It was late, and he was awake, and for the first time in a long time, he was mildly annoyed by that fact. He had an early flight to Paris in the morning, meaning that he didn't have the luxury of going to bed at two and getting up at seven like he usually did. He wanted to be in bed, truly he did, but he had to finish a few things first. Then he had to make sure he knew where the hell his brother was before boarding a plane to Europe. Beautiful, breathtaking Europe. Where he would slip into the Louvre, find a few, small paintings, and walk away with them.
He rose, ambling into the kitchen where he poured himself another piping hot mug of coffee. Curling his fingers around the ceramic glass, he let the heat crawl up his arms, warming him from the outside in. He kept his apartment cool to keep the utilities bill down - there was no reason to spend money needlessly - which necessitated the making and consuming of warm beverages.
Then there came the doorbell.
Heaving the sigh of the long suffering, he made his way to his door, mug in hand, preparing an eloquent tongue-lashing for Jake about not getting so drunk he couldn't fit the key in the door. Living with another person was frustratingly difficult, and he had forgotten that since he hadn't had to deal with roommates since he lived at home. Throwing the deadbolt, he opened the door as he swallowed a mouthful of coffee, the black liquid burning his throat in the best way as it went down.
Surprise made the coffee run cold. He stared at the girl in the hallway, shocked. Even the piss-poor lighting couldn't hide the bruises on her face, or the swelling. It took everything he had not to swear in a way that would make a sailor blush. "Jess, what the hell happened?" he asked, gently propelling her into his apartment. He kicked the door shut and locked it, setting his mug down on a nearby table. Moving back to her side, he guided her to the large armchair in the living room and pushed her into it. He settled himself across from her, studying her face in the better light, making a catalog of her injuries.