Realistic or Modern A New Start

[Dak]

It was raining outside of the marketing firm that Ryan had worked at. He looked out the window to see the rain stick to the windowpane. His desk was clean as it always was. There was a couple photos of his family on his desk along with a photo of Janette. She had died two months ago. Broken Ryan had no other way of coping with other than working. His apartment was a reminder of her. Ryan had even slept at the office every now and then. It was hard trying to sleep at home. He watched as some lightning had flashed across the sky. He let out a small sigh as he looked at the clock. It was late. He collected his keys and put a couple of files in his backpack along with his laptop. He was going to go home that night. The breakrooms couch had given him some slight back pain.

As he walked down the stairs and into the parking garage he looked up at the sky. It looked like the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon. He just hoped that there wasn't going to be to much traffic as he walked to his car. He started it up and made his way out of the garage he thought about lighting up a cigarette. He shook his head and started to drive home. He lived on the other side of town so it would take him a bit to work. When he walked it would take about an hour to walk there. If he drove then it would take him 30 minutes give or take with traffic.

His drive took about 25 minutes. There wasn't too much traffic. The rain had continued to come down as he pulled into the parking garage across the street from where he lived. He got out of his car after he got into the parking spot. He looked all over his car to find an umbrella, but it was to no avail he couldn't find one. He took a deep breath as he walked to the entrance of the garage. He could feel the rain from the entrance of the garage. He shook off his nerves before running to the door of his apartment building. He swung open the door as he ran into the building. He checked his mail. Bills bills bills. It was all he got now a day. He collected his mail and slowly started to make his way over to the elevator. He lived on the 10th floor, and his back hurt so it was a day that he would take the elevator.

 

[Insanity Awakened 18]

Luna Gray Taggart​

Luna knew that she had to leave her boyfriend. She knew that what he was doing was wrong, so why did she stay with him? Why did she allow him to put her through hell day in and day out? Maybe it was because part of her still loved him. Maybe it was because part of her thought that he might stop when he realized what he was doing was wrong. She wasn't sure of the exact reason, but either way, she knew that she had to get away from. Unfortunately for her, she had nowhere to turn. She didn't have that many friends. Not to mention she didn't want to tell either of her parents what was going on. That meant she would have to figure things out on her own. So far she hadn't been able to come up with a solution, but one busted lip later, she knew that she had to do something to get away from him. Otherwise the next time he decided to hit her, he might end up hospitalizing her or worse.

Luna usually avoided people like the plague after she would fight with her boyfriend. Only because she didn't like people to stare at the aftermath that would more than likely be showing on her face. Today, however, was different. She needed to get some air, so once her boyfriend had managed to fall asleep, she covered up her busted lip the best she could before heading out. She wasn't sure where she would go or for how long, but she needed to get away from him. While she was in the elevator, she tried to think of how much money she had. She could always spring for a cheap hotel, but even if she went with that route, she would only be able to stay a couple of nights. She let out a heavy sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn't sure what she would do, but at least for tonight, she knew she couldn't go back to the apartment.

Luna had gotten to the lobby sooner than she thought. After walking off the elevator, she didn't pay too much attention to where she was going and accidentally ran into Ryan. "I'm sorry sir. I should have been looking where I was..." she started to say, only to stop as she got a good look at the person she had run into, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. "Ryan?" she said, her face flushing slightly from embarrassment as she gave him a small smile. "Sorry, you probably don't even remember me. My name is Luna. We used to hang out with each other when we were kids." she said, wondering if he would recognize her or not. Hell, she was surprised that she recognized him. She wondered why she hadn't run into him sooner, but either way she was happy to see her old childhood friend.

 

[Dak]

Ryan had been looking down at his phone when the doors had opened. He didn't notice the woman inside, and he didn't notice when she walked out. But he did notice when she had bumped into him. He hadn't really seen her before so he thought that she was running late for something. It was only when she had started to speak did he realize who it was. She said his name. Standing in front of him was Luna. Luna Gray Taggert. The last time he had seen her she was leaving. They grew up as neighbors and would spend time together as children. She had grown up.

