New Beginnings

Chapter 16

As expected, the isolated man remained tight-lipped around Marley. He avoided his conversations, small talk—his sight. Seeing the golden-haired man reminded him of those unwanted feelings. Alexander did it for his own good. 

It had been three days since they had last spoken. As the days went by, Marley grew more worried. 

Alexander sat at his desk, typing away. His eyes drooped the longer he sat in his office chair. The dark-haired man had been overworking to distract himself. He could feel his head fall forward every so often. 

He walked to the staff room to make himself a cup of coffee. A familiar figure stood next to him, sighing. "Alexander," Amara looked him in the eyes. "What's going on?"

Nothing left his lips as he stared at the anxious girl beside him. His sore eyes rested back on the coffee. He felt his head become fuzzy due to the lack of sleep. "Nothing," he replied, walking back to his desk. 

She pulled him back by grabbing his wrist. "Marley is seriously worried. I thought you two were on good terms?" She frowned as she let go of his arm. "You need to talk with him."

Alexander hummed in response. He turned to leave for his desk. He could barely walk; he was so tired. The brown-eyed man was physically and mentally exhausted. His brain had shut down as he stared at the screen. He couldn't concentrate on his work. 

After a long day of work, Alexander walked out of the building with a fresh breeze meeting his face at last. He sauntered to the train station, almost tripping on thin air. Footsteps ran after him and someone called his name.  

A hand flung around Alexander's wrist. A warm and familiar hand. "Xander..." he huffed. Alexander turned to his friend, seeing his concerned face. "Please, can we talk?" Marley slowly let go of the other's wrist.

The brown-eyed man twisted his head in the opposite direction to Marley. His eyes drifted to the pavement, which received little wet droplets. The droplets fell onto the men standing in the street. Alexander stayed quiet as he watched the trees sway in the heavy breeze.

Marley grabbed Alexander's wrist and dragged him into a sheltered alleyway. "Xander, I'm here if you need help," Marley assured, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I can help you. You're not alone."

Alexander looked at the uneven floor. The sound of rain was heard pattering on the roof. "You can't," he whispered.

The golden-haired man tilted his head. "Why's that?" he gently asked.

The dark-haired man's eyes engraved holes in the pavement. The cold air blew his jacket about as they stood still in the alleyway. His mouth wouldn't open, no matter how hard he tried.

Marley slowly wrapped his arms around Alexander, leaning his head against his shoulder. The storm circled inside the dark-haired man as he felt his friend's touch. Marley's body contact was something Alexander craved, yet he dreaded. 

The darkest winds curled inside his throat. The most frightening lightning struck inside his chest. It was too much to handle for Alexander—for anyone.

He pushed Marley's chest with his two hands, forcing the blue-eyed man away from him. "Go away from me," Alexander mumbled.

Marley's eyes had a soft glaze over them. He tilted his head in confusion, thinking he misheard his friend. "What?"

"Go away from me!" Alexander almost shouted. His eyes stayed fixated on the ground.

The golden-haired man's face dropped at those words. Tears rimmed his eyes as he looked at his friend. "Xander, what's wrong?" he gently spoke. "I can help-"