Pulled From The Grey | Noah Sebastian |

6: Burning Out

A/N: This chapter starts to hint at alcoholism and depression. This is not factual about Noah.

Noah

It had been a few days since karaoke with the group, and I couldn't keep my mind off the way Liv smiled and laughed all night. Her smile had been so wide, dimples poking through at the top of her cheeks, making her eyes smaller and crease at the outer edges. It was such a relief seeing her happy—or happier I guess you could say—as opposed to the distressed state I've seen her in. I found myself really enjoying this side of Olivia and was looking forward to having her come hang out with me and the boys at some point again.

This morning I had decided to keep up with my fitness and go for a run before it got too hot out. I know that it wasn't much, but I packed on about 10 pounds in the last few months, and I was proud of the way my body started to fill out. I had always been slim growing up, but when I hit rock bottom, I had become sickly skinny and was very insecure. It wasn't until Nicholas practically slapped me across the face and told me to get my shit together that I decided to take charge of my life again.

I started writing down the thoughts in my head instead of dwelling on them, dabbled in the guitar a bit and started to make music. When this lifted my spirits, I gained my hunger back and reclaimed my confidence, as little as it was. As that progressed, I started weightlifting here and there and kept up with cardio, and was super proud of myself when I started to see results.

I had been running for over half an hour, aimlessly trekking around the neighborhood. It was an ordinary suburban area, quiet this morning as most people were at their 9 to 5 jobs and kids in school. The sun was beginning to beat down a little warmer as the morning crept towards noon. I slowed my pace and took shelter under a tree for a moment, catching my breath and wiping my forehead and upper lip with the bottom of my shirt. Hearing the sound of an idling truck nearby, I glanced over in curiosity.

On the other side of the street sat a town pickup, a woman with a cap on, her dark hair pulled through the back of it. She had been hunched over, aggressively typing away on her phone. Never seeing Liv on the job before, I was feeling a bit nosey and decided to make my way over to her. "Hey, you," I announce when I'm a few feet away from her open window.
She looks up confused for a moment before a smile spread across her face. "Oh, hi Noah. What are you doing here?"
"Just out for a run, saw you parked over here and thought I'd say 'hi'."
"Ah," she says with a slow nod, taking in my appearance. "Guess you're getting a good workout in, huh?"
I look down at my shirt, soaked at the neckline and streaked at the bottom with my sweat. I let out a bashful chuckle, "Yeah, guess you could say that."

Her phone chimes in her hand, having her turn her attention back to it. She huffs, aggravated, and throws her head against the headrest with a groan. I cringe, hoping it wasn't anything too serious. "Sorry," she sighs and looks my way again. "I gotta go. These morons missed another trash stop and the woman whose house it is, is complaining about it."
I gave her a sympathetic smile, "Gotcha. Duty calls."
She puts the truck in gear, glancing at me briefly as if she was waiting for me to have something else to say. "Why don't you come by my place after you get out? You look a little..." I trailed off, shrugging.
"Stressed?" She chuckles, "Yeah, you could say that."
"Right," I say, tapping the top of the door. "Swing by, it'll be me and Nick Ruffilo. We'll order pizza and chill out."
She gives me a forced smile. "Sure, thanks. I'll see you later."

I watched her drive away, noticing her face fall as she did so. I pursed my lips, concerned about the severity of her job—I hoped that it wasn't too much stress for her to handle. Sighing, I turned my focus back to my run and headed towards home.

-

Around 8 this evening, Liv finally arrives at my place, just as Nick was becoming impatient about what pizza to order. When I opened the door, she gave me an apologetic smile, accompanied by a small wave. I grinned back at her, pulling her into a quick hug to tell her that it was alright she showed up a little late. She had just showered, her hair still damp and smelling of coconut. "Glad you could make it," I say as I break away from her.
She sighs with relief, "Thanks for having me over."
When I caught her breath, I noticed that it smelled heavily of alcohol. My stomach drops, concerned that she had already been drinking before making her way over. "Of course," I grin, waving my arm in a grand fashion to invite her in.