Sun was shaking. Sun’s heart was almost popping out of his chest. Cloud was whistling. Having a tinkle. Sun heard the splashes as a loose variation of Lovely Day escaped from Cloud’s pursed lips.
Sun clicked open Messages. Scrolled through the list.
Nothing.
Only meaningless messages. Normal stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Sun snapped open the WhatsApp icon. Again, zip. Absolutely zero evidence to back up why Sun had been unable to sleep for the last few days. Weeks even.
Sun heard the toilet flush.
A few seconds remained. No more.
Sun thumbed the icons, brought up the Call Log.
Mum, Dad, Banter Crew, Sun’s own number and there in, red were five, no six, missed calls from Rain.
All in the early hours of the morning.
Sun’s heart sank a little. Nausea swept over him.
Cloud sneezed. Swore. Laughed. Said something about that being a big one. Laughed again. Said something about that being one eighth of an orgasm. If only!
Sun called up the last opened apps. Ignored the ones he’d just done. Sun shuffled Music out of the way. So too Podcasts and Stocks. The latter surely opened in error. No one ever opened that intentionally.
And there it was, the bright yellow app icon for Snapchat, or something, Sun was not exactly up to speed on the Socials.
Sun snapped it open, and there it was, laid out bare.
Dozens of images. Pictures of Cloud. Digital renderings of just about recognisable bits and pieces. There were collections and galleries of, Rain too, Sun thought, though could not be sure, so grainy were the images. Soft lit and close up.
But this were definitely private snaps, of private things.
And Cloud had kept them secret.
From Sun.
The bathroom door opened. Cloud came whistling through. Sun swiftly closed the phone down again and threw it back to Cloud’s side of the bed, before rolling over and pulling the duvet tight around him.
Cloud said Cheerio...or something.
Cloud said See you later, have a great day.
Cloud said Love you.
And Cloud left.
Sun waited until he heard the sound of Cloud’s feet on the gravel. The door of the car opening and closing and the engine ticking over.
Sun waited until he could no longer hear Cloud’s exit.
Then, and only then, did Sun let out a muffled sob.
