(You know I said I'd split this into two parts? Well, I went to add a few bits and pieces, change a little bit of dialogue here and there, and before I knew it I had written three more pages so I've divided it into three…also I was watching The Howling as I was getting it ready to post which gave me major wiggins, so I decided to leave off finishing this for another night! Don't write a fic about the full moon whilst watching a film about werewolves, folks. Not conducive to creating a romantic atmosphere!)
Part 2
(One hour later)
"I am out of here," Susan said triumphantly, slamming the door to her locker and walking out of the lounge. "I'll see you guys later," she called out as she headed past the admit desk and out into the ambulance bay, looking forward to the long hot shower she was going to take when she got home to wash the day off of her…
Stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in her robe she decided to take her time getting ready. It had been a long while since she had gone out and she was going to make the most of it. After weeks stuck wearing the same vomit-proof clothes for work she wanted to wear something feminine yet at the same time not too overdressed for a night out at a bar. After trying on virtually every item of clothing in her wardrobe and discarding them on the bed in disgust she settled on a black skirt that finished just below the knee, and a powder blue square necked top that showed just the right amount of cleavage without being indecent! Now that her hair was longer and had grown through to it's natural colour she decided to tie it up with a dark clip for contrast, and she finished the effect by applying her make up simply, with only a touch of rouge on her cheeks for colour.
Taking a step back she surveyed herself in the mirror and decided she was passable for a night out with the girls. As an afterthought she quickly applied some lipstick, then she flicked off the lights in her bedroom as she picked up her purse and coat and headed out of the apartment.
As she stepped off the train onto the El platform there were still a few rays of light in the sky, casting a faint glow on the sidewalk. She paused briefly at the steps to the station and lifted her eyes involuntarily to the sky, catching a glimpse of the moon faintly reflected in the dying light. She was surprised to see the moon appear so clearly whilst there was still some light, but then she rationalised that she has been at the hospital so much lately that she had almost forgotten what daylight looked like, so anything was possible! Taking one final look she was filled with a strange sense of presentiment, as if the events of the next few hours were going to be pivotal in her life, and she gave a little shudder before setting off down the street for the bar. As she approached the entrance she saw Haleh and Lydia so she waved and called out to them, and the two nurses waited for her to catch up with them. Together they linked arms and mounted the stairs up to the bar, laughing and joking in anticipation of the night ahead…
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(In the bar…)
"There is no way he said that!"
"It's the God's honest truth!" Deb said before taking a large slug of the beer in front of her.
"You're kidding!"
"No, I swear! He walked right up to me and said 'So what do you want for breakfast in the morning?'"
"And what did you say?"
"What do *you* think I said? I laughed! I couldn't believe that somebody actually had the nerve to use a line like that. Guess I could have given the guy points for trying…if he didn't look like Frank's fatter, uglier brother!"
A roar of laughter greeted this description. The girls had been sharing stories of the worst chat-up lines they had ever heard, and so far most of the best examples had come from Deb. Malik, feeling a little left out of this conversation as the only male present, stood up and announced he was getting the next round of drinks in, a statement that met with universal approval. He walked away amidst applause and cat-calls, although Susan didn't join in. In fact, she envied him his opportunity to escape the table of drunken women: even though she had been looking forward to this night out for ages, she couldn't help but feel that she wasn't meant to be here. She hadn't had nearly enough to drink and bring her out of herself, which of course meant that she was the only sober one at the table and was quiet in the face of their laughter. After the laughter had died down conversation slowed somewhat, and people began to pick up on Susan's behaviour.
"You're awfully quiet tonight, Susan," Lydia observed. "Anything wrong?"
"I'm fine," she said quickly, jerking out of her thoughts, "it's just I have this really weird feeling."
"What kind of feeling?" Haleh asked, not drunk enough to be able to cope with the insane giggling of Deb Chen and so turning away from her to join in this conversation.
"I don't know…it's sort of like déjà vu but not really. I can't explain it!" she announced in frustration. "I've had it all day but I've ignored it. There was this little girl in the ER today and her eyes were so sad and familiar. I could have been looking right at little Suzie…"
"That's kinda creepy."
"Oh, it's not the best bit though," Susan continued, warming to her story. "Her father comes up to me afterwards and tries to ask me out on a date. Can you believe that? His daughter nearly cracked her skull open and he's using it as an opportunity to pick up women!"
"Was he cute?" Chuni asked, cutting to the chase.
"He was married!"
