avery stared blankly at her dark cup of coffee as she listened to the sound of pouring rain through her cracked window. she didn't jump when the thunder rattled her apartment, she only wished that colby was there to hold her and remind her that her childhood fear could not harm her.
colby was wide awake as he watched the storm go on around him from the top of an abandoned building. he walked there with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his hood pulled up over his head in attempts to hide the bags under his eyes and keep his body dry.
he couldn't sleep that night because whenever the thunder made his floor shake, he got flooded with another wave of missing avery. the thunder was nonstop and so was the feeling of wanting avery's small arms wrapped around his body as she apologized for her silly fear.
he wondered how she was doing so he went to her apartment, but when he made it to the tall building he stood outside and decided against entering. he traveled further outside of the large city and climbed to the top of the first empty building that he found.
he watched the lightning strike in the distance and he shivered when the water began to soak through his hoodie. he was sure he'd wake up with a cold, but he didn't care because he was longing to feel something other than pure sadness.
the feeling of a new girl's lips against his could never compare to how avery made a fire light inside him that still refused to go out. high school chemistry taught him nothing and he failed to remember that alcohol and fire didn't go well together. each time he downed another shot of jack, the flammable liquid tried it's hardest to put it out but it only made the flame grow.
he thought that his love for avery would disappear after he left, but he couldn't bring himself to change his lockscreen so he was haunted with the memories each time he picked up his phone. avery was unable to tear their many photos from the wall above her bed which resulted in her slamming the door to her room shut and not going back in for days to follow.
their sadness wasn't curable unless it was the other person bringing them medicine and they both suffered without reaching out to each other even though it was all they wanted.
when the rain began to slow down and the thunder sounded as if it were coming from miles away, avery threw on the only hoodie that she had in her living room and trudged outside. she didn't gaze at the stars that were scattered across the sky because she knew it would only remind her of colby. it was rather pathetic, but avery already knew that everyone around her pitied her now so she didn't care.
she wasn't sure where she was going, but her feet carried her to colby's apartment building and they didn't stop until she was right outside his door. her hand seemed to have a mind of it's own when it made a fist and rapidly knocked against his door a few times. she hung her head in defeat when he didn't answer and she called herself stupid as she traveled back down the stairwell to begin her journey home.
colby thought he caught a glimpse of her dirty blonde hair leaving through the glass doors as he impatiently waited for the elevator to come, but since he saw her face in every crowd he didn't call out for her.
