"Hervy."

"Hervy, we're here. Hervy... are you okay?"

Hervy was just standing still, staring blankly at Lewis for quite some time.

"Hey... yeah, I'm okay. Sorry about that, I'm just sleepy, I guess", Hervy answered, trying to convince Lewis he was okay.

Lies.

He is not okay. And he is not even sleepy.

As Lewis opened the door to his apartment earlier, Hervy remembered a piece of his past that eventually made him space out. It was the day he was happy because Nyle finally returned to writing after an almost two-year hiatus. The day they fulfilled their ultimate dream of releasing their books simultaneously.

The day he thought was never going to end.

The day he lost Nyle.

"Sorry I had to drag you here at this time of the morning," Lewis said in a very concerned tone.

"You can come back some other time if you are sleepy."

"No, it's okay. I can still open my eyes, so that won't be a problem". Hervy assured Lewis. "Besides, look at this," Hervy pointed at his eye bags, "I've got a quota to meet."

Lewis let out a big laugh. "You're funny. Anyway, let's get inside."

It was twenty-five minutes past 5 AM. The sky was starting to turn blue, indicating the sun's arrival.

Lewis turned the lights on.

Hervy was amazed at what he was seeing. Lewis decorated the walls with paintings and drawings in frames.

"Wow, these are awesome, Mr. Thorington!" Hervy said in excitement. He felt like a bit of a kid inside an art gallery.

"Thanks!" Lewis answered, smiling from ear to ear. "It took me quite some time to completely decorate the walls with these pieces," he added.

He took Hervy's hands and led him to what Hervy thought was his bedroom.

"I don't just draw the traditional way. I also do digital stuff."

Lewis opened the lights; it was not his bedroom.

"This is my office, or at least that's what I call it," Lewis added.

It was a small room, about 20 square feet. 

Lewis's desk was to the left. 

He had a small gray table and a gray swivel. The walls were decorated with framed printouts of Lewis's digital works.

He also had these fancy fairy lights that spanned from one side of the room to the other. It basically filled the whole room.

The lights emitted a soft, warm yellow glow; it was a beautiful sight.

To the right side of the room was a small shelf about six-foot-tall, almost as tall as Hervy.

"Do you like to read?" he asked.

"Not really. Those are just learning materials," Lewis answered.

Hervy looked at the books. It mainly contained books about Digital Art, Graphic design, and the likes.

Hervy crouched to see the books on the bottom shelf. He saw some familiar titles, titles he had already read.

"Good taste.", Hervy thought as he went on checking.

He then saw two more books that he was very familiar with: NYLE HANNIGAN - FLICKER and A WARNING SIGN - H.S.

Hervy just stared at the books - trying to fight the tears. He could feel his eyes getting wet.

"Oh, except for those two. Those are my favorite books," Lewis suddenly said.

He was just behind him, looking at what Hervy was doing.

"I feel like the story of my life is similar to these books," he added.

Still holding the books, Hervy stood up, turned around, and faced Lewis.

"T-that's interesting," Hervy replied.

"Which part of the story do you relate to?" he asked.

Hervy's not a particularly nosy person - it was his writer instinct talking. This is how he usually asks people whenever he is in the process of making a new book.

Lewis breathed heavily, "Well," he answered. "A Warning Sign is a favorite. It told about the struggle of a woman trying to raise her child in the middle of a war."

"Every time I read that book, I remember my Mom. How difficult it must have been for her raising me alone. The only difference is that the main character got to see her husband when the war ended in the story."

Lewis's facial expression changed.

"My Mom never made it out of the war alive. She died when I was 16." Lewis sounded sad.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that, Lewis," Hervy said, trying to console him.

"It's okay. It took a lot of 'getting-used-to-it' before I actually got used to not having her around." Lewis is trying to fight his tears.

"As for FLICKER, I relate to the character on a rather spiritual level," Lewis said jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood.

"It tells the story of a young man who was trying to make it big in his field of interest. The same can be said for me, though my eyes are not set on becoming big one day - I understand the personal struggles of wanting to excel in your own field." Lewis added.

Hervy didn't know what to say for a minute.

He never thought Lewis's life story would be that tragic.

Yes, they both lost a person dear to them, but it's unfair to compare whose death hurt the most.