"Never stopped me," Deb slurred, causing everybody to turn and look at her in surprise. "So how cute was he?"
"To be honest I didn't really pay any attention. I don't think I'd know him if I saw him again…it was his daughter…"
"Well, whatever he looked like we need to do something about you. You haven't been out with a guy since Carter, and that hardly counts. You need a man!" Deb pointed her finger at Susan to accentuate her point.
"Girl's right," Haleh said. "Don't want to finally get one and then find out you've forgotten what you're doing!" The girls starting laughing again as they discussed Susan's love life and which men in the bar would be suitable for her. She couldn't take it anymore and had to get out.
"Hey, where do you think Malik is with those drinks?" Susan asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Deb slurred. "He's been gone ages and I'm THIRSTY!" she raised her voice drunkenly at the end of the sentence.
"I think I'll go check on him…see if he needs any help," she said, rising from her seat.
"You want me to come?" Deb asked, attempting to stand up. She tottered unsteadily on her feet and looked like she was about to fall over, so Susan eased her back into her seat.
"No, you're okay. I won't be long," she said, swinging her purse over her shoulder.
"If you find a man don't bother coming back!"
Susan tried to ignore the gales of laughter that followed her departure and made her way over to the bar when all of a sudden she had an overwhelming desire to be outside. She couldn't explain why what it was, but there seemed to be something drawing her out of the bar and into the night air. She pushed her way through the crowd, somebody tried to stop her and say 'hello' but she pushed past them as well, and within minutes she was outside the back entrance of the bar. She was surprised to find herself in the middle of a garden. It was probably opened for customers during the summer, but now as the nights were drawing in it was closed off to all but the very brave in the evenings. She was alone, and even though there were many seats scattered around she chose to sit on the lower step of the set that led down from the bar into the garden. From her position she could see the full moon shining in the sky, so bright that it could almost have been day. She was transfixed by it's beauty and lost herself in it. She did not know how long she remained seated like that and she didn't hear anybody come out to join her, but a voice did intrude on her thoughts and cause her to wake with a start.
"Hi. It's Susan, right?"
"That's right," she said, turning to face him properly. She regarded him for a few moments as she tried to place him, but she gave up and spoke to him in a puzzled voice. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"Not really," he laughed nervously. "I'm Michael Harris, you treated my daughter Jessica earlier today for a broken arm."
Susan thought about this for a moment and her eyes lit up when she was able to recognize him as the man who had stopped her in the hall earlier, the father of the little girl who had reminded her so much of Suzie, the man who had tried to hit on her.
"I remember you now. The little girl from the skating party. How is she doing?"
"She's fine," he smiled. "She's loving the attention she's getting from everybody. Right now she's probably being force-fed ice-cream by her over-protective grandmother!"
"Oh, are you and your wife both out tonight then," she asked, turning around to see if there was a woman waiting for him to finish exchanging pleasantries with her.
"No," he answered sadly, then hesitated before continuing. "My wife…my wife died several years ago."
"The ring…" Susan said softly to herself, but he caught her words on the night air and answered her question.
"I guess I just got so used to wearing it that I didn't want to take it off. I'd feel naked without it…besides, after her mother went I wanted to keep it on for Jess. Let her know that even though there had been this terrible thing in her life the little everyday things were going to stay the same." He shrugged as he finished speaking and put his hands in his pockets, as if his reasoning was silly and he was slightly ashamed of it. Susan smiled slightly and assumed her best 'compassionate doctor' look.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
"It was a long time ago, but thank-you." He looked for a moment like he was going to turn and walk away, but after a pause he started to speak again. "Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked.
"Please do," she replied affably, making space on the step for him to sit down beside her. "So what are you doing out tonight?"
"It's my brother's bachelor party. I wanted to stay home with Jess but my mother came round and practically frogmarched me out of the house, told me it was about time I stopped making excuses and started to go out and enjoy myself."
"That's good advice," Susan said non-committally.
"Yeah, well don't tell her that otherwise you'll never get her to stop," he joked.
They both chuckled softly before slipping into companionable silence. Susan took the opportunity to look at him properly, something she hadn't bothered to do the previous times she had met him that day. He wasn't handsome, that was certain, but he was definitely attractive with his sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. His nose was prominent, but not in the way Carter's was, and about his face generally there was an air of unassuming kindness that she instantly warmed to. She was so busy with her scrutinizing of him that she didn't notice that minutes had passed in silence until he spoke aloud and broke the moment.
