2:00am Conversations
Sarah pushed her reading glasses up as she leaned in closer to the textbook. Without looking at her notebook, she jotted down some notes in handwriting only she could read. To others, it'd just be a scramble of random, messy words. I should have started studying earlier. I have to stay up all night just to pass my stupid English final. She groaned, putting the pen down. Instead of using the week to study for finals, Sarah had decided it would be a perfect time to catch up on her reading. One book turned into two, turning into seven books in total. Halfway through her eighth book, she realized that she had better start studying, lest she fail all her classes.
Sighing, Sarah grabbed her mug of coffee and sipped it casually. Her face twisted in disgust at the unexpectedly cold coffee. Reading her textbook and taking notes had distracted her from the fact that she had a coffee cooling down. She got up with a groan, went to her kitchen, dumped the remains down the drain, and placed the cup down next to the sink. There goes what would have been a perfectly good cup of coffee. I guess I could snack on something in the meantime.
Opening her fridge, Sarah found nothing worthy of snacking. A half-gallon of milk sat lonely in the corner, probably out of date, along with a jar of pickle juice - one sole pickle floated ominously within. Apparently during her reading binge, she had forgotten to go grocery shopping as well. Sighing once more, she slammed the fridge door, crossing her arms. What's still open around…? Sarah checked her phone, slightly caught off guard by what time it showed. 2:00am. Right on the dot. The only place I can think of that's open this late is the 7-11 around the corner, and I do not want to go there in the middle of the night. The first week Sarah had moved into her apartment, she made the mistake of going to the convenience store in the middle of the night and met Ludo, the graveyard shift clerk. He was huge and unnervingly quiet, watching Sarah the entire time she was in the store before she left hurriedly, empty-handed. She hadn't gone back into the store that late ever since.
Her stomach growled, protesting her anxiety of an encounter with Ludo. Sarah patted it, rolling her eyes. "7-11 it must be," she muttered aloud, reaffirming her choice. I really don't want to do this. She took off her reading glasses, placing them on the kitchen counter as she went to grab a jacket and a wool hat that she had tossed down on her couch earlier. Once she was all bundled up, Sarah grabbed her keys and wallet, leaving her apartment and locking it behind her. She turned to start walking down the hall when she spotted a blond man attempting to sleep on the floor.
He had a pillow and blanket with him, along with a book next to the pillow. Sarah gleaned that he was still awake, as he turned his body to the side, trying to get comfortable on the roughly-carpeted floor. The sound of the door closing didn't seem to capture his attention; he didn't notice her gawking at him. Sarah had seen him before - Jared or Jason or something. His name started with J, she knew for sure. He shared an apartment with another male, Syd. That was all Sarah really knew about her neighbors. One time she thought she saw the blond man checking her out while they were both in the mailroom. It wasn't bad, but Sarah did her best to stay out of his way.
He twisted around on the floor again, this time with more force, as if out of frustration. Sarah bit her lip, hesitant to speak. He must have been kicked out of the apartment by Syd. I didn't hear any arguing through the walls, though. Then again, it might have happened and I just didn't notice it. She took a step closer, tilting her head. "Excuse me, but are you alright?"
Her neighbor jolted up, turning to face her. A flush of embarrassment came across his face. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Am I in your way?"
"No, you're not. I was just asking, because you're kind of sleeping on the floor outside your apartment. Is everything okay, or…?" Sarah trailed off. She didn't want to bring up the subject if there was some fallout between roommates.
He smirked, looking down at the blanket and pillow. "It really does look a bit stupid like this." He met Sarah's gaze again. "I'm fine. I live here with my roommate, Syd. You might have seen him around. He has his fiancée visiting tonight and I, erm, wanted to give them privacy for an hour or two, but it seems I'm going to have to stay the night out in the hallway."
Sarah fiddled with her keys, unsure if she should help him out or not. "Are you going to be okay? It's kind of chilly out here, and if Mr. Hoggle saw you sleeping, you might get in trouble with him."
"No, it's fine. I don't mind the cold too much, and Hoggle will understand... I hope. There has to be a heart in that little man somewhere." He scoffed, the smirk still on his face.
