Infinite ✓

[6] - Runnin'

[6] – Runnin’

 

It took just one night for everything to come crashing down.

Simply put, Jeremy panicked. He got home, still feeling high and giddy on the emotions in the air and fell asleep with a goofy grin on his face. When he woke up at his usual 3:13 a.m. feeling terrified out of his mind and staring with wide eyes at his ceiling he just…panicked.

He thought of Rory, of what exactly had occurred yesterday between them and he was filled with so much fear and dread that it scared him shitless. Okay, he was normally scared of relationships, that wasn’t new, but with Rory, it was a feeling akin to terror. He didn’t know if it was as a result of him waking up at that odd hour as usual but he hated the feeling. Just the thought of dating Rory made his stomach feel queasy and him feel light-headed.

He slid out of bed and went to take a long shower before going about his daily routine of doing some work on his laptop until the sun came up. His fingers seemed to itch as he worked and then he finally said ‘screw it’ and got up, jogging to his room to get his sketchbook and a pencil.

Damn, he hadn’t sketched in ages. Most of his works that currently hung in the gallery were old ones. It seemed that the minute he’d opened Walker Design Studios, he’d forgotten his passion for art and crafts. It took a while for him to find the desired sketchbook and pencils and when he did, he was suddenly immersed in his old works. He sat cross-legged on the floor, going through his old portfolios, sketches and final pieces, a fond smile on his face.

Licking his lips, he picked up a half-used sketch pad and opened to a fresh page, picking up one of his favourite mediums – charcoal – and then started sketching.

Jeremy didn’t notice how fast time flew until the sun was shining through the slits in his bedroom curtains, forming patterns on his carpeted floor. He blinked and stared down at the picture like he hadn’t been the one sketching it for the past few hours and it had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

His breath caught, for staring back up at him was a black and white charcoal drawing – in intricate detail if he admitted it – of Rory Lewis.

Jeremy felt his heart stutter and his hand clench around the piece of charcoal he was holding, his other hand tightening around the sketchbook. He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

The sound of his phone ringing made him jump a little and suddenly heave in a gasping breath. He rolled his eyes at himself for being jumpy for no reason. He got up and reached for the vibrating piece of metal, taking note of the caller ID before answering and pressing it against his ear, “no.”

His sister’s soft giggle drifted up through the speaker and into his ear, “Aw, can’t I just call to see how you’re doing?”

“No.”

“Mhm?”

“Fine, yes you can. How’s it going, Reina? Where are the other ladies?”

“Very funny, Jeremy; I’ll have you know that just because we’re triplets doesn’t mean we sleep together.”

Jeremy shrugged and then realizing that his sister couldn’t see him, he grunted, glancing at the clock on his bedside table and saw that it was about seven a.m. He got up from the floor still holding the sketchbook as he opened his wardrobe, careful because of his charcoal stained hands, looking through for something decent to wear for the day.

“And just for your information, they returned home about a week ago. I’m just calling to brighten your day.”

“Oh look, the weather forecast has changed – we’re now expecting thunderstorms thanks to a certain call from a Mrs Reina Littlewood.”