Voice in the Silence

Dave casts a grim look around the room. Too bright, too empty. Perfectly made white sheets, untouched in their perfection. The smell of medicine, unsuccessfully masked by artificial citrus scents. The atmosphere feels unwelcoming, the noises foreign, the air stifling. Even if the place looked different, nothing could compare to Steven’s apartment. There, he was always expected and loved. Probably still is… But Dave had said his piece—harshly enough—and disappeared from his life. Chances are Steven is still trying to reach him, sending messages into the void. Dave vanished from every radar. He announced a creative hiatus and bought a new SIM card, listing only the most important contacts. Steven’s number wasn’t on it. Now, the important people were his doctor, his agent, his producer, and his personal assistant. At least for now. If the surgery and rehab fail, neither manager nor assistants will matter. And the doctor is unlikely to do much anyway.  

────────── ✦ ──────────

Alena managed to work on her chapter and chat with Tanya at the same time. Most likely, this part would have to be revised later, but she simply couldn’t abandon her new ‘friend.’ The girl had arrived in Saint Petersburg during the day and, first thing, sent Alena a photo of the January puddles in the city. “Seems like the weather’s better here,” Alena thought, replying with a view from her own window. @tatiana_ember, 13:03: Cute little courtyard 🔥 Are you inviting me over? @alena_synthesis, 13:03: Don’t rush things 🙂 Let’s meet in the park first. @tatiana_ember, 13:03: Okay. Can’t wait 😉 Did Alena want Tanya to be in this apartment? In her fantasies—probably yes. In real life? Could she imagine Tanya sitting next to her on the couch, glued to the TV? It would probably be awkward, considering what she had been doing on that very couch the night before. Tanya arrived at the hotel and bombarded Alena with photos and videos. Her room was perfectly ordinary—spacious, pleasant, without unnecessary details. In the last photo, she posed in front of the full-length mirror. She wore skinny jeans that hugged her long legs and a light sweater. Her hair was gathered into something like a hairstyle made of unruly red curls. Alena didn’t come up with anything better than to react with heart-eyes. Video call… @tatiana_ember Alena answered the call in surprise. “Hi,” Tanya said in a slightly sultry voice. “Hi,” Alena replied, her voice a little hoarse. “How do you like the photos?” the girl asked, plopping into the chair. “Cozy setup,” Alena smiled. “And me?” Tanya looked intently at the screen. Without thinking, Alena blurted out, “Too much clothing on you today. Looks… unusual.” “Well, sorry,” Tanya teased. “It’s not May outside for strolling around in shorts.” “Shame,” Alena sighed. “I liked you less dressed better.” “Hey, that sounds rude! Now I’ll call you in a jacket.” Tanya got up with a mock-scowl and put on a jacket. “You’ll get all hot in that,” Alena laughed. “Don’t be silly, take it off.” “Fine,” the girl smiled. “I’m just about to shower. I won’t be able to call later—gotta rush to the opening. Chat tonight?” “Of course. I’ll be working on the chapter anyway.” Later, Sanya unexpectedly came to Alena’s place. She carried a big bag of groceries and announced she was going to throw a feast, since they both happened to have the day off. Alena hinted that she wasn’t in the mood for cooking—she was working on the book. Her friend, hooked on “The Season That Never Was”—the working title of the book—was ready to take the entire culinary burden on herself just to later spend time reading the fanfic. “What’s gotten into you today?” Alena asked, watching Sashka fuss over the chicken. “I have some shocking news,” her friend admitted. “Oh…” Alena trailed off. “I think I’m moving out from my parents’,” Sasha blurted. “Moving out? And where to?” “Remember Vitalik?” Alena nodded vaguely. “Well, he’s inviting me to live with him. Says he wants to see me more often, and I’m used to waking up next to him. I thought, if it doesn’t work out, I can always come back. It’s not a tragedy, right?” Sasha looked at her as if waiting for approval. “Of course not,” Alena replied. “Consider it an experiment. If it doesn’t work out, your parents will only be happy. Just don’t take it as a sign of destiny, or you’ll never leave them.” “And did your experiment succeed?” Alena frowned in confusion. “Well, the fact that you’re living here now,” Sanya clarified. “I didn’t really have anywhere to go back to…” Alena said. “So yes, I’m glad I’m living alone now.” “Would you even want someone else to live here with you?” “What are you hinting at?” Alena narrowed her eyes. “If things with your beloved Vitalik don’t work out, you’d move in with me?” “Not a chance!” Sashka smirked, then continued seriously. “If you had a girlfriend right now, would you two even get along here?” Alena thought for a moment. Girls had stayed over in her apartment, sometimes more than once, but it never went further. She always felt that she didn’t want to share her space with anyone for too long. Maybe that’s why serious relationships never