"Luna?... It's been so long. I can't believe that we've been living in the same building and never bumped into each other. How are you?!" He asked looking her over. He knew growing up that she was a couple years younger than Ryan. But still, she didn't look like the girl he knew growing up. He stopped when he saw the busted lip. He didn't know how it had happened but it looked fresh. "What happened to your lip?" He asked. He wondered if she had gotten it from some guy.

He noticed that she had a bag with her, and it looked like it was packed. "Is everything alright?" He asked. Was something wrong with her family? Was it something that she had to leave in a hurry? Or was it something else? The last he knew, she was with a guy when he looked her up on Facebook. But other than that he didn't know. Did he do this to her? Ryan clenched his fist in anger. If this guy did something to her, Ryan would have to teach that guy a lesson on how to treat a woman.

 

[Insanity Awakened 18]

Luna Gray Taggart​

Luna was very happy to see Ryan. He had been one of her best friends, so it was hard when she lost touch with him. Now that she knew he was there, however, maybe the two of them could catch up on everything they had missed in each other's lives. She would have to leave out the details of her boyfriend, of course, but in that particular moment he was the least of her concerns. "I'm good. I actually started working at the small bakery that is a couple of blocks away from here. I only moved here at couple of weeks ago, so thats probably why we hadn't seen each other sooner." she said with a light shrug as she smiled. "How have you been?" she said, completely forgetting what had happened until he asked her about her lip. She shifted a little nervously, her eyes darting over towards the elevator for a moment before looking back towards him. She knew that her boyfriend was asleep, but she was paranoid if she started talking about what happened that he might suddenly show up. Not to mention she was a terrible liar. Luckily mot of her past injuries had been ones she could easily explain away, but with the man standing in front of her, she wasn't sure that the same could be said for him.

"Oh, its no big deal. I was just trying to reach for something and I didn't catch it in time before it hit me in the face." she explained to him, not sure if he would buy into the lie or not. It sounded convincing enough to her, but again, she wasn't good at lying. She hated to lie about what was going on at home, but it was better than telling someone the truth. She can't remember if she was ever honest with anyone about what was going on. Even if she was, they probably wouldn't believe her. While her boyfriend was nasty behind closed doors, he had a good reputation within their social group. If anything, people might think that she was making it up. She had been a little lost in her own thoughts that when he asked his question, she almost missed it completely until she focused back in on him.

"What? Oh, yeah everything is fine. I umm...was going to meet up with a friend. She just barely got in tonight so I told her I would go spend the night with her." she told him, her glance going back over towards the elevator before she looked back towards him. She was sure that her boyfriend was asleep, but the longer she stayed and talked with Ryan, she was paranoid that he might wake up and notice that most of her things were missing. When he did, what would he end up doing when he saw her talking with Ryan? She didn't want to think about that, so as she tried to keep her nerves, she gave her friend a light smile as she took a step towards the front door. "I hate to cut this conversation short, but I should get going. My friend isn't the best with flights, so I better get to the airport before she starts blowing up my phone." she said, trying her best not to look towards the elevator again. While she wanted to catch up with her friend, if she didn't leave now, she was afraid she might not get the chance to leave again.

 

[Dak]

Luna said it was fine, that she had just reached for something a little too far away and it had come down and hit her on the lip, causing it to bust open. He looked at her for a second. She was short in stature. For something as bad as that. It would have had been really high up, or really heavy to cause that much force to come down on one spot to bust someone's lip. He didn't think that she would do something so reckless and crazy. From what he remembered she was a cautious girl. She was smart and wouldn't do something like that. He knew that for sure. Plus her lip was busted just a little too much for that story to be correct.

He was thinking so much that he almost didn't notice that she was moving toward the door. She said something about her friend blowing her phone up. From the small conversation that they had, her phone hadn't gone off once or even vibrated. She didn't even look down at her phone. It didn't make any sense. He was smart so it didn't take him long to connect the pieces together. He reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Luna... don't lie to me. The amount of force needed to bust someone's lip is so great that it would either have to be a heavy object or have fallen from a great height to generate enough force to bust someone's lip. We might have not seen each other for a long time, but from what I remember you aren't that stupid to make such a mistake. Second, even though we've only had a short conversation, you're phone hasn't gone off once and you haven't looked down at your phone once. Tell me what happened, I am here for you, but I can't help you if you don't tell me." The look in his eyes was a little stern but she was hiding something and he knew it.

