#emilio * / ft. maristela

[chaoticenxrgy]

closed: @scriptisarcanisx​

The old haunts don't sting as much as they used to and Emilio doesn't know if that's a blessing in disguise or just a sign that he's beginning to be numb to it all. Of course he doesn't have the privilege of losing himself as he mourns the relationship that made it feel like it was easier to breathe when every day felt like drowning. It only takes away his focus from helping his family out and at this point in his life, he's not allowed to do that. Though there are those late night moments, little pockets of time reserved just for him when he can just think back as to what happened, how he practically lost the love of his life, and why he let her go so easily. 

It aches in a way he tries to not think about.

After a shift he's given some free time due to a cancelled class and there's a masochistic part of Emilio that drags him towards the restaurant where they had their first date. The waitress looks at him in pity and he pays it no mind, sitting at the same booth, ordering the same thing as if he's still stuck. He's not; he has something to prove and the repetition helps him become immune to the constriction in his chest when he looks across the table and sees no one there. The meal is eaten in quick bites, his mind drifting, but not too far lest he thinks about a certain person and he has to put in the effort to keep her face away from his memories even if it's so ingrained in his heart that he doubts he'll ever forget.

Figuring that he could use this time to sleep, he heads home to the empty apartment and prepares himself for a night of restlessness once more. Fingers play with his keys as he watches the light of the elevator travel up towards his floor, barely hearing the ding as the doors open. Turning a corner, he has to pause, eyes focusing on the figure in the hallway near his unit. "Maristela?" It's surprising that his voice doesn't break. "Wait. What are you doing here?"