Live and Breathe Words ~ Wessa

Part 9- Coming and Going

"In the moonlight which is always sad, as the light of the sun itself is—as the light called human life is—at its coming and its going."

A/N: Hey guys I just wanted to say please, please, please continue to spread love. It's as simple as that <3

Tessa trudged back into her apartment, sopping wet and dripping water all over her carpet, although she didn't seem to notice. The blinking red digits of the clock flashed 12:07, and she decided to take a quick, warm shower to fight off the chill in her bones from standing and walking in the rain for nearly an hour. After her shower she flopped down into bed, ready to drift off into a dreamless sleep after a long and eventful day.

But her mind and body did not agree. Her thoughts were racing, swirling around her head at such a rapid pace that she couldn't even think straight, let alone sort out all her feelings. Her nerves were shot through, her heart unable to steady its beat even hours since she had last seen Will. She tossed and turned in her bed, the scene in the rain flashing behind her eyelids and causing her cheeks to warm and heart to race. She stared up at the ceiling, willing her body to calm down and her mind to ease. But all her attempts were futile.

After a couple of hours Tessa sat up in her bed, sighing heavily and running her fingers through her hair. In her past experiences, she was always significantly more tired after a night of fitful sleep than if she had just stayed awake in the first place. Even though the clock now read 4:38, Tessa decided she needed to get out, breathe in the fresh air to calm herself. She quickly dressed and laced up her shoes, hastily running a brush through her hair before exiting her apartment and snapping the lock shut behind her. She figured since she had afternoon classes that day she would be able to sleep throughout a majority of the morning and wouldn't be too sleep-deprived.

The rain had ceased, and Tessa found herself aimlessly wandering the streets, the faint hum of traffic, even at this hour, floating through her ears. She could see Hyde Park in the distance and decided to head over in that direction, as the park would be opening soon. When she got there, the park was eerily quiet and deserted, and she drifted through the trees until she stopped at the edge of the lake. The scene before her was impossibly beautiful and serene: the dying moonlight reflected off the water, and a sweet breeze gently ruffled her hair.

Tessa suddenly snapped out of her dream-like trance when she heard heavy footsteps, and the sound of someone crashing through the brush. A hoarse voice, laced with panic, began to scream almost incoherent words, but she could make out "Get back!" and "Stay away from me!"

Tessa immediately stiffened and whirled around to face the trees she had just emerged from, the footsteps growing increasingly louder. She began to panic, her palms growing sweaty as her thoughts raced. Should she scream for help? Call the cops?

Before she could have a full on nervous break-down, a hooded figure leaped over a large bush on Tessa's right, stopping a little ways away from her. Tessa stifled a scream as the figure stared at her, their head cocked to the side and hands on their knees, visibly out of breath.

"Tess?" the male voice floated over to her, and she snapped out of her frozen state of terror, rushing towards the shadow. There was only one person in the world who called her Tess.

Will's face fell into focus as Tessa stopped in front of him, and she could see his eyes blown wide with terror, his hands visibly shaking as he reached out to touch her face, as if he couldn't quite tell if she was real or a dream.

"Will, oh my god, are you okay? Do you want me to call the police... What happened?!" Tessa's voice was slightly shaking, and she rested her hand on Will's cheek, cupping his face gently, her other hand on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding violently in his chest, its pace unnaturally rapid. Will whispered something under his breath, trying to compose himself but failing miserably as he stared down at the floor, his eyes not meeting Tessa's.