He wasn't going to let go until she had told him. They were friends once, distance and time apart from each other didn't matter to him. Ryan cared for everyone that he had met in his life. His family had taught him that caring for someone and about someone were two different things. If anyone in his life had problems then he would drop almost everything and help out someone in need.

 

[Insanity Awakened 18]

Luna Gray Taggart​

Luna thought that she was in the clear. She hated to cut the conversation with Ryan so short, but she needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. Before she could leave, however, she was surprised when Ryan reached out and grabbed her wrist. She couldn't help flinching as she tensed up, wanting to pull her wrist out of his grasp. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her, but it had still freaked her out that he suddenly stopped her. As he spoke to her, it was obvious that he knew that she was lying. She figured that he wouldn't let her go until she told him, but what would happen if her boyfriend showed up? She felt her breath hitch slightly, her gaze moving back towards the elevator once again before she looked back to her friend. At this point she had no choice but to tell him the truth. If he really meant what he said, then maybe this could be her way out.

"I umm...had a disagreement with my boyfriend tonight." she finally told him, looking down for a moment before looking back towards him. "I was going to give him some space tonight so that he could think. Hes been having a hard time. Especially with us just barely moving into the apartment. He has a lot on his mind." she said, clearing her throat as she brushed away whatever stray tears may have fallen down her face. "He didn't mean to let this happen. Like I said he has a lot on his mind is all." she reassured her friend. "Please, its really nothing you need to worry about." she told him, now wondering what was going to happen from here. She did need the help, but she would feel completely humiliated and embarrassed if she admitted the truth to him. Not to mention she didn't want him to think differently of her. She didn't know why that mattered, considered how much time they had gone without speaking to each other, but it did.

"Ryan, I really just need to get out of here. If he sees me talking to you, its only going to make things worse." she said, starting to get nervous when she noticed the elevator making its way back to the lobby. Had her boyfriend noticed that she wasn't there? Was he coming to see where she had gone? Usually he would have tried to call or text when he noticed that she wasn't there, but with everything that had happened, she didn't stop to think about that. The only thing she was focused on was trying to get out of there. While her old friend did tell her that he could help her, she wasn't sure if he actually could.

 

[Dak]

Ryan listened as Luna talked. She said that they had a dispute and that he had a lot of things on his mind. She wanted to give him space so that he could think. He could tell from grabbing her by the wrist that she was twitchy. His eye's narrowed. "This isn't the first time..." He said clenching his free hand. A man putting his hands on a woman in order to do her harm because of what? Something that got him upset. It had disgusted Ryan. No man should put his hands on a woman, no matter what. Those who do are worse than scum. He watched her eye's dart from him to the elevator and back to him. Was he coming down? If he was, Ryan would have some choice words for this guy. "Look, we're friends. It doesn't matter if it was 20 year's ago or yesterday. I don't leave a friend when they need it." He heard the elevator getting closer. "That's b******* what you said. He's going through something. From nervousness and your eyes, this guy will hurt you. He will never lay a finger on you if I'm around. I promise you this, just come with me, and I will be your support." He said softly. From his words, it would be easy to tell that he is angry. But he wasn't angry at her. He was angry at the man that had been hurting his friend.

"Come with me. I will help you through this. That's what friends do." He said as he looked at her. He never left a friend behind, and he never left them when they were in a bad spot. He wasn't going to be stopping now. They were neighbors before, and in his eye's she was still that sweet young girl that he knew so many years before. "Don't be afraid. I'm here for you. I will protect you from whatever this guy will try and do." He said loosening his grip on her wrist, almost letting her go. "You need to choose run from him, or come with me and get help" The elevator was starting to get closer. If she was going to choose when than she was going to have to do it soon.

