Since I saw Vienna {Wilbur Soot} ✔︎

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Chapter 3

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"Loving you is a losing game"
- Arcade -

"Vienna wait-"

Vienna turns back to face him, her chest heaving. She looks into his eyes, seeing the hurt and turns to rush away. The world spins as Vienna leaves Wilbur stranded on the beach.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

She feels like she's going to pass out but she keeps walking. She can't go back to the house, it holds to many painful memories she doesn't want to relive. Instead she just wanders. Finding herself at a children's playground she sits herself down on a creaky swing. Pushing herself towards the sky slowly as a memory flashes through her thoughts.

A smiling brown haired little girl sits on a swing. Her mother stands behind her, pregnant, as the girl kicks her legs. It takes some effort but soon the swing reaches high towards the sky. Her laugh rings out as she keeps pumping her legs.

The little girl closes her eyes as she gets higher. She relaxes her body and her hands slip from the chains. Her small body goes flying forward off the swing and lands on the gravel. She starts to cry almost immediately as her mother hurries over. Scooping the girl up they head to the hospital where they only find cuts and bruises.

Vienna lifts up her sleeve a bit to reveal the scar reaching around her wrist. She runs her finger along it as she hears the gravel crunch. She expects a child but when she looks up Wilbur is sitting on the swing next to her. She stands up to leave again and he grabs her wrist. The one with the scar.

"Will," she whispers, "let me go." He loosens his grip and she pulls her arm away.

But she doesn't move.

Instead she stands her ground, looking at him. Wilbur slowly stands up, several inches taller than her. The only thing filling the silence is the rustles of the wind in the trees. Vienna bites her lip as she stares up at him.

"Why did you leave?" Wilbur asks breaking the silence he still holding eye contact.

"I-" she stutters a bit thinking of what to say. "I'm never around very long, it's best for everyone involved to not to get attached."

"Maybe this time you can stay."

"Will, I don't work like that. I can't stay here, I can't be with you. I want to be your friend but that's it. I'm a ticking time bomb and if you get attached all that will happen is you getting hurt."

"I'm willing to take that risk."

"You might be but I'm not," Vienna says pushing her hair back from where it had fallen into her eyes.

"Just while you're here, at least be my friend," Wilbur says desperate for her to stay in anyway possible.

Vienna sighs and forces a small smile, "friends."

"Come on I want to show you something," Wilbur says and walks out of the park area and to his house. She follows behind him as he leads her to his house.

"What are we doing here Will?" She asks as he opens the door for her and she steps inside. The house is small but Vienna doesn't mind.

"Just come here," he says walking down the hall and opening a door on the right. Inside is his streaming equipment all set up in the corner. Vienna looks around as Wilbur speaks, "you said I don't have an Instagram. I do it's just not under my real name. I'm a streamer for a living which you probably are gonna think it's wierd-" he stops talking abruptly when he makes eye contact with Vienna. A smile is on her face as she looks at him.

"It's not weird Will, I think it's cool."

"Really?" Wilbur breaths. He had been putting off telling her because he had been worried. He figured she would think differently of him if she knew he did more than music. Vienna smiles at him as her phone starts to ring.

She steps away to answer. Her answers to the person on the other end are hushed agreements. After the call ends she turns back to face Wilbur.

"Hey I have to get home," she says quickly.

"Is everything okay?"

"I think so my mom just asked me to come back, I'll text you later," she is already leaving as Wilbur says goodbye.

When she's gone he drops into his gaming chair and lazily spins in circles. He reflects on the conversation from earlier. The over hanging thoughts of her moving on settle into his thoughts in a dark cloud.

It's going to hurt but he meant what he said. He's willing to take the risk of being hurt by her to get a few weeks in her company. To try and to remain as friends, and only that, may be the difficult part.

The thought of holding her hand again, touching her at all hurts. Perhaps more so than knowing that if she wasn't so broken he could have her.

He knows not to have hope, not to hold onto any possibility of what he wants happening. She explained that clearly, forcing him away before they could try. They compromised, agreeing to remain friends and for now that will have to be enough.

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When Vienna gets home she spots another car outside but doesn't recognize it. It's nice, much nicer than most cars she's seen and it's shines a brilliant blue. She heads inside, closing the door behind her only expecting to only see her mother. The phone call gave her no idea what to expect, only saying that Vienna should head home because her mother had a surprise for her.

When she rounds the corner a tall man with shaggy blonde hair stands leaning against the counter. This mystery man is having causally conversation with Vienna's mother who soon spots her daughter.

Her face lights up in a smile as she hurries over. "Vienna! I hope you remember the nice young man you were in a relationship just before you left. Josh right? He heard you were in town and stopped by to visit."

Vienna feels her heart drop like a rock to the bottom of her stomach. The man turns around a smirk on his face.

"Hello again Vienna."