Drunk Without Cause

Forty-One.

She had on a black sweatshirt with the hood up, and a black mini skirt with fishnets underneath. Emi figured that she probably looked a bit like a prostitute, but she didn't really mind.

After walking aimlessly for almost a half an hour, she decided to pull her phone out with the intention of calling Ilya. She needed a place to stay, and Keely unfortunately wasn't an option. So in her desperation, she prodded her memory for whether or not Ilya was busy that night. But then she realized that even if he was, Venice was most likely safe in his bedroom and his contact was readily available.

Before she could actually press the call button though, she heard footsteps behind her. Emi stayed still for a moment, trying to gauge if the person was pursuing her or walking past. Then the footprints stopped, and her brow furrowed.

She turned her head.

Stood a few feet away was an uncommonly tall man with a hood up to shroud his own face. He wore jeans and his hands were tucked into his pockets. Emi was instantly put off, stepping back and reaching into her pocket for her pepper spray.

Right as she lifted it with the full intention of just spraying him in the face and booking it, he lifted his hands. There was nothing in his palms, leaving Emi confused as to why he originally had them in his pockets. Slowly, he lifted them to his hood and pulled it down.

The sight of his face made her hesitate on if she should still spray him. Not because he was going to do anything to her, but because he had in the past.

Xavian stared down at her with earbuds in his ears and a crease in his brow. He took one out and opened his mouth. "Why are you out here in the middle of the night?"

Emi immediately rolled her eyes and put her pepper spray back into her pocket. "Why are you?"

He glanced around at the mostly empty street. Then he shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Why'd you stop behind me like a fucking creep?" She was pissed off once again, needing yet another walk to cool herself off.

"I was wondering why you stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Then I realized that I recognized you, so I was deciding if I should say something." He told her.

Emi wasn't sure what to do next. The option to call Ilya still remained, and she was tempted to go through with it. But something made her hesitate, and that fact pissed her off more than anything.

She was thinking about that conversation they had the morning after what she did to Keely. He angered her every bit as much as usual, but he also made sense. And he helped her. He told her where Keely was, and he even admitted that he didn't hate her. Emi stared up at Xavian, scrutinizing him closely.

He was the same as before, and yet something was different. She remembered how he always loved to take midnight walks, even when they were dating. Only if he wasn't studying, of course. Emi also knew exactly how his wardrobe would change drastically sometimes.

Usually he favored brown plaids, and beige jackets. High waisted trousers and thick belts, turtle neck sweaters and cozy cardigans. But on the weekends or late into the night, he was an unrecognizable fragment of the night. A stranger on the streets without a story in his clothing or a memorable mark to be found. Just another person who couldn't find sleep through the blinding gaze of stress.

"Are you heading anywhere particular?" She didn't know why she asked him it, because she knew that he enjoyed the feeling of running away just as much as she did. They both had no target in mind for their arrows outside of somewhere other than the bow.

He looked around at the almost silent street. "Somewhere other than my bedroom, I suppose. Are you?"

"I guess you could say the same for me." She sighed, tucking her cold hands into her sweatshirt pocket. The forecast said that it was going to start snowing later that week, and it was clear in the dropping temperatures.