Dark Corners / ✓

three: of cold nights and loud bangs

I was awoken by a loud bang.

I practically shot up in bed, the covers sliding down my body as I slowly scanned my room. I didn't see anything, but I shivered regardless, knowing I had heard a bang that definitely sounded close. I took a slow, deep breath and laid back down in bed before I heard a loud thump and a groan of pain.

I was swinging my legs out of bed, then, hands curling into fists as I pushed the blankets back onto my bed. I grabbed a sweater off the floor and tugged it on, pausing to pull my hair into a loose ponytail before making my way out of my room and into the living room. I flicked on the light and looked around, but I already knew the sound hadn't come from my apartment.

It came from Griffin's.

I wasn't that eager to talk to Griffin - not after what happened earlier that day, when he had stormed out of my apartment - but I needed to. I wasn't sure what the loud thump was, but if anything, the stream of profanities that could be heard through the wall gave me a good idea that Griffin had probably managed to get hurt. I couldn't just go back in my room and lay down in bed while Griffin cursed up a storm that could be heard through the walls.

I prayed that he would have a better attitude and pulled on a pair of shoes before walking out the door and pushing it shut, deciding I was fine leaving it unlocked. I walked the few feet over to Griffin's door and paused, briefly wondering if I was making a mistake, before shrugging and raping my knuckles against the door.

"Coming!" Griffin called quickly, voice sounding muffled and far away. I heard another bang and then a loud, "Shit!" before the door swung open to reveal Griffin Cutkosky.

The first thing I noticed was that Griffin was soaking wet. His dark blond hair was matted down to his forehead and temples, curling on the side, and his basketball shorts and black t-shirt and practically glued to his body. With each second that Griffin stood in front of me, water dripping down his body like a waterfall, a small puddle started to get made on the floor.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" I asked, and Griffin just wrapped his arms around himself and clenched his jaw as he shivered lightly, "What happened?"

It was pouring outside, that much was obvious. I just couldn't exactly figure out why Griffin was soaked - I hadn't seen him leave his apartment all night, and I hadn't heard him come up the stairs, either. As far as I knew, Griffin had just been inside his apartment the whole night, exactly like I had.

Instead of answering, Griffin stood back and held open his door wider, bright light from the living room engulfing us both, "Come in," he offered, rubbing his hands against the wood of the door, "if you want."

And I did.

I followed Griffin inside his apartment and gently shut the door behind me. Griffin said he'd be right back and took off towards his room, pulling off his dark shirt as he went. I knew I should have turned, but I couldn't help but stare at the muscles in his back as he tugged off his shirt. As quickly as I had gotten a glimpse, though, he had disappeared into his room.

I just sat down on the couch and leaned back, observing his apartment. I didn't really know Griffin that well, but his apartment kind of seemed just like him. It was an organized mess - books, movies, papers, and photo albums were stacked on top of each other against the wall. A shirt hung halfway over his TV, and an insane amount of pictures were on top of the entertainment center, so many that I couldn't find a single one to look at.

Griffin came out a few minutes later, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He caught me staring at all the pictures and frowned, waving a hand to beckon me into the kitchen. I pushed myself off his couch and got up, taking a place at one of the bar-stools he had. Griffin leaned against the counter and fiddled with the coffee machine, body so tense I could see his muscles clenched through his shirt.