There's Comfort In The Dark

The incessant sound of the light switch clicking echoed in the darkness of the room. Clutching her towel closer to her chest Lydia maneuvered her way through the apartment, knowing the layout quite well even in the pitch black that overtook the entire place. As soon as the cold air hit her damp skin she knew she'd made it to the living room where the window was wide open as she'd left it. She felt for the switch there too and once again it clicked in vain.

Llydia sighed, it seemed the power was out.

Walking further into her apartment she made a beeline for the balcony and was shocked to see it wasn't just her building that had lost its power, but the entire city was in a blackout. The usually lit skyline was covered in a blanket of darkness, seeing it was eerily unsettling. Quickly walking inside she shut the door and locked it for safe measure.

Suddenly a knock was heard. Lydia jumped, her heart thumping in her chest from the ridiculous fear.

"Lydia, are you there?"

At the familiar sound of her friend's voice, Lydia visibly relaxed and went to open the door.

"Hey." Kimmy said, flashing the flashlight on her phone up on Lydia's face. "Sorry, had to make sure it was you, I can't see a thing."

Lydia squinted and turned away from the blinding light shining in her eyes and closed the door as Kimmy sauntered in. "Who else would it be? I live alone."

"True, but the unusual lack of light is making me a bit uneasy."

Lydia chuckled. "I'm the one who's afraid of the dark, you're supposed to be the brave friend who comforts me."

"You have more than one friend, I'mallowed to cower in fear from time to time. Specially when there's a blackout to this extent." Kimmy said before flashing the light on her again. "Are you naked?"

"I'm in a towel, just got out of the shower."

Satisfied with her answer, Kimmy put her phone on the coffee table, the light facing upwares towards the ceiling, illuminating the room enough to not walk straight into a wall.

"Well go get decent, I don't want you to risk giving your ex-boyfriend a nip slip."

Lydia was halfway to her bedroom when she abruptly stopped in her tracks at the mention of her friend possibly having invited her ex-boyfriend over.

"You invited Owen?"

Kimmy was already sprawled on the couch, legs up on the coffee table. She shrugged. "I don't see why not, you always remind us non-stop that you're still friends. Don't fret, this blackout is probably gonna take a couple of hours, you'll survive."

Without uttering a word Lydia disappeared into her room, anxious at the prospect of seeing Owen again for the first time. She distractedly put on some clothes all the while thinking about the events that transpired the last time they were in the same room. Six months ago.

The breakup had been out of the blue. Two months of constant fighting towards the end, one would think they were fighting to save their relationship, not end it.

But they had. And they had remained friends.

And even though the had made a point of making sure everyone knew friendship was still on the table, Lydia and Owen never once saw each other again after that. Except for a few random phone calls and texts, neither of them had made an effort to honour the vow they had mutually made to remain friends.

Truth be told if the circumstances had been different they wouldn't have even bothered to pretend the so called friendship held any appeal to it. But Owen was going away and that made things easier. Out of sight, out of mind.

Although now he was back, she had heard a few days ago that he was back in town but until now Lydia had genially believed she could avoid him. Alas, it seemed her friend had other ideas.

"Lyd! They're here." Kimmy's voice brought her back to reality.

Lydia's eyes shot open and still all she could see was darkness, she hadn't even realised she had closed her eyes, so lost in thought.

Her heart in her throat, nerves on edge, hands sweaty and shaking, she held her head high and walked out of her room.

"Beautiful Lydia!"

Oh thank goodness, Lydia silently thanked God upon seeing Chloe. Kimmy hadn't only invited her ex, she'd invited their other friends too.

"Hey guys." She smiled, inspecting the room for the familair sight of him, but he seemed nowhere to be found.

Maybe he had decided not fo show.

"You're looking...fashionable?" Max said, giving her a once over.

Lydia's head snapped down to her attire and she noticed, much to her dismay, that she had paired a pair of blue sweatpants with an orange t-shirt.

"Is it fashion week already?" Hannah teased as all four of them laughed.

Soon Lydia relaxed and joined in on the laughter. "Yeah okay, laugh all you want, I'd like to see you dress yourselves in the complete dark."

But her laughter died in her throat the exact moment she heard the sound of his voice. No, it died the exact moment she felt his presence behind her without him having to speak.

"I think she looks great."

Owen's unmistakable signature cologne hit her senses before she turned around, the smell bringing back so many memories.

Her friends' pitying expressions couldn't possibly be worse than facing the man she once thought was her "one". So bracing herself, she turned around and was hit with something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Owen looked as handsome as ever, he looked exactly the same. For six months Lydia had wondered if seeing him again would stir up some hidden feelings, or if he had changed. But the man looked the same, and she didn't know how to feel about it.

"It's good to see you Owen."

"You too, I was hoping we could talk."

The simple request made her nervous and before she could open her mouth the room was once again engulfed in complete darkness.

"Shit!" Kimmy yelped, accompanied by other profanities. "I think I broke my phone."

This gave Lydia a reprieve, it seemed the universe was on her side tonight, even though she was afraid of the dark, she was momentarily thankful for it. Apparently her worst nightmare was her saviour tonight.

"Would anyone else like to volunteer to be the bringer of light?" Kimmy asked.

"All our phones are downstairs out of battery." Chloe said apologetically.

"Lyd?"

Snapping out of her thoughts she said, "Same, no charge."

"Oh I think I have-" Owen said taking out his phone but the second he clicked on the flashlight the phone beeped and turned off. "Scratch that, I'm at zero percent."

"Let's play a game." Max suggested as everyone very carefully found a place to sit, giving up on the concept of lighting up the place.

"Like?" Owen asked.

