After Hours

Beyond the Sea

The cruel London winter was in full effect in mid-January, no matter how many layers you wore it seemed like it was never enough to protect yourself from the icy breeze. Jane wasn't prepared, anytime she went out she chose style over comfort because that's what she thought was expected of her. She crossed her arms and brought them close to her chest, hoping to keep herself warm just long enough to make it to her flat.

"Thank you for offering to walk me home, Brian. I really do appreciate it." Jane spoke first, trying to steady her voice and not reveal that she was shivering.

"You don't have to thank me for that, Jane. This is the kind of thing friends do for each other right?" He looked at her briefly, his nose was already turning a little red from the chilly winds.

"Right." That time, she wasn't so stealthy with hiding how cold she was. She had only brought a thin jacket because she thought it looked good with her outfit.

She felt a warm sensation starting at her shoulders and then across her back. Brian had placed his jacket on her shoulders.

"You're going to freeze, I can't take this from-" She had begun to take it off to place it back on his shoulders, but she was interrupted.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, the warmth from his hands gave her comfort, "No, you need it more than I do. I'm not going to budge." He smiled at her.

"You were always so stubborn, I guess nothing's changed." She kept the jacket around her, pulling it closed to barricade herself from the wind they were walking against.

"You can be pretty damn stubborn too." He nudged her side, smiling wider at her. He knew he was falling for her all over again, ever since he saw her again last week he couldn't stop thinking about her. He wondered what she was doing, if she thought of him which he convinced himself she didn't. Brian tried to stop himself, he knew it was hopeless to do this to himself again.

"Oh shut up, maybe that's why we always got on so well. The two most stubborn people in Feltham somehow found each other." She unconsciously started drifting closer to him as they walked to her flat.

"We do make a pretty good team." Those words played with her heart more than she thought they would, she got that feeling again in her chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling, she felt warm and a tad fuzzy. She always felt that when she saw his smile. Jane always admired him but this was past admiration and she would never admit to herself that it was more than that.

A thought occurred to her, "How are you going to get home, do you live far from here?"

Brian figured she was going to ask this at some point and had already planned his explanation to her, he wasn't going to lie to her but he was going to try and seem nonchalant about it.

"I was going to walk home, it's not that far.. maybe a thirty-minute walk." Well.. he did lie. From her flat, it would take over an hour and a half walk for him to get home, something no one should have to do this late at night and in this abysmal weather.

"Brian, you're mad. I'm not letting you do that. I'll call you a cab when we get to my flat."

"No, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine walking home."

There it was, the two most stubborn people in Feltham at work.

"I insist and I'm getting the last word in this." She smirked at him.

"Fine but I'm not letting you pay for it." That mischievous smile spread across his face.

She laughed, "Oh yes you are, Brian. It's the least I can do, consider it a thank you for forgiving me. I know that wasn't easy."