Chris took deep breaths and another gulp of water. He was sitting in a comfortable chair next to the bed, gently massaging his throbbing forehead. He hadn't felt this bad since he was hungover after the funeral. And in thinking this, he was reminded of the dreadful day itself.

He had gotten extremely drunk, and not in a loud way, in a patheticly morbid and upset way. Tucked away in a dark corner as the night went on, ignoring his family's attempt to 'celebrate' their lives. As far as he was concerned, it was all bull. What was the point? Just..where is the point?

He had asked himself numerous variations of these questions all night before collpasing through a table and banging his head. His uncle had accused him of 'being selfish' and 'anti-social'. How was he supposed to feel?

Right now though, he knew he was supposed to be feeling better. Escaping it all. It just wasn't working. He decided to make it work, drew his hair back, washed his hands and face with a grim determination, and purposefully strode out of the room.

The lobby was large and grand, which made Chris slightly uncomfortable. He picked up his pace and noticed a very attractive brunette at the front desk. It had been so long since he'd even thought about women..Yet he still found the emptiness he was feeling overrode any kind of lust. American or not.

He walked down the sidewalk, and gently closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the late afternoon sun. He may aswell explore a little while he's here. He walked for what felt like hours, taking in the city, and it's various inhabitants. The further he walked, the rougher the avenues became. The huge guaze of sound that was the busy city seemed to slowly be fading into something more sinister. Cars beeping became replaced with aggressive shouting, and the cacophany of voices became a a symphony of bass boosted hip-hop blaring from open windows.

In the distance he spotted what seemed like a gang a few blocks ahead. As he got closer he noticed a slender girl standing before them, looking quite uncomfortable. One of them grabbed her and puller her in.

Something snapped.

If there was ever a moment to turn things around, throw caution to the wind and do something noble for once, now was the time.

Without thinking anymore, he ran as fast as he could. He pelted towards the group, cutting through the air at speed. The last thing he saw before he dove off the ground and launched himself towards the man who had grabbed the girl, was the shocked faces of the gang. He seemed to take forever to reach him, but when he did, he did with such force, all wind was driven out of him as he spearheaded the man to the ground. He felt arms reach for him, a few fists hitting his back and head. He pushed himself to his feet and started throwing his fists like his life depended on it. He caught a few in the jaw and eyebrow, and turned to the largest, adrenaline pumping through his veins like electricity.

Withouth thinking once again, he headbutted the big man off his feet and and yanked the purse out of his hands.

Feeling exhilirated, dazed and dare he think it, alive, he flicked his eyes back down the street and saw the girl running away. He ran after her and called for her to stop, feeling his chest get tighter.

He eventually stopped and, bent over breathing heavily, he handed the purse back.

"My err..my name's Chris." He said.

"Summer." She replied warily.

"Nice to meet you," Chris laughed, coughing slightly and wiping away the blood that had dripped down his face.

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Author guidance for This story

This is an odd little story I started, about the night two people found themselves drawn to each other. I think I'd like to do it all myself and hope that maybe a few people will enjoy it, if they look past it's oddities :p Characters: Chris: British guy in his early 20s, trying to escape a tragedy in his life. Summer: American girl in her 20s, feeling a little lost and discontent. Just the two main characters really, at the moment, will add more as they come. Setting: New York City Length: Undecided yet, if people really don't like it, then not much longer than that, though I'll see how it goes and how much I'll like it, really glad to just be writing again and I've always had this story in my head, so seeing it come to fruition is reward enough.

updated Nov 4 '08 by LukeRyan