A Search or the Lost Stars

I - Empty Home

How long does it take to heal a broken heart?

How long does it take for that love to die down?

How long does it take to find a new love?

For some, it took months and years, but for some, the healing never comes, the love never dies down, and they never find a new love.

Once in a while, there comes a love so deep and so strong that nothing else could replace it. And when it's lost, the pain and heartbreak are beyond compare. While time heals most wounds, the pain cost by this heartbreak never does. So, the only thing one could do is wait.

Wait for the uncertainty of that love's return.

The same was true for 26 years old Sebastian Torres until he grew tired. Until he realized that it was time to let go.

It had been a year since Seb had an epiphany that his love would never return. After four long years of waiting for that promised return, Seb realized that it was just nothing but empty words.

Things would have been easier for him if he had someone else to blame, but there was no one else to blame but himself.

He caused their parting, he was the reason why they had to break apart.

"Hey, Seb are you even listening?" Nora Jones, Seb's friend, and contractor-extraordinaire called his attention.

"Yeah.. yeah... I am."

"Really? Because you've been staring at that sign for quite a while now."

"Ummm... I'm just making sure that it isn't crooked." Seb said as he continued on staring at the sign 'Taylor, Salceda & Associates Law Office'.

"It's not, it's bolted perfectly in place. Now, could you please help me? We need to finish this in a week." Nora said, sounding really stressed.

"I thought your New Year's resolution is to be stressed less?" Seb asked her. "We're just a week in 2019 and you've already broken that resolution. That's a new record." Seb said as he started carrying boxes inside.

"Like I had a choice. My workers are still all in vacation, the furniture aren't here yet, I still haven't lost all the weight I gained from the holidays, I just turned 30, and I still don't have a date on Valentine's." Nora hissed.

"Relax." Seb said as he opened a box full of decors for the whole office. "The supplier said they would deliver it tomorrow and all the heavy works are done, it's nothing the two of us can't handle in a week."

"How can I turn-over this project if they don't even have a chair to sit in once they move in?!" Nora was totally stressing out and Seb was scrambling to clam her down. "I'm sorry, Seb..." Nora sighed. "I really appreciate you lending me a hand, but this is my first big contract, and I don't want to mess it up."

"First of all, you're not going to mess it up, second..." Seb said as he placed a vase on the counter. "You know I'm not helping you for free, right?"

Their work ended just before the sun sets and Nora was still visibly stressed. "I'm going straight to Barry's for my shift, do you want to come? You look like you need a drink."

"Yeah, sure, but Seb, aren't you working too much? You're practically just going home to shower and sleep." Nora said.

"I'm fine. I like keeping myself busy." It wasn't about being busy or distracted, it was the simple fact that Seb doesn't like staying in his apartment, or in that building.

That place hosts so many memories, there are countless of happy ones, but the painful ones simply overpower them. It was too much for him to handle.