Sarah nodded wordlessly, and mumbled a 'good night' before heading down the hallway to the elevators. He said he would be okay. That's the least I could do, right? She called the elevator, looking back at the sleeping man. He had resumed his struggle of finding a comfortable position on the floor. She furrowed her brow, unsure of what to do. Sarah couldn't just leave him alone to sleep in the hallway... But if he said he was okay, he'll be okay.
The elevator dinged, opening its doors for Sarah. She walked in, pushing another button to bring her to the apartment lobby. The elevators doors began to close, slowly cutting off her pitiful view of the man. I can't leave him there like that. She slammed the 'open door' button, opening the doors once more, and stepped out. "Hey!" Sarah called out to the man.
He sat up once more, resting an arm on his upright knee. "Is there something wrong?"
She walked a few steps closer, "No. I uhm, I wanted to ask if you wanted to stay over at my place. It'll be just for the night, or whenever your roommate's done. All I ask is that you come with me to the 7-11 around the corner. I… I don't want to walk down there alone this late." Sarah hardly recognized the words coming out of her mouth. She couldn't believe that she was inviting a total stranger to come sleep on her couch. This was not like her at all, but somehow, this felt right.
The man stood up, folding his blanket on top of the pillow and book, picking up the items and placing them by Sarah's apartment door. He walked over to her - a slow stride - to show off his looks. Sarah wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was quite handsome. He wore a thick wool sweater, a coat and tight pants, with winter boots up to his knees and leather gloves on his hands. His long blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, his differently-colored eyes gleaming with mischief. "Shall we be off, my lady?"
Sarah found herself rolling her eyes at the nickname but couldn't stop a smile forming on her lips. "Sure. Uhm, what's your name again?"
"Jareth, Jareth Erlking. And yours? I should know the name of the person whom I'm going to be sleeping with," Jareth said, holding out his hand.
"My name is Sarah Williams. Nice to meet you, Jareth." Sarah shook his hand firmly, matching his grip. After shaking hands, they began to walk to the elevator. Sarah pushed the button once more and the doors opened, welcoming the two inside. The doors slid shut, and the elevator descended, creaking as it took them to the apartment lobby. "Mr. Hoggle really needs to get that fixed soon."
"That man needs to fix many things," Jareth amended, eyeing a flickering light on the elevator's ceiling.
Sarah chuckled, following his gaze. "I suppose so. I could probably fix that light. It'd be a piece of cake, if I was tall enough." The elevator stopped, opening its doors to reveal the building's lobby. The two exited the apartment building into the cold night. Sarah shivered once outside, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. She didn't think to bring her gloves, not realizing just how freezing it was outside.
Shoveled snow was stacked in enormous piles, an attempt to make a walkable path on the sidewalks, but it was everywhere. The snow had blanketed everything in sight, reflecting the streetlights' glow and shimmering in the night. It was as if a fairy had sprinkled glitter across the human world. Luckily, the snow had stopped falling for now, leaving the empty streets almost frozen in time.
"Pretty outside, isn't it?" Jareth's voice broke through her thoughts. He started to walk ahead of her, taking in a view of the wintery wonderland.
Sarah nodded, catching up to him. "Yeah. I've always loved how fallen snow makes everything look still. Nothing else is alive except for you, alone in the snow. Well, in our case, it's 'us.' I don't see anyone else around. No cars or anything else," All of a sudden, Sarah's foot slipped on a patch of ice, and she lost her balance. She was about to fall flat on her face when she felt Jareth's hand grip her tightly on the elbow, pulling her up and holding her body.
"Are you alright?" he asked her, his tone concerned but gentle.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Thanks," Sarah replied, her face flustered. Stupid! You should have been watching your step better.
"Hold onto me. It's pretty slick out here, and I really don't want to spend the night with you in the emergency room." Jareth sarcastically smirked once more, wrapping his arm around hers. Sarah was still able to shove her hand in her pocket, linking the two of them closer together.
"Thank you for being oh so caring. I appreciate it very much." Sarah matched his sarcasm, wanting to step on his foot to wipe the smirk from his face.
