Dylan was knocked back immediately, head impacting the bathroom wall and leaving a small crater in the plaster. Amber was knocked back as well, her backside catching the corner and bringing her to the ground faster than anticipated.
Now it appeared that only Dylan was conscious.
Bryce had curled into a ball by the front door, knees pulled into his chest and fingers gripping his legs like those were the last piece of him before he disappeared. Yet his eyes radiated blue and yellow with swirling black where the pupils had been, and he remained perfectly still amidst the storm he brought into Dylan's flat.
In that single moment, Dylan felt immensely calm.
He also felt crushing isolation, fear, and depressed.
The winds had pushed both Amber and Dylan back, but then forced them down like an elevator rising too fast. The force kept the two pinned to the floor easily, and uprooted furniture that was light or hadn't been properly balanced shifted: side tables collapsed and blew across the floor before stopping, lights shattered against the rushing air, every single window pane blew out and threatened to suck everything out with the changed pressure.
The sound outside was alarming, and the shattered glass that fell to the street brought about several emergency calls from pedestrians and tenants of the nearby buildings.
His back to the floor and watching paperwork fly over his head, as well as the tinted blue, yellow, and black winds whip around him, Dylan pulled the cell from his pocket and swiped his phone to call the emergency services. Sliding his phone across the floor towards his face, he listened to the ringing before someone picked up.
"Hello, emergency service operator, which service do you require? Fire, Police, or Ambulance?"
"I need the Soulmate Institution," shouted Dylan above the noise present.
"I'll connect you now."
And he waited an agonizing five seconds, listening intently to the ringing and whistling wind, before finally hearing a man speak on the other end; "Hello, Soulmate Institute. Where are you calling from?"
"The...the corner of Richmond Mews and Steiner Street; flat 4B."
"The nature of your emergency?"
"My Soulmate just brought a hurricane into my flat."
In any emergency placed over the telephone, questions would follow, but Dylan only heard, "We'll send someone along. Corner of Richmond Mews and Steiner Street, correct?"
"Yes."
"Someone will be there in less than three minutes." And the line went dead.
The man turned over and slid his phone back into his pocket. Bryce hadn't moved, still curled in a ball on the floor and eyes still glowing blue with specks of black; this time, however, Dylan noticed Bryce's Glow thumping against the overwhelming blue wind, but now the rich, golden yellow light had turned into a darker, almost staler goldenrod colour.
"Bryce!" called Dylan through the wind, a piece of paper swinging and leaving a cut on his chin. "Bryce!"
The man curled into himself further, his joints moving in small shifts rather than fluid motions, like a machine starting up after decades of inactivity; the result was that the wind increased in acceleration. Dylan screamed his Soulmate's name again, but his voice was drowned out; Bryce's name never reached him.
The now-empty windowpanes of Dylan's flat whistled to the people down on the street, the blue and black winds whipping around the voided space before dispersing out over the parked cars on the opposite side of Steiner Street.
Some people believed the room had become a landing point for extraterrestrials.
Some believed it was home to a mad scientist, or an inventor.
The crowd's speculation continued further when the Institution's emergency vehicle rolled up through the thin streets that had been congested by parked cars on either side, each facing the same way.
After that, the time where Dylan was conscious was a blur.
~ ~ ~
The way he turned his neck, his muscles straining, was what brought Dylan out of unconsciousness. Rubbing the muscles carefully, he noted a slim bandage placed along the edge of his clavicle and along his chin.
He was in a doctor's examination room, with a nurse standing in the corner checking over his paperwork. She turned and, surprised, let out a quick, "Oh!" before proceeding. "I was just about to wake you, Mr. Matthews." Dylan sat up slowly. He was about to ask what happened before the nurse added, "Your mother's outside."
The woman opened the door, and in stepped Mrs. Matthews, who clutched her son like she had almost lost him. "Oh, sweetie! Are you okay?" Rocking Dylan from side to side, she showered more protective questions on him before Dylan weakly pushed back.
"Where's Bryce? Where's Amber?"
His mother stroked his arms carefully. "Miss Lawson's in the room across the hall. She's fine. She just has a minor concussion."
Dylan swung his legs off the padded bench and stepped carefully to the floor. His legs wobbled, the muscles seeming confused in their function, but Dylan managed to leave the room behind, much to the dismay of his mother, and stumble into a door with Amber's last name on it.
