Nothing Personal

Alex had never been good with stress. His college work, along with his paid work, was piling up and he was finding it hard to find time for Jack in between it all. It caused a strain in their relationship, much like when they had spent too much time together. Finding the balance was proving more difficult than the couple had thought.

It was Friday night which for most college students meant going out with their class mates to relax after the previous week. For Jack it meant doing all his assignments before the weekend because that was when he was working.

He sighed as he put his pen down and rubbed his face with his palms. It was seven o'clock at night and he still had to write the conclusion to his essay. He hadn't eaten however and he figured a short break wouldn't hurt.

As he put two slices of bread in his toaster there was a knock at his door which caused him to sigh. It didn't take a genius to know who it would be. He trudged over to the door and swung it open to reveal Jack, smiling guiltily.

"What have you done?" Was Alex's warm welcome, although he stepped aside to allow Jack to enter.

"Nothing, I've just been missing you." Jack replied honestly.

"I've missed you too, I'm sorry I've been so busy." Alex apologised as he lead Jack to the kitchen. "We both have."

"College takes up a lot of time." Jack agreed. He stayed silent as he watched Alex take out a black and yellow jar from his cupboard, "Vegemite? You actually like that?"

Alex rolled his eyes and turned his head to stick his tongue out childishly. "Yes I do. Is there a problem with that?"

"I'm not kissing you with Vegemite breath." Jack chuckled.

"No one asked you to kiss me." Alex snapped harshly.

"Hey I was joking, Alex."

"Whatever. I have to finish my essay so you can watch tv or something."

"It can't be done in the morning?" Jack argued, standing up and wrapping his arms around Alex's body.

Alex shrugged the arms off, becoming increasingly annoyed with Jack's presence. "I need to finish it now."

Jack sighed as Alex left the room. He missed his boyfriend and when he finally had time to see him he was too busy. He didn't bother taking up the invitation to stay, instead he decided to just leave and see Alex another time.

Twenty minutes later when Alex had finally finished his essay he went back downstairs with his plate. He then made his way to the living room, hoping to find Jack there so that he could apologise. He wasn't there. Alex sighed heavily, guilt overwhelming him. He had just pushed Jack away even further.

Running back up to his room Alex grabbed his phone from his desk and rang Jack's number. He tapped impatiently as the phone rang and nearly through his phone across the room when he didn't pick up. Sighing heavily Alex made his say to bathroom to get ready for bed, brushing his teeth rather harshly and using more tooth paste than necessary. It was pointless and rather petty and childish but it made him feel better.

Alex didn't sleep, stress and the added strain of his and Jack's relationship was rather overwhelming and his brain didn't want to shut down. So he picked up his phone, glad he has been rational about throwing it across the room, and called his boyfriend again. Surprisingly, he picked up.

"I'm sorry I walked out." Jack started, not bothering with pleasantries.

"I'm sorry I was busy, I should have just finished for the night as soon as you arrived."

"You're over-working yourself, Alex."

"I know I just need to do well, I need to prove that I can do this."

"We should both take the night off tomorrow. Go out and have fun. Take a walk on the dark side of the dance floor."

Alex chuckled and nodded to himself, thinking over the proposal. "Yeah, that sounds like a terrible idea that I'm all in for. What could go wrong?"

"Rhetorical question?" Jack asked, unsure.

Alex rolled his eyes, "Yes, Jack, rhetorical question."

"I'll see you at seven tomorrow then? I'll pick you up."

"See you at seven. I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Alex."