Boundaries

Scars to Your Beautiful.

"Hero where are we going?" I ask as he pulls me down the street.

He doesn't say anything, instead continuing to grip my hand tightly as we weave through the long lines of people waiting to get into night clubs and bars.

We walk for another twenty minutes or so until we're out of the busier areas. Hero leads me down a dimly lit side street, occupied by a few small businesses.

"Is this the part where you drag me down a dark alley and finally kill me?" I sneer.

"You know me so well." He sarcastically coos as he places his hand over his chest.

We stop in front of a rusty old door and Hero drops my hand to pull it open.

A moldy smell fills my nostrils as I stare up at a flight of stairs. "What is this place?"

"Stop asking so many questions." Hero laughs as he locks the door before taking my hand. He leads me up the squeaky steps until we reach what looks to be a large, empty room. The only light provided came through three casement windows from the street lights outside.

I hear Hero fumble around for a moment before flipping a switch, turning the power on which revealed an abandoned studio apartment.

"Woah." I say with a sigh as I move towards the center of the room.

It was a fairly decent sized space with wooden floors and concrete walls. An empty in-line kitchen was to the right, and a worn leather sofa was to the left. To the back of the room was a set of iron steps that led up to a loft. From here I could see what looked like a large wooden chest and a mattress. Under the loft was another door leading into what looked to be a bathroom.

The thing that stood out the most of all were hundreds, maybe thousands of pictures covering the walls and floors of the studio. My eyes widen with astonishment as I take a glance at every picture I set my eyes on, each one differing from the rest. Some photos came from a disposable camera, while the others were polaroid prints.

"Watch your step." I hear Hero warn, sounding slightly paranoid. I make sure to watch my footing, stepping carefully over and around the photos that covered the floor.

One picture was of an elderly woman standing out in the rain, possibly waiting for a ride. Another was of a young man and woman embracing in the park.

I smile softly at one of a little girl, who smiled brightly even with the few missing teeth she had.

"Hero these are amazing." I finally find words. "D-Did you take these?"

Hero looks up at me and nods but doesn't speak.

I try to gather my thoughts, the simple yet affective look of this place taking me by surprise.

Until I notice a black hooded jacket resting on the worn leather sofa.

That's when I realize...

"Hero." I say, turning to him. "Do you um... do you live here?"

This time, Hero looks away from me when he nods.

"It's amazing." I admit.

"It's not much, but it's a nice place to call home." Hero shrugs before brushing past me.

He walks over to the three casement windows and pulls navy curtains down over each of them.

The only light now was coming from several wooden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

"How long have you been here?" I ask him, following him over towards the loft.

"About two years now."