I've Never Seen Vienna || Wilbur Soot

Chapter 1 - City Lights

I thought my life was only going downhill. I didn't know how bumpy and varied it would get before I met him.

I had just moved away from my childhood home before my senior year could begin. Miles of pavement tore everything I knew away from me. I had to start all over again with a mental state that could just self implode at any moment.

My dad never understood. He never listened to me. He was the authority and therefore was always right. I guess I shouldn't complain since I had food over the table and a roof over my head. Who cares if it's in a completely different location, right? He had found a better opportunity somewhere else, and I just had to roll with it.

But I couldn't.

The cold air was pounding on my back as I ran away from our apartment. We had gotten into an argument, which was fairly common for us. But this one was particularly nasty. I was running away as far and as fast as I could from him, running along the pathway next to the river. I don't think I had ever run that fast before.

The streetlight lit up the way as I continued towards an unknown location. I had been coming to this walkway ever since we moved here, though it was only in broad daylight. I had never come here at night. I was surprised by how empty it seemed. But then again, it was around 10:30 pm when I left my place.

I was crying while running, my sobs further clogging my already rushed breathing. I had to stop. I got close to the railing and just leaned onto it, trying to catch my breath. My heart was beating so loud, I couldn't take it anymore.

The sound of the rushing river was calming, one of the only things that felt nice about this urban mess. The sound would always remind me of home. I caught a glimpse of the city lights in the water, the waves reflecting the yellow, purple and blue lights scattered across the buildings.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" someone asked beside me.

My heart skipped a beat as I whipped towards my right. There he stood, tall with a grey sweater and black pants. His eyes were glued to the scene, his glasses reflecting a bit of purple light on his face. His hair was dark and fluffy, some of it tucked under a grey beanie. I hadn't noticed him standing there before.

"Oh uh-" I stuttered in a shaky voice. I looked back at the river and looked up at the city. He was right, it did look nice. Only then I had noticed how bright they were.

It's a big active city, of course they're bright.

"Oh uhm- yeah, I guess..." I replied, a little unsettled by his sudden appearance. I thought that maybe I just hadn't noticed him before.

"You know, they say that looking at pretty things is a good form of therapy," he continued. "Really calms the nerves."

I scoffed and smiled a bit. "Where did you hear that from?"

"I don't quite remember. All I can say is that it works."

We continued to stare at the city in silence. Just a stranger and I watching the lights, paying attention to any flicker or flash.

"You come here often?" I asked.

"Yeah, you'll always find me here."

"Really? I've never seen you around."

"I can't blame you, no one ever does."

I let out a little laugh. "Heh, tell me about it."

"So what brings you out here at night?" he asked, finally looking at me. "It's usually completely deserted at this time of day." From what I could see he had, very dark eyes, almost pure black. They were kinda pretty.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck, avoiding his gaze. I wasn't a big fan of eye contact. "Eh, just needed some fresh air," I lied. "I've never really been here while it's dark."

"Well there's a first time for everything." he said, turning his attention back at the city.

And just like that we clicked. We kind of trailed off for a bit, talking about different subjects. At one point, we somehow started talking about arcade games.