The Abyss Chapter 6 – The Homecoming
Arriving back in Walford Christian and Syed were alarmed to see yellow and black police tape across the blue front door and a newly installed lock. It didn't take long to track down Ian, who firstly berated them for the inconvenience and expense he had incurred dealing with the burglary, and as an afterthought asked where Jane was and when she was going to return.
Christian snorted and left with the new key, they gingerly entered the flat and groaned. The place had been trashed, cupboards ransacked, furniture overturned and the floor was littered with broken glass. It didn't take a genius to work out who was responsible and while it was only "things" that were broken, the uncertainty as to whether they might be back lingered unspoken in their minds.
With reluctance Christian went to meet his first client, but not before phoning Jane to suggest the she keep Amira and the baby out of the way. Syed phoned the police to finalise the crime report, and waited for them at the Massala Queen where he was reunited with Tamwar. Zainab, he discovered, had been detained overnight and was being released this morning with a caution, Masood was en-route to collect her. Tamwar was more than a little grateful not to be around for the inevitable fallout. Despite his deep disillusionment Syed rolled out the trite excuses, they were only doing what they thought was best, they were good people – he didn't even know himself whether he meant the words or whether he spoke them out of habit. He still craved their love and respect, but recently his doubts about their judgement seemed to increase every time their paths crossed.
Crossing the square he was rewarded with a wolf whistle and a cheeky grin from Christian and responded warmly to the well-wishers who seemed to be genuinely pleased to see him back. For someone who thought the whole world would judge and turn away from him after he made "the choice" he realised he may have lost one community but gained another. With a spring in his step he tripped up the stairs to start the process of tidying up.
It was late before Christian returned armed with a takeaway. He grinned at Syed's priorities, every surface was covered with either binbags, broken items that Syed was meticulously cataloguing for the insurance, or things precisely stacked to return to their rightful place. Every surface that was, except the bed, which was neatly made up with a few salvaged candles lit on the bedside table. The man himself sat cross legged on the floor so absorbed in trying to reassemble something he hadn't heard him come in. He stood for a moment just gazing at the mop of unruly hair, the look of sheer concentration on his face, the nimble fingers and the lithe body, he was perfection. He couldn't believe that despite everything the world seemed so intent on throwing at them, they still had each other and how nothing else mattered. He took a step forward and dropped to his knees in front of him, stroking his cheek and planting a trail of kisses around his jaw line before lightly brushing his lips and whispering huskily, "I brought you food." Syed ran the tip of his tongue up his neck and nipped his earlobe. "Mmmm, tasty!"
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