"Truth or dare." Kimmy yelled out.

"Must you be so childish?" Chloe said evident in her voice that she was exasperated from Kimmy's childish ways.

"No no." Hannah said. "I think this time she's right. Truth or dare paired with alcohol seems like-"

"A recipe for disaster." Lydia blurted out before she could stop herself.

"And when did you make drinks?" Owen asked.

"I work fast." Hannah said, proud.

"Do you guys realise how long it's been since we hung out with no phones, no TV, no music?" Max asked.

"It feels weird." Kimmy said.

"It feels dangerous." Lydia corrected.

"Says the girl who is afraid of the dark. Literally."

For a few rounds the questions and dares were tame, but as more drinks were consumed the more awkward and as predicted, dangerous, it became.

"Chloe truth or dare?" Kimmy asked.

"Uh, truth."

Kimmy blew a raspberry at her. "Boring but okay. Why did you cut off all your hair?"

"Pass."

"No, you've used up all your passes." Hannah said.

"I'm curious too you loved your hair."

"You really wanna know?"

"Yes." Everyone said.

"I'm sick."

Silence.

"What, like you have a cold?" Kimmy asked, even though deep down they all knew what her friend meant.

"You're sick?" Lydia asked, her eyes starting to water.

"Why didn't you say anything, how could you keep this from us?" Max said, enraged.

"Because it's not easy Max, I didn't want to see your faces, your pitying faces."

"What changed now?" Owen asked.

"It's easier in the dark, more comforting, I can almost pretend I'm alone, talking to myself rather than someone else. I can't see you, it's better. Some things can be scary to say out loud, especially to people you love."

"Chlo." Lydia sighed, her heart breaking for her friend.

"I'm getting better, I'm gonna beat this. So, let's get back to the game."

Knowing Chloe, her friends did exactly that.

"Max, truth or dare babe?" Hannah asked her boyfriend.

"Dare."

"I dare you to call Ashley and put her on speaker."

"What?" Max said with a shaky voice.

"Who's Ashley?" Kimmy asked.

"The girl Max has been cheating on me with. Red hair, green eyes, I called her Ariel for a while until I saw her texts on your phone and learned her name. You know next time tell her to pose a little differently her ass looked a little unflattering."

"Hannah I can explain."

"I'm sure you can but I'm not interested because no matter what bullshit you spew at me it is not going to change my mind. Who's next?"

For a few minutes nobody spoke and for a moment Lydia was almost certain they had left, but then Owen cleared his throat from next to her.

"Lydia, truth or dare?"

"Truth." She regretted it as soon as she said it.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't."

"I've been in the city for two days and everytime I tried to see you you ignored me, avoided me. Why?"

"Been busy."

"It's because she's in love with you and you chose a job over her six months ago and left." Hannah said.

"What? No I'm not." Lydia protested, angry that her friends would dare speak for her. And say something so off base no less.

"Lydia, truth or dare?" Kimmy asked too.

Lydia shut her eyes closed, everything happening so fast all of a sudden. Zhe was not ready to say it yet.

"Lydia? Don't let me choose for you." She said in a sing song voice.

"Is she still here?" Chloe asked.

"Lyyyyd."

"She has been pretty secretive for a while." Hannah remarked.

"Lydia!"

"I'm getting married." Lydia yelled.

Ever since Lydia was a little girl she had always been afraid of the dark. But now, at twenty seven years old, sitting in a room with her closest friends, having said the one thing she's kept secret from them for two weeks, the secret she was so afraid to share, the dark seemed so unthreatening compared to it.

Chloe was right, there is comfort in darkness because the fact that she couldn't see their faces, their expressions, made things easier.

She prepared for the onslaught of questions but nobody spoke, so she did.

"I haven't been avoiding you because I'm in love with you Owen, and I haven't been avoiding the topic of Owen for that reason either guys. The reason for all this is because I'm getting married."

"I thought Kurt was just a casual fling." Kimmy said.

"It's not, never was. I got engaged two weeks ago. I was trying to avoid the judgment. I'm aware I've known him for four months so spare me the facts."

"Lydia you're clearly not thinking straight."

"Shut up Owen. Seriously for goddamn once in your life stop being so high and mighty. You put me through utter torture for the last two months of our relationship, you made me miserable. Constantly pressuring me into leaving my entire life behind to move cities for you, all so you could feel less guilty about leaving. Never once did you consider sacrificing to stay. You chose your job over me. I asked you about our future and you said you needed to think about it. Well I didn't need to think when Kurt asked me to marry him, because I know he's the one."

"We were together for two years and you hesitated saying Yes to move away with me, you didn't hesitate saying Yes to someone you knew for four months though?" Owen asked, dumbfounded.

The universe chose that exact second to take away her power of hiding in the dark, because the lights came on like they were never off. Everyone groaned in annoyance, eyes hurting from the harsh brightness after being in the dark for so long.

But Lydia realised she didn't need the dark anymore, so she simply looked into Owen's eyes and said, "Not even for a minute."

And suddenly it was made clear what is was she felt when she first saw him earlier that might.

It was absolutely nothing.

Owen nodded and left without a word. Hannah and Max as well, although quite a few strong choice of words were exchanged between them as they did.

Lydia hugged Chloe and promised to talk in the morning and the only one left in the apartment was her and Kimmy.

"That was one hell of a night huh?"

Lydia laughed. "Understatement of the year."

"Lot of things came into light. No pun intended."

"They did. I realised I'm not so scared of the dark anymore, it can be quite feeeing."

"I'm sorry I invited Owen deliberately, knowing you were avoiding him. I hope you're not mad."

Lydia offered her friend a smile and pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you." Was all she said.