strange. [ds]

VIII

epilogue

Phoebe Winters can't stop looking at the handsome boy sat all on his own on the couch. She's had eyes on him for most of the night, and not once has he moved from that spot, although the glass in his hand seems to be magically refilling itself.

Eventually she makes up her mind to go and speak to him, and sways over to the couch, sitting down maybe an inch too close, their legs bumping together. "Mind if I join you?"

"Go ahead." He doesn't seem to care much, and simply takes another long sip from his drink.

"You looked fairly miserable- so I thought I'd come and offer you some company- tell me to get lost if I'm bothering you."

He laughs, but it sounds a little forced. "You're okay."

"Although I can't see why such a cutie would be sat all alone, tonight of all nights. I would have thought girls would be lining up to steal a kiss from you." She drops a hand to his knee, hoping she's not coming on too strong, but not really minding- they're both too drunk to be subtle.

"I've probably been scaring them off, on account of looking so miserable." He chuckles a little, repeating her description.

"Well why is that? Anything you need to get off your chest? What with it being new years eve- seems like the perfect time to let go of whatever's upsetting you." She reasons and he shrugs. "What you heartbroken?" She's being tactlessly blunt and she knows it, but it's too late to backtrack now. Besides, she's intrigued.

"Something like that." He doesn't seem keen to give much away, and she's on the brink of leaving him be and seeking out her friends when he continues, "I just thought I had something with someone- and it turns out I was completely wrong."

"Girl back home?" She sighs sympathetically, "It can be hard trying to maintain something when you can't see them."

"I wanted to see her." He sounds pained, and Phoebe wisely decides to shift away from him a little, the last thing he needs is some drunk girl all over him when he's still broken up over his ex. "She just disappeared- I tried to see her over Christmas, and she didn't want to see me- I mean I went to her house and her Mom told me she wasn't home, but I could see the light from her room." He's fiddling with a loose thread on the arm of the couch, and takes another quick drink. "I don't know why I bothered- I hadn't heard from her in a while- I don't know, the whole thing's fucking confusing."

Phoebe places a tentative hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry- that sucks." She's going to add that he doesn't deserve it, but thinks it will sound empty since she doesn't actually know him, and decides against it. "You seem like a nice guy, it's a shame she ghosted you like that." She says instead.

"Yeah." He says, staring at a spot on the carpet rather than meeting her eyes.

"Well, like I said earlier- it's New Years, why don't you let bygones be bygones and focus on what's ahead- no point letting yourself be so cut up about all this." He looks at her properly for the first time, and she's struck by how intense his eyes are. "At the risk of sounding utterly insensitive- I came over here hoping that you'd maybe wanna come home with me. I mean that's obviously not gonna happen- but even so, you seem as though you might need a friend." She smiles lightly, and to her relief he returns it. It transforms his face and she can't see how anyone would want to let go of such a beautiful guy.

"I'm Phoebe, nice to meet you." She offers him her hand.

"Pleasures all mine." He takes her hand and shakes it. "I'm Drew."