On a patio...

[Sykonee]

It was an all too common gray sky that afternoon. Most of the town's residents would have preferred sunshine this summer but strange weather patterns in oceans on the other side of the world had brought them colder, damper weather this year.

Brian didn't mind it, though. While sun did his bones good at his age, he was used to these gray skies for all his life and welcomed them like a familiar family member.

He took a swig from the bottle of Heineken in his hand. Even after all these years, the famous European brew had managed to stand the test of time his fickle palette demanded. The chilled liquid sent an involuntary shiver through his skin but it didn't really bother him. The air out here on his patio was equally chilly and moist as well. Typical coastal air, he mused.

A phone inside his apartment began to ring, momentarily drowning out the soft lounge music of Thievery Corporation's Mirror Conspiracy. Brian decided to ignore it for the time being. It had been far too long since he'd had a chance to enjoy a fancy imported beer while overlooking the harbor. The moment he picked that phone up, he would probably never have a moment's rest again.

He had thought it would have all ended once he left the coast, that his past would never have followed him to the remote north of the country. Had he known the incredible determination of a female's heart, he probably would have never tried to leave in the first place.

His answering machine came on, his voice simply asking to leave a number and name. After the following beep sounded, her voice came on the machine's tiny speaker.

Taking another swig, Brian strangely found it easy to ignore her words now. Many years ago, his heart would have lept from his chest at the sound of that voice. Funny how some events could sway one's heart in no time.

A few drops of cold rain began to fall. Brian sighed. He wished he could remain out here for a little while longer but he didn't want to run the risk of the flu to add to his problems.

He stood up and pushed his patio door open. The apartment was cold as well, the heaters inside still having not had the chance to thoroughly warm the place. Half-empty boxes covered his sparse furniture and and bare floors. Some of his neccessities were already already out on display: a few pictures, some cd's, assorted dishes and cutlery. Two empty pizza boxes lay on his wooden table, greasy crumbs littering the surface.

And on his answering machine, ten messages awaited him, all from her.

A cynical smile formed on his lips. Not even fourty-eight hours since setting up his new phone account and already she had tried to get a hold of him ten times. How did she even know he had arrived back already? Did she have spies survaying every highway, airport, and train station into town? Did she have some sort of inside connection at the telephone company to inform her the moment his line was hooked up? It was bad enough she had ruined his new life, forcing him to return to his old one; it now seemed she wouldn't be able to remain content until she ruined this one as well.

Brian briefly contemplated never picking up that phone and perhaps just leaving again, this time to a different continent if this large country wasn't even big enough to elude her. It probably wouldn't make any difference, though. If he didn't pick up the phone today, chances were she would be waiting for him outside by this evening.

He decided to finish his beer, take a shower, and wait for her next call. The past and future may belong to her now but at least the present was still his.

(~)
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First time I've posted any of my writings here. Enjoy!
:smoke1: