9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

The hours ticked by slowly, Owen watching the numbers flick on the digital clock, despite his best efforts to try and sleep. He tossed and turned, his eyes inevitably opening on a regular basis to stare at the glowing green numerals—just after 4 a.m. Fuck!

His body itched with restlessness, and he couldn't lie in bed any longer. He threw back the covers, ignoring the coolness as he rose and his bare feet touched the floorboards. A hoodie, plucked from the back of the armchair in the corner of the bedroom, provided a welcome shield against the chill of the morning. The tea Owen was soon sipping warmed him from the inside, as he stood at the sunroom window and stared at the darkness beyond.

The sky was inky blackness, the city outside the window lit only by streetlights, with most houses still quiet and dark. An occasional car moved along the streets below, headlights marking their progress. Owen turned away from the window. A lamp on the side table cast a small golden pool of light that didn't reach the edges of the room. He didn't bother with additional lights, instead curling into the corner of the couch and sipping on the hot tea as he mulled over his thoughts.

Tomorrow—well, today really—was Sunday and Owen had agreed last night to meet with Matt and a group of friends for lunch. Actually, agreed was probably not the right word—been bullied into it was more like it. Still, lunch out with the guys was probably better than hanging out in the apartment alone, and it was time he pulled himself out of this slump. Matt's words, and Sebastian's parting comments, had really hit home.

It had been a bloody long week.

The hours and days had dragged by even though Owen tried to fill every waking moment with work. He'd hovered over his computer like a madman, assessing their current sales channels and investigating a couple of potential new customers. He'd researched their competition, and forecast sales numbers, silently high-fiving when the expected uplift showed through in the financial forecasts. But when the new contract from Design Concepts came through, the one he'd been waiting on with bated breath, the automatic reaction was to immediately call out the good news to Sebastian. The sense of disappointment at not being able to share the success with him had been overwhelming and left an empty feeling in Owen's stomach that no email ever had the hope of filling. He'd typed the email anyway, letting Sebastian know that the order they'd been hoping for had come through, and that one of the top retailers in the country had contracted for six shipments over the coming year. It was definitely a win on the business front, and he knew Sebastian would be pleased. Sebastian's excitement had been confirmed when the phone had rung within minutes of Owen hitting the send button on the email.

That congratulatory phone call had been the highlight of Owen's week.

Sebastian's enthusiasm had been tangible, the happiness evident in his voice, as he kept repeating what a great job Owen had done, how his efforts and hard work had paid off, and how much he deserved the sale. It was just like Sebastian to be happy for Owen and not just talk about the financial benefit to the business.

Owen sipped his tea, the liquid now tepid and unappetising, so he abandoned the mug to the side table. A glance to the window showed the sky was changing slightly, the dark inkiness now lightening to a deep indigo.

Sebastian loved sunrise. I wonder if he's watching the same sky I am?

If he'd been with Sebastian on the island, they'd be lying in bed together now. Their bedroom had a huge window overlooking the bay, and Sebastian liked to sleep with the blinds open. Owen would slowly wake in the dawn hours, cocooned under the doona with Sebastian's warm body nestled into his side. Sebastian would kiss him and insist Owen stay in bed "to keep it warm" while he went for a run. Owen wasn't a fan of running, not like Sebastian, so, at Sebastian's insistence—back in the day when Owen was still up for running—he only ran during the week and luxuriated with a sleep-in on the weekends. Owen would try to stay awake but usually dozed off, his eyes growing heavy as he watched out the window observing the sun rise higher in the sky and waited for Sebastian's return. His day properly started when Sebastian came home, panting and sweaty, with a huge grin on his face. From then on they'd done things together—a shower, breakfast, even housework—it was a perfect way to start a Saturday or Sunday.

Even now Owen could picture Sebastian's joyful expression when he came back from his run—

What a bloody idiot! How could I be so stupid?

Realisation dawned on Owen.

Even before his injury, Sebastian hadn't minded running alone. He used his music to get in the zone and laughed when he teased Owen about not being as much of a morning person as him. When Owen had started tagging along with Sebastian on weekdays, mostly because he needed to keep fit, Sebastian had enjoyed that just as much, but it hadn't been something he'd insisted upon.

Owen wasn't holding Sebastian back. Sebastian was happy either way. Exactly as he said.

He thought about the other things Sebastian had pointed out—how much he'd enjoyed the quiet times just as much as the active times, how his worry was for Owen and his desire was to see Owen happy. It fully dawned on him that he'd been the one to put pressure on himself. He could blame the painkillers, the insomnia, and the depression, but it when it came down to it, he'd just not been listening.

Shit! He could have lost Sebastian over something so stupid as his own insecurities. Why the hell hadn't he trusted in the love they shared? Sebastian said he wasn't leaving him; he was just giving Owen time to sort his shit out. Well, his shit was officially sorted.

As his eyes grew heavy, Owen felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. His breathing fell into a deep regular rhythm and his last thought was that he was going to rectify things as soon as he could.

Owen opened his eyes and quickly closed them again, as a beam of sunlight blinded him. Jeez. He must have fallen back to sleep and slept for a couple of hours judging by the strength of the daylight. He slowly opened his eyes again and blinked cautiously, easing himself from the couch, wincing at the stab of pain that shot into the back of his skull. He shrugged against the pain—the headache was a different kind of pain than he was used to but waking in agony was nothing new. Owen straightened, enjoying the satisfying crack of vertebra as he stood to his full six-foot one inch height. If he thought sleeping in his bed was uncomfortable, it had nothing on sleeping on the couch, but remembering his plan of action for today had him brightening immediately. Owen grabbed the empty tea mug and flicked on the TV on his way past to the kitchen. A cup of coffee would be sure to wake him up and then he'd tackle a shower.

