Chapter One

Bronne realizes Eva is lying, but has a hard time admitting it out loud.

Bronne slipped out into the crisp Chicago air feeling the light breeze of the windy city kiss his cheeks. He closed the sliding glass door behind him, making sure to do so without noise so he wouldn't disturb his girlfriend. Habitually he flicked open his shiny Zippo lighter, bathing in the sweet sound of the flint striking tinder. Holding his cigarette between his lips he dipped the tip into the blue flame and puffed lightly. He inhaled the smoke deep into his lungs and closed his eyes as the familiar warmth filled him from within. He allowed the smoke to escape his parted lips only to suck it back up into his nostrils, tasting the smoke completely unfiltered the second time through.

 

This was his solitude, the only place he could go to escape reality. He glanced out passed the rusted railing, the only thing that stood between him and his death awaiting twelve stories below, and blew a string of smoke O's towards the tall towers that loomed on the skyline. He thought about Eva laying naked beneath their cotton sheets, the fabric clinging to her small frame. She was beautiful really, with big doey eyes that were pools of blue beneath a curtain of thick lashes. Porcelain colored skin that contrasted against her nearly black hair.

 

He glanced through the curtains and was unsurprised to see Eva on her cell. Her lips curled up into a smile and she giggled incessantly. He drew another long puff, inhaling until he could no longer fill his lungs and his head began to spin. He'd never been able to read lips but he squinted in the dark in attempt to pick out words and combine them into a sentence. No go. The only thing he understood was a whispered "I miss you", then a click of the phone as she flipped it closed. She got out of bed then, allowing the down comforter to slip from her revealing her ivory skin. The moonlight struck her and she looked like a pale Grecian goddess, her dark curls tumbling down to the middle of her back. She sauntered to the bathroom, closing the door only half-way behind her.

 

Bronne took one last drawl on his cigarette then snuffed it out on the concrete ground. He leaned over the railing and looked down at the cars passing by beneath him, contemplating how long it would take to reach ground level if he jumped. Sighing he flicked the butt between his thumb and forefinger and followed it for as long as he could as it fell to the ground before he lost sight of it.

 

"Babe, what are you doing out here still? You've been out here almost an hour..." Eva snaked her arms around my waist and pressed her body close to mine. She kissed the nape of my neck then buried her face between my shoulder blades.

 

"Just having a smoke."

 

"Why don't you come back inside? The bed is cold without you." She danced around to the front of me and pouted her lips.

 

"It's nice out."

 

"It's nicer inside."

 

"It's hot inside, doesn't the air feel good out here?"

 

"Bronne, it's freezing. Please come inside."

 

"Look at the skyline, doesn't it remind you of a ghost town? The buildings all lined up but no lights in sight. Just lonely buildings standing together..."

 

"What the hell are you talking about?" She was getting agitated, I could tell because her hip was jutted out and she crossed her arms defensively. Sighing I shook my head and walked through the sliding glass door, pulling off my t-shirt and tossing it in the laundry basket. Not to my surprise, I missed.

 

"Who called you earlier?"

 

"When?"

"While I was outside smoking. I saw you on the phone. Who was it?"

 

"I was just checking my voice mail"

 

I knew she was lying, but had no energy to protest. I walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. "One... two... three..." I whispered under my breath. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

 

"Bronne. What's your deal? Can you open the door?"

 

"Four... five... six... seven..."

 

"Are you ignoring me?"

 

"Eight... nine..."

 

"Fine. I'm leaving. Call me when you're done acting like a two-year-old." I listened as she shuffled around the room, picturing as she slipped on her pea-coat and pulled on her boots, wrapping a wool scarf around her neck. Only after I heard the door slam shut did I come out of the bathroom. It had only taken ten seconds for her to leave. Last time it had been twenty-three and the time before that forty-seven.

Author's Note

This is the beginning of a story I am working on. Ignore the change from third to first person PoV, I'm working on fixing that.

Reviews

[Steve]

Very nice. I love how your make small things in the story seem more interesting with your descriptions. You are very good. I actually want to read more.

[.]

My God~I Love the beginning-I cannot wait for the rest!!!

B/W

[how.girls.get.clean]

eva kind of seems like a b***h. :P. really nice beginning though, i like it :)

[Alexanne Dauntless]

Holy s**t I just found you on here by accident. (It's RockstarJuiceNStarburst)
I've already told you what I thought about this. But I'm happy to see it on here, and will subscribe to the novel so I can catch updates as they come. =D