Alan Walker (ManxMan)

Chapter One

January 2017.

25 years old Alan

The thing is Alan doesn't sleep, he gets a total of six hours of sleep per week, sometimes even two and he's gotten so used to it that he doesn't even question anything, he just looks for something to occupy his time and most time, there's a warm body beside him on his bed and other times, he just sits and listen to the silence, drowning himself with it.

It's five thirty and Alan is sitting on the steps of the apartment complex, he has on his plaid pajamas and a long overcoat but his hands trembles against his knees as he just stares into the empty street. London has never looked so beautiful, so serene and... dark. Alan sits on the steps till the first of his neighbors leaves for work, he stays on the steps until the sky was bright, he stays outside till his neighbors began to come out in troops as they leave for work. With a sigh, he gets up and walks back into the complex and takes the steps two at a time until he was in front of the door.

Alan has a meeting with a Miss Lili Reisz at noon sharp and he realizes he has four hours before then as he makes his way through his apartment and into his bedroom. Cleaning up didn't take time and soon he was out and in front of the stove, dressed in an orange jumper and blue shorts, he flips the bacon in the frying pan and lets it sizzle for a minutes before piling it onto a plate. The smell of the bacon must be what woke Louis from his sleep because the man yawned as he walks out of his room, shirtless and a little covered with his plain grey boxers, he takes a seat at the kitchen table and watches Alan sleepily.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Alan shook his head and pushes a late of egg and bacon towards Louis. "Nope. Did I disturb you?"

"Not at all. I sleep like the dead and you know this." Louis said with a small smile before pulling his plate closer. "Thank you for breakfast."

"You're welcome." Alan tells his friend. "I have somewhere to be at noon but I'll be back by four tops, so you have to text me what you want for dinner."

Louis nodded. He picked up his fork and muttered a quiet thank you to Alan who had passed him another plate stacked with toast and together, they ate in a comfortable silence. The thing is Alan isn't home for eight months out of the year, he spends six months with the children he takes care of as a live-in nanny, two months to rest and the other four to work small jobs like being a delivery boy or a janitor at a middle school, something, anything to keep him busy and successfully forget that he was lonely, unhappy and tired.

By eleven fifteen, Alan walked out of his complex and made his way to the nearest stop so he could get a taxi. His hair was combed and he looked presentable in his orange jumper, shorts and socks and sneakers. The drive to Hawksmoor restaurant where he was meant to meet Miss Reisz took about twenty-five minutes and as he pays the cabbie, he realizes he is twenty minutes early and lets out a loud sigh as he stood and stared at the building in front of him. The restaurant was big and spacious and so classy with an actual chandelier hanging in the center of the room, that Alan was rethinking his attire. He stands outside for ten minutes until he decided to go in. He made his way to the revolving door and was about to push the door open when he was shoved harshly by the door. Alan looked up, not having the strength to fight but to at least see who wanted to punish him that morning and his eyes widened when he takes in the man in front of him.

Blonde hair that looked like gold due to the reflection of the sunlight on it- was curled and combed back, a smooth face and gold eyes that seemed like they were looking, really looking, at Alan and lips that looked soft- pulled into a straight line. The man was tall and so beautiful that it startled Alan, especially when the man walked a bit closer and offered his hand so Alan could pull himself up but instead Alan waves the hand off and gets up, hands reaching down to bush off his shorts.

"Are you alright?" The man asked and Alan just stared, not sure what was happening to him.

"Uh...yes...yeah I am. I was just startled a bit." Alan said and he gets a nod from the man. The man took a step closer and Alan took two backwards, not sure what to do, so instead he drops his gaze to the ground and tries to make his way to the revolving door. He shoved his hands into his pocket and with a nod to the stranger, he took fast, sharp steps towards the door. He didn't look back and instead just continued on. He shakes away all thoughts of the stranger from his head because he didn't need to think of useless things, it's not like he was going to see the man again.

-

Lili Reisz was a short blonde woman with a tiny waist, bright blue eyes and lips as red as blood and to top it off she was nice.

"Oh before I forget, my brother was here with me today, he wanted to meet you but he got an urgent call from the office and had to leave." Lili said as she takes a sip from her cup of red wine.

"It's fine. He'll get to see me later. I hope he's okay that I will be taking care of his children, seeing as he didn't interview me or see me at all." Alan said, wanting to make sure he was making the right decision, he wants everyone to be on board because no problems makes it faster to leave.

"He's fine with it, I'm his sister and what I say goes and he wants you to start as soon as possible." Lili said, running her finger against the rim of her glass. Alan leans back into his seat and nods his head.

"You sad he had two kids, a five-year-old and a fourteen-year-old?"

"Yes, Ryker is five, he's going to turn six in a few months. He's my brother's little ray of sunshine and Mitch is going through a silent phase right now but he's okay and still is my brother's ball of happiness too. Due to their father's affluence they get to attend some events some kids only dream of attending such as balls and galas, to show their support and with school and everything, my brother just wants them to be okay when he's not there. Do you understand?"

"Yeah."

"You have a passport, don't you" Lili asked, taking another sip of wine as he stares at Alan, wondering why he was doing this kind of job because he looked capable of other things plus there's the fact that his name rang a bell, especially his last name.

"Yes I do and I'm guessing, I'd need it."

"More than anything."

"Is there anything else, you'd like me to know?" Alan asked, his gaze moving around the restaurant, his nose tingling with the smell of steak and chips, his shoulder sags and his posture falls and he feels sad and tired but not sleepy, never sleepy.

"You just need to cook, clean and take care of the kids. Groceries will be delivered to the house and Pablo, the driver will drop them after school since Dominic takes them to school in the morning." Lili tells Alan. "My brother likes his life private, his kids mean everything to him and he's the only man I know that tries to spend quality time with his children even though his phone rings round the clock. I need you to please not just take care of the children alone but their father too. Please."