Obsession

The Jig is Up

There are the following triggering themes included in this story: mentions of suicide; sexual descriptions and implied sexual acts; homosexual relationships; infidelity; drama and angst; murder/mystery-themed; profanity; and descriptions of stalking/undiagnosed mental illnesses.

Another week had passed, and James was just as elusive as the day Marcy came home. John had slipped into a depressive mood, finding joy in nothing around him, and he even halted work on his book. James wasn't there next to him to give input or peer-edit anything.

When did James' presence dictate my work on a project I've always wanted to do?

Why won't James talk to me?

I miss him so much.

I need to break things off with Marcy. And soon. I can't do this, anymore.

John went to his study where he worked on his book, late one night, after everyone else had gone to bed, and attempted to make some progress on his book, even if it was just another sentence. Another word. Just... Something to prove to John that he could continue without James. He had to. James wasn't there, anymore.

But he was finding the motivation to be lacking. All he could think about was how he and James bonded over this book. And how he made love to James on the couch behind him... How they kissed for the first time up against the door in front of him.

John shivered and sighed thinking about that first kiss. James is so beautiful. And he looked even better with John's hand wrapped around his throat. And the sounds that the younger man would make as John gently applied pressure to the sides of said throat... John was getting hard and tingly just thinking about it.

When a sudden wave of frustration overcame John, knowing that it was possible that whatever relationship that could have developed between him and James was now over, judging by James' absence, he slammed his laptop closed and gripped his hair on either side of his head and did his best to remain quiet. All he wanted to do was scream out his frustration, but he didn't want to cause a scene or alert a sleeping Marcy (or anyone, for that matter) that he was upset.

Just as the tears began trickling down John's cheeks, a knock sounded, bringing John out of his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, John smoothed out his hair and wiped his eyes, desperate to erase any evidence of his misery. He took another deep breath to compose himself before opening the door.

John's eyes widened, and his breath hitched in his throat at the sight of James standing in front of him, more beautiful and alluring than what he remembered. The younger man's head was down, and his fingers fiddled with the hem of his plain black tee-shirt. He was barefoot, and his hair was messy, almost as if he had just woken up and didn't bother to fix his hair. John loved this look on James.

And then James raised his head and looked up at John. The younger man's eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, like he has been crying. John's heart broke at the sight of James looking so sad, knowing that he was most likely the cause. His first instinct was to reach out and hug James, and he began reaching, but then he stopped himself, not wanting to potentially cause James any more distress.

James' eyes followed the movements of John's hands, but he didn't say anything. And the silence was beginning to unnerve John. So he did his best to alleviate his own discomfort.

"What's wrong?" John whispered, his eyebrows furrowed, and the skin around his eyes wrinkled with concern.

"I- can we talk? I just- I want to talk," James replied, his voice sounding small.

"Yeah, let's- let's go in the study," John said, opening the door wide to accommodate James' entrance.

When James was in the room, John turned, his back facing the younger man, to shut the door. Once the door was shut, his hand remained on the door knob. He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead against the door with his eyes closed, mentally preparing himself for whatever was about to he thrown at him.