embarrassment.
Luckily though, he rescued her, and perhaps not for the first, nor the last.
“Were you with somebody?” The stranger asked her.
“C…Clare…” Jen eventually managed.
What was happening to her?
“A friend of yours?” He enquired, tilting his head slightly to one side and smiling.
“My sister…” She replied, at last managing to string two words together without stammering.
“I see…” He replied mysteriously. “And is it her you’re in such a rush to meet?” He asked, flitting his eyes to their hands, still touching, somehow seeming to be posing his words as a statement of fact, rather than a query.
“We, she…I’m meeting her…” Jen managed, though admittedly with great difficulty, returning to her stumbling as his eyes swept briefly over her, taking in everything about her in a single glance, or so it seemed at least.
Even still, he hadn’t released her hand, and his hold was gentle and firm all at once. His fingers were warm against her cold skin, and she liked it.
As he spoke again, he released her from his grasp and she felt suddenly bitterly lost, and fell immediately into her deep, unending emptiness once more. It swallowed her whole in all its enormity, and Jen felt as though the ground had been wrenched out from beneath her feet.
She had been rescued, even if for barely a few minutes, and now, once let go, she plummeted into despair yet again.
How could this happen?
She couldn’t let him go…
“I’d better let you go so you can meet her then…” He replied, as if confirming her deepest, darkest fears, and he tilted his head slightly in saddened acknowledgement.
But, hard as she tried, and as desperately as she might have wanted to, Jen could not find the words to reply. The rushing emotions that barraged her so heavily robbed her of her breath.
She managed a nod, but no more, and only barely at that.
Turning to leave, distraught, his words like rough velvet stopped her once again.
“Can I ask your name?” He requested politely, raising his eyebrows almost unconsciously and turning his mouth up at the corners in a cheeky smile that, if she had not been so deeply off balance, would have told Jen volumes about this particular young man.
“Jen…” She eventually managed, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m Jen…”
He bowed his head slightly and opened his hand in a rather unseemly grand gesture to her: something that she wasn’t expecting.
She felt the strange and burning urge to reach out and grab it.
She so desperately wanted to.
But she didn’t.
“Until we meet again then, Jen…” The stranger bade her a gracious farewell.
And in that moment something overwhelmed young Jennifer that she had never before in her life experienced. Considering that she had barely felt anything besides misery and dejection for so long now, it sent her blood coursing and racing through her veins like wildfire, stirring her overwhelmed emotions into a maddened frenzy.
She wanted him to kiss her.
She wanted to lean in so that he could.
And somehow, she could see that he knew it too.
But he only smiled, seemingly ever the gentleman, and after a few moments, her heart in her mouth, Jen managed to sir herself into movement and passed through the heavy wooden doorway that he still held open, and out
Luckily though, he rescued her, and perhaps not for the first, nor the last.
“Were you with somebody?” The stranger asked her.
“C…Clare…” Jen eventually managed.
What was happening to her?
“A friend of yours?” He enquired, tilting his head slightly to one side and smiling.
“My sister…” She replied, at last managing to string two words together without stammering.
“I see…” He replied mysteriously. “And is it her you’re in such a rush to meet?” He asked, flitting his eyes to their hands, still touching, somehow seeming to be posing his words as a statement of fact, rather than a query.
“We, she…I’m meeting her…” Jen managed, though admittedly with great difficulty, returning to her stumbling as his eyes swept briefly over her, taking in everything about her in a single glance, or so it seemed at least.
Even still, he hadn’t released her hand, and his hold was gentle and firm all at once. His fingers were warm against her cold skin, and she liked it.
As he spoke again, he released her from his grasp and she felt suddenly bitterly lost, and fell immediately into her deep, unending emptiness once more. It swallowed her whole in all its enormity, and Jen felt as though the ground had been wrenched out from beneath her feet.
She had been rescued, even if for barely a few minutes, and now, once let go, she plummeted into despair yet again.
How could this happen?
She couldn’t let him go…
“I’d better let you go so you can meet her then…” He replied, as if confirming her deepest, darkest fears, and he tilted his head slightly in saddened acknowledgement.
But, hard as she tried, and as desperately as she might have wanted to, Jen could not find the words to reply. The rushing emotions that barraged her so heavily robbed her of her breath.
She managed a nod, but no more, and only barely at that.
Turning to leave, distraught, his words like rough velvet stopped her once again.
“Can I ask your name?” He requested politely, raising his eyebrows almost unconsciously and turning his mouth up at the corners in a cheeky smile that, if she had not been so deeply off balance, would have told Jen volumes about this particular young man.
“Jen…” She eventually managed, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m Jen…”
He bowed his head slightly and opened his hand in a rather unseemly grand gesture to her: something that she wasn’t expecting.
She felt the strange and burning urge to reach out and grab it.
She so desperately wanted to.
But she didn’t.
“Until we meet again then, Jen…” The stranger bade her a gracious farewell.
And in that moment something overwhelmed young Jennifer that she had never before in her life experienced. Considering that she had barely felt anything besides misery and dejection for so long now, it sent her blood coursing and racing through her veins like wildfire, stirring her overwhelmed emotions into a maddened frenzy.
She wanted him to kiss her.
She wanted to lean in so that he could.
And somehow, she could see that he knew it too.
But he only smiled, seemingly ever the gentleman, and after a few moments, her heart in her mouth, Jen managed to sir herself into movement and passed through the heavy wooden doorway that he still held open, and out
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