"So tell me about yourself, Sarah. What do you do in your life? I would like to get to know the person who's invited me over. I just want to make sure you won't murder me in my sleep." Jareth changed the subject and the smirk was gone - but his eyes still glowed with mischief.
Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "I should say the same with you. I have a lock on my bedroom door, so I'll be safe from murderers like you," She wriggled her fingers to keep them warm and awake. "I'm a student, studying English and education. This is my last year before I graduate and get shipped off to grad school - if I get in. I want to be an English teacher, but I don't know. One day I would like to be a writer and write my own book. That's a dream I've always had, since I was little."
"It's a good dream - one I'm trying to accomplish, myself," Jareth said "It's been a difficult road, however. Writing doesn't pay very well, and it's rare to become a famous author overnight."
"What's your book about? Tell me all about it!" Sarah exclaimed, getting a little bit too excited for Jareth.
"It's kind of dumb. I'll probably scrap it and start over once I get back to my apartment."
"Just tell me about it! I like all kinds of genres. Fantasy, action, romance… anything that's interesting enough to tell a good story."
Jareth hesitated, using his free hand to adjust the collar on his coat. "It's mostly fantasy in a typical medieval setting, with a little bit of romance to it. It's about a village being ruled over by a Goblin King. The humans fear him and his goblin horde because of how powerful he is with magic. Every so often, the Goblin King steals a baby and will change it into another one of his minions. One time, while in the village, he falls in love with a human girl and gives her powers to help her out. I still need to add more details as to why he does.
"Anyway, the human girl wishes for her baby brother to be taken away by the goblins in a fit of anger, but it actually happens due to her powers, and because of the goblins spying on her. She pleads with the Goblin King to give him back. The Goblin King decides that he will, if she's able to navigate his massive, labyrinthine maze in thirteen hours." He sighed, fidgeting with his coat collar again. "Saying it out loud makes it all the more cringy."
To his surprise, Sarah was enchanted. Sure, the story could use some more detail and thought, but what Jareth had so far sounded amazing. "I would love to read the draft, if you're willing. It's always good to have another pair of eyes to read whatever you write," she said honestly, smiling up at him.
"If I'm able to get back into my apartment sometime tonight. I really doubt it." Jareth shrugged, leading Sarah around a corner. The sign for the 7-11 flickered ahead, leading them to the store like a pair of moths. Sarah let go of Jareth's arm as they approached the doors, figuring he didn't want to guide her around the store as well. Upon entry, she went down an aisle, shelves of various potato chips and candy greeting her with colorful labels. Her stomach growled louder, impatient from the lack of food.
Sarah glanced around the store to find Jareth, who had wandered up to the counter, leaning against it as Ludo came over. A genuine smile was on his face, delighted to see the giant. She moved down the aisle to not eavesdrop on their conversation. There were more important matters to deal with, according to her growing hunger pangs. Grabbing a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Sarah made her way over the drink refrigerators, picking out an iced coffee. She began to walk back to the counter, deciding to snag yet another bag of hot cheetos before setting down her merchandise.
"-so I'll be staying over at Sarah's apartment tonight," Jareth finished, peering down at the items Sarah had placed. "Nice selection. Didn't think you were a hot cheeto kind of gal."
"Thanks," Sarah said to her feet, pushing a lock of her hair out of her face. She felt her stomach flutter, this time with nerves.
"Sarah, have you ever met Ludo before? He's an old friend of mine. We go way back," Jareth posited, turning back to Ludo.
"Oh, she came in here, took one look at me, and then ran off!" Ludo bellowed, a deep laugh issuing from his belly. "I have no hard feelings for ya. I'm just not much of a talker, and looking like some hairy creature doesn't help. Plus working long nights makes me tired allll the time." He yawned loudly, stretching his arms out above his head.
Sarah couldn't stifle her giggle, embarrassed by the misconception she had of Ludo. "I'm sorry I ran out like that. It's just that you looked so…"
"So scary?" Ludo finished.
"Yeah, and I'm sorry I did that," Sarah admitted, ashamed at doing such a childish thing.
