𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘌𝘔𝘗𝘛𝘠 𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘚 𝘖𝘍 𝘔𝘌 - HOZIER

IV

FOUR.

Vivienne raced up the steps, the soles of her leather boots nearly slipping in the deep puddles of rain that lined the streets. She cursed under her breath for not bringing a tarp for her bike, which she left parked under a tree in the middle Andrew's front lawn to shield it from the harsh storm. It wasn't often New York got hit by even the edges of hurricanes, but when it did, it seemed Vivienne was always underprepared.

She slammed her fist into the front door repeatedly after the knob wouldn't give, pounding it again after 20 seconds of waiting, shivering and wet. Right before her hand raised a third time the door swung open, and she pushed past the tall figure blocking her from the heated room.

"Jesus, Andrew, I was freezing out there!" Vivienne pulled off her boots and helmet in record time, which she hung on a hook. From behind her, Andrew pulled off his blue sweater and threw it over her shoulder. "The fuck is this?"

"Some real clothes for this weather." He gestured to her outfit- another pair of shorts; black and ripped on the thighs, and a cropped green tee. She huffed, throwing the almost comically oversized sweater over her head. The material reached just above her knees, and the fabric was some of the scratchiest she had ever experienced, but she kept it on out of thanks for the gesture she didn't feel she deserved.

Vivienne huffed, picking the fabric from her skin as she walked behind Andrew towards the living room. It looked the same as yesterday, cables chaotically scattering the floor, guitars left laying against walls; but one thing was different.

"Where the hell is everyone? Where's Gwen?" Vivienne dropped her backpack to the floor, reaching for the wood sticking out of the top. Before she could wrap her hands around the chipped oak, Andrew's fingers were around her wrist.

She glanced up, eyes narrowed at him with a look of disgust on her face from the sudden contact.

"Just you," He spoke, then reached into his back pocket and held out a new pair of sticks. She slowly stood up straight, accepting the gift and examining them. They were obviously brand new, which almost didn't feel right as they didn't have indents from her overly intense grip, but they were quite nice; a dark mahogany with white stripes along the sides. "Time for us to work."

"Work on what?" Vivienne furrowed her brows, her lip pulled up in an annoyed snarl.

Andrew pointed a finger directly in her face. "That. Your attitude."

She swatted his hand away, and he pulled it back with a grimace at her genuine smack.

"Don't touch me." Vivienne mumbled, rolling the sticks in her hand and walking into the living room. She approached Gwen's table, her free hand sliding over the small mound of papers. All of it was sheet music, songs of Andrews with wild amounts of highlighter and pen notes scribbled all over it. "What's all of this?"