**Hello darlings! I haven't been writing any fanfictions in a very long while, so I'm a bit rusty right now. But I do hope that some of you'll enjoy my fanfic, and I have planned to make one or two more chapters of this if you'd want that! Also, when I wrote this fic I was listening to Adele's new single "Hello" non-stop, hence to the name and the plot. Try to imagine that song in the back of your head while reading this story. I promise it will make this whole thing a lot better! (at least I think so) ANYWAYS; I hope you'll enjoy this, bye!**

"Hi! You've reached Marco Bott's residence, unfortunately I cannot answer your phone call right now. But please leave a message after the beep, and I'll call you back whenever I can! Have a continually nice day!"

Jean lowered his phone from his ear and stared at it when he had come to Marco's voicemail once again. How many time had he tried to call Marco without any luck? 50? 100? Jean had stopped counting a long time ago.
Would Marco ever call him back? Maybe Jean should take this as a hint, and maybe he should let it go and move on with his life? No. That wouldn't happen. Not in this lifetime.
Jean looked down on his phone one more time before letting out a heavy sigh and dialling Marco's number one last time for today.

one signal… two signals… three sig- *click* "Hi! You've reached Marco Bott's residence, unfortunately I cann-"
"For fuck's sake, Marco, I know you're home, please just pick up the goddamn phone!" Jean said under his breath while Marco's voicemail played in the other end of the phone

*BEEP*

Jean panicked when he heard that it had already started recording his message to Marco.

"Hello, it's me, I was wondering… Maybe if we could meet up and talk over a coffee… or something, I don't know.. I just… I jus- PLEASE MARCO I'M BEGGING YOU, CAN YOU PLEASE JUST PICK UP YOUR PHONE?! I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

He felt how it had formed ice cold beads of sweat all over his body while he talked in his message.
Jean wiped his forehead with his shirtsleeve and threw himself backwards to let himself fall onto his bed.
The clock on the nightstand showed 5.38 PM. It was a Thursday in November, which meant that the sun had already set. Not that it was much sunlight during the days overall. Only grey skies, cold weather, windy as fuck and occasionally it would fall some snow.
Jean closed his eyes and took deep breath as all his memories with Marco started to flash before him.
He launched himself up from his laying position and up on his feet.
"Ok, I seriously need to fix this shit immediately." Jean said as he ran out of his room, down the hallway to the front door where he kept his shoes and jackets.
He put on his shoes and a coat before looking in the full-size mirror that his mother had bought for him few years ago when he first had moved in to his apartment.
His pale face had dark circles under his eyes since the lack of sleep the past months. He took a step closer to the mirror to have a closer look on his face. It wasn't just the dark circles that was new, his face hade gotten thinner too, his strong features showed even more now when all sockets had sunken in even deeper. His whole body wasn't what it used to be. Ever since that day everything went wrong Jean hadn't really felt any hunger, whereas he didn't eat a lot – which made his once strong and fit body slowly disappear. Bit by bit.
He let out another sigh and took a step backwards from the mirror, figuring that it wouldn't do any good to stand and stare at the stranger in the reflection.

"I hope he's home…" Jean said as he grabbed his scarf and a pair of gloves before leaving his apartment.
While walking down the corridor to the elevator he passed a big window that gave a perfect view over the whole city, where he stopped in his tracks to look outside on the scenery. It was dark outside, not windy – as it usually was this time of the year. No, it was not even a cloud on the sky tonight, making the last rays of the sunset in the horizon paint the very end of the sky in a bright orange and pink. Yes, Jean had a very nice view from his apartment complex actually, and he could never thank his parents enough for buying him such a nicely situated apartment.
Still standing and looking out through the big window in the corridor Jean thought that it looked very cold in its calmness outside and was glad that he decided to take his gloves and scarf with him. He smiled.

"Why isn't it a lovely night, my dear Jean?" he heard someone say from behind him, which made him snap out from his own thoughts. Jean turned around to find one of his neighbour, Mrs. Maple, standing behind him and looking out from the window too.
She was a sweet old lady that lived two doors down from him. She was usually the one who checked in on Jean when he hadn't been seen outside his apartment for few days, usually with homemade cookies or home cooked food. And always with a warm and understanding smile on her face.
She was a short and plump woman in her mid-70's, with a slightly hunching back. Her face was round and wrinkly and dusted with faded freckles. She was like Jean's extra grandma more or less ever since he moved into the apartment that his parents bought for him few years ago.

Jean smiled at his neighbour and said "it sure is, Mrs. Maple". She took her gaze from the skyline and looked at Jean's face before pinching his cheek lovingly.
"Oh my, Jean! You've lost so much weight lately – I can barely even pinch your cheeks anymore, and you are as pale as a sheet!" Mrs. Maple said with a concerned voice as she let go of Jean's cheek. "Are you feeling well, dear? Are you not eating? Do you want me to call Mr. and Mrs. Kirstein?"
Jean gave her a warm smile, took her hand and squeezed it gently and said "oh, no Mrs. Maple, that won't be necessary! I'm fine, I probably just need to go somewhere to get a little bit of sun - a vacation maybe… heh".
Mrs. Maple looked at him and decided to trust the young man's words about being alright.
"I'm really sorry, but I actually am supposed to meet a friend soon" he lied "so I'll have to leave now. But I promise that I will come over for tea someday next week!" he said as he bowed down and gave Mrs. Maple a kiss on the cheek before running off to the elevator before she could say anything more.

While in the elevator Jean took out his phone and checked if he had gotten any messages. Which he hadn't. He scrolled through his contact list and stopped on Marco, hesitated a little before click on the 'call' button. He didn't really expect Marco to pick up the phone this time either, just like all the other times Jean had tried to call him. Five signals before Jean was clicked and sent to the voicemail, once again. He leaned against the elevator wall, waiting for the beep so he could record yet another voicemail to Marco.

"Hello, it's me.. again. I've must've called you a thousand times, but when I call you never seem to be home… Can you please just pick up your phone? I really need to talk to you.."
He finished his message just before the elevator got to the lobby.
Jean let out a groan and shoved his phone back in his coat pocket and started to walk towards the main entrance of the building out to the street that was more than busy with cars and taxis. But nothing could bother him less.
"I need to get to Marco as quickly as possible" Jean said to himself as he went to the edge of the pavement and waved in a taxi.

"Where to?" asked the taxi driver as Jean climbed in in the backseat of the car.
"To East Bronx, please." Jean answered as he closed the car door.