Hervy felt ashamed for not being strong enough after Nyle's death. Here he is, pitying himself for losing Nyle. He neglected that he still has his parents, not to mention the people from his publishing house. They were always there. They have always been there. They have been trying to help him, but he shut them out.

He is driving people away, while Lewis, who is alone - literally alone, still manages to put on the sweetest and brightest smile in the world.

He would have never believed in his struggles if Lewis did not tell him about them.

"I didn't know you carried a lot." It was all Hervy could say.

"It doesn't show."

Lewis just smiled.

"I was not always like this," Lewis answered. "Sometimes, the better option is to just roll with the punches when life tries to take you down."

"It was never easy. But once you get to that point, you will realize that there is also happiness in letting go," Lewis added.

Hervy felt like Lewis's last words were aimed at him.

He thought of something to change the conversation.

"It's 15 mins past six o clock," Hervy answered, showing his phone to Lewis.

Hervy returned the books to the bottom shelf. "I have to go now," he added.

"I hope you enjoyed my little house tour." Lewis jokingly said.

"I did, Mr. Thorington," Hervy answered. His eyes sparkled as he took one last glance at Lewis's works.

"Alright, let's get going then," said Lewis.

He took Hervy's hands and pressed them gently as they walked out of the room and into the living area.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Lewis asked.

"Oh, don't bother. I'll be just fine walking by myself" Hervy smiled.

"Will I ever see you again, Hervy?" Lewis asked.

"Maybe, Mr. Thorington, maybe," Hervy answered before leaving.

***

Lewis just watched the door close as Hervy disappeared.  

He couldn't believe they had just spent some time alone in his apartment. It was the first time he invited someone over in, well, a long time.

He can feel that he will meet Hervy again, real soon.

Lewis went to the kitchen to prepare his morning coffee. He might have run out of groceries, but he made sure he had enough supply of coffee.

He made a tall mug of coffee and brought it to his office.

Man, this is heaven. Lewis thought as he sipped his coffee.

He went to his mini-library and rechecked the books - FLICKER and A WARNING SIGN.

He thought it was odd that none of the authors released a sequel for each book. The stories ended with a cliffhanger that he felt a second book was sure to follow. Now that he thought of it, he had not heard any news regarding the two authors.

Lewis looked at the book A WARNING SIGN. There was not a lot of information about the author but the initials H and S. He had been searching the internet for any information about H.S., just to check if book two is in the process. However, so far, he still hasn't found any.

He placed the books back and went to his desk.

He turned his laptop on and opened WINAMP. He has been listening to this music by Alan Walker - ALONE - on repeat.

He played the song and turned the volume up. Lewis loved that song. The beat was very addictive, and he liked the lyrics, too. He checked his sticky notes for his deadlines for the day. Surprisingly enough, he only has a few, which means he can just chill for the day.

He saw Hervy's Sticky note again - 'HERVY FROM THE CHILDREN's PARK,' on top of all the sticky notes. He can't help but smile every time he thinks of Hervy.

He quickly sorted out the notes that were due today.

Diamond Heart, another song by Alan Walker, started playing. He loved that song as well. Even if he is not a good dancer, he is a terrible dancer - he tried dancing to the beat of the music. Lewis danced along as he started refilling the paper of his printer. It was a good day.

***

Hervy reached his apartment at around 6:20 AM. He lowered his window blinds and went to his desk. 

He hurriedly opened his notebook and started writing.

Today, I walked with a crowd of people

Talk, murmur, scream, and whistle

They made all kinds of busy noise

Trust me, in them, I still hear your voice

Looking back, I still smile when I think of you

How I found you from this crowd

I'm lost for words now you're not around

You're now a memory among the busy crowd.

He put his pen down and turned off the lights. He's actually feeling better than yesterday. And above all, he's sleepy. He jumped to his bed and closed his eyes. The tall guy fell asleep right away.

***

Lewis's day went on as usual.

He did not meet up with any clients that day, but he spent most of the day in his office. He was busy drawing while printing out several copies of the designs he finished.

He would sometimes find himself stopping for a few minutes, thinking of Hervy. He recalled how Hervy smiled when he saw all his works.

It was the first time he saw Hervy smile like that. His eyes smiled as well. It was nothing but pure, unadulterated happiness. A pure emotion that Lewis was lucky enough to witness. It made him smile as well. It's been a long time since he got distracted by someone.

"Get it together, Thorington. You still have a lot to do." Lewis told himself, trying to think of anything but Hervy.