"So why are you out here instead of inside with all your friends?"
Susan was shocked at first, and a little embarrassed as well, to be caught in her close observation, but she quickly covered and avoided answering his question. "I could ask you the same question."
"You could," he nodded slowly, "except I asked first."
"True," she answered, contemplating whether to trust this complete stranger with her thoughts. Looking into his eyes as they reflected the moonlight she was struck by the feeling that she could trust this man with anything. "It's going to sound really corny and silly if I tell you. You promise not to laugh?"
"Cross my heart," he said as he did the actions.
"Okay…I was in the bar and I just *knew* that I had to come outside. I couldn't explain what it was, but then I got out here and I realised…it was the moon. The moon was calling me out here."
"You came out here because the moon told you to…?"
"I knew you'd think it was stupid," she laughed self-consciously. "But I'm serious! It's as if the moon was telling me that I'd find whatever it was I was looking for out here."
"No, I think I know what you mean," he laughed as well, though not unkindly, before they again fell into a comfortable silence that lasted a few minutes. "So did you find it?" he asked after a pause.
"Hmm…what?" she said, stirring from her thoughts.
"What you were looking for…Did the moon help you find it?" She watched him closely for a few moments as the corner of his mouth twitched and he fought a losing battle against laughter.
"You're mocking me aren't you?" she said dryly. The next thing she knew he had burst out laughing and was leaning close to her.
"I'm not laughing at you, honest!" he managed to get out between gasps of laughter. "It's just….you don't look like the kind of person who looks to the moon for guidance…" He leaned closer to her so that their shoulders were touching and gave her a nudge.
"Yeah, and you don't look like the kind of guy to have such a closed mind!" she laughed, nudging him back.
"Well maybe I just need to spend some time around crazy ladies who look at the moon to broaden it."
Susan was a little taken aback at first by his statement, but then she felt a small smile creep over her features. He was hitting on her, and she was enjoying it! They continued to sit out there for what seemed like hours, talking about everything and nothing, joking around as if they had known each other for years. Suddenly, however, a seriousness descended over them. Michael leaned in closer to her as if he were about to kiss her. For a split second Susan wasn't sure how she was going to react, whether she should pull away or not, but then something inside her told her to stop running away. She may not have known this guy for very long, but something about him was so familiar. She decided to go with her instincts and closed her eyes as she leaned forwards to meet his kiss. They both inched ever closer until their lips were a mere whisper apart…then a voice called out into the darkness and interrupted them.
"Hey Susan, you out here?"
Susan quickly pulled away from Michael and called out over her shoulder. "Yeah Malik, I'm just over here!"
The tall nurse walked over to where they sat. "We've been looking for you all over. Where have you been for the last couple of hours?…Hey," he added, finally noticing the person sitting right next to Susan.
"Hey," Michael replied, a little annoyed by the intrusion, whilst Susan just blushed. Malik watched their reactions and a big grin appeared on his face as he put two and two together, but then he gave himself a mental shake to make him get back to the reason he came out in the first place.
"Anyway, Haleh sent me out to say that we're going to call it a night now. Deb's a little the worse for wear so I'm going to take her home, but if you like I can come back and get you. Or you tag along with me if you like…should be fun!"
"Thanks Malik, but I think I'll be fine!" she laughed. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Sure thing," he said walking away. "Wish me luck!"
"You'll be fine!" she called after him, only to be answered by a wry smile before he disappeared back into the bar to rescue Chen from the tequila shot contest she had started! An awkward silence fell between Susan and Michael after Malik had left, neither of them knowing what to do about the fact they had almost kissed, whether they should carry on from where they were interrupted or pretend it never happened. Unable to bear the silence anymore Michael was the first one to speak.
"He seemed nice," Michael said softly after a few minutes, trying to make conversation.
"Who?…Oh, you mean Malik. Yeah, he's great." She kicked her legs backwards and forwards nervously and blew the air out of the cheeks, debating internally whether she should turn around and kiss him. He also had fallen again into a contemplative silence and stared off into the darkness. Susan watched him, waiting for him to say something, but when he didn't she just sighed and stood up from her seat. "Well, I'd better be getting home and into bed. It was nice to meet you Michael," she said, holding out her hand to shake his. He took hold of her hand and rose to stand as well.
"Would you like some company…I mean, can I walk you home?" he added quickly, realising that his words might have been taken the wrong way. "I couldn't let you walk home all by yourself at this time of the night, no matter how bright the moon is."