"It's not the first time someone's done that. I think that's why they keep me around. I'm so scary that no one would try to rob the place!" Ludo laughed again, Jareth along with him. "I should become a security guard and quit this dump."
"Then who will get me free snacks? I need my snack dealer." Jareth pouted, taking his wallet out of his coat pocket. "You can ring up her stuff, I'll be paying for it." Before Sarah could protest, Ludo had scanned the chips and coffee and had them in a bag. Jareth paid him in cash and took the bag, handing it to Sarah.
Soon enough, they were outside of the convenience store and back on the wintery streets, where it had begun to snow faintly. The bag swished as Sarah walked with her hands in her pockets, looking at her boots. "Thank you for paying for my stuff. You didn't need to do that!"
"Oh, it was my pleasure. Take it as payment for letting me stay at your place for the night. You can always pay me back later, if you want." Jareth shrugged, looking off into the distance. "...Do you have any dreams, Sarah?"
"Dreams?" Sarah was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. A snowflake landed on her cheek, and she wiped it away. "Didn't I tell you about them earlier? I want to be a writer, but more than likely I'll be an English teacher. I might try to write a book then. Still, life changes, and I don't know where I'll be in ten years."
"Your childhood ones. Tell me about them." It sounded more like a command than a mere request.
"Uh... I wanted to be an actress, on the stage like my mom. I tried it out in school, and I liked it, but I wasn't good enough. I'm not good at a ton of things. I can write, sort of, but not not well enough to warrant being a writer." She laughed dryly. This is getting a little weird. Why does he want to know about these kinds of things?
"Any others?"
Sarah shrugged, not really wanting to elaborate further. It was getting a bit too uncomfortable for her liking. She didn't feel like spilling out her guts to her neighbor.
"You're still young, and you should have aspirations and goals. I remember being in my early 20's and feeling like I have the world at my feet, doing anything I wanted to do. Now, I don't even think I would have the gumption to quit and write for a living." Jareth sighed, his eyes glossing over as he was taken into the past by his memories. "I used to work at the 7-11 with Ludo before I quit. I told him I would hire him as my personal bodyguard when I became a famous book author. Of course, that hasn't happened." He scoffed, stopping his walk. Sarah eyed his movements closely.
"You can still become an author! It's hard to write a novel. Being famous doesn't happen overnight, and you'll get there," Sarah encouraged him, placing a hand on his arm. Her bare hand in the cold made her shiver, and she hastily put her hand back in her coat pockets. "Let's get back to my place." She started to walk again, motioning for Jareth to follow her.
"Wait a second - come watch the streetlights with me," Jareth urged her, moving closer to the street. Sarah walked over and stood next to him. The cold crept over her face, the freezing air nipping at her nose and cheeks. "Look at how they illuminate the snow."
Snow blanketed the deserted streets in its white glamour, each snowflake dancing as they floated down. The snowflakes descended, the air swirling and twirling them around; the stoplight, a cherry red, brightened them in its glow, transforming them into sparks. The streetlights brightened the snowflakes even more, twinkling for the pair's viewing pleasure. It was as if the flakes themselves were putting on a special show for Sarah and Jareth. It was...special.
The stoplight changed to a lime green. Jareth nudged Sarah with his arm. "Let's head back in. It's too damn cold to stand out here."
Sarah shot him a puzzled look. "But we just did. Jareth, you're kind of acting strange."
He smiled, his wide grin showing off his crooked teeth. "I am an odd ball."
"I'll kick you out and make you sleep on the floor if you keep acting like this," Sarah warned, crossing her arms. Jareth glared at her, his mismatched eyes permeated with mischief. "You have no power over me!" She shouted out, leaning into his face. Jareth's mischievous look vanished and he furrowed his eyebrows. He suddenly retrieved his phone and began to type on it furiously, before shoving it back into his pocket. "What was that all about?"
"I'm going to have my female lead say that in my book - to the Goblin King. That was such a good line. Where did you hear that from? Or did you just make that up on the spot?" he replied, his hand remaining in his pocket.
"I made it up. Thought it would sound kind of cool out loud," Once more, Sarah began to walk ahead of Jareth, leaning her head over her shoulder casually. "If you put that in your book, I get credit for that line."