"Hi, Dylan," she whispered, a bruise on the left side of her forehead prominent. A nurse was bandaging it. Ross sat beside her, napping comfortably in the chair.
The man felt breathless. "I'm so sorry," Dylan whispered back, voice coming out hoarse and his head spin.
"Sit down," insisted Mrs. Matthews, who sat Dylan into one of the chairs against the wall. "I'll get you some water, okay?" He nodded, and she turned her back to get a disposable cup from the nearby sink.
"What happened?" Amber finally asked, after Dylan downed his cup of water. "I felt weightless for a second; it was nice. And then I don't remember much."
Dylan ran his hands up the side of his head and ruffled his hair. "I don't know. We were screaming at each other, and then...BAM, hurricane." Someone called his name in the distance, but Dylan didn't think much of it. His hands departing his hair, Dylan rubbed his muscles, feeling a small Band-Aid stuck to him. "Did I get a shot?"
"Yeah, it was, like, a sedative because the situation was – "
It was in that moment Chris burst into the room with Travis and Michael following behind. "Thank God you're okay!" Chris shouted, slamming the door in Travis' face.
Ross awoke when Chris had thrown open the door.
"God, fuck. I think you broke my nose." Travis ran his index fingers across the bridge of his nose and prodded gently.
"Good thing we're at a hospital," Michael whispered quietly.
"This is a nice party," Ross noted happily. "They all here for you?"
Dylan glanced to the three figures, turned to his mother, and then to Amber and asked, "Why are they here?"
She shrugged.
"I'm your emergency contact at work," Chris reminded, cheeks still tinted pink.
"I'm not at work," Dylan noted.
"Emergency services still called the company," Chris replied.
Dylan frowned. "So why did you bring the entire company?" he asked, gesturing to everyone behind Chris.
Chris looked back, staring at the two, and replied, "I'm not entirely sure why they're here."
"My shift was over, and when I see my Soulmate running towards the doors, I'm concerned," quietly put in Michael.
"Stevenson said I could leave and see what's happening," put in Travis.
"What time is it?" Dylan asked, looking up and seeing the time being just after five in the afternoon. "What time did you come over to my flat?"
"Four-twenty," answered Amber. "I remember because Bryce kept badgering me about – "
"Shit." Dylan looked around and enquired, "Where's Bryce?" Ignoring any answer to that question, he asked a passing nurse and asked the same question.
"Mr. Houghton is in confinement, presently."
"Why?"
"I don't have his records on me," the nurse noted. "Who is enquiring?"
"His Soulmate."
"Oh, you're Mr. Matthews; my apologies." The nurse noted something on the corner of a scrap of paper in her arms and finished, "I'll bring you his file momentarily. Will you be with Miss Lawson?" Dylan nodded and went to open the door. "Wonderful. I'll be back soon."
The door was opened already. Chris was watching, dismayed, as Dylan proceeded back into the room. "Okay, now that you're all here, I got something to say. Just bear with me for right now." Hands curling into fists and his body becoming rigid, he hastily spat out, "Bryce and I have known we were Soulmates since we went on that trip for the website, like, six months ago. And I love him."
Chris looked gutted, even if he already knew the details of Bryce and Dylan's relationship. He was more hurt by the last line.
Travis didn't care. He merely whispered, "Okay."
Michael watched his Soulmate and Dylan quietly and shrugged to the latter.
Amber and Mrs. Matthews gave Dylan two thumbs ups. Ross followed his Soulmate in suit.
"Okay, well, with that out of the way, I'm going to go find my Soulmate."
A rather timid-sounding voice suddenly spoke, "Mr. Matthews?" Dylan waved his hand before the nurse continued, "Mr. Houghton is with the Soulmate Institute – " He pointed down a long section of hallway which ended with two swinging, white doors. " – right down that way. He seems to be locked in the Asch Effect."
"Th – what?"
"He's located in room 1013," the nurse continued, pointing his pen towards the double doors again. "You, your family, and his family are the only ones allowed in, so that means your acquaintances..." The nurse glanced around at the others. "...need to remain here, yeah?"
"Yes, sir," Dylan replied. After asking if there was anything further the nurse could do, he checked Amber's vitals, the purpled bruise on the side of her head, and left. Dylan rubbed his thumbs against his forefingers and announced, "I need to go see Bryce." Mrs. Matthews began to stand, but her son gestured her to stop. "You can go home, okay? Thank you for being here for me."
