Prompt: Silence.
Give me release
Witness me
I am outside
Give me peace
The bar is cool against his forearm. His shirtsleeves are rolled up to his elbows and his handsome face is stuck in a mask of resignation. Another drink is placed in front of him- at this point, he's fairly sure that the bartender is giving him free drinks because of the story that he's been hearing around the bar- he doesn't know what it is and takes deep gulps anyway. A burning sensation in the back of his throat tips him off that it's probably a cheap brand of vodka mixed with old juice.
Heaven holds a sense of wonder
And I wanted to believe
That I'd get caught up
When the rage in me subsides
"I heard about what happened." Says a voice at his elbow. Courfeyrac turns to see a scantily dressed woman with smeared makeup and wobbly steps. "It must be hard…" Her hand starts to work over the tense muscles of his shoulders.
"It would be easier if people just left it alone." He scowls. Her hand pauses in its ministrations for a single second before continuing. Her heels click forward so that her lipsticked mouth comes close to his ear.
"If you need some company tonight, it's not like there's anything to hold you b-"
The bar stool is pushed away from the bar with enough force to knock the drunken woman off her feet. Suddenly the noise of the bar is too intense- a strange kind of noisy silence made of shocked stares and overplayed music.
Courfeyrac slams a twenty (not nearly enough, he's sure) down on the counter before leaving the smoky bar in an angry rush.
He stops shortly after making it to the sidewalk. He can't go back to the apartment. The apartment that once was her's, then theirs, now his.
Passion chokes the flower
Till she cries no more
possessing all the beauty
Hungry still for more
Courfeyrac can't let himself be engulfed in that awful silence again. The air is too stiff without her breathing stirring it around him. The mornings are terrifyingly quiet without her raspy voice singing showtunes while preparing for class. The bed is not a bed without their nightly ritual of moaning and sweet delight. He is nothing with silence ringing in his ears instead of Éponine's gentle "I love you".
A car rushes by and stirs him out of his thoughts. The breeze brought about by the speed sends a discarded newspaper to him. It hits his legs and he bends down to retrieve it. There. On the front cover.
NYU student murdered while defending sister's apartment from getting robbed.
I can't help this longing
Comfort me
I can't hold it all in
If you won't let me
Headlights emerge on this empty road in the near distance. The newspaper flies from Courfeyrac's hands and into the road, as if paving a path for him. He takes a step forward. And then another. And another until he's standing in the middle of the lane.
A truck is bearing down on him, the headlights blinding him and the pavement vibrating under his feet. A wispy breath of air seems to stroke his hand in the way that she used to hold his hand underneath their desks. He smiles, for how else would Courfeyrac leave this world?
In this white wave, I am sinking
In this silence...
I believe
There is a clash of noises- someone screaming, brakes screeching, a motor running, a horn honking, and his heartbeat firm and steady- then there is nothing.
A perfect, sweet silence.
A short drabble for you.
Co-written with ConcreteAngelRoxHerHalo :) Don't forget to review!