At Kyle's apartment, it's when Kyle stirs awake.
Slowly surfacing from sleep, reaching instinctively for the warmth that had nestled beside him through the night, legs tangled, arms thrown carelessly across his chest like Ashen had belonged there.
But instead of skin, there's only cool linen and a hollow emptiness where someone should be.
The absence pulls at him like a sudden draft. He opens his eyes and blinks at the empty space.
Maybe he's in the bathroom?
Minutes stretch. Too many of them.
No sound of water. No rustling. No footsteps. Nothing.
Maybe he's gone. He thinks to himself, pushing anything to do with Ashen aside.
He glances at the time.. 8:51 AM ,and exhales through his nose. He gets out of bed, heads to the shower, lets the hot water hit him until his skin stings, then towels off mechanically.