"As if I would." Jareth purred, quickening his pace. They continued to joke about his book and her input on dialog, until she realized they were already back on the rickety elevator going up to Sarah's apartment in what felt like moments. The doors opened up on their floor, and they stepped out to hear muffled moans coming from Jareth's apartment.
"So, uhm," Sarah started, hiding a giggle and speaking in a whisper. "Tell me about Syd and his fiancée." A grunt came from the apartment, Sarah covering her mouth in an attempt to stop another giggle.
Jareth groaned, simultaneously disgusted and amazed at how long Syd was going. "Syd's an old friend from university. He's a chef at a restaurant downtown, but teaches fencing on the side. That's how he met his fiancée, Amber - she was a student in one of the classes he taught and they fell in love. Now I'm going to be the best man at his wedding." He sighed, ignoring yet another moan. Sarah finally giggled, stopping herself before she got louder and trudged to her apartment door, unlocking it with one hand.
She walked in, Jareth following inside. He grabbed the pillow and folded blanket, placing it on the couch that would be his bed. Sarah said a silent prayer of thanks, grateful that she had cleaned up her apartment yesterday from the giant mess it was for weeks. "When's the wedding?" Sarah asked, closing the door behind him and locked it. They took off their coats, sitting down on the little furniture in her apartment: Sarah at her desk, and Jareth on the couch.
"This June. After all this blasted winter we've been having." Jareth yawned. "I'm usually not up this late, forgive me."
"Old man. How old are you anyway? You keep lamenting about your youth and confidence back then." Sarah questioned, playfully raising an eyebrow. Now, she was the mischievous one.
Jareth tossed his hair dramatically. "Young lady, you should never ask the age of a proper gentleman."
"You? A proper gentleman?" She smirked smugly. "Do I have to play a little guessing game?"
"Yes." Jareth crossed his arms, making it clear to Sarah that she had to play it.
"35," she answered.
Jareth frowned at her. "No! I'm not that elderly."
"Around 32?"
"No."
"27?"
"Too young."
"You're at least 12 years young."
Jareth frowned at her again, Sarah chuckling at her smart-ass response.
"Are you ever going to tell me? I have finals I need to get back to studying for." She jerked her head to the mess of papers and notebooks on her desk.
"My lips are sealed. What are you studying for?" Jareth got up from the couch and wandered over to her desk. "You didn't tell me you had finals coming up."
"It was the reason I went out for snacks this late. I'm staying up all night to study for them so I don't fail out of college." Sarah grumbled, leaning onto her elbow. "I read too many books, and I didn't study ahead of time."
"Who reads books to avoid studying?" Jareth cackled, unable to believe the idea. "Besides me," he added, much quieter.
"Me! I love reading, and what better material is there for a future writer to improve their writing quality? Books!" Sarah exclaimed. She felt a little childish admitting it, but it's what she did these days. Social media was a bore and full of the same drama she avoided in real life. She didn't care about any of that. Books were her refuge from life's doldrums. To Sarah, nothing was more satisfying than finishing a good book.
"What have you been reading that's kept you away from your school work? University is important, Sarah." Jareth mock-scolded her, wagging his index finger.
Sarah opened her notebook and shrugged. "I've been reading about the life of Princess Elizabeth Charlotte, Madame Palatine. She was a member of French royalty, and she's just so interesting. She wrote a lot about court life and the ongoing scandals in the royal family, including her husband, Philippe, the Duke of Orleans."
Jareth pulled up a chair, sitting at the desk beside her. "Tell me more. I've been trying to think about how the court life of my book would be like, for the Goblin King."
"Well," Sarah began, prepared to get into a long rambling on the 16th century French Royal Court. "First off, Elizabeth Charlotte, or as she was called, Liselotte, had a husband who was gay. He had "favorites" that he would spend a lot of money on. It wasn't so much the fact that he was gay that angered her, it was all the spending Phillippe was doing. They still had children - three to be exact."
"Wow, I give props to the guy," Jareth commented, scanning the notes Sarah had written down. "And, wow, your handwriting is shitty."
