20

sat quietly in his chair, his legs stretched out on the couch while staring blankly ahead with unblinking eyes. His arms were hanging loosely down beside him and there was a vacant expression on his face. Not a single thing registered in his mind as he stared off at nothing in particular. His thoughts wandered back to his childhood friend.

Alex. The name rolled easily off his tongue without hesitation like an old habit. He liked calling him that nickname. It sounded so simple and honest. In all honestly, Victorz wasn't sure why it sounded like something Alex would say. He couldn't remember anything about his childhood best friend other than his name. Sure, it wasn't common for people to randomly drop out of his life, especially since Alex rarely visited his house anymore (even though Alex's friends always tried to convince him otherwise). However, he couldn't bring himself to care about anything other than his best friend anymore, so there was really nothing else that mattered to him besides Alex. Maybe he didn't understand why it was necessary to talk to him so much. Or maybe he understood but was just scared that talking to Alex and letting him hear everything about his past could lead him to remember who he used to be. Either way, he didn't understand the sudden surge of panic and anxiety that flooded his system

whenever he thought about Alex. Something in him had changed recently, and Victorz wasn't too sure if he liked it or not.

He knew he shouldn't worry about it too much. After all, it hadn't been that long ago that Alex had left his house, and he wasn't going to leave anytime soon. However, Victorz couldn't shake off the strange sensation in his stomach, a constant nagging feeling telling him to be careful. Maybe he was just afraid that he'd lose everything that he now held dear. Or maybe it was just Alex that was driving him crazy. Maybe whatever that feeling was, it wasn't just his own feelings. Maybe Victorz's own emotions were influencing the emotions of others. He couldn't be entirely sure what exactly was going on in his mind, but one thing he did know for certain was that he would be lying if he tried to tell himself that he wasn't curious about Alex.

Alex, on the other hand, couldn't focus on anything but the situation he found himself in. His head was spinning with confusion and he couldn't figure out what to think. What were the odds that his parents were discussing something related to his past? Of course, he had always suspected that their relationship was a little bit unusual, but it had never crossed his mind that they actually knew each other. As far as he knew, his mother never mentioned her family to him. Did she even know that they were together? Could she have guessed that something like this might happen? Why hadn't she told him herself? Was there even any hope that she might have come around to his ideas?

No, there was no way that it was possible for her to forgive him for everything he had done. There was no doubt in his mind that this entire situation would only end in disappointment. At least, that's what he had believed. Now, with everything he had been witness to today, and what he still saw happening in front of his very eyes, it suddenly became abundantly clear that she could never change her mind and would always choose someone else. How was it that things kept getting worse and better every second? What exactly was he supposed to do now? Would the situation get worse before it got better? He couldn't be sure, he couldn't remember having seen anything similar before, but it wasn't a surprise that he was struggling with the whole issue.

The fact that his mother was leaving, and he didn't know why, brought home to him just how insignificant he really was in the overall scheme of things. Everything he had experienced in recent days seemed so trivial in comparison to everything that he had gone through all those years ago. The anger and resentment he harbored toward the woman sitting next to him had completely disappeared as he had watched the pair leave. He hadn't expected her to feel the same way, or even for her to act as though this hadn't happened between them. Even if she had loved him once, he doubted she still did. Maybe she had stopped loving him years ago.

A loud knocking sound interrupted his thoughts and Alex jumped up from his seat on the floor. It took him a minute to regain control of his breathing as his heart beat erratically against his ribs and he struggled to calm himself down again.

It was quiet for several moments until the knock came again. This time the person waiting on the other side of the door called loudly for him. "Dr. Kavinsky? Dr. Kavinsky, it's me! Are you there?" A young blonde boy waited patiently for a response. His voice carried through the thin wooden paneling of the apartment door. The child knocked impatiently several times again before giving up. He began to walk away muttering under his breath. 'I suppose he wants an answer.'

Alex looked at his watch. "I should go out there. It sounds like he doesn't want to wait for me anymore."

Alex got up from the couch as the knocks stopped and a few minutes later a tall figure appeared behind the wood. An unfamiliar face greeted him and Alex couldn't help but notice that his clothes were slightly wrinkled. "I apologize for interrupting your afternoon but there is someone who wishes to speak with you." The man gave Alex a small smile, but it wasn't warm or kind, rather, it was more like a smirk.

After taking a look outside the window, Alex noticed the sun was already setting and it wouldn't take long until nightfall arrived. He wondered where this mystery visitor could possibly have come from.

Alex nodded curtly at the boy before following him to the elevator. When they stepped inside, Alex decided to ask. "Who are you?" He felt foolish doing that. The man had clearly been waiting for an opportunity to speak to him and now that that chance has presented itself, he was acting like some sort of servant. Perhaps that was the nature of the situation he was caught in. Servants tended to do what they are ordered to, whether that meant keeping silent about their master's business, or making small talk when there was nobody around to listen. It was definitely the latter.