A homeless thief breaks into a house that has nothing worth stealing - except for the heart of a lonely man who is obsessed with time.
*****
Blake has been living on the streets for...
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-Jordan-
Telling Blake to get rid of my clocks had to be the most awful thing I had ever done. The best thing, of course, but the most awful one as well. I was in a constant state of suffocating, and I couldn't get rid of the awful thought that something really bad was going to happen now. I had to use all my strength to focus on something else, but even then my attempts were weak.
But I didn't show that to Blake. At least I tried my absolute best to not show him how much it affected me. I wouldn't have made it without him. I wouldn't have even considered it if it wasn't for him. He gave me so much strength even I couldn't have foreseen. When he spoke, it was easier to push back the nagging inside my head. Even when he was silent, his breathing and loving arms gave me comfort. When I lay next to him, resting my head on his chest, I counted the beats of his heart.
I made it through the first day. I can't remember much about that day, but I made it. Whenever things got rough, Blake was there to help me stay calm. Whenever my crazed mind was about to win, his words helped me push the utterly ridiculous thoughts aside. He brought me food and walked me to the bathroom, taking care of me, just like he promised.
The next day wasn't any better. Or the one after that.
But I knew I had to get out of bed at some point. I had to face the fact that my clocks were gone. There were moments when I could hardly keep myself from telling Blake to bring them back. During those moments, I didn't want to be strong. I didn't want to get rid of them just yet. But I pushed through. I held my tongue, doing my best to endure and survive another second. And then another one. And another one...
After lying in bed for four whole days, I decided it was time. That morning, I woke up after a restless night with Blake by my side, as usual. He looked like crap, and I felt so damn sorry for him. He had stayed in bed with me the entire time, with absolutely nothing to do besides keeping me company. I had to get out of bed. If not for myself, for him.
It took me a long time to build up the courage to even say out loud that I was ready to get up, and even longer before I could finally sit up. Blake had an encouraging smile on his face the entire time. He held my hand the entire time.
"Let's go use the bathroom first," Blake suggested when I was finally up on my feet. "That's familiar to you already so we should start with that."
I nodded. I wasn't able to make any rational thoughts at that moment, so I let him take the lead. He helped me into the bathroom, while I kept my eyes fixed on the floor. I struggled to keep my breathing even and my mind under my control while we did our business in the bathroom.
"Do you want to take a shower?" Blake asked.
I couldn't believe I hadn't taken a shower in four and a half days... I quickly pushed that thought out of my head when the familiar anxiety started growing worse inside me. Four days... I hadn't followed my schedule in four days...