Sarah scoffed, hitting his shoulder. "Rude! Show me your handwriting, Mister 'I Judge All Kinds of Handwriting.'" Silently, Jareth took the pen Sarah was using to write her notes, his movements dramatic, and with utmost flourish, he began to write his name. To her utter dismay, his handwriting was better than hers, loopy and in perfect cursive. Compared to his handwriting, Sarah's was chicken scratch. She only glanced at the word and then back at her notes, not wanting to face the smug smile painting Jareth's face.
"Told you so," Jareth mused, basking in the disappointment Sarah was showing.
"Oh shut up. I actually really need to study." Sarah said, looking around at the living room. There wasn't a separate light she could turn off and keep on for her studying. "If you want to go to bed now, I can turn off the lights. I'll just be in my room if you need anything." Jareth answered with a yawn, nodding his head to agree with her.
"If you need to study out here, it's fine. The lights don't bother me too much." Jareth yawned once more, plopping down on the couch. He kicked off his boots, swinging his legs on to the cushions and stretched out his boney body. His bones crackled, sighing as he settled down.
"Geez, you really are an old man. My bones don't even crack that loud." Sarah pointed out, not looking up from her notebook.
"I'm at most a thousand years old. Compared to my family members, I'm not that old." Jareth responded, closing his eyes. Sarah chuckled once again, shaking her head. The two became silent - Sarah, assuming Jareth was trying to sleep, didn't want to bother him. Soon enough, a snore issued from the couch. Sarah paused, listening to the soft snores. What a weird guy. He's so friendly, and willing to sleep on my couch. I would still be on edge if I was him. However, Jareth's not a bad guy. He's just… Jareth.
Picking up her pen, Sarah resumed her studies for the morning final.
An alarm woke Jareth up, startling him. He jerked his body upright in a confused daze, not sure where he had woken up. Memories of last night came back to him, remembering he was at a young neighbor's place. Syd was busy screwing Amber's brains out, and Sarah found him like a stray dog and invited him to stay on his couch. He rubbed his eyes groggily. Jareth had never been much of a morning person. Right now, he would give anything to sleep an extra few minutes. The sleep he had gotten didn't cure his neverending exhaustion.
From the morning blur, Jareth could make out Sarah's body slumped down on the desk. Two bags of hot cheetos were crumpled next to an empty bottle of iced coffee. She must've fallen asleep studying. How precious. There was something sweet about Sarah he enjoyed. She had this demeanor about her that emitted nothing but pure optimism. Jareth almost felt like he should protect her from the cruel affairs of the world. He had seen too much of it. The Labyrinth was his last chance at getting a book published. After years of being rejected by publishers over other works he created (then tossed in the trash), one had finally taken a look at a rough draft of The Labyrinth Jareth had sent to them by mistake, liked what he had so far, and wanted to see it finished in a year's time.
It was now getting close to the end of the year, yet Jareth still had nothing sustainable for the publishers. There were still at least three weeks remaining. He could get attempt to get it done. A challenge for my expert writing skills. He reassured himself, getting up from the couch. The alarm was still whining, as Sarah had not gotten up to turn it off. She was still sound asleep. Jareth tiptoed to the sleeping girl, his gaze fixed upon her face. It made his heart melt.
He would never admit it so soon after meeting her, but Jareth had grown to have a little crush on Sarah, since he noticed her moving into the apartment complex. Along with her personality, Sarah had a beautiful face to match. Jareth could stare into her eyes, forever lost in their gaze, and after last night, he would move the stars for her. He slowly moved his hands to her shoulders, grasping at them carefully, and shook her gently.
"Sarah, your alarm is going off," he murmured into her ear. Jareth had to brush some of her hair aside, as it was long and thick. Not many girls these days had the longer style he favorited. "I think you got to get up soon," Sarah stirred in her sleep, muttering nonsense words Jareth wasn't able to comprehend. She sighed, still half asleep. He shook her again. "Sarah, it's time to get up for your final." Jareth guessed that was what the alarm was probably for.
