Chasing Tide (A Merman's Tale And The Human Who Desired Him)

MISSING FALCON.

Chapter: 62.
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He hasn't been able to see Falcon since Tuesday last week. It's like the man had left him with all the work and had disappeared. And work was absolute hell and just about all of his energy had been spent keeping things together. It felt as though he was doing a one-man-show and no amount of coffee seemed to make any difference to his state of exhaustion. At night he wouldn't be able to sleep as his mind would remain consumed by the thoughts of Tide's and in the daytime, workloads would be piled up so much so he could fall dead from all of it.

Easton had mentioned Jacob who tends to most of these things but neither Jacob nor Falcon had shown face in the company.

He should have rejected to be chief secretary and to Falcon no less.

He wanted to be able to at least speak with him, or see him from time to time, he must say he missed him, missed the way he was always in his way, always looking for his attention, always appearing at unwanted places, he missed that attention, he craved it so badly that he knew he was way over his head. He had spent the last couple of months running away from the man, telling him to leave him alone and whatnot and now here he was craving attention from the same man he thought he didn't want anything to do with.

Luckily, however, his lunch break had just rolled around, leaving him free to depart the office for the next hour or so he thought. Before he had even fully shrugged into his pea coat, a pair of expensive Italian leather loafers had sauntered into view. He followed the trail up a pair of dark grey Armani suit pants, a matching waistcoat, and a white pinstripe shirt until his eyes had settled on the face of a certain Falcon.

Matthew sodding D'aureville. This was all his fault, completely.

"Mr. Alexander." he greeted, tone casual.

At least he wasn't calling him Mr. Rodriguez. Alexander held back a scowl. How dare he be friendly?

"How are things coming along?"

Terribly. "I have it all under control." He lied. "Nothing that can't be done."

"Of course not. After all, I'm sure you're quite capable." He mused, turning his gaze back onto him. The intensity of it was something Alexander hadn't been expecting. He'd lifted his own from the endless stacks of documentation to regard him proper and found that his eyes had been intensely trained on him. Alexander wasn't sure what it was about them, but immediately his anger, frustration, and worries had all melted away, replaced instead by an acute awareness of his scrutiny.

Alexander could feel as they appraised every inch of his face, and he was painfully aware of when they had moved on to have a look at the rest of him. It didn't take long for him to begin to fidget, but almost as abruptly as he had appeared, he had been stating that he would take his leave. It left Alexander confused and just a little disappointed. No matter how nervous he made him when he was present, the moment he was gone, he felt a hint of that familiar dismay arise.

And once again, he didn't see the man for the remainder of the week.

Was this his game at getting back at him?

How could he be so cruel?

Well, at least, Jacob has been present since Tuesday but it's not like that helped since his workload was still the same. And just like that the weekend rolled by and Monday arrived sooner than he would have liked, and it was back to the grind. He woke up that morning to the sound of Easton's favorite music filling the entire building and he had to admit it was something of a pick-me-up. He sauntered, barefoot and too tired for life, out of his bedroom down the stairs and into the kitchen area. East was in his boxers and a tee, scrambling eggs and hip-thrusting in time with the beat.

"Hey, stupid."

"Oh, shi- you scared the hell out of me. Morning, Cinderella."

"Uhh, you mean Sleeping Beauty?"

"Whatever. They were both princesses." He muttered as he went back to cooking. "Sleep well?" He asked, wiggling his nose to relieve an itch just as he was scooping eggs onto a plate already occupied by a slice of buttered toast. He shoved it toward Alexander with the spatula and it slid right into place.

"Thanks," Alexander murmured when he slid him a fork, too. "Yeah, not very restful but I got some. By the way, what are you doing up, isn't today supposed to be your meeting at Maryland's which if I'm correct is around noon?" He asked, gaze shifting to the digital display of the microwave. It wasn't even six yet.

"I thought I heard a sound from the backyard this morning, it sorta kept me up the rest of the night, got hungry so I figured I'd make breakfast. Any luck getting closer with the Boss?" He asked with a conspiratorial smile, crunching into his toast and leaning in close enough that Alexander couldn't help but laugh.

"Unfortunately, no. I swear he is punishing me for what I put him through." He reached up to push his fingers through his hair he was sure must've looked like a rat's nest already. "He suddenly appeared on Monday right when I was ready for lunch break then disappeared and I never saw him the rest of the week!"

"I think he's busy, remember what I told you before, he's hardly ever at Falcon so..."

"No, no no, this time it's different," he disagrees.

"How would you know?"

"Remember how he would suddenly show up when he wasn't supposed to and now that I work for him, something he has always wanted and suddenly he becomes a no show!"

"Hmmm." Easton's brows cocked. "Well, you could be right and at the same time still be wrong. This is the Falcon we're talking about, he could be flying around the world on business trips."

"Without me? No!"

"He has Jacob too, you know."

"Still doesn't add up." Alexander's frown deepened. "What's irritating is the more he does this to me the harder I miss him, it's annoying!" He watched Easton's eyes widen, his hand going slack with the toast.

"You miss him?!" Easton abandoned the toast, tossing it down on the plate and Alexander picked it up to steal a bite.

"Well..." he shrugged.

"I can't believe my ears!" Easton's eyes bugged, then his brows furrowed and he grabbed the toast from his fingers. "You're in love with him?"

Alexander choked, fixing him with a horrified look. "I said I miss him not love him, geez you and your active mind!" He licked the butter from his fingertips and slid from the chair he'd settled onto. "I'm gonna get a run in before I lose any more time."

"What? The story was just getting better! Breakfast?" Easton called.

"Sandwich, please?"

Alexander heard him start in with an irritated 'uuughhh', but it only made him laugh. He always made him laugh. Easton was perfect, the only one who truly gets him, no matter how much they argue he never quits on him. He hoped someday he found himself someone who will make him as happy as he makes him.

As soon as he got his compression tights on, a t-shirt, and a hoodie, he pulled on a pair of socks and shoved his feet into a pair of running shoes.

"Don't forget to check on Tide on your way out!" Easton called as he ran out of the house.

"Have I ever!" The other returned with a smile. A quick stop at the pool to stare into the fog and then on his finger with the ring, the man took off to the gate.

Beachlands was misty that morning, but it was refreshing. The mist cooled his face and clung to his hair as he took the pavement, earbuds plugged in with his favorite running track at mid-volume.