❝ Give me ten days. Until Christmas, to give you ten reasons to not die, ten reasons to show you that life is worth living. ❞
They first met in a dark alleyway.
The catch? The gun in his hand, pointed at himself.
Ten days until Christmas; ten days...
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Jordan Leventhal blinked as his surroundings slowly came into focus. The TV was still on, a list of credits scrolling down it. A warm blanket was draped across his legs, and a bowl of popcorn balanced precariously in his lap.
He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to rid himself of the foggy haze that had settled over his vision.
Sleep tried to lure him back into her warm embrace, but he resisted, instead trying to gain his bearings. His eyes flitted up to the clock hanging on the wall, before widening slightly in alarm.
It was half past midnight.
He sighed, before running a hand through his hair. Tomorrow would be a big day for him. It was to be the start of the reconstruction of his old home. He had put it off as long as he could, the place holding memories that shattered him too early, reopening scars that cut too deep.
But Azura, beautiful wonderful perfect Azura, had convinced him to do it. To face his fears and his demons. To accept the memories, both good and bad, for what they were. To take a step towards the future he dreamt of.
And he would. He owed to Azura. He owed it to himself.
A glance towards his left showed his girlfriend asleep next to him, her limbs entangled amongst his own. He smiled down at her fondly, and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face.
Her face was a portrait of tranquility, completely and utterly at peace. It wasn't often that Jordan got to see her like this, the stress of both school and her attempts at piecing his own life back together, clearly taking its toll on her. The past year had been the most hectic of his life, a mad scramble of gathering legalizing documents, appearing at court hearings, and trying to complete his education.
He had dropped out before he could complete high school. And if he was to have any shot at getting accepted into college, he had to finish his studies, at least via online courses.
He groaned softly as he remembered the happenings of the night before.
The duo had decided on movie night in an attempt ease some of their stress. And by the looks of it, they had fallen asleep half way.
Sighing again, he carefully untangled himself from Azura, and slipped off the couch. As quietly as he could, he tiptoed across the room so as to not wake her. He reached for his coat and scarf, meaning to get to his small rented apartment before dawn. As much as the thought of staying for the night appealed to him, he'd already far overstayed his welcome there.
Besides. He had work to do.
Winding the blue and white striped scarf around his neck, he started searching for his shoes. Spotting them near the kitchen counter, he started walking towards them.