 

[Insanity Awakened 18]

Luna Gray Taggart​

Luna was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She could tell that Ryan was getting angry, so naturally her fight or flight instincts were kicking in. Most of those instincts were screaming at her to run, but as she listened to her old friend, she felt hot tears start to blur her vision. Even after all this time he was still willing to help her out? She didn't know what to say. She had other friends that wouldn't be as willing to help her like he was right now. She almost didn't know what to say. As he prompted her for a decision, however, she could hear the elevator had almost reached the lobby. If she was going to do something, she knew that she had to do it now. Running had seemed like the easiest option, but running would only help her out for so long. If she wanted to ensure her protection, she needed to stay with him.

"I'll go with you. You have to promise me that if things get dangerous, you will take care of yourself first." she said, about to continue until she saw the doors of the elevator open. The moment she saw her boyfriend step out of the elevator, she tried to brush away her tears with her free hand as he made his way over. "Hey, whats going on here? Is everything alright?" he asked, unaware of what his girlfriend had told her childhood friend. He did, however, happen to see the way that he was holding her wrist. "You mind letting go of my girlfriend?" he said as he made his way around her friend to grab onto her other wrist. "I'm sorry she bothered you guy, but you can go ahead and let her go now huh? I can take over from here." he said, missing the way that his girlfriend was looking away from him. He was completely clueless as to what was going on, but she had a feeling he was about to find out.

 

[Dak]

Ryan looked as the man walked out of the elevator. He watched as he spoke. His grip on her wrist had let up and he let her go. But he wasn't going to leave her. He stood in the way of Luna and this guy. "Oh sorry about that buddy " He said. "Luna and I had actually grown up together you see. She moved away when we were younger and I was just catching up with her. The last time I'd seen her she was about 11ish." Ryan was about the same size as this guy. Maybe an inch or two taller, but other than that they were about the same. "I couldn't help but notice something..." He lightly began to run his thumb over a part of his lip. "I couldn't help but notice that she had a busted lip. She told me it was from work. But her eye's told me something else."

"When she was trying to leave, I stopped her and she flinched like she was afraid I, an old friend, was going to hurt her. Which makes me wonder why would she think that?" He said looking at the man. He was standing in front of Luna. If this guy tried anything then he would stop him. He was a lineman through high school and college. He would lay him out in a second. "So I have a question for you... Does it make you feel like a big man when you put your hand's on her? Just hit her and hurt her because you're upset... That isn't a man that's a p*ssy" He said watching the man. He must have been getting angry with Ryan. He would have no problem putting this guy down for how he treated his friend.

Just as he was about to lay into this guy when Ryan heard the door open up and heard the voices of a man, a woman, and a couple of kids walk in. In a matter of seconds, his demeanor had changed. He was smiling, as the family walked past them over to their mailbox which was in front of the elevator. "It was really great to meet you there bud. Come on Luna, let's go." He said.

 

[Insanity Awakened 18]

Luna Gray Taggart​

Luna had no idea what was going to happen now that her boyfriend was there. She watched as Ryan blocked his path to her, but she still nervously glanced in his direction, afraid of what he was going to do. As her friend started to lay into him, she could tell that her boyfriend was getting irritated. She could tell from his body language alone that he wanted very badly to hit him. She wasn't sure what would happen if a fight broke out in the lobby, but before anything could really be said or done, she watched as a family walked into the apartment lobby, stopping whatever fight was about to happen. She could tell that her boyfriend was pissed, but she knew that he wouldn't do anything while the family was there. While he was angry, he gave her friend a light smile before he nodded.

"Great to meet you too, bud." her boyfriend said, aiming a glance at Luna before looking back towards Ryan. "I'll see you later Luna." he added, giving a subtle but threatening glance in her friend's direction before he headed out of the apartment. While she watched him walk away, she felt rooted to the spot. Was he really going to let her leave with her friend? Was he going to end up coming back? She had no idea, but while the family was in the lobby, the last thing she wanted to do was cause some kind of scene. At the same time, however, she was feeling shaken from the confrontation that had taken place only minutes ago. She wanted nothing more than to hug her friend and tell him how grateful she was, but again, she didn't want to cause a scene. She would thank him, but only when they were away from everyone else.

