The empty canvas that propped itself on the easel seemed to only draw more blanks to Jude. The white slate haunted his creativity. Biting on his bottom lip, he tore his eyes away from the canvas to pour himself another drink. Whiskey on the rocks. Jude by no means was proud of the addiction he had learned to pick up. It did numb his pain. That seemed good enough.

He downed the five shots in one gulp before returning his eyes to the canvas. It was mocking him, laughing at the lack of inspiration he had over the past two weeks. Even through his anger and sorrow he could not pick up a brush and let it out. He had became that numb. Nothing could motivate him and his boss, Desmond, was beginning to become a little disgruntled by Jude's block.

All he could think about was Lucy.

Jude's lips pucked tightly as he took in a deep breath, holding back the tears that filled his brown eyes. He had tried so hard to let his mind stray from Lucy but everything seemed to just revert back to her. When her presence was still familiar in this apartment. The early mornings waking to her voice serenading the new day as she prepared herself for it. Many cool nights were spent together in the throws of young love and lust. Most of the reason why Jude had taken a like to sleeping on the couch.

It just hurt too much.

The whiskey made Jude's skin fell as though it was an elastic heater, making him uncomfortable under his cotton shirt and denim pants. Removing his shirt, he stumbled to his feet while tossing the shirt to the side of the room.

"Why won't you get out of my bloody head?" Jude snarled to no one. His eyes wondered the walls, scanning all of the pictures he had sketched of Lucy. It didn't help that he refused to take them down, even when Max said it would be for the best. For the best? Jude had thought to himself. It was the only items he had to remember her by. Why was that for the best?

Gripping the railing tightly, he made his way down the staircase. The whole apartment seemed to be suffocating in silence. The wood panels creaked under his feet as he shuffled into the kitchen.

This apartment was once filled with laughter. The aura of happiness seemed to have stained the walls. Now that was long gone. The filthy walls seemed more depressing than they had ever in Jude's eyes.

Max peeked through the window of the door that separated the two flats to see Jude make his way into the kitchen. Sadie leaned on the wall beside the blond outlaw as he watched his friend slowly crumble.

"I hate seeing him like this." Max told Sadie with his eyes still glued to the inside of his friend's apartment. Sadie put on a sad smile as she placed her hand on Max's shoulder.

"Healing from a former young love is something that takes lots of time. Lots of patience. As much as he says he doesn't, he needs you right now Max." Max sighed and fell back from the window, running a hand through locks of greasy blond hair.

"I don't know what to say to him." Max admitted. "It's difficult when it happens to be your best friend and sister that break up." Sadie turned from the window and Max and walked deeper into her own apartment.

"Remember the two words you just said." Sadie pushed back her thick curls off of her shoulders. "Best friend." She grabbed her purse and was out the door before Max could speak up once more.

Lucy opened the door and was surprised to see that Max was the one to knock on her door at nine in the morning. Max glanced back at the two girls who sat sat on the couch, sharing a joint.

"Max!" Lucy smiled widely, her eyes slightly glazed from the marijuana. She wrapped her arms tightly around her brother. Max could smell the mixture of shampoo and smoke that attached itself to Lucy's hair. After he returned the embrace, Lucy invited him inside of the apartment she was now staying at.

"This is Shelia and Elizabeth, two of the people I stay with now." Lucy introduced Max to her flat mates. The two girls waved as their eyes stripped Max of all his clothing. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Max whispered, "Um, can I talk to you alone for a second?"

"It's Jude." Max said as soon as Lucy closed the door to her bedroom. Lucy's blue eyes moved away from her brother and stared at the floor.

"He's a mess. I mean. . We don't know what to do. It's not even near noon and he's already plastered." Max pleaded with his sister.

"Are you trying to make me feel obligated to go back to him?" She snapped.

"No. I'm trying to understand what the hell he did that was so bad to leave him in the condition he is in now."

"He was in that 'condition' before I even left!" Lucy quoted the word with bunny ears.

"So is that why you left?"

"It could be some of the reason, yes." Lucy idly toyed with the beads strung from the window pane. Twirling it between two fingers, she tried hard not to think about Jude's presence but it was so hard not to. The sweet smile that made her heart drop every time she visioned it in her mind. The tears that formed in his eyes as he had stood on top of that building, singing out to her; finding her.

"This isn't like you, Lucy." Max shook his head. "This isn't the little sister I grew up with." Water began to linger in her ocean blue eyes as Max spoke close to the heart.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Lucy asked quietly before she turned to face him. "I think you need to know something."