I shove my door open and step inside, slamming it with all my might. It doesn't make me feel any better, not really, but I'm still satisfied that he would have heard the booming and felt it right to his bones, the jackass. Exhaling, I lock the door and walk into the kitchen, dumping my stuff down. I need wine. Stat. I need something to help me unwind, because honestly, I feel so uptight right now. I need to relax.
I pour a glass for myself, topping it up after every few sips. I kick off my shoes, change into something comfortable-small cotton shorts and a tank-and then I kick back on the sofa and continue drinking the wine. It goes down way too well, and before I know it, I've polished off half the bottle. My body is relaxed and I sink back into the chair, exhaling.
The power goes out.
I swear, one minute everything is bright and the next I'm thrust into pitch-black. For a moment, I just sit there, then I burst into hysterical laughter. As if everything that's happened in the last few days hasn't been enough, now this on my one night where I can enjoy myself, and sleep in tomorrow. Of course this would happen.
There's a pounding at my door, and my head whips over in its general direction. I'm still laughing hysterically, far beyond tipsy, as I stumble towards the small strip of light coming from beneath the gap in the door. I reach it-slam into it, actually-face squashing against the wood. It stops my laughter for a brief second as an uncomfortable pain shoots up my nose, and then I go right back to giggling again. Finally I unlock the door and fling it open.
Ace is standing there, flashlight pointed to the ground. I can just see his face in the light bouncing off the floor. He looks … well … like he always looks. Moody.
"I'm still alive, if that's what you're here checking," I giggle.
One brow cocks. "Are you drunk?"
"Tipsy."
"Same difference."
"Actually," I smirk, "there is a difference."
He grunts. "I was checking if you'd lost power, too. I guess we're all out."
I giggle. "You were checking if I was still alive, admit it. You want to be my friend."
"Jesus," he mumbles under his breath. "Have you got a flashlight in there? I'm not going to ask if you've got candles because I'd prefer not to die tonight when you burn the entire apartment complex down because you're drunk."
"Are you always this dramatic or am I the only lucky one that gets to experience it?"
I'm sure if I could see, he'd be rolling his eyes. I smile. "Where are your flashlights?"
I shrug, though I'm not sure he can see it. "I'm not really sure, it's been a long time since we've had a power outage."
"Okay, go and sit on the sofa, I'll find you one."
"No. I'll help you look."
A deep sound graces that throat, and then he sighs. "Okay, where would you normally keep them?"
I try to think of where I'd most likely put my flashlights, but I haven't really needed them. So I guess I'd store them somewhere out of the way. I'm guessing the spare room.
"Probably in the spare room. We can start there."
Ace locks my door, and then we move down the hall and I shove open the spare room door. I reach for the light, only to realize it isn't going to work. Well, I guess we're sharing a flashlight, then. I reach over for the one Ace is holding, but he jerks his hand back. "No. I'll hold it."
Bossy.
"Well, shine it around then, we're not going to see anything if you keep it pointed at the floor."
He shines the flashlight around the room, and we move to the cabinet I have in the corner. It has heaps of pens, stationery, paper, things like that in it. There might be a flashlight stashed in there somewhere. I open drawers and start rifling through it while Ace holds the light over everything, so I can see. We come up empty, so I move to Raymond's old desk, which is in the corner and piled up with crap.
I could never bring myself to sell it, but I couldn't bring myself to use it, either. So it just sits there, collecting dust.
I start shoving things aside when my hand freezes, extended in front of me, like I'm reaching for something.
I blink. Then I blink again. No. It can't be. I shake my head, wondering if I'm just imagining things, if the alcohol is making me see things that aren't there, but I know I'm not. I'd know that laptop anywhere. Raymond used to take it everywhere with him. I haven't been able to find it-I know because I went searching through the boxes only a few months ago, looking.
I couldn't remember where I put it.
I know for a fact it was not sitting on the desk … open.
My heart lodges into my throat. Maybe I could believe it was sleepwalking when it was just a few small things, but this … not even someone sleepwalking could have found this easily. No way in the world. Something is wrong. Something is definitely wrong. I tremble, my hand is still extended out in front of me, and for a second I have forgotten Ace is standing right next to me.