Tetris in Red

18: Tetris in Distortion

18: Tetris in Distortion

Rhys

Alec is avoiding me.

Again.

Well, not really like the last time. He's been polite. Talks to me only when he needs to then politely avoids me whenever we pass by each other. Like smiles-at-me-then-continue-staring-straight-ahead avoiding me.

You'd think after our heart-to-heart talk on that rooftop back in Paris, he would at least make an effort to be friends. But no, god no—cue incredulous chuckles—do you really expect that from the Alec we know?

I suppose not.

We flew back to the US after announcing that Eunoia was canceling the European tour altogether. Everyone was obviously on edge and continuing to tour after Alec's blackout is the last thing they wanted. They all agreed that it's best for everyone. Holland even sounded capable of empathy when he said, 'All of you take the rest you need. The US tour had far exceeded our expectations, anyway.'

Granted, the words sounded professional, but they still felt foreign coming from Holland.

That was three days ago.

After our plane landed, we had gone on our separate ways. Holland was kind enough to give me a ride back to my apartment with a beat-up sedan. I told him the car was so uncharacteristically him, in which he replied with 'I didn't want to draw attention. We'll blend well with this than with my flashy cars.'

I don't know if it's a direct translation to, 'This looks like the cars I've seen around your neighboorhood. Might as well join your tribe," or he just genuinely cares about my well-being for once.

I have been staying inside my apartment with Tripper in the past few days. With no more designing projects after hustling to finish all of them, I've been working on polishing a few of the writing pieces I messily scribbled on my new notebook.

The room is quiet. Rosie is at work. Tripper is fast asleep somewhere around the house. There are neighbors yelling at each other from the other buildings. Glasses shattering. Can be shotguns ringing twice in the distance. Children crying. Dogs barking. Metal rock shaking the thin walls.

Freaking perfect.

I replace words, add and remove a few ones here and there and write new stanzas. They are summaries of how I felt the short time I've been with Eunoia. It feels like a brimming vault finally unlocked, and the contents exploding out of me all at once.

I didn't know how long I sat there while chaos takes place outside. But when I stand up and stretch my limbs, my bones unlock with delicious snaps. I go to the kitchen, patting Tripper's head on the way for being such a good boy, then heat some leftover lasagna.

My phone rings from the living room as I wait. There are two missed calls and a text message when I've gotten to it. All from an unknown number. I frown.

'Head's up! I'm omw to your place', the text says.

'Who is this?'

A reply comes not a second later, 'I'm the sweetness and you're the apple'

My frown deepens, but I can't help the smile on my lips. That's so weird.