Time Cannot Erase [tag: Ricky]

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

When you cry
I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you scream
I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years

Kristine and Oskar were familiar with the walk to Harlem, even though it was quite a walk. Neither of them minded much, though Kristine had to stop herself from breaking down into tears multiple times. Her platinum hair fell in front of her face and stuck to her damp cheeks. The dog walked slower than usual, picking up on how awful his master was feeling.

She could tell they were in Harlem when they passed into it--not only because she'd been there a million times, but you could just tell. Things got more colorful, and not just in terms of skin tone--the lights were peachier, and the sounds around them were smoother and darker. Of course, it was even more beautiful at night, when the red light district woke up and the jazz clubs came to life.

Kristine followed the directions without really having to think, her brain on autopilot. Osric lived near where Mama did, only a few blocks over. If one thing could be said for New York City, it was that it was tidy.

When she arrived, she opened the door and made her way up a few flights. There was already music with heavy bass going somewhere above them, and the hallway smelled richly of cheap marijuana. Kris knocked on the door of her friend's apartment, hoping he'd answer before she got the munchies. Oskar sniffed at the neighbor's door.

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[OSRIC YOUNG]

I wish you would
come pick me up,
I wish I could.

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They hadn't spoken in almost four years, and yet, for some reason, they were meeting for the first time, now. It made no sense. He didn't know why he invited her over; their last words had been harsh. He'd been bragging without meaning to. How couldn't he have? His life had been amazing. But hers hadn't. He'd been with her for the death of her father, but afterwards, his life had been consumed by his band, his friends, their debut and only small trip down the East Coast.

He was no longer the high schooler she'd known him to be, and he was sure she had changed as well. They had never met in person, even when they could have, because they were afraid - what if you're not what I thought you were? But he'd been impulsive, asked her over. And now, she was at his door.

His apartment was a good one. Not too deep into Harlem, but it had the vibe. The only others who were not of color in his apartment was a lady on the top floor who was mentally ill, and the very poor couple and their son across the hallway. He lived on the fourth floor. There was a great view of the street, but the street wasn't much to look at; too much trash, too much noise. In a way, just what he'd always wanted.

It wasn't Utah, at least.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

She stood with her dog. Oskar, she'd said. It wasn't a particularly attractive dog, but it seemed good; perhaps a little antsy. She had platinum blonde hair, teased, blown straight by the breeze; she must have walked. Her makeup was smudged; had she been crying?

Osric was nervous.

"Hello,"

[/b] he said, surprisingly subdued for himself. He smiled at her, kindly. "Nice to meet you."[/b][/font][/blockquote][/size]

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

When you cry
I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you scream
I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years

"Hi," she said, her voice trembling slightly. They'd talked on the phone and through video chat before, so it wasn't like she didn't know what he looked and sounded like--but it was jarring to meet him in person without so much as a solid plan in place. She needed time to prepare herself for these kinds of things. Or perhaps she should have just stopped meeting people on the internet.

Kristine wasn't sure if she should shake his hand or just walk in. They'd spoken to each other for years; he'd been one of her only friends throughout highschool. Was she supposed to hug him? She'd never met one of her online friends before... but it was different, she told herself. She was meeting a real person--a real friend.

Or so she hoped.

"Hi," she said again, stepping in cautiously and letting Oskar's leash go. The waif-like little dog trotted into the next room curiously, not yet seeing the cat. "I, um..."

What now? He was taller than she expected him to be, and more awkward with his limbs. She realized that all this time she had never really thought of him as a person with a body. Kristine found herself staring, purely in shock.

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[OSRIC YOUNG]

"Hi." She sounded nervous as well. Her voice was higher in person than on the phone or voice chat. They stood a little awkward before Osric remembered - right, manners.

"Come on in,"

[/b] he gestured to her. Her dog had already let himself in - he hoped it would get along with the cat.

"Hi," she repeated. It was uncomfortable, but he was happy to see her. To meet her. She was beautiful.

"I, um..."

He stepped forward, taking her wrists and pulling her forward to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. He grinned. "I told you I have no concept of personal space,"[/b] he reminded her, before leading her into the Room.

There were four distinct parts to his house. There was the Hallway. This led into the Room, which was the biggest part. It was a combination of a kitchen and living room. He had a small television, a couch that he slept on half the time, and an island on the right that served as his cooking space. Every bit of his kitchen supplied was crammed into the tiny cupboard around the walls. To the left there was his music room, where he crammed all his records and guitars and other instruments, and on the right was his bedroom. It was tiny, and he hardly spent any time in it.

It was funny, he used to spend all his time in his bedroom. But now it just seemed lonely, in there.

