Another Lovely Day in the Neighbourhood

Timber stared at his phone. Waiting.

He was supposed to call him.

He hadn’t yet.

Pacing. A worn stretch of hardwood by the kitchen. A modest apartment for two boyfriends on a limited income. Photos of friends and family plastered on worn brick with old furniture bought second hand taking up too much space.

They should probably replace most of this. Their careers made them enough money. But he wanted to do it together and Flash wasn’t there.

Another check. No new messages. Still no call.

The pacing resumed.

It was fine. Flash was busy. He was on the road. Timber knew this. He knew it wasn’t neglectfulness or unwillingness, it was just finding the time. There was only so much between playing at his gigs, dealing with the fans, and getting to the venues in one piece. Not to mention basic necessities like eating and working out enough to ensure he fit into any of his clothes. These were all standard struggles for a traveling musician who was just starting to make their mark.

They had a designated call window. Every day. But sometimes, Flash missed it. He was just a little too scatterbrained and a little too tired all the time to hit the mark every time. Especially when Flash thought everything was fine.

Because it wasn’t.

Timber flopped onto the couch, hands covering his face. He had work tomorrow. It was late and he should be getting ready for bed. He was probably too busy to get to the phone, so they wouldn’t be talking that night. Even so, Timber wanted to put off sleep as long as possible. He hated an empty bed.

Sure, it was fine the first few days Flash was gone. It still smelled like him, no matter how much Flash bathed. It was obnoxiously hot because his boyfriend’s internal temperature ran at volcano and would linger for far too long. Eventually though, the smells faded, the heat left and then Timber was left with a twin bed that felt too large.

It was loneliness. He knew that. It eroded him from the inside out. It went away when Flash was here, but came back with a vengeance when he wasn’t. He should talk about it with him, do something, but he couldn’t.

Because of his exe. That clingy harlot. It was one of her tactics. Use their loneliness against them. If he brought it up with Flash, that would mean he was just like her. Then Flash would know that he shouldn’t stay with him. Because he’d grown and knew to treat himself better.

Timber was so proud of him.

Timber was so afraid Flash would leave him.

His friends had moved on. His only family was too busy. Acquaintances were difficult to find. He just had work and several hobbies he didn’t feel like doing. He needed Flash to be here… but he was happy out on the road.

So happy that he could follow his passions. So happy that he could move on from her. So happy that he got to fulfill his dreams.

Who was Timber to take that away from him?

Ring. Rin—

Timber practically jumped to answer the phone.

“Hey, babe! We just reached the new venue and I know it's later than our usual time, but just wanted to make sure I said I love you before bed!”

With just a few words, all the horrid feelings drained out of him. Tears of relief fell from his face.

“Love you too.”