"You sure?"
Dylan nodded, a confused, contorted look on his face. "I have some...words...I need to say to Bryce."
His mother nodded.
"Do you want me to wait for you?" asked Chris.
Dylan's grimace stared back at him. "No," he replied nonchalantly, turning and walking into the hallway.
"Dylan," Chris began, following after. "I'm just trying to be there for you."
"No," Dylan replied again.
"But, Dylan – "
"At least Bryce knows when to fucking stop," he spat.
This floored Chris. "I'm your emergency contact," he quietly spluttered.
He groaned, and kept walking. "I'm not at work. I don't want you here." His eyes dropped to the floor, watching the linoleum pass beneath him. "How explicitly clear do I need to be?" he muttered.
Chris' strut resumed, and he caught up with Dylan. "Dylan, you're distraught," he announced, hand falling on Dylan's shoulder. "I don't want you to – "
"What part of 'STOP' do you not understand?" Dylan snapped, throwing Chris' hand off him. "Jesus fucking Christ, Chris." He stopped and turned towards the man. Ruffling his bangs before fixing them, Dylan glared. "It's annoying, you know that?" he asked, his tone low and solemn. "You know, some people actually get tired of hearing 'I'm in love with you' all the time. You know what I got? I got the quiet alternative, which is even more annoying because you're not saying it, but you still are." Dylan's brown eyes met Michael's grey ones just a few meters away.
Michael, his eyebrows pulled up into a saddened look, nodded in understanding – "Do what you need to do. I'll be here for him."
Dylan harrumphed. "I mean, when are you going to get it through your head that I am never, going to love you?"
Chris was watching in horror, eyes red and tearing up.
"I'm done, which this whole, shitshow. Get over yourself. You're never going to be with me." Dylan turned sharply and walked away.
Chris brought his hands up to his face and sighed loudly, the air slipping through the creases in his palms and shaking his shirt collar slightly. "Chris?" asked Michael quietly. "Are you okay?" The man nodded, but kept his hands up on his face. "Chris," he asked again, his tone slightly demanding. His hand fell to his Soulmate's shoulder before he asked, "Are you okay?" Chris nodded again, but the look on Michael's face said that this was unsatisfactory. "Say something."
Hands drawing away slowly, Chris revealed his puffy eyes, a large frown, and tearstained cheeks. "Wow, this is not my month," he whispered, his voice hoarse. His eyes dropped to the floor and his mouth remained shut, gasps of air trying to escape.
"He shouldn't of said those things," Michael told him, hands falling to the side of Chris' neck as a reflex. Moving on his own instinct, he asked, "Are you sure you're okay, luv?" Chris looked up slowly at the final word, eyebrows high, mouth open, and still crying. Michael threw his hands up and backed away slowly. "Oh, I'm...sorry. I'm used to...being the comforting one for my mates."
Chris sniffed and wiped whatever tears were in his eyes. "He gave me exactly what I needed," he replied, breath shaking slightly. "The truth." Looking around at the passing doctors and nurses, who resumed their work as if the two New Soulmates didn't exist, he turned to Michael and finished, "I'm sorry. For being such a...fucking, ass."
Michael chucked. "I think that's the first time I've ever heard you swear."
"...can I ask you something?"
"Sure. Yeah, anything." Michael was momentarily temped to grab his Soulmate's hands, but refrained from doing so.
"Can we start over?" Michael began to speak, but Chris glanced down, continuing, "I don't think I was very fair to you."
"I don't think you were very fair, either," added Michael quietly. His Soulmate merely glared before Michael pursed his lips and whispered an apology.
"I want to, give you, a fair chance. I mean, right now, I still love Dylan, but..." Chris glanced up and locked eyes with Michael. "...I want to give you a fair chance."
"Sure, yeah. That's fine. Just...let me know when you're ready, okay?" He gave his Soulmate's hands an encouraging squeeze, and walked out, leaving a horribly dejected Chris watching the departure of, potentially, his last chance at happiness.
Thank goodness it was only for the time being.
Down the hall, Amber, Ross, and Travis watched what transpired from the hospital room. When Chris turned to find his coworkers watching, their heads stacked against the doorframe like a 90's sitcom, Ross finally spoke – "You weren't kidding when you said you had drama."