worked out—as if she was protecting herself from too strong attachments. “I already told you: no girls! I’m my own girl!” and the recent incident with erotic images flashed through her mind again. “And what about your new friend?” “Tanya?” Sanya’s question snapped Alena back to reality. “What does she have to do with it?” “Well… did something happen between you two?” Sashka winked conspiratorially. “No! Where do you even get such ideas?” Alena protested. “Well, you’re writing a romance together…” Sanya continued. “Maybe you express some unfulfilled desires there. I mean, when I read her scenes, I think: if I liked girls, I’d have fucked her a long time ago.” Alena looked at her in horror. “Just don’t like them too much, okay? I don’t want you to scare off my co-author.” “And still… how do you feel about her?” “As a friend,” Alena answered firmly. Only it was unclear who she was trying to convince—herself or Sanya. @tatiana_ember, 18:38: Photo Unrestrained fun 🤪 Alena opened the message. In the background, a man in a sharp suit spoke on behalf of the company. His face showed complete disinterest in what was happening, as if he had been forcibly pushed onto the stage. It seemed he would much rather be at home with a beer than standing there. @alena_synthesis, 18:38: Holding up okay? @tatiana_ember, 18:38: Just need to survive the reception. Chat with a couple of important people to show I’m not here just for show. @alena_synthesis, 18:39: Just don’t drink too much. You still have a book to write. @tatiana_ember, 18:39: I already am 🙊 @alena_synthesis, 18:39: Drunk??? @tatiana_ember, 18:39: Silly 😅 Writing. @alena_synthesis, 18:39: Are you joking? @tatiana_ember, 18:39: Not at all… “Who are you with?” Sanya’s voice rang out. “Tanya is writing,” Alena replied thoughtfully. “Seems like she doesn’t waste any time.” “What do you mean?” “She’s at an event for work right now, but she’s already working on a new chapter.” “Then don’t distract my writer!” exclaimed Sashka. “I urgently need the next part.” “You only read it for her pieces?!” Alena protested sincerely. Her friend blushed at her own joke and tried to recover, “I mean, you send chapters only when you merge your pieces. So I’m waiting for your new chapter to be finished. You’ve probably already written your part anyway.” @tatiana_ember, 18:41: What are you up to? @alena_synthesis, 18:41: Sanya came over, we’re discussing the book. “You’re getting distracted again!” “Sorry,” Alena bit her lip. “Last message—and that’s it.” @alena_synthesis, 18:42: She thinks I’m distracting you and not letting you write. So I’m disappearing. @tatiana_ember, 18:42: We’re calling each other tonight, right? @alena_synthesis, 18:42: Not even up for discussion. @tatiana_ember, 18:42: A threesome? 😏 @alena_synthesis, 18:42: Absolutely not. I’ll send her off to her suitor. @tatiana_ember, 18:43: Alright then. I’ll meet our one and only reader later 😉 After getting the blessing to move, Sashka left her friend’s apartment. For Alena, the visit left an unpleasant aftertaste. They always told each other everything. And now she felt down because she hadn’t shared anything with her friend about recent events. She did have things to tell, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise. And the reason remained unclear. Lately, Sanya had been disappearing somewhere with her Vitalik, and today she had barely let her friend get a word in. Once again, Alena tried to justify herself. Tanya called much later than Alena had expected. She looked both tired and exhilarated at the same time. Perhaps the alcohol she’d had was partly to blame, but Tanya insisted it was all because of their book. According to her, she had spent all her free time outside formal work on writing a hot scene. “Will you send it to me today?” Alena asked in anticipation. “Nah,” Tanya shook her head. “I’m not finished yet.” “At least a little snippet,” Alena said with pleading eyes. “Until it’s fully done, I’m sending nothing,” Tanya declared firmly. She lay on the bed, one arm thrown behind her head, the gesture unconsciously exposing the slender line of her neck. She was wearing some tank top again, and Alena regretted that this time she couldn’t ogle her in full. She immediately scolded herself for the thought. “I was so hoping,” she sniffed. “Now I’ll have to go jerk off to the old scenes.” “Just hold on a bit,” Tanya replied, caring. “We’ll meet in two days, and then you can.” Alena shivered. Tanya and her double meanings again. Or maybe she hadn’t even meant to put a double meaning in there? “I’ll send it after we meet.” “Like a test of sanity? If I don’t please you, you’ll refuse to collaborate?” “You’ll please me,” Tanya smiled. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll want to kidnap you and make you constantly write porn for me?” “No need to make me,” Tanya winked. “So your threats won’t work on me, no matter how hard you try to postpone the inevitable.” No matter what they said to each other, how much they joked or flirted, all of it paled in comparison to a simple fact: it was impossible to tell who was looking forward to the upcoming meeting more.