About an hour after the press conference finished, Alex found himself standing in front of the door to his apartment. His hands entered his pockets and lingered for a few seconds, only reemerging when he had his key in his hands. He placed the key into the keyhole and stepped into his hime.
In the quiet of his own home, Alex's chest tightened as he stepped inside. The front door shut with a dull thud behind him, and the silence that followed was thick, almost alive. He stood in the hallway for a long moment, staring blankly ahead. The air felt still, too still, and the shadows cast by the dim ceiling light seemed to press against him.
With a sudden grunt, he kicked his shoes off violently. One slammed into the wall, the other skidded across the floor until it struck a corner and tipped over. He didn't care. Every wall, every framed photo of his career, of the past he had buried and the new one he was trying to build, seemed to stare at him. Judging him. Accusing him.