How to Stay Afloat

~47: Where He Finally Accepts~

CHAPTER 47:
Where He Finally Accepts

~~

|Archer|

I stood outside the Apartment door and took a deep breath. Dread and unease churned in the pit of my stomach.

I hadn't been here since that fateful day at the hospital. I had been living with Shanaya at her parent's apartment. But it had been over three weeks since the funeral and Shanaya had to return to Kenya to resume her work, and even though she'd told me I could stay there for as long as I liked I knew it would be too much of an imposition.

I'd talked to Seth, the mechanic who I had been working for these past couple of months, he had been sympathetic to my situation and told me that I could stay at the loft above his service shop.

I couldn't bring myself to move back here. Not when Fallon wasn't here anymore. I was only here right now because I still hadn't picked up my stuff.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was strange, everything was just as we had left it but the apartment seemed colder, empty. It didn't feel like home anymore.

Thankfully I didn't see either Adrian or Nelly. I didn't have any strength left for any sort of human interaction today. I made my way to Fallon's room.

The door was left slightly ajar and as soon as I stepped inside I heard it. A low, almost keening sound It took me a moment to realize that it was actually Spartacus who had been wailing, sitting on top of Fallon's bed. The large feline stopped when he saw me and looked back at me with what I swore was hope in his single good eye. He waited for a while but when he realized that Fallon wasn't coming in after me he turned back to look out the window and resumed his mournful cries.

The hollowness in my chest seemed to intensify. Everything inside me hurt. Every breath I took seemed excruciating.

I looked around the room and my heart dropped when I noticed that all of Fallon's stuff wasn't here anymore. I noticed the two packed cardboard boxes placed neatly beside the bed.

Suddenly, I was angry. So angry.

How could someone's entire existence be placed inside two fucking boxes?

Spartacus let out another pitiful howl and I automatically reached for him but as soon as my hand touched him he hissed at me and scurried off the bed. I was taken aback. I stumbled and knocked over the two boxes.

The smaller one opened up at the top and its contents spilled out.

I cursed under my breath as I started picking the stuff up and placing it back into the box.

A familiar aqua-colored book lying face down a couple of feet away from me caught my eye. It was Fallon's diary. I picked it up and just as I was about to put it back into the box the page it had opened to caught my eye.

More importantly, the picture that had been taped to that page caught my eye.

It was like someone had sucked the air right out of my lungs.

My eyes widened in shock.

My hands trembled as I sank to the floor.

How is this possible?

How does she have this?

Writing on the opposite page caught my eye and when I saw my name I started to read;

Dear Archer,

'Dear' sounds a little weird and formal doesn't it? I didn't know how else to start this letter. You're probably never going to read this anyway. It's more for me than it is for you if I'm being completely honest.