Annaleigh’s body language went rigid at the feeling of the other teen touching her. She wasn’t used to being touched by others in that manner, so the sudden movement had startled her. She shoved his arm away harshly once they were away from the texting teen. “Don’t touch me,” she snapped. Her body language slowly became less tense and once she calmed down, she choose to answer his question. “If I’m being honest, it’s a lot different than what I’m used to,” she commented as she walked along side the other.
Blaine caught onto her stiffening up a step away from her shoving his hand off and snapping. His heart felt like jammed itself into his throat while his stomach bottomed out to a tangled mess inside the soles of his shoes. The shock on his face drained the olive tones of his skin a few shades paler and his fingers twitched in the air making sure she knew he wouldn’t repeat the error before he slowly lowered his hand to–well–probably best to shove it into his pocket.
“I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to–I only wanted–I wasn’t thinking.” How about three sentences in one? “People have a habit of slamming right into or clipping you because phones and walking can be difficult. I’m just..sorry.” Holding onto his bag with his free hand, he picked up the lead after a moment’s hesitation. “I promise it gets easier.. Adjusting, I mean.” He never fully returned to how easily he smiled, his posture and tone more carefully cautious than any previous lightness. As soon as they were within three rooms near the office, he stopped and pointed towards the glass door. “Here we are. The one with the glass walls is your stop.”
Annaleigh was honestly glad to hear that. “Really?” She asked her voice filled with surprise. The teenage girl started to follow her new acquaintance. “Yes. You’re correct. I haven’t been going to school here for very long,” she replied. Actually, this was the first school she’d ever been to, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
“Few more hallways and you were so close,” he grinned teasingly as he motioned for her to veer right with a hand gently placed on her back to guide them both around someone who was too busy texting to watch where they were walking. That earned them a huff and a shake of his head that broke away into a lighthearted enough chuckle. “It’s like walking and chewing bubblegum. Some people just aren’t meant to do them together,” he shrugged haplessly–a general what do you do but roll with it, “And, yeah. I came here just after the beginning of the year? What do you think of it so far?”
A sigh of relief escaped from Annaleigh’s lips. She was glad that he was willing to help, because she felt like she was going in circles. “Thank you. I’m trying to get to Ms. Pillsbury’s office, but I can’t seem to find it,” she explained.
“Easy enough. You’re only a few halls away. You almost made it.” He hitched the leather strap of his satchel higher on his shoulder before giving her a friendly smile and pivoted on the heel of a brown leather shoe leading her in the direction she needed to go. “Are you new? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. That and, well, the tell tale getting lost thing. I was there recently myself,” his eyes sparkled happily as they met hers, “So, no judgement. It’s a lot to take in.”
Annaleigh tapped the stranger’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m a little lost. Maybe you could help me,” she asked.
Blaine turned quickly expecting someone completely different seeing as how he’d been texting Kurt about meeting up. Instead, he was greeted by a face he didn’t know and that lovestruck smile he was beaming with was completely inappropriate. Blinking it away, he stammered to switch gears and then gave her a friendly smile as his shoulders hitched in a shrug. “Yes, of course. I can try? And it really is no bother. What can I do for you?”
“Don’t you have somebody else to annoy?” Annaleigh snapped. It was cold and rainy and that was part of the reason for her moodiness. She hated being out in the cold, even more so the rain. Currently she was standing outside of the diner where she worked, under the rather large awning waiting for the rain to let up. Since it was pouring down rain, she was going to wait for it to get down to a sprinkle before she headed off to go pick up her Tommy.
She had a feeling the man beside her was probably doing the same – waiting for the rain to let up. Arms crossed the woman’s chest as she looked around. If the rain didn’t let up soon, she’d probably have to just start walking. She would’ve called a taxi, but she put her phone in Tommy’s bag this morning by mistake. She didn’t really feel like waving one down either.
Another reason for Annaleigh’s moodiness was due to having not gotten enough sleep the night before. The nightmares were back and they seemed to have gotten worse. She had a feeling if this kept up, she’d have to mention it to her therapist. Which was something she really didn’t want to do. A yawn escaped from the woman’s lips and she reached up and rubbed one of her eyes with a black gloved hand.
Blaine groaned at the rain coming down in buckets. Not the greatest time to forget your umbrella on your rush to get to work before he missed his fitting. If he went out in that? By the time he got to the theater, he was going to look like a drowned rat with crazy curls in his eyes and soaked from head to toe. Six blocks to the closest subway. Life wasn’t playing fair.
