Zack's POV:

I leave the coffee shop, my head spinning. I know Jack Barakat. I know him very, very well. I quickly start my car, driving back to my house as fast as I could. I had work I needed to do.

I pull into my driveway, jumping out of the car and unlocking the door as quickly as possible. I slam the door, kicking my shoes off as I run upstairs. I knock on my roommate's door, desperately wishing he'd open it. He only opened it when he was having good days, which was getting rarer and rarer as the years dragged on.

He slowly opens his door, his tall, lanky frame slouched over with the sadness that he always carried on his shoulders. His dyed blonde hair was tangled and his deep brown eyes rimmed with pink were a dead giveaway that he had been crying.

"Jack?" I ask.

"Zack?"

"We're going to meet someone."

"Who?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Please tell me, Zack."

"No, because you'll say no. I need you to see this person. Sulking around here is just obviously making you worse. You need more friends."

He sighs, closing his door. I knew that meant he agreed. "We're leaving at six!" I yell through the door, smiling to myself. I pick up my phone, dialing Rian's number. He picks up after it rings twice.

"What's up?" he asks. "Find anything?"

"Meet me at the Chinese place near your house at 6:30. I have news," I reply, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.

"Oh, okay. See you then," he says.

"See ya!" I reply, hanging up.

Alex's POV:

I'm sitting on the sofa eating a little bit of mac n' cheese when the front door opens, revealing a smiling Rian. He places his shoes under the bench by the door and plops down next to me, saying, "I think I might have good news."

"Nothing is good news unless Jack is alive," I reply flatly.

"See, about that...," he says. My mind starts going a million miles per hour. Jack is alive? Is he coming back? Does he hate me? Does he miss me as much as I miss him? Did he forget about me? Was he kidnapped?

"Zack said something about it that got me thinking," he continues. "We don't know for sure that he committed suicide. He says he has a few tricks up his sleeve, so he could see what truly happened to Jack."

"It's just going to get our hopes up for nothing, Rian," I say, starting to stand up.

He grabs my wrist and pulls me back down, looking at me seriously. "Alexander William Gaskarth, I am not going to sit here and watch you be miserable over something we're not even sure happened. Jack could still be alive for all we know. I need you to be on my side for this because what if we do find him and you guys get back together? Through losing Jack, you also lost any sense of hope for anything. I need you to rekindle that hope, just for a little bit. For me, for Zack, for Jack- for yourself. Please?"

I sigh, closing my eyes. I imagine Jack being back. I imagine being able to hold him whenever I wanted. I imagine kissing his soft lips again and feeling the rush of electricity in my veins. I imagine rubbing his back as he had anxiety attacks and him doing the same for me. I imagine us doing movie marathons until four in the morning. I imagine cuddling him into my chest and pressing kisses to his forehead as he drifts to sleep.

I tear up as the world around me grows out of touch, getting lost in my head. Rian wraps his arms around me, and I whisper to him, "I just want him back," before breaking down.

"We all do, Alex. We all want him back. Right now, we have a choice whether or not we want to believe that's a possibility or not."

I wait a good minute before replying, "I want to believe," between sobs. He squeezes me tighter, and I'm so grateful that I have such an incredible friend, even after everything.

"I'm meeting with Zack at six-thirty tonight to figure out if he found anything. Would you like to come along?"

"No, I'd rather just hear it from you."

"Okay, I get it," he assures me, giving me his regular warm smile. "I'm going to head home, okay? Let me know if you need anything." I nod. He pulls back from me, getting up and putting his shoes on. He opens the front door, looking back at me to say, "We're in this together, Alex. We always will be," before closing the door.

That's when I feel it. The bubbly feeling in my chest that forces a ever so small yet genuine smile on my lips.

Hope.

Rian's POV:

It's 6:15 at this point, so I walk out to my car, anxious. God, what if Jack was dead? What if we were right all along? Oh no, what would I tell Alex?

What would we even do if he was alive? Things wouldn't be the same after he went missing for eight years. He could have completely moved on from Alex. Poor Alex, that would destroy him even more. He'd think Jack left just to get rid of him. Oh, crap, what if that was the reason?

I need to stop overthinking and just start the damn car. I put the key in, taking a much-needed deep breath before pulling out of my driveway.

When I arrive there, I walk in to see Zack standing in wait, a smile plastered on his face even though it was obvious he was trying to hide it. I walk to him, and his smile grows even larger.

"What happened?"

"I didn't look into anything, but I found someone that might help your situation."

"Oh, did you?"

"Yeah, wanna meet him?"

"Sure."

Zack motions for someone to walk out from around the corner, and my jaw drops to the floor at the same time his does.

"Rian," Zack says, smiling widely, "This is my roommate, Jack Barakat."