He scanned the room casually, still half-listening. The crowd near the stage. The clusters by the windows. The far corner.
Adriel wasn't anywhere.
The unease sharpened. He excused himself, smoothly, he hoped, with a smile and a promise to continue later, and moved throughthe room. Checked the bar again, in case Adriel had moved to a different spot. Checked the hallway leading to the restrooms. Checked the terrace, pushing through the doors into the cold night air.
He pulled out his phone. Called.
It rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Went to voicemail.
He called again.
The edge in his breathing was hard to hide now. He stood in the middle of the terrace, cold wind cutting through his jacket, and listened to the phone ring and ring and ring.
He went back inside. Checked again. Circled the room twice, ignoring the people who tried to catch his eye, the conversations that attempted to pull him in. His mind was elsewhere, turning over the same sharp question:what happened?
The rest of the event passed in a haze.
Landen stayed because he had to. He smiled when required. Shook hands. Made conversation that he couldn't have repeated five minutes later. His body was there, performing the rituals of his job, but his mind was elsewhere.
He texted.
Where are you?
He called again, excusing himself to a quiet corner. Voicemail.
Where did you go? Call me..
He checked his phone so many times he lost count.
By the time the event wound down and he could finally leave, the anticipation he'd been carrying all evening had curdled into something else entirely. He'd had plans, specific plans, the kindhe'd been thinking about all week. Adriel in his bed. Adriel in his arms. The way he'd imagined the night ending, the two of them tangled together in the dark, warm and safe andhis.
Now he just wanted to know Adriel was okay.
He drove too fast. Parked haphazardly. Took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.
His apartment was dark when he opened the door. He stood in the entryway, keys still in his hand, and felt the silence press in around him. No light from the bedroom. No sound from the bathroom. No sign that anyone had been here at all.
He checked anyway. Walked through each room, turning on lights as he went, knowing already what he would find.
The bedroom was pristine. The bed still made from that morning. Nothing disturbed.
Landen stood in the doorway and felt the weight of it settle over him. He pulled out his phone again. Stared at it.
No messages. No calls.
He typed:
Please tell me you're okay.
His thumb hovered over send. Then he hit it and stood there in the empty apartment, waiting for a reply that didn't come.
Chapter 22
Adriel
2 years ago
Adriel hadn't wanted to come.
