One year. 

  It had been exactly one year since Aerex saw Joan for the last time. To this day it was hard to explain why he left. An affair? Frustration? Both. It was unlike Joan to not even say goodbye however. An air of mystery surrounded the disappearance, and no city guard ever raised a finger to help. Some days, Aerex would wake in a cold sweat after a nightmare, missing his partner’s embrace. Eventually, he was a able to bury those feelings in his work. Tailoring had become his life. An obsession, almost. Every day, it was all he did aside from tending the house, eating or bathing. Nothing else was worth it anymore, he thought. He’s lost everything he had ever cared about. Now he needed to hold one to what was left, what his father had taught him. Despite this, today was a specially hurtful day. The anniversary of his disappearance. 

Aerex awoke following a nightmare, shook it off and refused to even ponder on it. He followed his usual routine, a bath followed by breakfast. Then, heading outside, he opened his shop. Aerex Tailoring. After that, it was a matter of settling in and wait for customers to walk in. Today however, he had left his assistant Juliana, a local girl who he had hired a few months before, to watch over and tend to the counter at the front. These past few days he hadn’t even been seeing customers in the eyes. He would only take requests, finish the work, and have his assistant deliver. Despite her refusals, he offered to pay her extra for the additional work. It was only fair. After all, it was him who felt like he couldn’t look at anyone else in the eye without stuttering. Simply put. Out of all days, he wasn’t interested in other people. Just his work. 

Aerex sat in a room especially made for his tailoring work. The room had a single window and door, with the rays of the sun pouring in and touching the hanging expensive fabrics on the walls and tables. Aerex sat in a chair, and began to work on a top he had our off for months. An anniversary gift for Joan. Slowly, he paired and stitched together intricate patterns upon the cotton fabric. Each thread, hand sewn to perfection. He was almost done with the shirt, the final piece of the white set that also included a pair of trousers made in linen fabric. Once it was finished, it became impossible to contain tears he had been holding since he began. If only he would have done better. He should have never left. Before he could ponder any further, Juliana knocked on the room’s door. 

“Excuse me, Aerex? Someone by the name of Bidzil is asking for you in the front.” 

It took Aerex a moment to respond. Taking a deep shaky breath, and cleaning off his tears with his sleeve, he set the clothes he had just made on a table beside him. 

“Tell him-” He took a moment to compose himself. “Tell him I will be there shortly.” 

“I will!” Said Juliana, hearing her step away from the door and back walk back to the front. 
Aerex sighed, taking one last look at the clothes he had made for Joan then turning to the door. 

[i]”Bidzil? Why does that name sound so familiar?”[/i] Aerex mused to himself, opening the door and heading to the front desk. Once behind the counter, he stumbled upon a male customer standing by some designs that adorned the walls of the front of the shop.