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He walked through the door to the familiar smell of buttered noodles wafting through the air. The stress Abed carried throughout the day instantly melted from the simple comforts of home that patiently awaited him. After hanging up his oversized jacket and setting his shoes away, he stepped into the kitchen to see Annie bobbing her head and swaying along with the music she'd set up on a speaker. Her back was turned from him as she stirred the noodles and sang along with the music that was loud enough for her to not notice his arrival. Abed placed his satchel on the island and walked up beside her.
"Nice moves. Does serenading the noodles make them taste better?"
Annie shrieked and dropped the wooden spoon into the pot, "Abed! You scared me, don't sneak up on me like that!"
He knew she wasn't actually mad when she turned the music down and laughed. Turning off the stove and removing the pot she turned to him, "Either way, your timing is once again scarily perfect. Could you grab the bowls and forks?"
He passed her the two bowls. One was light pink with a wide rim covered in little strawberries, and the other was an authentic Inspector Spacetime bowl he picked up at a con last year. Abed knew why Annie was so happy, and the excitement that had been building up since he got home was bubbling over. As she poured their noodles he stated, "So it finally came then."
"You bet it did," Annie nodded her head in the direction of the dining room table, "Go check it out, this one has a cool envelope."
He picked up the letter lying on the table. It was pretty hefty, and he was once again glad they didn't have to worry over the price of international shipping. The envelope was a soft blue colour with a repeating pattern of small palm trees. In the corner, the stamp depicted a flower with the word 'Hawaii' overtop. The writing on it was so familiar it made his insides ache. If he was given a hundred different letters, he would know which one was written by Troy every time, a million times over again.
Annie's voice called from the island, "Bring it over, we can open it while we eat."
Sliding into his chair, he gently placed the envelope down and took a bite of his food. He sighed contentedly, buttered noodles never failed to make him feel at peace.
"Thanks for making this Annie, it's always appreciated."
She smiled and hummed a happy response. They discussed what they bet Troy would say in the letter, and how many times he'd been attacked by birds since the last letter a month ago (hint, it's a lot). After finishing their food, Abed turned the card over to open it. The back was sealed with an unnecessary amount of tape and a small sticker of a sun wearing sunglasses. Annie passed him the opener and he carefully cut the card open. They've kept all 8 letters in a box under the coffee table. Gently, he slid the contents out onto the island. There was a thick piece of cream-coloured paper that was folded up, some sticker sheets, a funky pen, and a postcard.
"Ooooh these are so cute!" Annie squealed and grabbed the pen and stickers.
Abed looked at the postcard and smiled when he read it. The front was a photo of space and on the back, Troy had written 'Greetings from space fellow mortal humans!!!' There were doodles of stars, planets and blorgons surrounding the text. Annie unfolded the letter to find a thick stack of Polaroid photos. Abed's heart clenched seeing Troy's face. In the first photo, he was taking a selfie in front of a blurry ball of fluff he could only assume was a dog. He was giving the camera a thumbs-up and was smiling so wide Abed had to look away for a moment.
Annie read the caption of the photo, "Me and the coolest dog, Lucy. Still can't believe dogs can be girls!" She laughed and started sifting through the photos. Abed didn't know why he thought this would get easier over time. This was the ninth letter Troy had sent, meaning he'd been gone for nearly ten months. It had been ten months of realizing every single day just how much Troy meant to him. He knew it was dramatic, but the world seemed a little dimmer without him by his side. Food lacked the same flavour it once had. Life had less colour than it used to. Annie shuffled through the photos, each one causing his heart to ache more and more. All of the selfies displayed Troy with beaming smiles or looks of shock at something cool in the background. It should've relieved Abed knowing that Troy seemed alright, but he knew if Troy was struggling he would never mention it in these letters. He was stronger than Abed gave him credit for a lot of the time. He had just become so accustomed to making sure Troy was always okay that it's become ingrained in his nature. He worries about Troy as much as he breathes. That also means he cares for him even more.
Annie grinned as she flipped through the rest of the photos, stopping to read out her favourite captions. She would never know, but later Abed would go through the photos and letter on his own and struggle to keep his composure.
"Do you want to read the letter out loud this time?"
"Sure, pass it over."
Taking the letter into his hands, he unfolded it gently. A lump formed in his throat as he saw it was shorter than usual. Troy's chicken scratch handwriting was bold on the paper, and there were a few smudges of ink along the page. At the bottom were little drawings of hearts and stars.
Abed swallowed thickly and began to read,
"To my dearest Annie Edison and Abed Nadir,
Hey guys! How have you been? I hope everything's been going well for you two and the rest of the group! I think about you guys every day, I really do. I swear LeVar is ready to throw me overboard sometimes since I just can't shut up about everyone, especially you two. I mean, how could I with how many crazy adventures we've had? I think you'll be glad to hear that I'm having new adventures every day, some more insane than I could have ever dreamed of. Although, nothing will top The Great Pirate Escape. Hawaii has been seriously awesome, I mean the food is absolutely delicious! The people are so kind and have been teaching me all sorts of neat stuff. Unfortunately, we're still not certain when we'll be getting home, life is just one day at a time out on the seas. I miss you guys like crazy though. I would love to see you again like, right now. I've been learning a lot about myself on this trip, and I don't think I'm ready to share it all yet. I had a realization the other night that kept me up for two days straight. I hope I'll have the courage to tell you when I get back. I'm sorry this letter is shorter than usual, but LeVar will kill me if I don't get back to the ship on time. I love you guys and I can't wait to see you!!
All the best,
Troy Barnes"
Abed slowly put the paper down and looked over to Annie. The tears in his eyes were mirrored in hers. She sniffed and smiled, "Well, it seems like he's having a good time!"
He nodded. He couldn't stop thinking about what Troy's realization could have been. Why didn't he want to tell them? At this point, he thought the two of them could tell each other everything. Annie seemed to notice that he was lost in thought, so she got up and started to clean the dishes. Abed thanked her and put everything back into the envelope. Not a single day went by where he didn't wish he could turn back time and beg Troy to stay. They could both get two jobs and start investing in the stock market or whatever Jeff was always talking about. They could invent something new and crazy and sell it to the world and never worry about money again. Logically, Abed understood why Troy left. He needed to do something for himself. He wanted to grow up in a sense. It didn't stop the feelings of betrayal from stinging him to his core. If only he'd realized it sooner and said something. If only he understood himself and his feelings better and did something about them. If only he told Troy he loved him. If only...
Placing the new envelope into the box, Abed carefully slid it back under the table. He sighed deeply and set his face in his hands. Why did he only realize how much Troy meant to him after he left? His world was missing the most vital thing to him. His partner in crime, his constable. If he was able to write to Troy he would confess everything in a heartbeat. Abed knew he would wait for Troy, there was no other option. There was no one else that completed him so entirely. What was done was done though, and he couldn't do anything to change that.
Annie's voice sang out from the kitchen, "Hey Abed, do you wanna watch that new movie tonight? The one with the dolls and really hot women?"
Abed sat up straight and shook himself off. There was no point in dwelling on what couldn't be changed. All he could do was keep moving forward, taking it one day at a time like Troy said. When Troy comes back, they'll have all the time in the world to make up for the lost years.
"Sure, I'll set it up now," He yelled over to Annie as he turned on the TV.
Deep down, he knew everything would work out. He knows Troy cares for him endlessly. Once he's back, he'll never make the mistake of losing him again. For now, he'll enjoy the time he has with his friends and stay patient until Troy comes back for him.
He knows he'll come back. He has to.