Knock, knock, knock.

In the hallway of an average apartment stood a lone man. He had long, dirty, blond hair that curled a bit at the end. The man sighed and shifted his weight. He placed a hand on his chin, the other on his elbow. ‘Maybe he’s not home..’ he thought to himself.

The man could be considered a hippie type. He had a little bit of stubble on his chin and slightly drooping eyes from years of partying and underage intoxication. He stood at about 5’9, burly and was beginning to grow a gut. He had sandy blond hair and was clearly young, barely in his twenties. He shifted his weight again.

The apartments were fairly well maintained, They were clean and didn't carry any unpleasant odors but the damn lighting was a real headache. Snapping the fingers that previously rested on his chin he started, “you know what? I'll just come back later.." He said and began to spin around. However, midway through his turn the door he had just been knocking on opened inward.

“Jacob.. How have you been, buddy?” The man who opened the door was the lifelong friend of the blond fellow who was apparently named Jacob.

Though technically only best friends, the two of them were more akin to brothers. They had grown up together their entire lives, from infants to now, in their early twenties.

The apartment tenant had sunken-in features and unruly black hair that went just down past his eyes. He looked almost unhealthily thin and pale as if he hadn't been eating or sleeping. His eyes were a sapphire blue much like Jacob's own but darker. The thinly man had dark circles under those eyes...

The blonde man, Jacob, faced his best friend and scratched the back of his head “Uhh, hey buddy.. how you doing?” He asked tenderly. Jake's eyes always seemed to convey his thoughts and emotions and currently they were screaming caution and a deep caring.

The black haired man laughed, “Yeah, Yeah, I look like shit don't give me that look. Come in you big goon.” He said, gesturing for Jake to come in while holding the door open wide.

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“Oh thank God. I'm absolutely terrible at emotional stuff.” Jake said, waltzing in and making his way to the fridge to retrieve a brisk, cold, Dr pepper. Taking a sip he ambled back over to his dark haired friend who was waiting with his arms crossed. Jake's friend was much shorter than him, standing at only 5’4. The young man was athletic and muscular. The two could not have looked more distinctly different.

Taking a sip from his soda Jake started, “No but seriously.. you doing alright? It's crazy what happened. I'm here if you need anything.”

The black haired man nodded and lowered his head, hair just barely covering his eyes. “yeah. Yeah. it's been three months but it still feels like it was only yesterday. I'm getting better though. I'll be ok.” Looking back up at his friend he grinned and scratched the back of his head in an awkward manner. “so anyways what have we got going on tonight?"

Jake shook his head. "I swear man, your memory is worse than my granny's and she had dementia. We're staying up all weekend binging that new game they've got for Xbox and ordering copious amounts of food! But first.. I gotta hit the can!" The man had began to raise his voice and clutch his gut near the end of his declaration whilst he made a beeline for the bathroom.

His dark haired friend was left laughing in his wake. Once Jake had rounded the corner and firmly closed the door, the stranger's smile began to fade. He looked down at trembling hands, rushing quickly over to his living room coffee table. Tears began to stream down his face as he reached under and pulled out a small black firearm. He hurried off to his room where he returned the gun to its rightful resting spot: his gun safe.

"What a damn fool I've been.." He muttered out loud. "Nobody's dying tonight.." The man finished sweeping his hair back and out of his now puffy eyes. He had been through heartbreak, yes, but death was not the solution. Killing himself wouldn't make the pain go away.. it would just spread more to the ones he still cared about. Everyone he loved had been hurt and he vowed that if he could help it, he'd never let them feel that pain of loss again. He certainly wouldn't be the cause of it.

A few days later...

The door to the cozy apartment opened once more and Jacob stumbled through, out into the hall. Any stray passerby would have probably thought the young man was drunk, but Jake no longer drank. Instead his current loss of motor function could be attributed to a severe lack of sleep from a long weekend of hanging out with the only person he'd never give up on. Their bond was unbreakable.

Before Jake had made it more than a few uneasy steps, his best friend popped out from around the apartment door. "Hey Jake?" The dark haired fellow called. Jake, turning his head just enough to look at his friend over his shoulder, simply raised an eyebrow.

The guy scratched his head and continued. "Thanks for coming man.. I really needed this."

Jake laughed and continued on his way. Before rounding the corner he threw one final wave over his shoulder. "Don't mention it man. I love ya. Take care." And with that he was on his way. The dark haired man slowly closed the door of his apartment. Staring at the dull, faded wood he sighed. "I love you too buddy.."

End of chapter one.