Patience sat in his bed for a long time. Tears came and then went, and then at last he could muster the strength to get up. When had his apartment become so vast and empty? He wandered slowly, his robe tucked tightly around him, feeling at a loss. At least his fish were still happily bubbling away.
What could he have done or said differently? He would have told Armaan everything if circumstances decreed it, but why cause trouble if he didn't have to? Why was that wrong? Being right didn't change the heaviness of heartbreak though. After an age spent watching the fish tank, Patience turned back to the bathroom to perform his ablutions, and then put his phone on the charger and went back to bed and pulled the covers up over his head. Forget checking his phone. That could wait until he had the strength to move again. And the strength to check, knowing he wouldn't see any messages from Armaan ever again.