Levi North was an average guy and this had been one of the worst weeks of his life. So many things went wrong that he lost count. 

First of all, he got into an argument with his landlord. To be perfectly honest, the guy wasn’t the one to blame. He had been late paying his rent. But this was not entirely Levi’s fault either.

You see, Levi had been a bit tight with his finances for the last few months. This wasn’t always the case. Levi had a degree in programming, and he was even lucky enough to get a good job working for a big company. For years, he could be said to be doing very well for himself. Except that Levi wasn’t happy. After just a couple of years working, he felt so burnt out that he could hardly drag his body out of bed every morning. So Levi took a huge risk. He quit.

He decided to throw caution to the wind and whole-heartedly devoted himself to what he truly wanted. He wanted to write novels. You would be right if you called him crazy. To give up such a stable career and recklessly do something else did not make any logical sense. But he still did it and he didn’t regret it either. There was just something so much more satisfying about telling a good story that couldn’t be felt sitting in a cubicle staring at code. It made Levi poor, but it also made him happier.

Even though writing didn’t pay as much as his old job, Levi still at least had enough to pay his rent on time. That only changed this week due to some extra circumstances, which leads to the second thing that went wrong for him. The money that he stashed as savings was missing.

Levi discovered that his money was stolen just yesterday. It must have been taken by someone he knew. In fact, he was pretty sure he knew who took it. There weren’t many people who had a spare key, afterall. The only explanation was that it was his ex.

That leaves us with the final thing that went wrong this week. He and his girlfriend, Sophie, broke up. And it wasn’t exactly an amicable parting either. No, actually it wouldn’t be wrong to call it a giant fucking mess.

If Levi was truly honest with himself, he had seen it coming for weeks already. Sophie had been used to a certain lifestyle. The two of them would go out every couple of days on romantic dates or to fancy restaurants. However, once Levi quit his old job, he needed to cut way back on his spending. He just couldn’t afford to go out so often any more, especially if he was paying for both of them.

When Sophie was in the shower, she left her phone on the table. Her phone buzzed with a text and Levi just happened to be sitting right next to it. The message he saw made it obvious that she found someone else on the side.

Obviously, he was pissed. Is there any bigger betrayal one can feel than learning your lover has been cheating? The moment that she got out of the shower, Levi exploded in anger. He said a lot of things that he probably shouldn’t have and the two of them devolved into an ugly screaming match that was little more than name-calling. After twenty minutes, they still hadn’t reached a consensus about which of them was a broke asshole or a stupid bitch. Finally, Sophie stormed out. At some point she must have come back to take away all her things, and while she was at it she must have taken away Levi’s rent money too.

Even though he was furious, Levi didn’t plan to pursue getting it back. He just treated it as a small price to pay to learn someone’s true colors. It would be best to just have a clean break and move on with his life as soon as possible.

Everything worked out in the end. Even if he would have to live off ramen and toast for a week or two, at least he wasn’t evicted.

Levi sat back in his chair and rolled his shoulders. He breathed out a sigh and glanced towards the clock. 22:08. A few hours passed since he sat down to write, but he hardly made any progress at all. After everything that happened, he just couldn’t get into the right headspace. 

Maybe a walk would help him clear his thoughts. Tension might be a good thing for his story, but it was bad for him. He glanced towards the window. It was dark and drizzling outside. Whatever. He’d just go around the block and get some fresh air.

Levi threw on a coat and grabbed the umbrella by the door. He made sure to lock up and then took the lift down. His apartment building was ancient and falling apart. They still had one of those old-fashioned lifts where you need to pull the gate closed manually. The rusty metal cage creaked and groaned as it descended.

Once he made it outside, he raised the umbrella and took in a deep breath of the chilly air. Levi hadn’t smoked since he quit his old job, but tonight he lit up a cigarette. And like that he just started walking. No particular destination, no goal really.

It was lonely at this time. There were no other pedestrians and the only light came from the lampposts. He could hear cars swish through the rainy streets a block or two away, but couldn’t see any nearby. It was like he had the city all to himself.

Somehow, he found himself wandering into the park not far from his apartment. The footpath was cracked and overgrown with weeds. It was strange how there could be a place that felt so desolate in the heart of a city.

He had been right to come out for a walk. Already, Levi felt the tension bleed from his shoulders. His heart felt more at ease. His thoughts could wander again instead of being anchored down. He hadn’t yet broken past his writer’s block, but perhaps it would happen with time.

Levi raised his eyes up from the path. He wasn’t sure exactly how long he had been wandering. A figure ahead drew his attention. Surprisingly, he wasn’t the only one out tonight. Under an isolated lamppost, a girl sat quietly on a park bench.