Susan looked at him standing in front of her, a look of nervous expectation in his eyes, and she realised that she wasn't afraid of spending more time with this man, that she wanted this opportunity to get to know as much about him as possible. "Sure, I'd like that," she smiled and nodded.
"Great!" he said eagerly. "Shall we go?" He took hold of her arm, linking it with his, and together they started the long walk back to her apartment in the moonlight, talking all the way…
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(I sort of think this could be left here, but I do have stuff written for the third instalment if you want to read it. Can't believe I've written this much for what was supposed to be a stand-alone. As always thanks for the kind words, and keep reviewing. Em)
Part 2
(One hour later)
"I am out of here," Susan said triumphantly, slamming the door to her locker and walking out of the lounge. "I'll see you guys later," she called out as she headed past the admit desk and out into the ambulance bay, looking forward to the long hot shower she was going to take when she got home to wash the day off of her…
Stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in her robe she decided to take her time getting ready. It had been a long while since she had gone out and she was going to make the most of it. After weeks stuck wearing the same vomit-proof clothes for work she wanted to wear something feminine yet at the same time not too overdressed for a night out at a bar. After trying on virtually every item of clothing in her wardrobe and discarding them on the bed in disgust she settled on a black skirt that finished just below the knee, and a powder blue square necked top that showed just the right amount of cleavage without being indecent! Now that her hair was longer and had grown through to it's natural colour she decided to tie it up with a dark clip for contrast, and she finished the effect by applying her make up simply, with only a touch of rouge on her cheeks for colour.
Taking a step back she surveyed herself in the mirror and decided she was passable for a night out with the girls. As an afterthought she quickly applied some lipstick, then she flicked off the lights in her bedroom as she picked up her purse and coat and headed out of the apartment.
As she stepped off the train onto the El platform there were still a few rays of light in the sky, casting a faint glow on the sidewalk. She paused briefly at the steps to the station and lifted her eyes involuntarily to the sky, catching a glimpse of the moon faintly reflected in the dying light. She was surprised to see the moon appear so clearly whilst there was still some light, but then she rationalised that she has been at the hospital so much lately that she had almost forgotten what daylight looked like, so anything was possible! Taking one final look she was filled with a strange sense of presentiment, as if the events of the next few hours were going to be pivotal in her life, and she gave a little shudder before setting off down the street for the bar. As she approached the entrance she saw Haleh and Lydia so she waved and called out to them, and the two nurses waited for her to catch up with them. Together they linked arms and mounted the stairs up to the bar, laughing and joking in anticipation of the night ahead…
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(In the bar…)
"There is no way he said that!"
"It's the God's honest truth!" Deb said before taking a large slug of the beer in front of her.
"You're kidding!"
"No, I swear! He walked right up to me and said 'So what do you want for breakfast in the morning?'"
"And what did you say?"
"What do *you* think I said? I laughed! I couldn't believe that somebody actually had the nerve to use a line like that. Guess I could have given the guy points for trying…if he didn't look like Frank's fatter, uglier brother!"
A roar of laughter greeted this description. The girls had been sharing stories of the worst chat-up lines they had ever heard, and so far most of the best examples had come from Deb. Malik, feeling a little left out of this conversation as the only male present, stood up and announced he was getting the next round of drinks in, a statement that met with universal approval. He walked away amidst applause and cat-calls, although Susan didn't join in. In fact, she envied him his opportunity to escape the table of drunken women: even though she had been looking forward to this night out for ages, she couldn't help but feel that she wasn't meant to be here. She hadn't had nearly enough to drink and bring her out of herself, which of course meant that she was the only sober one at the table and was quiet in the face of their laughter. After the laughter had died down conversation slowed somewhat, and people began to pick up on Susan's behaviour.
"You're awfully quiet tonight, Susan," Lydia observed. "Anything wrong?"
"I'm fine," she said quickly, jerking out of her thoughts, "it's just I have this really weird feeling."
"What kind of feeling?" Haleh asked, not drunk enough to be able to cope with the insane giggling of Deb Chen and so turning away from her to join in this conversation.
"I don't know…it's sort of like déjà vu but not really. I can't explain it!" she announced in frustration. "I've had it all day but I've ignored it. There was this little girl in the ER today and her eyes were so sad and familiar. I could have been looking right at little Suzie…"
"That's kinda creepy."
