She stood at the bus stop, waiting out in the weather. It wasn't raining tonight, merely cold and windy. She'd swear it was just as rough as a downpour. The night air was disconcertingly different in tone to the sunny afternoon it followed. Wind blew through her cardigan, over her bare legs. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively and shivered as heat continuously left her body.
She was trying to decide if she had missed the bus when she heard footsteps. A man coming her way from down the street, lightly jogging as if it catch up with her. For a moment she felt a familiar jab of late-night-alone fear, then recognized his face. It was Jake, from sales.
Why Jake? He's never on my bus. Doesn't he drive a Jaguar?
He stopped jogging as he pulled up in front of her, panting a little.
"Hi, Sophie," he said, grinning disarmingly. "Sorry if I startled you."
"Oh, no," she said quickly, "it's ok." Sophie tried to look away, but instead watched him recover his breath, his stance widened, his chest moving in and out. She wondered how many words they had exchanged during the two years they'd worked together. So few, you could count them. They were from different departments, but he'd always caught her eye in the hallways. She never let herself linger on his face too long, busying herself with whatever was at hand. Dating was too hard to bother anymore; she would just do without. She was sure that he would never give her a second glance, so she never gave him a chance to prove her right. In the office it was easy to pretend to be distracted by an email, but out here, there was nothing to provide a comfortable, timely break of contact. This is going to be difficult.
"Did we miss it?"
"Huh? Oh you mean the bus," stumbled Sophie, looking down, recovering. "Um, we may have. It's pretty late." She checked the time on her phone intentionally. "Yeah, probably have to wait another ten minutes."
Jake moved to stand alongside her and faced the street. "Well, that's great. At least I ran for nothing." He smiled at her again. This time she smiled back. She was surprised at how easy it was.
"Can I ask, why are you taking the bus? I don't usually see you out here."
"My car is in the shop." It might have been due to the dim light, but she thought she saw his eyes move up and down her body as he spoke. Did that just happen?
"Oh, I see." She was watching him carefully now, so he caught her gaze. His eyes, a serious question; her eyes, surprised. His eyes, stronger, more forceful; her eyes, not scared, mostly...curious. "That's...inconvenient," she managed.
"It's not so bad," he said, words slipping out without much meaning as his eyes stayed locked on hers. When she didn't look away, his look continued to gain intensity. She could nearly hear his voice in her head, sense his physical presence next to her, feel his requests solidify into possible commands. He was still talking. "At least you're here with me."
