Premonitions | ✓

five

 "Strawberry Blond" -Mitski

Anna was embarrassed for two reasons: She hadn't showered in four days and had been drinking whiskey whenever she got the urge, which was often. 

     Anna wasn't sure how she was still alive. The number of meals she'd eaten in the past week could be counted on one hand, and even then, they weren't considered meals. 

     The pair separated when he walked entirely into the house. The state of it made his pale blue eyes widen, he even subconsciously raised a hand to his mouth in shock. The hand then ran over the strawberry blonde stubble aggressively when he looked to his right. 

     The kitchen was utterly disgusting. Dishes piled high, rotting fruit plagued the countertops, and gnats flew around aggressively. He was about to say something colorful until he saw her stumble over herself, a light giggle left her.

     Darcy jumped from his spot on the only part of the living room floor that was cleared of trash and stuff when Anna almost tripped over him. When Lars quickly moved to help her balance herself, he recognized the smell of hard liquor. 

     She was drunk. 

     He was then filled with heartache at the sight of her. Then, anger quickly replaced the feeling of sorrow. He wasn't angry at Anna, no, he never truly could be angry with her, he was outraged with himself. 

     Lars suddenly and all at once realized how much she had been struggling. Anna had lost her only father figure to a traumatizing illness where she had to watch him every day forget who he and everyone else was.

      He had forgotten how to read and write, then walk, talk, until he could no longer remember how to go to the bathroom himself or even eat. Anna and her grandmother had to do everything themselves. It had to be over five years ago when the death happened, but that wound never truly healed.

     He placed his hand on her waist, just above the line of the sweat pants. He didn't mean to, but his large hands clutched her hips somewhat tightly under the oversized shirt. He didn't know how his hands got there, but it was too late.

      She was so warm, Lars thought. He almost groaned at the feel of her soft skin, and when she placed her hands on both of his wrists to steady herself, Lars almost pulled her back into his chest.

     Lars cleared his throat to clear himself of all the emotions rolling through him, helping her sit on the small couch. She wouldn't stop giggling to herself, and where he would find that annoying, he had to stop himself from smiling down at her. 

     He shook his head as she slumped into the couch, "Jesus, Anna how much have you had to drink today?"

     Anna stopped her giggling some to answer seriously, "What time is it?" Lars couldn't help the roll of his eyes but what she said next made him distressed, "Actually... 'What day is it?' would be the better question," she slurred and then giggled to herself.

     "Anna..." He was disappointed in both her and himself, "Don't you have work?"

     She shook her head, "I'm only doin' six-week classes this time 'round. I have until-" she stopped to look at her phone that she remembered tossing on the coffee table, Lars sat down on the edge of it as she grabbed the slim phone, "-Monday. Monday is the first day of class."

     Lars took another look around, catching the sight of many different children's chapter books tucked under magazines that were cut up, the paper's her students have written along with trash from take-out food. His eyes narrowed in on one of the books closest to him that was on the floor.