"Oh, it's not the best bit though," Susan continued, warming to her story. "Her father comes up to me afterwards and tries to ask me out on a date. Can you believe that? His daughter nearly cracked her skull open and he's using it as an opportunity to pick up women!"
"Was he cute?" Chuni asked, cutting to the chase.
"He was married!"
"Never stopped me," Deb slurred, causing everybody to turn and look at her in surprise. "So how cute was he?"
"To be honest I didn't really pay any attention. I don't think I'd know him if I saw him again…it was his daughter…"
"Well, whatever he looked like we need to do something about you. You haven't been out with a guy since Carter, and that hardly counts. You need a man!" Deb pointed her finger at Susan to accentuate her point.
"Girl's right," Haleh said. "Don't want to finally get one and then find out you've forgotten what you're doing!" The girls starting laughing again as they discussed Susan's love life and which men in the bar would be suitable for her. She couldn't take it anymore and had to get out.
"Hey, where do you think Malik is with those drinks?" Susan asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Deb slurred. "He's been gone ages and I'm THIRSTY!" she raised her voice drunkenly at the end of the sentence.
"I think I'll go check on him…see if he needs any help," she said, rising from her seat.
"You want me to come?" Deb asked, attempting to stand up. She tottered unsteadily on her feet and looked like she was about to fall over, so Susan eased her back into her seat.
"No, you're okay. I won't be long," she said, swinging her purse over her shoulder.
"If you find a man don't bother coming back!"
Susan tried to ignore the gales of laughter that followed her departure and made her way over to the bar when all of a sudden she had an overwhelming desire to be outside. She couldn't explain why what it was, but there seemed to be something drawing her out of the bar and into the night air. She pushed her way through the crowd, somebody tried to stop her and say 'hello' but she pushed past them as well, and within minutes she was outside the back entrance of the bar. She was surprised to find herself in the middle of a garden. It was probably opened for customers during the summer, but now as the nights were drawing in it was closed off to all but the very brave in the evenings. She was alone, and even though there were many seats scattered around she chose to sit on the lower step of the set that led down from the bar into the garden. From her position she could see the full moon shining in the sky, so bright that it could almost have been day. She was transfixed by it's beauty and lost herself in it. She did not know how long she remained seated like that and she didn't hear anybody come out to join her, but a voice did intrude on her thoughts and cause her to wake with a start.
"Hi. It's Susan, right?"
"That's right," she said, turning to face him properly. She regarded him for a few moments as she tried to place him, but she gave up and spoke to him in a puzzled voice. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"Not really," he laughed nervously. "I'm Michael Harris, you treated my daughter Jessica earlier today for a broken arm."
Susan thought about this for a moment and her eyes lit up when she was able to recognize him as the man who had stopped her in the hall earlier, the father of the little girl who had reminded her so much of Suzie, the man who had tried to hit on her.
"I remember you now. The little girl from the skating party. How is she doing?"
"She's fine," he smiled. "She's loving the attention she's getting from everybody. Right now she's probably being force-fed ice-cream by her over-protective grandmother!"
"Oh, are you and your wife both out tonight then," she asked, turning around to see if there was a woman waiting for him to finish exchanging pleasantries with her.
"No," he answered sadly, then hesitated before continuing. "My wife…my wife died several years ago."
"The ring…" Susan said softly to herself, but he caught her words on the night air and answered her question.
"I guess I just got so used to wearing it that I didn't want to take it off. I'd feel naked without it…besides, after her mother went I wanted to keep it on for Jess. Let her know that even though there had been this terrible thing in her life the little everyday things were going to stay the same." He shrugged as he finished speaking and put his hands in his pockets, as if his reasoning was silly and he was slightly ashamed of it. Susan smiled slightly and assumed her best 'compassionate doctor' look.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
"It was a long time ago, but thank-you." He looked for a moment like he was going to turn and walk away, but after a pause he started to speak again. "Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked.
"Please do," she replied affably, making space on the step for him to sit down beside her. "So what are you doing out tonight?"
"It's my brother's bachelor party. I wanted to stay home with Jess but my mother came round and practically frogmarched me out of the house, told me it was about time I stopped making excuses and started to go out and enjoy myself."
"That's good advice," Susan said non-committally.
"Yeah, well don't tell her that otherwise you'll never get her to stop," he joked.
