AM » hood au

5:16

"it's getting early," the boy observes, checking the time on his phone. they both know the sun will rise soon; several sleepless nights alone has given them both the opportunity to watch the rising sun on many occasions.

she frowns. she knows that when the sun rises they will part ways, because she has a feeling that this is only a one time thing, one night together where they never cross paths again. she doesn't want it to be that way, but has a feeling it will be.

"you should probably go home," he continues, but his voice is sad and says that he wants her to do the opposite. "i don't want you to," he adds, admittedly.

"i don't want to go either," she whispers, but in the silence of the morning he can hear her just fine. instead of either of them making a move to say goodbye, they keep walking together.

"my brother died of alcohol poisoning," she says eventually, startling him.

"what? why are you telling me this?" he stutters, because until now he was under the impression that she would never tell him anything too personal. he's wrong.

"you asked me why i was out so late. a couple years ago i encouraged my brother to drink because he needed to 'loosen up a little'. he was seventeen. he didn't know when to stop. he started to drink more and more and more and then he died." her voice cracks on the end. she's never talked about this before. it pains her to do so, but she wants to tell this stranger. she doesn't know why, but she wants to.

he says nothing. he has a feeling that she doesn't want him too.

"i can't sleep anymore. and that's why i'm out this late. my apartment gets boring when i'm just staring at the ceiling."

neither of them speak for a long time.

"my girlfriend died in a car accident when she was going out to buy me a birthday present," he says. "every night i'm haunted with the fact that if she hadn't dated me she wouldn't be buying me a birthday present and she wouldn't have died. i can't help but hate myself for it."

"it's not your fault, though," she insists, feeling like she should reach out and touch his hand but she doesn't.

"your brother dying isn't your fault, either. you didn't force the alcohol down his throat. he made the decision to drink it. but none of that changes the fact that he's dead. and my girlfriend's dead. and no matter how many people try to convince me that it's not my fault, i still can't sleep."

she has nothing to say to that.

and slowly, the city begins to awaken.