 

[Dak]

Ryan watched as the man had left. He was glad that that family had come in when they did. He didn't want to fight him. He would only do what he needed to do. He pressed the button on the elevator and waited for the doors to open. After a short, and a rather quiet ride in the elevator, they had arrived at the 10th floor. He led Luna to his apartment door. "Please forgive the mess. I haven't been here for the past couple of days." He said opening the door and stepped to the side to let her in.

The interior of the room wasn't actually that messy. There were a few boxes here and there, but the rest of the living room looked untouched. There was a beige rug that layed on hardwood floors, with a wooden coffee table on top of it. The couch had soft grey upholstery on it and was sitting next to two end tables that matched the coffee table. Cater Cornered to one of the tables was an armchair. It was leathered and black. Opposite the couch and hanging on the wall was the TV. Under it was an entertainment center that had the cable box, an internet modem with a wifi hotspot and a collection of DVDs. Hanging on the wall were pictures of Ryan and a woman along with a couple of paintings. in the corner was an archway that lead to the kitchen, the hallway, 2 bedrooms, and the bathroom.

Ryan walked in slowly and set his backpack on the couch. "Welcome to my humble abode." Just as he said that his stomach had let out a little growl. He hadn't really eaten that much. He let out a soft chuckle. "Can I get you something to eat? Something to drink?" He said loosening his tie. After he ate something he would get out of his suit and into something more relaxed. But for now, he was more focused on filling his stomach then changing.

 

[Insanity Awakened 18]

Luna Gray Taggart​

Luna would be lying if she said she wasn't shaken from the confrontation that just took place. She knew that she would be safe with Ryan, but how long would that last? It was only a matter of time before her boyfriend came around and tried to get her to come back to their apartment. Not to mention the rest of her things were still there. What would he end up doing with what she left at the apartment? She wasn't sure, but she could make plans to get the rest of her things. In her mind she was sure that she would stay with her old friend for the night and then have to make other arrangements tomorrow. She had no idea what she was going to do now that she was out of the apartment, but again, that was something that could wait until tomorrow. For now, she would try to keep her attention focused on what was going on with her old friend as the two of them walked into his apartment.

Luna let her gaze wander around the apartment as Ryan told her not to mind the mess. She honestly didn't think that it was that messy, but something in the back of her mind told her not to talk back, her old defense mechanisms kicking into effect as she set her things at the end of the couch. She made sure they were out of the way before she let her gaze wander around the apartment once again. That was when her gaze landed on the picture of her old friend and a woman. Was that his wife? Was she his girlfriend? She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought it was best not to be too nosy, glancing over at her old friend as he re entered the room, giving him a light smile. "This is nice. I love the paintings that you have up." she said, nodding towards them before letting out a light chuckle of her own at his growling stomach. That reminded her that she hadn't had much time to eat herself, but when asked if she was hungry, she shook her head.

"Oh no, I'm fine. Thank you though." Luna said, lowering her gaze for a moment before she looked to Ryan again. "Thank you for helping me. I promise I won't be in your hair for too long. I'm sure I'll be able to figure out a place to stay in the next couple of days or so." she told him with a light nod. She knew that he said that he would help her, but she wasn't going to impose and assume that she could stay there indefinitely. She would stay there for the night and then figure out what she could do the next day. While she wasn't entirely sure where she would go at the moment, she was sure she could figure out the details come tomorrow morning.

 

[Dak]

Ryan had walked into the kitchen. The kitchen was homier than the living room. It had granite countertops, that had gone around the whole room. The dining area was inside it as well. The table was actually quite beautiful and had chairs to match it. Ryan had opened the fridge and grabbed a few things from it. After a few moments, he had walked out with a roast beef sandwich and a glass of milk. He walked over to the armchair and sat the plate down on the coffee table along with the glass of milk. He took a bite of his sandwich before setting it down on the plate.

