Before the Dark...

"I really have no idea what's going on with him honestly, it's so annoying, one minute he's here the next minute I'm ghosted, I'm so frustrated," Tara complained as she sat on the call with her friends,

"Have you spoken e to his brother? "

"I left messages, tons and tons of them, but nothing," she said in a defeated tone.  "I really hope he's okay." She added.

"He's fine, what you need to do is go to the house and check on him,"  reluctantly she took her phone to order a taxi,

"I'm on my way there guys, I'll call you when I get there," she said as she took her keys and left her apartment. Finding the taxi, she got in, not knowing what to expect when she got there.

Getting to the front of the building, she walked in as soon as someone opened the door, she took the elevator, to his floor, and knocked on his door, she could hear the footsteps approach the door, followed by the turning of the key in the keyhole and the handle of the door, opened and standing before her was his brother,

"Hey,"

"Um...hey?..."

"Derek, where is he please? I'm actually here to see him,"

"He went to the store to get some foodstuff, but you can come in and wait for him," he said stepping aside for her to walk in,

"Thank you." She said as she walked in heading straight for his room and sitting on the edge of his bed. 

'I'm here," she texted her friends,
'What did he say?'
'He's not here but Dan opened the door for me,'
Just then she heard someone unlock the main door and then voices before the door to the room was opened.

She could see the shock in his face as he stood at the door with the bags in his hands, he walked into the room, shutting the door behind him and dropping the bags on the table,

"Hey," she finally muttered, he just stared at her, like the words were hard to come out of his mouth, stuck in his throat, she noticed his eyes, swollen as if he'd been crying all night, and the his face too, but she didn't know how to ask, he was a closed book,

"Hey," he said, and then left the room again, she just sat, staring into space

'I don't think he's okay, or anything, and I really don't know what to do, what am I supposed to do?' She texted,

'Go out there and be with him then,'  she replied.  Just as she was about to stand up, he walked in to the room and sat beside her, placing his head on her shoulder,

"Are you good?" She asked, he nodded,
"You don't have to lie to me yunno,"

"I'm fine." He said faking a smile.

"Did you see my texts? And calls?" She asked, he fell silent and nodded his head,
All of a sudden she felt a sudden burn of anger inside,

"You saw them? And didn't say anything? For two weeks? I don't understand, why didn't you reply?" He said her voice getting louder, he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's cool... I guess we are both done with this... I can't keep doing this with you, what in the..." she got angry, and left the house angrily.