It was three days since Danny promised to ask about Emery. Four days since that weird phone call and the most annoying four days of waiting in my life- for what?

I studied all day for my final presentation, and that seemed to go well until I got a message from Danny with only the link from Instagram.

I opened it, and instantly on the screen, I saw a bunch of shots. Some looked like very random pictures of buildings, views, and animals, but there were a few of a young man that I recognised as Emery. I scrolled down, studying every photo on his wall, which took me a short while, as he had around forty pictures reaching as far as his teenage years.

When I looked at the images of Emery, I experienced a similar sting of lightness to the one I felt in those rare moments with my grandma. It felt good. It felt like a victory. Finally, I stepped closer to finding him. I had contact and source of information since that woman never texted me back. I didn't lose any second writing a simple "hi" and pressing an arrow in the chat.

I watched my phone with the chat open for the first few minutes, losing my enthusiasm when the message remained unread. I left my phone on the table, trying to focus on cooking instead. It didn't stop me from sending glances at the screen, searching for the flashing light or anything indicating receiving the response. By the end of the day, I was beyond disappointed.

It took a second for me to wake up the following day, considering I didn't sleep that well during the night, constantly tossing myself all over my bed. I sat up rapidly, unlocking my phone to open Instagram to see no new messages. I fell back on my bed, covering myself with my grey duvet as a way to comfort my hurt feelings. My head got a bit dizzy from the sudden movement of sitting up, so I took time to control my breath and relax.

I thought about Emery and the whole situation and events that surrounded him. I just hoped he wasn't in trouble. Well, that would explain the note, his disappearance from a coffee shop, and now his not responding to my text. What else could have happened if not for something bad? Certainly, the owner of the number Emery had given me knew much more but had not responded to any of my attempts to contact her. It was, therefore, the only source of information that I could not count on.

I felt so lost.

Jasper sat at the table watching something on his phone that seemed like stand-up. His face was relaxed, and he laughed at some jokes that a woman kept throwing at the audience.

"I will forward you the link. It's hilarious. She had done a whole stand-up about the quarter-life crisis." Jake said when he saw me walking past the table.

"Why? Is it relatable to you?" I teased him halfway, filling up the kettle.

"Do I have to go through the crisis to find it funny?"

"But, are you going through a crisis?" I boiled the water and started making my coffee. I kept glancing at Jasper as I thought it was a good opening for the conversation I wanted to have with him. He moved in with me for the time being, but it seemed to me that he just wanted to stay. He didn't search for another place. Neither had he mentioned anything about his future plans. Maybe- but just maybe he was going through something more than what he gave out.

"No, I'm perfectly fine." He smiled.

"If you say so, I won't pry then," I told him. Afterwards, I noticed that he seemed taken aback by my words.

He blinked as he said. "Were you serious? Why do you think I have some kind of dilemma about my existence?"

I wasn't sure what to say as it was clear I had offended him. "I'm just worried. It's nothing serious. I know you broke up recently, and I was just asking. Just to make sure everything is alright." I assured my best friend. At that point, I felt awful for suggesting anything to him.

"I'm alright," he muttered. It became awkward to sit there together at the table, both quiet. I forgot how sensitive he can be at times. We sat in silence for a while, eating our breakfast, finishing our coffee and getting ready for the day. In the meantime, I received a text but left it unread. I lost hope that Emery would write back to me, and in return, I felt no need to respond to anyone else.

"I'm leaving," I shouted from the hallway while sliding on my white trainers.

The day was warm, and the fresh air told me it must rain at night. I saw a few puddles of water on the sidewalk. Leaves, aura and hay seemed to radiate their own light.

I pulled out my phone, remembering the notification I'd heard earlier while getting dressed. I paused, unable to move, when I saw a message from this woman who knew Emery. She asked me to meet her in the evening. I wrote back to her, asking for a place and the exact time she wanted to see me. The answer came immediately, leaving me wondering why now? She had never contacted me before- so why did she not only want to talk to me but also to meet up in person? At that point, I had no answers, only questions.