61: Surprise House Call

Stephen was a mess. He had been since the last time he saw Xavier. At first, he had assumed it would get better with time but after almost one and half months, he couldn't function properly. He had barely gotten out of his house and even eating had become a problem, which resulted in considerable weight loss. For days, he has been stalking Xavier on social media, and he got to learn that Alicia had given birth. The issue was: that Xavier didn't post anything personal. Just a few stories on his feed about his nephews.

Stephen had contemplated picking up his phone and calling the man a few times, but he didn't trust himself to handle the rejection he knew waited for him if he dared call. All he could do was stare at their pictures in his gallery and the precious enhancement ring that Xavier had given him. He still had it. In fact, it was his prized possession, and he didn't know if he would ever be ready to part with it.

“How I miss you.” He whispered, tracing Xavier's laughing face w