Once the train gets back home Root gathers her things and slips off the train, a bittersweet smile etched across her face. Glancing back at the train doors hoping that maybe Shaw might appear in them.
Not sure why but she's caught Root's eye.
Getting back to her car she throws her stuff in the back seat and monotonically finds herself going on the same route, same boring route, back home. It's night and it's cold and there's a small woman in a black hoodie walking down the sidewalk.
Sameen Shaw?
Root slows down and reaches over to roll her passenger side window down, "Hey, I could give you a ride if you need?"
Shaw's got her hands in her pockets, locks of hair falling out of her ponytail and into her face. And Shaw just stares at her with a look so difficult for Root to read that she almost feels like she said something wrong.
But Shaw contemplates it, looking to the sidewalk laid out in front of her and then back to Root waiting patiently in her car.
"Sure, yeah, whatever. It's cold out."
Hopping into the car Shaw slings her backpack onto the floor totally dismissing her seatbelt.
"So are you stalking me or something?"
"I'm not a stalker. Are you sure you're not stalking me? Aren't you the one that talked to me first?"
"You do realize that's the oldest trick in the stalker handbook."
Root smirks glancing over at Shaw, "Really? There's a stalker book?"
Shaw just grunts a confirmation of a yes and if you look hard enough there's a light smile etched on her face.
"Okay. Well, I need to read that one."
And Root just smiles as silence settles between the two, Shaw's got her hand gripping the window frame of the car, cold air blowing at her hair.
"I'm sorry if I came off kind of screwy earlier. I'm not really."
Root shakes her head as she watches the road and awkwardly smiles, "It's okay, I didn't think you were."
Shaw just nods and stares out the window as they drive in silence. It's not long before Root pulls up in front of Shaw's apartment complex and Shaw's grabbing her backpack, stepping out of the car, and before she closes the car door she's impulsively inviting Root up for a drink. And Root just stares at her like a deer caught in the headlights. Which is making Shaw feel extremely awkward and why the fuck did she just invite this woman up for a drink?
"You know what, never mind."
But all Root knows is that she doesn't want Shaw to leave yet, so she's shaking her head and hurriedly saying, "No, no, no, no."
And the next thing she knows she's parking her car in the most difficult parallel parking spot and shuffling up the flight of stairs to Shaw's apartment. It's quaint, she didn't expect her to be an artist too. She's got an easel in the corner, although the apartment is a little bare. Shaw goes straight to making them drinks as Root sits down on the couch and takes the place in. You can learn a lot from someone by just soaking in the surroundings in their apartment.
Shaw brings out two glasses offering one over to Root, "Here, drink up, it'll make the whole seduction part of this less repugnant."
Root stills with wide eyes and Shaw is thoroughly amused because she's shaking her head and laughs.
"I'm kidding."
Smiling Root kind of nods and accepts the joke sitting further back on the couch and taking a sip of her drink. It's sweet, blue, and burns all the way down. Shaw sits on the other side of the couch and drinks her own drink. Completely unaffected by their many awkward silences, or rather Root just sits there awkwardly because she doesn't know what to say.
Shaw looks over and sips her drink, thinking of something to say to break the silence, but she's not very good at this stuff either, "You don't talk much do you?"
Root's avoiding eye contact as she speaks up, "I'm sorry, it's just that my life isn't that interesting. I go to work. I come home. There's not much to say. I mean you should see my journal. Well, it's blankā¦."
"Really? Does that make you sad or anxious? Cuz I'm always making sure I'm living my life to the fullest, as cliche as that sounds. Life's too short. I don't care what anybody thinks. I do what I want, whenever I want."
Root takes a sip of her drink and then they just laugh, a good laugh, not an awkward laugh. They're both so different and yet so alike. The alcohol is making Root a little more relaxed and of course Shaw is comfortable, it's her place.
"You know, Root, you should come with me up to the Charles sometime. It's frozen this time of year."
"Sounds scary."
"Exactly."
"We'll bring food. Food's good. Like a night picnic or something."
Root begins to panic and thinks she should probably leave now as she sets her cup down, "I should probably leave, I've got to get up early."
"Suit yourself."
Root grabs her jacket and as she's about to make her way towards the door Shaw grabs her by the wrist, "Here, call me sometime," and begins writing her number down on the back of Root's hand.
Root shivers at how smooth Shaw's hands are and so warm, so warm compared to her cold hands. It's like electricity shooting through Shaw and into her. She's never felt anything like this before.
Once Root is outside and walking towards her car she turns at the sound of Shaw throwing her window open and yelling down to her, "Wish me a happy Valentine's Day when you call, or something mushy like that. That'd be nice."
And Root just smiles up at her, hands in her pockets and as she walks to her car she can't help but keep glancing back at Shaw whose smirking at her and taking a swig of her drink from earlier.
Root can't even remember her drive home because all her thoughts were laced with Shaw. She can't get this strange woman out of her head. Root's sitting in her living, contemplating something before she picks up the phone and dials the number on the back of her hand.
The line picks up and Shaw's voice chimes through slightly annoyed but happy tone, "What took you so long?"
"I just walked in."
And Root is smiling and biting her lip and she feel's like a teenager talking on the phone to her newest crush.
"I hope you didn't miss me too much."
"Oddly enough I did."
Shaw chuckles through the phone and it's different and beautiful at the same time to Root's ears and it makes her heart skip a beat.
"So how about tomorrow night? Picnic on ice?"
Root nods her head and smiles into the phone, "Sure. Yeah, yes, I'd like that."
And Root really couldn't wish hard enough for tomorrow night to come already.
