Slave to Broken Hearts and Sex Appeal

Someone rings the doorbell. I don't even have to look to see who it is. I know it's Frank.

"Come in."

The front door opens and Frank comes bounding in carrying a few wrapped gifts with him. We decided to spend Christmas Eve with our respective families so we could celebrate Christmas together. Frank sets his gifts down under the tree. I tell him I have a surprise for him. He looks excited.

"What is it?" He asks, looking around as if he's expecting me to bring in a pony or a fire-breathing dragon at any minute.

"You'll see later."

I know he hates surprises but, I want to make him wait a little bit. Giving it to him now would only spoil the fun. I don't want that.

We spend the rest of the afternoon eating the leftovers from Christmas Eve and watching old Christmas movies. Frank insists we watch The Nightmare Before Christmas at least twice.

Frank is asleep by ten o'clock. The move we were watching has ended and the television is now showing Christmas-themed reruns of old sitcoms. Frank is laying with his head on my lap, a small puddle of drool forming on my thigh. It's almost cute. I lean my head back on the couch and close my eyes, trying to get comfortable without moving around too much. His phone vibrates in his pocket several times. His eyes open slowly and he looks confused for a moment. He looks at his phone.

"It's my boss." He tells me.

He answers the phone, wandering off into the kitchen for privacy. I follow him, cautiously, watching from the hallway that connects the kitchen to the living room.

"Hello?" He asks. He sounds groggy.

I can faintly hear his boss' voice over the phone but, I can't make out any words. Frank has a blank expression on his face.

What's going on?

"Do you know what happened?" He asks. His voice cracks.

Something is wrong.

I watch him slump to the floor, still holding the phone to his ear, listening. He rests his forehead on the palm of his free hand.

"Okay. I will. Bye." He says, before dropping his phone on the ground next to him. It makes a loud clattering noise and I wonder if it's broken. He's shaking. I can see it from where I'm standing.

"Frank?"

He doesn't respond.

"Frank." I repeat. "What happened?"

He looks up at me, visibly upset. I can tell he's on the verge of tears. I sit down next to him on the kitchen floor and put my hand on top of his in an attempt to comfort him. He exhales slowly, letting out a breath he had apparently been holding in.

"Adam's dead."