She seemed young. Probably no older than 17 or 18. The girl had long, onyx-black hair. She was very petite and delicate. Her head drooped low with her hair hanging down over her face. She didn’t have a coat on. She didn’t have an umbrella either. Levi could see her damp hair clinging to her pale and slender neck.

He stamped out his cigarette as he observed the girl from afar. She did not seem to have noticed his presence, or perhaps she had but she did not want to acknowledge him. The way that she just sat there, as still as a statue, was a little disconcerting. For some reason, Levi felt the urge to call out to her. She seemed lonely.

Levi hesitated. A stranger approaching a young girl in the dark might give her the wrong idea, but he felt like he should at least make sure that she’s alright. Moving slowly but with loud steps, he tried to make sure he didn’t surprise her and did his best to show he meant no harm.

“Hey.. Everything okay?”

No response. She didn’t even lift her head. This put Levi in an even more awkward spot. She obviously didn’t want to talk to him, but he felt obligated now.

“Hello? Sorry to pry, but I just wanted to make sure you’re alright. Give me a nod and I can leave you alone if that’s what you want.”

Levi was just a couple steps in front of her now. At this distance, he could see she was wearing a school uniform. The girl remained silent, but she raised her head and met his eyes. Her mascara was running.

“Aw shit, you don’t look alright..” 

Levi shifted his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. He really did not know what to do in this situation. Comforting crying girls wasn’t one of his strong areas. 

The seconds ticked by and soon the air around them descended back into strange silence. Since he couldn’t figure out the right thing to say, Levi decided to say nothing. Instead, he just sat beside her on the bench and used his umbrella to shield her from the rain so she wouldn’t get as soaked.

A few more minutes passed. The girl was watching him from the corner of her eyes, but she didn’t get up or move away. Finally, Levi couldn’t handle the silence any longer and he once again tried to speak to her.

“Listen.. You look like you had a tough day. But you really shouldn’t stay out here all night. Why don’t you head home and get some rest. Maybe you’ll feel better tomorrow.”

The rain pattered softly on the top of the umbrella and dripped around the pair. Just as Levi was about to try again, there was a sound so soft that he needed to strain to hear it.

“I can’t…”

Levi turned his head towards her now that he made a little progress.

“You can’t go home? Well-”

Levi was about to suggest that she get a hotel for the night, but stopped himself. The girl wasn’t carrying anything with her. She probably didn’t have any money. He didn’t have even a fiver to his name at that moment, so he couldn’t give her any either.

“Do you want to come back to my place?” Halfway through that sentence, he realized just how suspicious that sounded. “Er- don’t misunderstand. I’m not a creep or anything. You can use my phone to call someone you know and get out of the rain.”

Levi was sure that she would turn him down and shrink back. Any sane girl would decline such an offer from a total stranger they met in the park at night. Surprisingly, however, she didn’t give him a look of disgust. In fact, she didn’t make any expression at all. Just the same empty stare, silently blinking at him. And after a long moment, she spoke again.

“Okay…” Her voice was hoarse like she hadn’t talked in a long time and needed to relearn how.

To be honest, Levi kind of wanted to rescind the offer. It was just too sketchy to bring her back to his apartment, like he was abducting her or something. But he was committed now. His only choice was to follow through.

“Right. No problem.. It would be bad if you caught a cold out here.”

He stood up from the bench and waited for her to follow. When she didn’t make any movements, Levi offered his hand. She took it slowly and gingerly. Levi pulled her up to her feet and released her, but she didn’t let go of his hand. It wasn’t the first socially awkward thing this girl had done now, so he didn’t say anything about it this time. If she wants to hold his hand, that’s no big deal. Their fingers interlocked and Levi began to lead her, keeping her close enough to his side so that they could share the umbrella. 

Levi walked unhurriedly so that she could keep up with his longer strides. They might have seemed like a couple on a date to a passerby. This time the silence was a little less stifling. 

The close distance let him notice a little more about her. He didn’t recognize the crest of the school she belonged to, but it seemed like some preppy private school. Her uniform was high quality, but her shoes were old and worn out. She wore a butterfly-shaped clip in her hair. And.. she had a large scar running down one side of her neck and collarbone before it disappeared under her clothes. 

She seemed to feel his gaze, because she shrunk into her shoulders while avoiding his eyes.

“So what’s your name?”

“Eloise…”

“That’s pretty. I’m Levi.”

“...”

For the first time in his life, Levi met someone who had a lower EQ than him. Every single word he managed to pry out of this girl was hard-fought. Luckily, his apartment building was only a couple minutes walk from the park.