Hitchhike//A DreamNotFound Fanfiction

13|Decomposed Love|

When Karl saw his screen light up, showing that he was receiving a call, at first he ignored it and flipped over his phone on his desk. He stared mindlessly into the monitor of his computer with an eerie blankness to said stare. All his mind was set on was the worry that Nick wasn’t okay, or that he would never come back. That all they had strived for together in their relationship just… was never meant to be. He was just too lovesick and naive to see it before. 

The air from his open window rushed through the room, brushing his hair back from where it hung loosely on his face; he reveled in the freshness of the breeze, closing his eyes to imagine himself somewhere else. Perhaps on the beach with no cares in the world. Just himself, and Nick. He imagined Nick in his favorite pair of red swimming trunks, the water glistening against his pale skin as he jogged across the sandy bank to catch up to Karl. Nick then gave Karl a carelessly happy wave, accompanying the brightest smile he had ever seen. One which rivalled the sun that beat down onto the both of them. His skin tingled as he visualized the exact feeling of Nick’s hands grabbing onto the dip of his torso, pulling him closer as high tide started to come in from the ocean, washing over their entangled stance. 

Karl jumped, his eyes flipping open in shock once he heard the vibration of his phone against the desk. He entertained the idea of looking at the screen and watching the incoming call disappear. 

Well that was until the number displayed seemed to be the same one from just before. 

Just for the sake of Karl’s sanity, he decided it would be best to pick up the call and tell the person on the other side of the line that they had the wrong number so they wouldn’t keep on with the disruptive calls. Then, Karl could go back to his insouciant fantasy of himself and Nick, tangled in a limitless lover’s gaze; Nick’s hands delicately running along his skin as they travelled upwards to cup his cheeks…

His heart threatened to implode the more and more he thought about it; with absentmindedness, he let out a yearning huff, pressing the green “answer call” button at the bottom of his screen. 

“Hi, I think you got the wrong-” 

The lady on the other end of the phone cut him off, replying with, “Hello, are you Karl Jacobs?” 

Karl’s heart stopped in its tracks; was Nick in trouble? Was he hurt? 

Surreptitiously, he scooted forward in his desk chair, murmuring, “...Yes, that’s me.” 

The lady started slowly--with the most calm voice she could muster--explaining to Karl who she was and the situation at hand. More specifically, the one from the night previous. 

Karl’s breath caught in his throat and choked him, tears filling the brim of his eyes as a wave of existential pain crashed along the inside of his chest, washing down to his stomach. It was an ache that stung worse than a bee, and lasted longer than a quick slice of a blade. His fantasy from moments ago shattered into nothing but pieces of glass in his mind, a pitiful reminder of what could have been if things went differently. If things had gone the way that Karl had planned. 

“Sir? Are you still there?” The sweet voice asked on the other side of the phone. “I know this is troubling news, but-”

Karl only simply put his phone back down onto his desk after finding the red “end call” button with his thumb. He let out a disbelieving breath, which shaked in a response to the overwhelming agony inside of his own head. His hands slid up his stomach, clutching together at his chest which burned like it was under attack. He took a sharp breath in, closing his eyes to focus on everything he was feeling and thinking all at once.