#cool breeze coming from outside cause it rained and I'm exhausted

[cowardlycowboys]

laying with your tits out really is a simple pleasure

[cityylove]

chapter one | talia karim/daniel seavey

[ wednesday, april 17 ]

“There’s nothing on tv Eben.” Daniel groaned from where he sat on the nicely made hotel bed, throwing his hands, along with the remote, onto the sheets.

“Alright Daniel, I love you and all but you’ve been complaining that you have nothing to do for the past forty-five minutes. Go for a walk or something. Just don't get jumped.” Eben said, unplugging his phone and rolling over.

“Fine, I’ll go for a walk.” Daniel huffed and turned off the tv.

Eben looked over at him, watching him pull on a beanie, “Don’t get mugged, or run over.”

“Appreciate it,” Daniel saluted him before making sure his key card was in his pocket. Kicking over a random shoe he moved towards the door.

He walked to the elevator and through the lobby, nodding at one of the bellboys on his way out. Once he stepped into the streets of New York he took a deep breath, inhaling the heavy smell of rain and gasoline. The lights bouncing off the slightly wet sidewalk resembled the shimmer in his eye. Even though it was nearly eleven pm, the city was still loud, energetic and just as bright as it had been earlier in the day which fascinated him.

The cool city air filled Talia’s lungs, the familiar scent of burnt pretzels from the street vendors and sewage water filling her nose. In a way, it comforted her, along with the loud, angry shouts from the drivers enduring the stereotypical traffic that came with living in the city.

She walked a few blocks, shoulders hunched while music played from her AirPods helping relax her shoulders and clear her mind. She walked to nowhere for a while, taking random turns while her phone vibrated in her back pocket.

She knew it’d be her roommate and close friend, Aria, worried about her storming off after causing a small scene in their dorm room, her textbook and notepad landing on her desk with a hard smack. She let out a puff of air, her annoyance slowly building up again.

They had sat together, each at their own desk and decided to get some work done before bed. Talia had tried to work through her finance paper, but if she had to research credit management any longer she was sure she would’ve done more than slam her textbook shut and storm out, leaving behind a worried Aria.

Deciding to push finance to the back of her mind, she chose to head to her favorite place in all of New York, the Planetarium, the thought of being under thousands of stars exciting her. Picking up her pace, she quickly crossed the street only slowing down when she was a few blocks closer, the smell of burnt pretzels now replaced with gas exhaust, the sewage scent remaining as she walked further away from Washington Square.

Daniel stepped onto the asphalt of the road, his body becoming another in the swarm of people crossing the street. His gaze bounced around the buildings, the people, the billboards and the lights. He didn’t really have a destination, he was just wandering.

He noticed a planetarium a few blocks away when he reached the other end of the street. He considered taking a cab but decided on walking, the air was cool and relaxing. The music playing in his AirPods and the rush of the city around him gave him an energy he loved. The fast pace and feeling that everyone was living in a different world was something he couldn’t get enough of.

...

Talia’s phone had vibrated yet again, causing her to groan before pulling it out, her steps faltering. Her lock screen was filled with missed calls and messages from Aria asking where she was and if she was okay. She was about to send her a text letting her know she was safe when something collided into her back, causing her to stumble.

...

The song changed and Daniel’s focus remained in his head, not really paying attention to what was going on around him, only to bump into someone.

...

With an already sour mood, she frowned, ready to tell off whoever ran into her as she turned around. But she never opened her mouth, instead getting caught in the blue of the stranger’s eyes that seemed to glisten under the city lights.

His cheeks tinted red as he took in her furrowed eyebrows and small frown as she turned to face him.

“I'm sorry,” he told her, a slight smile on his face, his eyes apologetic.

The frown lifted off her face once she saw his smile, “It's fine, I shouldn’t have been standing in the middle of the sidewalk.” She told him as she tucked her phone in her pocket, Aria forgotten as she turned and continued walking, noticing that he was only a few feet away.

...

She’s pretty he thought.

That marked the end of their talk, and Daniel began walking again, his eyes shifting noticing that the girl was a few feet to his right, her dark hair flowing behind her as she hunched her shoulders against the light breeze

...

She walked another block and a half, close to the planetarium when someone spoke up from next to her, “Are you following me?” they asked, tone light. Confused, Talia looked up, noticing it was the guy from earlier.

“No, I’m heading to the Planetarium.” She said.

“I’m on my way there too.” He perked up, his happiness dimming when she nodded and looked away. Maybe it's a New Yorker thing, he thought as he looked at her, noticing how upset she seemed from the furrow in her dark eyebrows to the slight frown on her lips, “Do you want to walk together?” He asked in hopes of not being annoying. She looked up at him, blinking a few times before nodding, her small yet pretty smile coming back.

Thinking it was best to distract herself and not go back home grumpy, she said, “Sure.”

The two of them began walking towards the planetarium side by side, shoulders brushing against each other every so often due to the crowded sidewalk.

“Do you live in New York?” She asked him, breaking the silence. He looked around her age so she assumed he’d be in school, even though she had never seen him on campus.

Maybe he goes to Colombia.

“No, I’m just here with my b- friends this week.” She turned when he quickly changed his words, seeing his gaze on the concrete, his white-blond hair ruffling in the light spring breeze,

“How ‘bout you, do you live here?” looking back at him she chuckled at the glimmer in his eye.

“Yeah, I go to school here.”

He nodded. “What do you study? Does it have something to do with space?” He asked nodding towards the building they were approaching.

“No, just really into stars and stuff. I’m studying to become a brand manager, or something along that.” He seemed impressed.

“Wow, that sounds tough.”

“It's kicking my ass.” She let out a chuckle, Daniel joining.

“So how long have you been into ‘stars and stuff’?” He asked, putting emphasis on the last few words.

“I’ve kind of been into them for as long as I can remember to be honest.” She told him, casting her eyes to the sky for a second, “there’s just something about knowing there’s a whole different world outside of what we know.”

“I have a great friend for you,” he told her smiling in her direction as they approached the front doors.

“You do?” she smiled, thinking she’d never see him again after today. They were two people in a city of millions. This meeting was a simple coincidence.