Suddenly Sarah leaned up, gasping. She hastily grabbed her phone and cried out. "Oh shit, I'm going to be late!" She jumped up, running from the chair into her room, slamming the door behind her. Jareth tilted his head, staring at the bedroom door. Apparently Sarah hadn't noticed who had woken her up. A few moments later, Sarah popped out of her room in a different outfit from last night and shoved her notes into her backpack.
"Morning Jareth! How did you sleep?" she asked him, hurriedly gathering the reading material.
"Fine, thanks. Do you need a ride or something? I can give you one," Jareth offered, looking for another excuse to spend more time with her. He was amazed at how fast Sarah was able to get ready for class. She must have many mornings like this and a system for when she's running late.
"No, no. It's fine. I can manage," Sarah replied, as she zipped up her backpack and grabbed her coat. "I'll see you around Jareth!" She headed towards the door, Jareth gathering his things and running after her. Locking it behind them, Sarah dashed off to the elevators without saying another word. The doors closed, Jareth watching her. He turned to his apartment, unlocking it and closing it behind him. As brief as it was, last night, to him, was precious, and he hoped to have more of those sorts of moments with Sarah.
Sarah hummed a tune, dancing around in the kitchen as popcorn popped in the microwave. Tonight was movie night, and a little celebration for passing her finals. All the late night studying and sleepless nights had paid off. Netflix had a new selection of movies, and she had finished reading all of her books. Classes had finally ended for the semester, and dammit, it was going to be movie night. The weather app had said it was going to storm tonight as well, so it was better to party inside rather than at the bars outside.
I hope Netflix added The Dark Crystal this month. I want to watch that movie again before the new show comes out this year. Wait a second, Netflix hasn't even said anything about when it was coming out. Or did they? Did I just miss it out on it? Sarah took out her phone, googling information.
A patterned knock came from her front door, grabbing her attention. Sarah placed her phone done and walked over to the door, peeking through the peephole. To her surprise, it was Jareth who was knocking. After he had stayed over the night last week, they hadn't really talked much. Sarah had seen him taking out the trash and said a hello, but that was it. It seemed to Sarah that he was trying to avoid her.
She twisted the door open, glancing at Jareth. A shade of red crept up his face when she faced him. Was he blushing at her? "Hey Jareth, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah of course!" Jareth nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "I, erm, wanted to ask you something really quick."
"Shoot," Sarah beckoned, curiosity all over her face. He opened his mouth and closed it several times, starting to say something before muttering 'Oh that's not right, let me start over again.' Jareth's being a bit of a weirdo again.
"I wanted… I wanted to know if you wanted to go out on a date sometime this week, or whenever you're free in the near future," Jareth finally sputtered out, now a blushing mess. Hearing that response, Sarah's face had begun to flush red as well. She had never been asked out on a date like this before, unsure of what she should say or do. A silence fell on the two, both embarrassed to speak. Sarah started to say something before Jareth placed a finger on her lips.
"Let me talk first," he said, peering down at her. "The other night, as simple as it was, was absolutely perfect, and I cannot stop thinking about it. I want to spend time with you, in little moments like that. I want to get to know you and help you with your dreams. As of today, I am a published author, and I would like to treat you to a fine dinner to celebrate. You helped me write again, as god-awful cringy as it sounds, and I want to thank you for it." Jareth pulled out an opened envelope with his name on it. "Would you let me, Sarah?" He moved closer to her. Sarah froze in her spot, overcome with shock and flattery. No words came to her throat. Another pause overcame the two. From her kitchen, the microwave beeped to signal that it was done popping the popcorn.
"Well," Sarah slowly spoke each word. "Tonight, the weather is going to be terrible for a first date. Instead, would you like to come inside and watch a movie with me? I have some popcorn ready, and I can make another bag for you." She further opened the door, beckoning him inside. "If you're behaving well enough, I may let you pick the movie out."
He grinned.
A/N: I found this prompt on Pinterest and I couldn't resist writing up a one-shot of Jareth and Sarah. I hope you guys enjoy this as I am still working on 'Mother of the Labyrinth'. I haven't given up on it, just been having a writer's block for the next chapter. Writing this little story really helped break me out of it, and I think I may do more in the future if other prompts interest me.
Thanks again for reading, and please leave a favorite/review! I love getting feedback.