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Why was it that every time he had to get dragged along on these excurions, they always ended up ditching him? With the check no less! But no, he was not one to just object and yell. He would pay like they knew he would, and probably willingly come along next week as well. He was lonely, and his 'friends' were the only ones to give him the time of day outside of school. Perhaps though, it was only because he was one of the only people that allowed them to copy his gradesheets. With another sigh he left the tip and stood, pushing stray strands of scarlet back from his face towards the long ponytail he sported. it was a veritable fountain of crimson, complimenting the molten amber eyes that were hidden behind black framed glasses.

Fayth Wells, the eternal gullible fool. Head down he grabbed his messenger bag and turned towards the front door and fresh air, his face downcast and looking decidedly dejected. Was this really worth the want to go out once in awhile vice studying in his little loft apartment?

Just out the door and he stopped short, eying the sky beyond the awning with dread. When had the rain started? It was either walk the four blocks to the bus in the downpour, or wait it out by the curb. Damned if he hadnt thought to bring an umbrella. Fayth had just resigned himself to the biting cold when a voice stopped him, head cocking back towards the door. A drink? Golden eyes flickered briefly over the taller male in effort to weigh his options, biting his lip in an adorable bit of indecision before nodding. What the hell, he had to wait anyways if he wanted to stay dry. "Sure. But I'll let you know now that I'm not much of a drinker."

Following the dark haired male back into the restaurant, he trailed after him towards the bar, eying it distrustfully. It wasn't often he strayed to the bar of an establishment, and being here now was rather odd for him. Taking a seat on the soft vinyl stool, he eyed the selection before nodding. "A long islamd iced tea please." Came his soft order, thin delicate fingers fiddling with the napkin the tender promptly set down in front of him. While they waited for drinks, it gave the redhead time to study his mysterious benefactor out of the corner of his eye. He had some strong features, and right away he could sense the man was used to getting what he wanted. The question was, what did he bloody want? "Do you make it a habit of inviting strangers in from the rain for a drink Mr...?"

The first smile that Leif had ever seen would make itss' presence known at the reference to age, his features softening into something quite beautiful. "Indeed. My name is Fayth, Fayth Wells. I'm still in the dark as to why you called to me though, your answer will just have to do." When his drink came, the redhead took a sip and hummed his approval, knowing by the taste that the bartender had watered it down. That was just as well, normally these types of drinks packed a punch, this way he had the time to sit and regard him thoughtfully. He looked well dressed, but definitely was not as old as he originally thought him to be. It didn't change his plan of actions, however, his head tilting while he figured how to deal with him.

Eventually he cleared his throat, waiting for his attention before speaking. "I appreciate this, Leif, but as soon as my drink is done, I shall have to head home. Rain, or no rain, there are things I have to do." Feed his plants and take care of the tail end of a project that was due in the near future.

For a moment, Fayth found himself staring too long into the startling hues of amethyst that were settled in his companion's face, wondering how rare they were to see. Seconds later he realized that he was being rude and cleared his throat, nodding down to the drink. “Thank you for this, I’d just found out my ride had bailed and didn’t really like the thought of going outside in that downpour all the way to the bus.” The redhead confessed, taking another small swig of the liquid with an appreciative noise. Straight alcohol never really agreed with his stomach, and sent him careening automatically towards drunk because of his slim stature. Atleast mixed drinks tasted alright and he could sip at them. As it was now, thanks to the drink he had had with dinner and this one, he was feeling quite buzzed.

Hm. Dinner. What a humiliating scene. He’d been tugged from his small but cozy loft to this expewnsize place and footed with the bill. It seemed like they only did this right after his payday, which left things tight for the next couple of weeks. Sure, he could afford his rent, but well, it wasn’t the ideal situation afterwords, skipping meals and buying granolas to flit through the days. No wonder he didn’t have a car. For a moment, a small twinge of despair lit his features, and Fayth was happy to know that he’d turned his head down so that Leif could not see. Hopefully he thought he was looking at his drink.

