{ ny party / 1st January, 2005 / with Lizzy }
Rudy, standing just behind Lizzy as she turned the key with a soft click, gave a dramatic little cheer, trying his best not to be as loud and possibly wake up whoever Katie was living with. Lizzy helped Katie back up to her feet, steadying her gently while Rudy instinctively moved to her other side, taking her arm with the kind of care he usually reserved for cradling puppies at the shelter. ”Don’t miss us too much,“ he muttered to Katie, trying to make her laugh even though she was barely conscious. As they crossed the threshold, the light from the hallway clicked on and a voice called Katie’s name. A young woman appeared the, her expression shifting from panic to relief. Possibly Katie’s sister?
All Rudy could do was smile at the girl as she took over and… well, he couldn’t just do that. Before she could close the door, Rudy offered a joking salute. ”Alright then! Sleep well, stranger family! Hydrate her, feed her carbs, tell her she was kind of the life of the party!“ And only then, just like that, the door behind Lizzy and Rudy clicked shut and the sound of it echoed softly into the cold, cold night.
Rudy stood still for a second, the smile slipping just a little from his face. There was a brief moment where his expression settled into something quieter… the soft melancholy that always slipped in once the chaos died down. He exhaled slowly, shoving his hands deep into his jacket pockets. As they turned and walked back to the sidewalk, he felt the change in Lizzy. The way her shoulders tightened, the way she folded her arms… it wasn’t like earlier when they’d been connected by chaos. That chaos being Katie. This was quiet and quiet felt louder somehow.
He listened to her thank him, once, then again… and nodded softly, offering a small smile. But when she gestured toward the party and mentioned he could go back, something twisted inside him. And then she said it, “I guess I’ll see you around?” She started to walk off, backing away while he just stood there for a second, watching her with a half smile.
Under a sleepy sky, the world unusually still for the first time in hours. Katie’s house had a kind of peaceful stillness now, like something had concluded and the chapter closed. The mission completed… He could go now, no one really needed anything from him here anymore. But he didn’t move… Because he knew exactly what waited for him if he went home: Nothing. Just the familiar sound of that one stupid floorboard that creaked no matter how carefully he stepped on it and hum of the fridge. His empty room and the sounds of his own breathing and maybe, if he was lucky, the soft snore of the neighbor’s dog through the window.
So Rudy jogged forward a few steps, quick enough to catch up Lizzy. Did she really think he’d let her walk home alone? And worse, go back to the party? He couldn’t wait to leave and go… just somewhere else. Without saying a word he swung his jacket off his shoulders - worn in, warm and smelling faintly of pine cologne and party air - and draped it around hers. ”No arguments, you’ve earned this,“ He said before he he shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie and gave a half smile, half sigh like he already knew he was about to keep talking. ”Now you suddenly trust the streets at night after you were the one who warned me about midnight joggers? Absolutely not. It’s like a horror movie opening,“ He glanced sideways at her, like he was making sure she heard him but also kind of hoping she didn’t take it too seriously. ”Girl leaves a party after being a goddamn hero, walks home alone, is never seen again… I’d never forgive myself and I don’t do well with guilt. I’d have to grow a sad little beard, start writing poetry about how I let the grape soda prophet slip away into the night…“ As much as he wanted to joke about it, it was the truth. Not a single part of him could just let a girl, any girl, walk home alone while he is there and had absolutely nothing else to do. So his grin cracked a little wider, boyish and bright under the porch lights, but even with the jokes, there was something honest sitting just underneath the words… about how maybe he was buying just a little more time before facing the stillness he knew was waiting at home. ”I can only hope this time you know where we need to go,“ he quickly added, throwing a hoodie hood over his head as he once again glanced at her with a grin.