the balcony ••• awsten knight

seven

content warning: alcohol & smoking

march 2017

Inside the pub, everyone orders a round of drinks— Awsten and Otto being the only ones to stick to something non-alcoholic, and Lucas only allowing himself one pint.

Emily hadn't planned on going out tonight, but now that she's here, alcohol doesn't seem like a bad remedy for her annual anniversary mourning; which is why she quickly agrees when Geoff and Jawn suggest getting shots.

"What's the strongest they've got?" Jawn raises an eyebrow, an adventurous smile on his face.

"Are you sure you want that?" Emily laughs.

"Sure," he shrugs. "Let's try it. Geoff?"

"I'm in," Geoff nods in agreement.

Emily orders two rounds of shots that she knows to be one of the strongest they've got behind the bar. She downs both of her's with ease and finds herself giggling as she watches Jawn and Geoff struggle with the strong liquor.

"God, what is that?" Jawn coughs, grimacing.

"You probably don't want to know," Emily tells him, placing all of the empty shot glasses back on the tray.

The music in the pub gets louder as it gets later and a few more people begin piling in.

"I didn't think it'd be this busy on a Thursday," Emily frowns.

"It's all good," Geoff assures her. "We're having so much fun!" He beams, his smile a little wonky due to the alcohol he's consumed, which causes her to laugh.

Despite being sober, Otto is having just as much fun; he's cracking dad-jokes at any opportunity he can, and they seem to get funnier as his company gets drunker.

Emily manages to avoid slipping into her own head for the most part, until a few familiar faces wander into the pub. She recognises them easily: they're old friends of her father and had been around for countless garden parties and summer barbecues. But, she doesn't want them to see her— especially on a day like today— so, she heads swiftly towards the exit.

She pushes herself outside with enough force that she almost stumbles.

"Whoa. Careful," an arm lands in front of her, stopping her from falling head first into the concrete, and a gentle hand steadies her, resting on her back.

Emily tenses when she realises that it's Awsten.

Something loud in her mind screams deja vu.

"Sorry," she coughs the word out, straightening herself up and taking a step away from him, creating a safer distance.

She's still for another few moments—though she's absently swaying due to her intoxication— before quickly digging through her purse and then begins to roll a cigarette.

Within seconds, Emily is lighting up a cigarette and inhaling deeply, making sure to blow the smoke she exhales in the opposite direction to where Awsten is standing.

He's leant against the wall behind him, silently observing her.

"You're stressed," Awsten points out, breaking the quiet.

"What?" Emily turns towards him— still blowing the smoke away from him.

"You said before that you smoke when you're stressed," he replies, nodding towards the cigarette in her hand; Emily looks to it, twisting the stick between her fingers before shifting her gaze elsewhere. "Did something happen?"