He looked at the paintings that Luna had mentioned. A small smile crept across his face. "Yeah they're beautiful aren't they...." He said. The one who had painted them was his late wife. She was an art major. She loved painting and drawing and would draw every day. That was actually how they had met. Ryan was looking to get a gift for his mother for mothers day and had asked around for someone who could paint. She was the first person that he had asked. That's where it all had started. From there they had an amazing time that would eventually lead to them getting married. "The person who painted them was my wife..." He said looking to one painting that was of a landscape. There was only one thing in it other than the landscape. It was a person that had a pink shirt. He was starting to get a little sad, so he needed to change the subject.

That's when Luna said that she was going to only stay there for the night. "Luna, that guy isn't going to leave you alone. Not until he's either put in jail or dead. You can stay here as long as you want. I have an extra room that I'm not using that you are more than welcome to use..." He took another bite of his sandwich. "I think it would be a good idea for you to get a restraining order on him. That way if something does happen then I'll feel a little bit better knowing that you'll be safer." He said taking a sip of his milk. When the glass had left his lips he had a milk mustache. "So would at least do that for me?" He asked not knowing he had a milk mustache.

 

[Insanity Awakened 18]

Luna Gray Taggart​

Luna wasn't sure who it was that painted the works of art on Ryan's wall. When he mentioned his wife, however, she was slightly surprised. She didn't realize that he was married. While she was curious where she was, she could see the sad look come across her friend's face. Instead of pushing things any further, she decided to drop it for now. Instead, she focused as her friend told her that she could stay as long as she wanted. She hadn't wanted to impose on him or anything, but she did appreciate the offer. Considering the situation she was in, she couldn't afford to turn him down. She also listened as he suggested that she get a restraining order against her boyfriend.She had no idea how useful that was going to be, considering his temper, but what else could she do? After letting out a deep sigh, she gave a light nod.

"I'll think about it." Luna said as she raised her gaze to meet his. That was when she noticed the milk mustache on his face. She tried not to laugh, but she couldn't stop the light chuckle that escaped as she pointed to the spot above her upper lip. "You got a bit of a mustache." she said with a light smile. She wasn't sure how long he had been sporting the milk mustache, but it was still pretty funny. After she pointed it out, she had sat down next to her things on the couch, letting herself settle in. Was he right about her boyfriend? She wasn't entirely sure, but she couldn't believe that she had gotten into this situation. While she was embarrassed that someone knew the truth about what was going on, at least she was finally getting the help that she needed.

"You mentioned that those paintings were done by your wife? Where is she?" Luna asked, nodding towards the paintings before looking back towards Ryan. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." she quickly added before he answered. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her, but she was still paranoid about accidentally upsetting him. She didn't know when that started, but she suspected it started after her boyfriend started hitting her. She would always be paranoid about possibly upsetting someone, so she made a point to be careful about what she said. Either way, considering he looked upset when he talked about him, she wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to talk about it.

 

[Dak]

Ryan was taking a bite out of his sandwich when Luna had asked about the one who had painted the paintings. He finished chewing up his sandwich and took a sip of milk. After he took a breath in and let it out. It was rather hard for him to speak about her, but he needed to. "She was a great person. We had met in college. She was a art major." He said with a smile. He still very much loved her, even if she wasn't there. "She passed away about six months ago from breast cancer." He pointed to the painting that he was looking at earlier. "That one was the last thing she painted. The landscape is lush and green, the sun with an orange hue as it's setting, and the man in pink is just exiting the painting." Ryan was sad, but his friend was going through something that was rather hard. Ryan needed to be strong for her. He didn't have a frown on his face, his eyes didn't have any signs of sadness. He was smiling for her sake.

"I'm sorry if that was a little awkward. I guess I still miss her." He said finishing off the rest of the milk. He collected his plate and glass and walked into the kitchen, and set them in the sink. He would take care of them later. He took a deep breath in and let it out. He collected his emotions and walked back out. "Well how about I show you to your room?" He asked giving her a smile. He would deal with his emotions later. He needed to smile for her. "Our guest room should be still set up if I'm not mistaken."