At any rate, his apartment was far from neat, though he had attempted to pick up a little before Kris had come to the door. "Sorry it's messy,"[/b] he apologized anyway, "Um... go ahead and sit down, if you want."[/b]
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[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

When you cry
I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you scream
I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years

Kristine felt like she should say something. 'Right,' maybe? Something at least. The guy who stood in front of her had been her only friend for at least two years, and had been there through everything. He deserved something more than her silence. The lump in her through prevented her from saying anything as she entered and sat on the couch, unbuckling her boots.

She wore a green and red flannel, a tank top, jeans, and those boots--hardly the intimidating get-up she usually wore. She hadn't had time to dress up this morning--meaning, it had been the last thing on her mind. Today had started out like any other day, but was turning out to be important. Hardly anything was important anymore...

"Thanks for letting me come over," she managed, brushing her hair out of her face. Her raccoon eyes melted slightly over her cheeks, and she tried to fix them without a mirror. She ended up smudging them more.

Oskar had discovered the cat, and was crouched behind it, sniffing it. The cat seemed indifferent toward the dog, simply batting him in the noise with its tail every so often. The dog seemed confused at this new-smelling animal, but was gentle.

"I'm sorry," Kristine said after a long silence, out of practically nowhere. "I'm sorry for last time... when I was so mean. I should have been happy for you, but I was selfish..."

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[OSRIC YOUNG]

Osric straightened his shirt nervously. It was old, a dark blue v-neck that was nearing too tight to be socially acceptable for a guy. He'd always liked tight clothing; it was what was comfortable. He looked at Kris' own clothes. They were nothing special, but they looked good on her, fit her. Different from what he had come to imagine her wearing from the pictures he'd seen on the internet, but still flattering.

"Thanks for letting me come over," she said. Osric walked into his kitchen, grabbing two cans of Sprite out of the fridge for them. He brought them over to Kris and sat next to her on the couch, handing one to her.

"No problem,"

[/b] he said. He motioned for her to take the drink. "Here."[/b] He knew she liked Sprite because she had told him before; now that he was thinking about it, it seemed a little creepy, knowing so many things about a person he'd never really 'met.'

The conversation fell, and Osric wondered if he should say something. Kris beat him to it - "I'm sorry." It wasn't what he'd been expecting to, or wanted to hear. "I'm sorry for last time... when I was so mean. I should have been happy for you, but I was selfish..."

"No - no![/b] Osric exclaimed, "I - no, it's fine, it was me, really. I shouldn't have been being so selfish, and... you know what? I've totally forgiven you and you haven't even done anything wrong, ok?"[/b]

Yes, that got awkward quickly. He was annoyingly flustered.[/font][/size][/blockquote]

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

When you cry
I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you scream
I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years

Kristine made herself comfortable and opened the sprite with one of her long, yellow-painted fingernails. It was refreshing to be handed something she didn't even have to ask for--hey, he just knew what she liked. Good thing he had some too, because she couldn't really afford soda at this point and she'd been craving it.

"No," she insisted, "I should have been happy for you, and I am... you know, I was just... really angry." Kristine managed a little, apologetic smile and took another sip from her soda can, then set it on a nearby side table and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Things've changed... I mean, things really went bad after we stopped talking." Subconsciously, she raised a hand to her throat and stroked it a little. She could still feel the burn of cigarettes--not just tobacco ones--sometimes. Kristine bit her lip and hugged her flannel closer around her shoulders.

Oskar seemed to realize that they were going to be there for awhile, and left his business with the cat to go sit by Kristine's side of the couch. It was nice to have a dog, but she still got lonely--she sometimes felt like she and Oskar were the only people in their own little isolated world.

Kristine let out a sigh and shook her head, "Things are getting bad again, and I don't want them to."

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[OSRIC YOUNG]

Osric became a little frustrated when Lotte insisted on blaming herself. "No, I should have been happy for you, and I am... you know, I was just... really angry." He just felt so... bad for her.

"I told you, it's fine,"

[/b] he said softly, encouragingly. "And I'm not anything to be proud of anymore, anyways."[/b] Kris pulled her knees to her chest defensively; she didn't look uncomfortable on his couch, really, but in general... he wished she could just relax.

"Things've changed... I mean, things really went bad after we stopped talking... things are getting bad again, and I don't want them to."

"I shouldn't have let you go,"[/b] he said. "I should have bombarded you with phone calls and everything."[/b] It was meant to sound lighthearted, but really, he meant it. He shouldn't have given up on her. Instead, he'd tried to drink the memory of her away - like a person's friendship for years could be erased with a couple of beers - and went on as if nothing had happened. What if she'd done something awful? Maybe she has done something awful.

"But... I'm here now. I promise, I am."[/b] He was convincing himself just as much as he was trying for Kris. He squeezed her hand. "And if you want to talk, we can talk. Or if you don't, we can just... sit."[/b]
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