So far into his thoughts, Fayth didn’t realize he had zoned out until his companion started to rise. “Oh, I er, hope I didn’t take you away from something important. Thank you for the drink, and the chat. It was nice.” He found his voice to be sincere, and truly he was grateful for the chat that had lasted long enough for the downpour to fade to a light drizzle. Taking the card in hand, he glanced down, noting his name and checking it over to see where exactly he worked. In trouble? Was he a lawyer or something?

The rain had let up, allowing him to traverse to the bus with relative ease. Fayth could barely remember the ride or walk home, all that seemed to hold his attention was the little rectangle of stiff cardstock in his pocket, fingering the edges in an absentminded daze.

His home wasn’t really all that terrible looking on the inside, but from the outside it looked like he had rented a room in a slum house. Going it on your own in the city was something that not everyone had to do, but Fayth was a dreamer, and he was striving to reach for that one dream he held so high. The downside was that without help, he needed to work even harder to make it all himself. Even at these odds, he found it within himself to press for it, taking a job as a barista in a coffee shop near the end of the college center and the beginning of the business district. It kept busy because of the two types of people that always visited, which meant the tips were good, from the businessmen and women at least. Fayth could understand from his own experience that not every student could afford a tip.

Even if it meant working himself to the bone and studying all night, he was going to get his degree, and so far he’d done well enough to merit into his second year of college. He was by no means a genius, but he had a knack for many of his courses, though the mandatory physical fitness block was definitely not his strong suit. Still, he got along fine, his teachers seemed to be pleased with his work and none of his grades were failing or near that.

The only trouble he could foresee was his friends. Blake and Cory always seemed to swing by when he had time to himself to relax, and their cajoling would eventually bring the poor introverted redhead out to be dragged along to excursions. Normally that meant holding the table down for them at a club or something of the sort while they partied. Apparently, he was the hopeless case of the group, as the boys always seemed to get a hookup when he was around, saying they had brought their friend because he was lonely and needed to get out. Women tended to gush about how sweet they were, and their purses were added to his security post while they danced with the two ‘sweet guys’.

The only thing Fayth minded about this was the late hours. Once or twice he had tried to beg off from their group hangouts, but Blake nearly dwarfed him in size and a hard stare from him was like someone choking his heart in ice. It was safer just to wait it all out, which is what he tended to do, and the long nights didn’t seem to hurt his grades any, though it meant he spent his lunch hour doing homework instead of taking a lunch.

The redhead made a face at that thought, glancing down to his middle as he moved about getting ready for the day. Still in only a pair of deep emerald boxers, he could clearly see just how skinny he was. His hips were thin, the bone nearly poking out but not sharply like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. Neither did his ribcage jut out like those pictures of third world countries. He’d just inherited the small stature of his father, and the thin bone set from his mother. The thought was pushed rather violently away from his mind, his attention turning elsewhere. That was not something he wanted to think about.

~~~
The day had been uneventful, long boring classes filled with text and speeches, things he should have paid attention to. But all Fayth could think of were those purple eyes and a roguish smile. He found a small smile on himself that afternoon at the coffee shop, more and more his thoughts solidifying into a want. He was going to do something for himself for once, and it excited him. This man seemed kind and truly concerned for him when he mentioned the weather. Well, now he was home, his book bag and uniform on the floor as he stared at the little paper with his phone in hand. The numbers were in the screen already, but he was somewhat stuck on hitting send, his finger on the button but not pressing. What if it had been a cruel joke? Or maybe this was a wrong number? So deep in his thoughts, he hadn’t realized that his nervousness that had crept back had caused him to push the button, only scrambling to place the phone to his ear when he heard the dial tone. “Er, h-hello? This is Fayth, um. Leif? We er, we met at the restaurant last night.”

The slightly harsh voice made him jump, but he recognized it from the previous night, relaxing into the small beaten up sofa in his livingroom. “Ah, no, not at all. I was just well, I thought I’d get the answering machine.” Fayth finished lamely, wondering if it truly had been a good idea from the start to call. Perhaps Leif had only meant it as a friendly thing to do, a nice half attempt at kindness that was really only meant to be an empty invitation. The thought made the redhead bite his lip again, something Leif would have enjoyed had he been there. “I just, you said to call if I ever…” He trailed off, realizing he had made the conversation awkward.