Thumbing through the Lyft app on his phone, he paged a car and hoped it’d get here quick. Because, apparently, someone standing beside him was having just as bad of a day as he was and didn’t mind taking it out on yours truly. His brows shot up and a taken aback half-smile greeted her sarcastic question. Did she want an answer? She’d get one anyway.
“Probably. But. As you can see,” his chin ticked towards the rain dripping down in puddles and blowing sideways, “We’re both trapped here. I’ll try to be less annoying though. If you can tell me what I was doing that was grating on your nerves. Other than. You know? Standing here.” Oops. Okay, so his sardonic side managed to claw it’s way to the surface. But thinking about everyone waiting on him to get the rest of their day done was making him antsy, upset and loosening up his tongue while lowering his patience. Not the greatest combination.
Standing in the cold, the twenty five year old woman was trying to hail down a cab. Annaleigh hated being out this late at night – especially in a large city like this one. She may have been used to being out at these late hours, but that didn’t mean that she had to like it. You never knew what kind of weirdos you’d run into at about 2:30 in the morning. Still, it wasn’t like she’d had a choice in the matter. She’d had to work another late shift at the bar and at the moment the single mother was willing to take whatever shifts were offered to her. They needed the money and she was going to do whatever it took to make sure her son had a better life.
A gasp escaped from the woman’s lips when she felt a body collide with her’s. Living in a large city like this, it was easy to run into people, she was just surprised that this had happened at such a late hour. Then again, it was late and kind of hard to see in some places, despite the very bright street lamps and other lights illuminating the city. Had it been any other time of day, Annaleigh may have yelled at the stranger, but considering how late it was and how tired she was, she would let this slide. “It’s alright.”she mumbled.
Annaleigh turned her attention to the recently stopped cab. She was greatful that he was willing to let her use this cab. However, she didn’t want him to have to go back to where he’d come from at such a late hour. “Why don’t we just share this one?”she suggested. She didn’t mind sharing a cab with the kind stranger. Besides, it wasn’t like she had any where important to be. Her son Tommy was sleeping over at a friend’s house so she didn’t have to worry about picking him up at such a late hour anyway.
Blaine blinked in surprise at the offer. He’d expected a ‘thank you’, the door slamming and watching the tail lights (and his quickest way home) disappear off into the New York City night while he tried to find an Uber so he didn’t have to stand out here and freeze again. Getting back into the theater was relatively easy enough and he was already taking a step up onto the sidewalk before turning to give the woman a stunned, awestruck smile. “Y-Yeah. That’d would be–,” his eyebrows screwed up and he gave her an ‘are you sure’ look. “If it isn’t too much trouble?
“It’s freezing. Sorry. Yes. Thank you so much.” Skipping back down off the curb, he smiled gratefully and opened the door for her motioning inside with an usher-like wave of his hand complete with half-bow at the waist. “Your carriage, ma’am.” The cabbie rolled his eyes but Blaine was blissfully unaware of that. Waiting until she was inside, he climbed in after and closed the door. “You can be the first stop. I don’t mind.” Half-gloved fingers tugged his scarf a little higher up on his neck to help speed up chasing off the wintery chill outside.
“I’m Blaine, by the way.” Probably should have introduced himself first. But? In his defense, it was after two in the morning and he’d gone into work at ten the previous morning with only a pitstop home for a couple hours before it got dark outside. His brain surpassed tired and was running on the last drops of midnight oil he had left. “Thanks again. I really didn’t want to go back into work and my bed is practically screaming my name.” The woman was a saint for going out of her way and being kind. Yes, that’s right, a saint.
Blaine couldn’t believe the time that stared back at him when he hit the button on his phone to make the screen glow. 2:36am. So much for getting out of the theater at any sensible time. Did he really lose track of time that bad? Apparently so. But the acoustics when it was only him and a security guard he barely saw past eleven o’clock were too beautiful not to play and write until his heart was content and all the music he had to get out of his mind onto paper stopped.
Though once he stepped outside into the freezing New York City winter? Maybe cutting himself off before the temperature dropped to a ridiculous amount of awful would have been the better idea. Frigid or not. One thing you could rely on unless the city looked like the Day After Tomorrow was the cab system. Breath coming out in clouds of gray, he jogged to the sidewalk waving the entire way there to get it’s attention..and practically collided with someone doing the same thing.
“Sorry!” The cab came to an abrupt stop, the horn honked and the driver yelled to them to get in through the window he refused to wind down. “I..um.. It’s freezing but I can go back in there.” He thumbed towards the dark theater just behind them. “You take this one.”
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