So Close, Light Years Away

21 Redwoods Apartment

2A and 2B

They were neighbours, if not anything else.

Friends? Perhaps.

Lovers? Definitely not.

But above every other relation that could exist between two loitering idiots of the mortal world, they were neighbours.

And yet, the ever calculative mind of Jonathan had already determined this fact - there was 5.8 * 10^12 miles between them.

Every morning, it was the same old routine over and over again. 

Asif would come outo of this apartment room, all rushing and late for his office, being the ever lazy fellow that he was. Jonathan would poke his head out of his door at the commotion outside, and see the harried-looking young man fumbling with the laces of his shoes. He would wave at the poor creature who was running late again. The said poor creature - Asif - would stumble on his own feet at the apparition of his neighbour before regaining whatever semblance of composure he possessed and would wave back, his cheeks sporting a blush at the sudden meeting.

And then Asif would be off to his office, and the freelancer Jonathan would return to his room. 

Later into the night,  at almost midnight, Asif would return home, his eyes unwillingly seeing the lights still on in Jonathan's apartment. The lights were always on. Slight concern would rise in his mind. He would wonder if Jonathan ever slept? Probably not.

And then, the night would end as slowly as it came, and the same routine would be repeated.

But was that really all?

21 July, 2019

It was a normal day just like it always was. But for Asif, it took a different turn. It was the birthday of one of his work-buddies, and Asif was compelled to join his friends at the bar. 

The environment was strange to him. After all, a lazy workaholic like him barely had time for bars. But as time went by, he let loose. Compelled by his friends and a few drinks, he was soon in eternal heaven!

The burden of waking up at unholy hours, going to sleep way after midnight and being stuck in an apartment where he constantly kept embarrassing himself before his insomniac neighbour was gone! For the first time in years, he felt light. 

And daring.

Later that night as he stumbled into Redwoods Apartment, his eyes, as usual, drifted to the light peeking out of the gaps of his neighbour's door. The usual - Does he ever sleep?! - plagued Asif's mind but with much more vigour than it did before.

Jonathan the ever-blissful man was sitting at his computer table, his hands typing at the speed of light when he heard loud banging at the door. He jumped up, his usual composure falling for a second there when he saw the door almost breaking from the force.

He was almost prepared to ignore whoever was disturbing him at midnight when he heard an all-too-familiar voice slurring out incoherent words.

Furrowing his brows, Jonathan went to open the door lest it broke off its hinges. But before he could even look at the smaller man properly, he was dragged forward with such immense force that it almost made him fall face forwards.

He jerked forward, his usual calm self now sporting an almost dishevelled appearance.

The still dead drunk Asif - who seemed to have gained superhuman strength all of a sudden - dragged a confused Jonathan to some unknown place.

As Jonathan was being dragged into the darkness, he wondered, "Is this how I die?"

But no. It seemed Asif had not become a murderer yet, as he merely kidnapped Jonathan to the balcony in his own apartment.

For a few seconds, there was mere silence between them. Jonathan kept glancing at Asif as if his face would reveal why he had kidnapped a hardworking freelancer from his apartment. 

But Asif was looking at the stars and he would not be bothered by silly inquiries.

Seconds turned into minutes before Asif suddenly spoke up, the cool air having taken away some of his stupor. "I feel so strange."

Jonathan sighed. He knew what Asif was talking about. They both knew,  and they both had so long successfully avoided the topic. But tonight seemed to be the night when the silence would be broken.

"Aren't we both?" Jonathan merely questioned - more like, stated.

There was no mistaking the slight loss in composure in Jonathan, the slight flushing of the cheeks of Asif, and the silent words between them.

"Why? Why must it be so?" Asif spoke, his voice coming out a shaking whisper.

"Light years, my dear. We're both a light year away," was Jonathan's reply as he stood closer to his neighbour than he had ever done before.

Society's outlook, Jonathan's conservative family, Asif's Asian background, their feelings... Nothing fit in the same sentence.

"Then," Asif started, taking a deep breath and letting out a happy smile. "Did you know?  They say that in the future, it will be possible for us to travel past light years faster than we have ever done before."