The apartment was quiet when Alex stepped inside, the door closing behind him with a soft click.
He stood in the entrance for a moment, keys still in his hand, staring at the empty space ahead of him.
The lights were off. The air was still.
Nothing had changed since this morning, but somehow it felt colder.
He set his keys on the small table by the door, shrugged off his jacket, and walked into the living room.
The city stretched out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lights twinkling, cars moving like distant stars. Beautiful. Impersonal.
Alex sank onto the couch, pulling out his phone.
Leo's name was still at the top of his messages.
Alex:
I'm sorry.
Sent two hours ago.
No response.
Alex stared at it, thumb hovering over the call button.
Maybe he's just busy. Maybe he's working. Maybe—
He pressed call.
The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.
Then voicemail.
"Hi, this is Leo. I can't answer right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you."
