"It feels like I'm dead "naruto said aloud to him as he slouched lethargically over the couch. He let himself slowly fall on top of the red cushions which had a musky scent on them and he breathe it in. he let out a long sigh and roll over on to his back . Staring at the ceiling, blank white with tiny cracks nearly invisible, he felt his tiredness turn to frustration. The air in the room was suffocating and stifled because the windows were tight shut. The sun radiated through them in a harsh glow that cut through the air in the room. The dust particles danced in the sunlight and disappeared into the shadows. Naruto turned his head and stared at everything else in the room, from the furniture to the floor, and was discontent. Not because the curtains were not bright orange as he wanted, not because his favourite CDs were not allowed to be displayed. No, he was frustrated because he was alone. His focus turns to the clock hand, watching it move, ticking away rhythmically. He tried very hard no to concentrate on the silence, on the passing of time but he couldn't. Each tick of the clock resonated through him, as if magnifying the loneliness. It didn't take long before all this got too much for him and he shot up in to a sitting position. Once again he surveyed the room.

He got out his cell phone from his pocket and fumbled through a barrage of texts until he stopped at one.

FROM: Sasuke TEME
sorry be home late today.

"That's it?" Naruto thought to himself. And yes that was it, that's all his boyfriend could muster to type, all the words he could spare. The text was probably sent to stop him from worrying, but all it did was make him worry even more. "I thought his project was finished already "he asked himself almost doubting if sasuke confirmed it. This wasn't unusual for them; Sasuke was a busy man, having to run a company. "Running a company takes a lot of work and work takes time" naruto remembered him saying " so sometimes I have to take more time to do more work" . That was a very grown up way to put. Naruto wasn't too happy about it, and for a while he felt almost abandoned by his lover, but he realised that he mustn't be selfish with Sasuke. Sasuke had other priorities and he knew that he would get rewarded for his patience when Sasuke return, so he never complained. He had no reason to, Sasuke always kept him informed. He'd send him short texts saying how much he missed him and how close he were to coming home or summing up their love making plans for the night. They were short but never this vague and somewhat uncaring. Sasuke always left a time he'd be home in the texts but not this time, he always said what he was doing but not this time, and most worrying of all he was never this late. Naruto had already sent so many texts demanding a reply from Sasuke, all ignored.
It was already 2 o'clock in the morning and Sasuke was still no home, considering that the text was sent at nine pm. Naruto didn't really know whether to be angry or worried. As he battled with his emotions, his want to smack sasuke and his want to cry, he also had to fight off the sandman's lures. He was drinking coffee like it was ramen and pacing up and down taking short breaks before beginning again. On his many pacing adventures he mindlessly walked into sauce's office, stumbling on a piece of paper that was carefully folded in to a neat quarter by the side of text. Ordinarily this wouldn't be ringing any alarm bells, but it certainly stood out for the blonde. Sauce's office was always unusually tidy, even after they engage in coitis, it was quickly cleaned up and rearrange. Naruto was sure sasuke had a cod. He picked up the piece of paper and read it carefully. It was an address, phone number and date. The date which was today. The blonde grabbed the telephone in sasuke's office and pound the buttons in correspondence to the numbers on the piece of paper. He waited and began to feel slightly nervous. The ringing began, and it felt like it went on for an age. Naruto stood, in full anticipation. "Hello" he heard an unfamiliar voice say, it was oddly nostalgic but naruto couldn't place it. Naruto froze. He wanted ask the person if they knew Sasuke and where he was but he couldn't. "Hello?" the person called out again, but naruto's voice couldn't escape his thoughts. "Can you hear me?" the voice questioned. "Yes I can hear you "naruto said in his head." I'm hanging up "in that moment naruto shot back "wait!" there was a silence then...
"Oh you're ready to speak now are you "
"yes, I'm sorry "naruto apologised feeling weirdly ashamed for just keeping quiet.
"Well you called me, can I help you?" the voice asked
"um yes I was ...wondering if you knew a Sasuke Uchiha?" naruto asked meekly
"and who's asking?" the voice replied
"his..." naruto stopped...he didn't know how to present himself. He was Sasuke's boyfriend but when he was with sasuke and their friends. He didn't know what he was to Sasuke anywhere else. At work, sasuke is probably a hardass and his family probably wants to marry him off to some wealthy tycoon's daughter. Plus he didn't know who this person was, reckless saying he had some romantic connection to Sasuke could be problematic for sasuke. The blonde didn't want that. He wasn't even sure if Sasuke was openly gay. Even though they'd been going out for 3 months now, Naruto has never asked him any of these questions...he feared the answers.
"You still there?" the voice asked
"um yeah ...is just his friend "Naruto lied, he figured it was for the best but it stung he didn't want to have to lie.
"Well what's it to you if I know who Sasuke Uchiha was, friend?" the voice asked with a smug tone
"I'm just worried about him, he's home late .." oh no, naruto thought and then quickly added "I called his house and there was no answer "
"oh what a good friend you are, well don't worry friend, Sasuke is just fine" the voice answered with the same smug tone.
Naruto sighed a sigh of relief "so you know where he is?" he asked.
" yes as a matter of fact I do , he's close by to me actually , just finished his marriage interview .."
"His what?" naruto asked shocked
"his marriage interview, you know. Poor girl he's going to marry has a lot to deal with huh, and she's a looker too, it's such a shame."
"Y-yeah" naruto said brokenly trying to digest what he just heard.
"If you like you could speak to him "the voice said as it trailed of and began to scream sasuke name, telling him to get over here.
"NO!" naruto shouted in a panic "it's fine really, please I don't want to talk to him ... as long as his not dead in some ditch " if only he was dead in some ditch naruto thought cursing his soon to be ex boyfriend .
"Oh can I at least leave a message "the voice asked somewhat politely now.
"Tell him this, I never like those ugly curtains!" and with that naruto hung up.
He grimaced and walked back a few steps. It was had to absorb. He should've known it was coming; of course sasuke would leave him after he had his fun. He was too enthusiastic, he jumped the gun. He thought Sasuke truly cared for him. He even gave him a key for his apartment. He only had himself to blame he thought. He was also glad he found out this way and not through Sasuke. He could break up with Sasuke and no he avoided being dumped by the uchiha, which took the edge of the pain he was feeling. He went back to the sitting room. Got his phone and typed, we are over and sent it to the uchiha, before hastily grabbing his keys and running off. As he drove away he could feel the hot liquid pour from his eyes, he's throat choked up and his heart sunk…