Neon || C.H.

I.

They say that the lights shine the brightest in Time Square. They say that there is an unexplained magic always in the air.

But that's not where you'll find her.

You'll find her at the heart of the  city, the part that no one sees.

 The back alleys of New York City were her home. The cracked sidewalks with patches of weeds growing through after the recent rain. The crumbling brick walls of the oldest buildings with broken and boarded up windows. The asphalt roads that were almost always deserted. 

No matter where you were, the cold winds blew between the tall buildings, looking for a way to escape. But unlike the wind, this was her escape. New York City was her safe haven, the skyscrapers acting as layers of protection from the rest of the world, their walls almost as tall as the ones she had built up over the years. It was here that she could forget.

It was here that she could choose to bleed into the crowd. She loved it because it was here that no one could criticize her when she found her way to a hole in the wall bar on the other side of town. No one would criticize her as she ordered drink after drink, washing down the bitter feelings that made lumps rise in her throat. 

No one could criticize her as she leaned against the concrete wall outside the bar and took a long drag of her cigarette, letting the smoke burn in her lungs before exhaling. She would watch as the smoke rose in the air, mixing with her cold breath and distorting the light coming from one of the many flashing neon signs on the street before disappearing into the night. 

In a city where you know no one and no one gives a shit about you, it had become common for her to feel alone as she stared at her reflection in the puddle right in front of her before her heavy boots splashed through it as she made her way back towards her 5th Avenue apartment just as the sun was beginning to rise.

It was a never ending cycle of getting wasted that led to one night stands with guys whose names she did not know, much less remember the next morning. But that was just the way it was. That was the way she liked it.

No feelings. No reliance. No trusting. No attachment. No commitment. No lies. And no heartbreak.

But it was here under all of the flashing neon signs, that the walls she had been building up, would begin to come crashing down, one brick at a time. 

And it was all because of him.

~~~~~

A/N: Hey guys! So I know this was short but it's just supposed to be the little introduction. Kind of like a prologue I guess. Anyway, let me know what you guys think so far. I know it's only the first chapter but I'm so excited for this book and I hope you guys are too!!

(And I promise it will get better!)

I love you!

~Ash xx