Everything else could wait. The only thing that mattered was telling Sebastian how sorry he was and getting him to come home as soon as possible. Owen was fully prepared to grovel—he'd beg if need be. He chuckled at the idea of getting down on bended knee as he admitted to Sebastian that he'd been a fool.

A sudden wave of longing hit him. Fuck! The thought of kneeling in front of Sebastian sent a flash of longing into his chest. He wanted to ask Sebastian more than to come home. He wanted to ask him to stay with him forever. Lay everything on the line and make a commitment, a commitment more than they already had.

Owen sipped on the coffee. What would Sebastian think if he proposed marriage? They hadn't really talked about it before—maybe because they had thought the formality wasn't necessary—but suddenly having that conversation seemed to take on new importance. Sure, he didn't need the piece of paper, but he needed Sebastian to know that he was it for him.

The voice of the announcer on the TV cut through his musings.

"—the tsunami is expected to reach the south-east coast of Australia within two hours."

Owen's gaze flicked to the screen, and what he saw took his breath away. He gave the news broadcast his full attention.

"So, repeating our top story. A tsunami warning has been issued for the south-east coast of Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. An earthquake of magnitude 8.3 has just occurred in the Puysegur Trench a couple of hundred kilometres south of New Zealand. The earthquake has triggered a wave that will be hitting the New Zealand South Island at any moment. It is expected this wave will take less than two hours to impact Australia, although the prediction from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology is that damage and loss of life should be minimal. The Bureau, which is part of the Australian Tsunami Warning System, has forecast the effect of the tsunami based on detailed modelling and the data available. It is expected that the majority of damage will occur to low-lying areas of coastline, due to flooding from waves reaching up to a metre high once they reach land. Anyone on the coast is advised to move immediately inland and to seek shelter on higher ground. People are also advised to steer clear of watercraft, as damage to boats and danger around reefs is expected."

Bile burnt the back of Owen's throat. He swallowed heavily against the nausea.

Jesus — Sebastian.

Owen's mind blanked as he digested the information. The only thing Owen knew for sure was he had to get to Sebastian. Just the thought of Sebastian being alone sent a shiver of dread down his spine as panic welled.

He raced through the apartment to the bedroom, pulling off his sleep pants as he slid to a stop near the bed. A glance at the clock on the bedside table showed it was shortly before 8.30 a.m. He cursed as he tripped over the pants but managed to pull his legs and feet from the tangled mess of fabric. Owen dragged on underwear and jeans but didn't worry about a clean T-shirt—changing from the one he'd slept in would only add unnecessary time, time he didn't want to waste. Once he'd put on socks and hiking boots, he grabbed the backpack from the bottom of the wardrobe. He looked at the pack and then around the room helplessly.

What the fuck should I take?

The water-resistant pack already contained emergency supplies they carried with them for hiking—matches, torch, a map, Swiss Army knife, and importantly included a first aid kit. Owen threw in socks, sweats, and a couple of bottles of water from the kitchen as he passed on the way back out. Apart from his phone, he couldn't think of anything else. Jeez, his head was all over the place.

It took only a moment for Owen to reach the garage, throw his pack into the back seat of the LandCruiser, and reverse down the driveway. He flicked on the radio at the same time as he exited onto the road and headed south. He had driven this same route countless times, usually excited for a weekend on the island, and usually with Sebastian at his side. Now he drove like a madman, gripping the steering wheel in an effort to stop his hands shaking. A car horn sounded as he rounded a corner too fast and swerved too far into oncoming traffic. Fuck! Owen slowed slightly and attempted to get his breathing under control. It wouldn't do any good to get into an accident or get himself killed.

Focus on getting to Sebastian. Focus.

Tsunami warnings echoed through the interior of the car, the radio announcer's voice even and measured. How the hell could the man stay so calm? Owen hit the speed dial to call Sebastian. He could listen to the updates later. Right now, all he wanted was to hear Sebastian's voice, to know he was all right, and to let Sebastian know he was on his way. The sound of the ringtone replaced the radio report.

Come on. Come on.

Owen's chest tightened with every ring. How long does it take to answer the phone? Come on, baby. Pick up. Please.

The ringtone was finally replaced with Sebastian's voicemail message, and Owen choked on tears at the upbeat sound of Sebastian's message. It was a standard message because the phone was used for business, but Sebastian's voice was cheerful, not at all robotic.

"Hi there. This is Sebastian. Sorry to have missed your call. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." Beep.

"Baby, it's me. I just heard—" Owen swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I heard the news. About the tsunami, that is. I… um… I wanted to let you know I'm coming. I'm on my way to the island. Anyway, call me when you get this message." He paused, not wanting to end the call even though it was just a stupid message. Somehow the small connection was better than nothing. "I love you, baby."

Owen reluctantly hit the button to end the call.

What if the mobile phone towers go out? How will we get in contact? Damn, where is Sebastian?

At 8:30 in the morning he was most likely out on the water. He probably got up early to make the most of the morning, first with a run and then a paddle. Fuck! What was it the guy on the TV had said about being on the water? What would happen if Sebastian was out in the bay when the wave struck? Surely, he could ride it out in the kayak? Owen had a sudden flash of the television images from 2004 when a tsunami hit Thailand, Sri Lanka, and other parts of the world. The wave had been devastating, killing hundreds of thousands of people. The thought of Sebastian trying to survive something of that magnitude sent a chill down his spine.

Nausea rose again, the coffee churning like acid in Owen's gut.

Jesus, this was a nightmare.