The Assistant | Scavi

Adeline

When Scott woke up the next morning he was surprised that he had slept that well. Mitch was still lying next to him, fast asleep.

The first thing Scott did was to grab his phone, hoping that Avi had texted. But there was nothing. He sighed softly and turned to lie on his back and looked at the ceiling, thinking about Avi. About what his boyfriend was doing and if he was alright.

"Good morning, Scotty."

Scott looked over at Mitch. "Morning."

"Have you been awake for long?"

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Drifted off thinking about him."

Mitch smiled slightly. "And?"

"I just hope he's okay. I still miss him and I think that I will never stop missing him" Scott explained. "I just hope that he'll message me or that he will call."

Mitch nodded. "So do I" he replied and took a deep breath. "I need to go to work today, Scott. Will you be okay on your own?"

"Of course, Mitch," Scott said. "I should do something anyway. Unpack my suitcase, do my laundry, maybe call my parents, let them know that I'm home..."

"That's a solid plan," Mitch said. "Shall we have breakfast together before I leave?"

"Please, I'm hungry."

Mitch chuckled. "Of course you are. I'll go and see what we have. Do you want tea or coffee?"

"Coffee please, Mitch," Scott said. "I'll be with you in a moment."

~

After breakfast with his best friend, Scott unpacked and did his laundry. It was a much-welcomed distraction. He decided against calling his family, he didn't want to talk about Avi leaving him, he wasn't ready.

In the afternoon, he went outside and took a walk through the park. He couldn't bear being crammed up in the apartment and needed fresh air. His phone was always with him, he was ready to answer it in case Avi would call him. But he hadn't heard anything.

While he was sitting on a bench, he wondered if he should text Avi again, but he decided against it, even if it was hard, he needed to be patient, he didn't want to push Avi. Still, waiting was hard on him.

~

Over the next few days, Scott spent a huge chunk of his time distracting himself. He cleaned out his closet and cleaned the rest of his room then did the same in the bathroom, living room and kitchen.

"Do I need to lock my room tomorrow?" Mitch asked when they were sitting over dinner together.

"No, why?" Scott asked.

"Because it seems like you're done with the rest of the apartment," Mitch said.

Scott sighed. "You know that I am just distracting myself," he said. "I need to do something with my time."

Mitch smiled sadly. "I know," he said. "How are you feeling today?"

"I don't know. Kind of better, kind of worse?" Scott said. "I still miss him, I still worry about him, but then again I feel like I'm getting used to the fact that he is gone. Used to only getting information from Esther. And as long as she tells me that he's okay, I can hold on. I can try to wait until he's ready."

Mitch nodded. "I get that. And I hope that he gets to it sooner or later. Oh, and I was at the Doc today for my appointment. She, of course, cannot tell anything, but she vaguely hinted at him being at her practice. Esther told me that she advised him to go there but she didn't know if he did."

"If he's really going I'm glad. At least I know that he is getting help" Scott said. He sighed.

"I know, Scott. But-" His phone beeped and he immediately looked at it, gasping when he saw that he got a message from Avi.

"He... it's him. He sent me a voice message" Scott said.

Mitch smiled slightly. "Do you want to be alone?"

Scott shook his head. "No. Stay, please? I don't know what this is going to be, it's still loading."

Mitch took his head. "Scott, whatever this is, please try to stay calm, okay?"

Scott nodded and pressed the 'play' button. He was surprised when he heard the sound of a guitar, but then again he was not. Avi had told him time and time again that songwriting and music helped him express his feelings.

Oh, I loved you, Adeline
From the sea unto the pine
Deeper than the canyon low
Higher than the mountain snow
Yeah, we fought to make it last
Despite the ruin and the ashes
Oh, I loved you, Adeline
But you were young and I was blind

As soon as Scott heard Avi's voice he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He tried his best to focus on the words. Having Mitch beside him, holding his hand helped, but still, he couldn't help but cry.

Oh, I'm sorry, Adeline
I took your heart and stole your time
But I promise you I did believe
That we would last like evergreens
Growing tall despite the cold
Planted in each other's souls
Oh, I'm sorry, Adeline
Yeah, I'm sorry 'til the day I die

Thinking about your tender heart
I go back to where we started
I held hope for sunny days
Oh, but it seems I brought the rain
Oh, but it seems I brought the rain

The song was beautiful. Sad but beautiful. And even if Scott lost himself in it, he got what Avi was doing in it. Saying goodbye to Adeline, grieving her loss.

"Here," Mitch said and handed him a tissue.

"Thanks," Scott said with a raspy voice, tried his best to dry his tears and then blew his nose.

"Scott?" Mitch's asked softly once he was sure that Scott had calmed down enough.

The blonde looked up and was surprised to see that Mitch was crying as well. "Yeah?"

"Are you Adeline?"

Scott nodded. "In a way," he said. "He once told me that he wrote Sweet Adeline when he broke up with Mia. Not about anyone, but about the feeling he was longing for and... when we were together he told me that he had found this feeling with me."

"Oh..." Mitch said.

"Yeah" Scott just said, wiping at his tears once more. "Can... I want to be alone... sorry."

"Of course," Mitch said. "If you need me, I'll be here."

Scott nodded and then stood up and went into his room. He dropped down on his bed and listened to the song once more, hoping for a sign. But the only realisation he had while listening made him feel nauseous:

By saying goodbye to Adeline, Avi was breaking up with him.

~~~~