Word: Evenfall

evenfall

[ee-vuhn-fawl]

noun

1. the beginning of evening; even; evening; twilight; dusk.

 

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                It was twilight. That odd time when it was neither day nor night. The light from the sun cast its rays and reflected off the windows of the myriad skyscrapers. It seemed like the entire city was one big kaleidoscope. Really, it was one of Dan’s favorite times of day for that reason. Although today he was just wondering if it meant he would finally be able to go home.

                “There you are.”

                Dan did not turn to face the speaker. He just kept looking out over the city and slightly leaning on the railing of the building’s ornately decorated roof.

                “Yeah, I’m here.” He replied. “You gonna tell me to come back inside?”

                “That was the idea, yeah. I mean, it’s a party. We’re supposed to be enjoying it.”

                Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his girlfriend, Cleo, move next to him. The rays of the setting sun glinted off earrings that probably cost more than a year’s rent at his old apartment. That, when combined with the dress that was just bordering on inappropriate remined him why he had come out here in the first place.

                “Yeah, I know.” He said. “But I was thinking of getting a cab or something and heading home.”

                “Why? The party’s still going strong and will be for hours.”

                “That’s part of the problem. I shouldn’t have even come in the first place.”

                She looked at him sharply, and it took her a moment to reply. “What? Why not? I would’ve thought you’d love this kind of thing. Good food, good drink, good music. It’s right up your ally.”

                “Yeah, all that’s great. It’s the people that’s the problem.”

                “The people?”

                He took a long, slow breath. “Yeah. I don’t belong here, Cleo. They’re your people, not mine. And everyone here knows it. I hear what they’re saying about me. About us. I don’t know if they’ve had too many drinks to keep quiet, or if they’re saying these things so I can hear it, but that doesn’t matter. They all say things about how ‘I’m not good enough’ or I’m ‘some gutter trash gold digger.’ Just a lot of people spouting out a lot of insults. Most of them are aimed at me, but a few are going to you as well. And even those are related to me. They hide it better when talking face to face, but even then, you can tell what they think of me.”

                “Oh, I’m sure it’s not that bad. It can’t be everyone down there.”

                “Maybe not. But it’s everyone I talked or listened to.”

                The sun continued its decent, and the rays of light slid down the buildings, fading into darkness little by little. Cleo did not seem to notice this, or at least did not care about the coming darkness.

                “Well, I’m sure it’s all just because they don’t know you yet. After a few meet ups and parties, you’ll fit right in.”

                He turned to face her fully. It was getting harder to see her, with the light coming more and more from inside rather than out. But he could still see her expression. She really believed what she was saying. And maybe she was right. She had known the other party goers much longer than he had. But he doubted it.

                “Maybe. But that’s not going to happen here, and I’m not enjoying myself. But I know you are. I know you want to stay until the party is over. So, I’m going to head back. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

                He gave her a quick hug and a brief kiss, then turned away from the fading day and headed back into the artificial lights, before moving on and into the night. 

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I would've wanted to leave the party for an entirely different reason. Mostly because I'm not a big party guy and would've hated every moment of it, even if the people there were super friendly.