his beard down to the point of long scruff just to keep the attention away from his empty eyes but, knew the questions would be too much for him to handle. He checked his clothes in the mirror before moving toward the door. He was dressed in a tailored and tapered black suit with a starched white shirt, black socks, and black shoes. His tie was thin and her favorite shade of green. He closed his eyes and forced his mind away from his grief. He would stay as long as he was required to stay and then leave.

Dinner was far more difficult to manage than he could have possibly imagined. He was supposed to sit next to Rayne. A last-minute change had him sitting next to Amanda, right where he didn't want to be. She touched his arm again and his eyes actually tracked down to her hand resting on his arm before they looked up and into hers. They were tight and unforgiving. He fought a very fierce battle in his heart in the moments it took for him to realize that he was glaring at her with open hatred and for her to make the connection that she did not need to touch him.