They both chuckled softly before slipping into companionable silence. Susan took the opportunity to look at him properly, something she hadn't bothered to do the previous times she had met him that day. He wasn't handsome, that was certain, but he was definitely attractive with his sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. His nose was prominent, but not in the way Carter's was, and about his face generally there was an air of unassuming kindness that she instantly warmed to. She was so busy with her scrutinizing of him that she didn't notice that minutes had passed in silence until he spoke aloud and broke the moment.
"So why are you out here instead of inside with all your friends?"
Susan was shocked at first, and a little embarrassed as well, to be caught in her close observation, but she quickly covered and avoided answering his question. "I could ask you the same question."
"You could," he nodded slowly, "except I asked first."
"True," she answered, contemplating whether to trust this complete stranger with her thoughts. Looking into his eyes as they reflected the moonlight she was struck by the feeling that she could trust this man with anything. "It's going to sound really corny and silly if I tell you. You promise not to laugh?"
"Cross my heart," he said as he did the actions.
"Okay…I was in the bar and I just *knew* that I had to come outside. I couldn't explain what it was, but then I got out here and I realised…it was the moon. The moon was calling me out here."
"You came out here because the moon told you to…?"
"I knew you'd think it was stupid," she laughed self-consciously. "But I'm serious! It's as if the moon was telling me that I'd find whatever it was I was looking for out here."
"No, I think I know what you mean," he laughed as well, though not unkindly, before they again fell into a comfortable silence that lasted a few minutes. "So did you find it?" he asked after a pause.
"Hmm…what?" she said, stirring from her thoughts.
"What you were looking for…Did the moon help you find it?" She watched him closely for a few moments as the corner of his mouth twitched and he fought a losing battle against laughter.
"You're mocking me aren't you?" she said dryly. The next thing she knew he had burst out laughing and was leaning close to her.
"I'm not laughing at you, honest!" he managed to get out between gasps of laughter. "It's just….you don't look like the kind of person who looks to the moon for guidance…" He leaned closer to her so that their shoulders were touching and gave her a nudge.
"Yeah, and you don't look like the kind of guy to have such a closed mind!" she laughed, nudging him back.
"Well maybe I just need to spend some time around crazy ladies who look at the moon to broaden it."
Susan was a little taken aback at first by his statement, but then she felt a small smile creep over her features. He was hitting on her, and she was enjoying it! They continued to sit out there for what seemed like hours, talking about everything and nothing, joking around as if they had known each other for years. Suddenly, however, a seriousness descended over them. Michael leaned in closer to her as if he were about to kiss her. For a split second Susan wasn't sure how she was going to react, whether she should pull away or not, but then something inside her told her to stop running away. She may not have known this guy for very long, but something about him was so familiar. She decided to go with her instincts and closed her eyes as she leaned forwards to meet his kiss. They both inched ever closer until their lips were a mere whisper apart…then a voice called out into the darkness and interrupted them.
"Hey Susan, you out here?"
Susan quickly pulled away from Michael and called out over her shoulder. "Yeah Malik, I'm just over here!"
The tall nurse walked over to where they sat. "We've been looking for you all over. Where have you been for the last couple of hours?…Hey," he added, finally noticing the person sitting right next to Susan.
"Hey," Michael replied, a little annoyed by the intrusion, whilst Susan just blushed. Malik watched their reactions and a big grin appeared on his face as he put two and two together, but then he gave himself a mental shake to make him get back to the reason he came out in the first place.
"Anyway, Haleh sent me out to say that we're going to call it a night now. Deb's a little the worse for wear so I'm going to take her home, but if you like I can come back and get you. Or you tag along with me if you like…should be fun!"
"Thanks Malik, but I think I'll be fine!" she laughed. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Sure thing," he said walking away. "Wish me luck!"
"You'll be fine!" she called after him, only to be answered by a wry smile before he disappeared back into the bar to rescue Chen from the tequila shot contest she had started! An awkward silence fell between Susan and Michael after Malik had left, neither of them knowing what to do about the fact they had almost kissed, whether they should carry on from where they were interrupted or pretend it never happened. Unable to bear the silence anymore Michael was the first one to speak.
"He seemed nice," Michael said softly after a few minutes, trying to make conversation.
"Who?…Oh, you mean Malik. Yeah, he's great." She kicked her legs backwards and forwards nervously and blew the air out of the cheeks, debating internally whether she should turn around and kiss him. He also had fallen again into a contemplative silence and stared off into the darkness. Susan watched him, waiting for him to say something, but when he didn't she just sighed and stood up from her seat. "Well, I'd better be getting home and into bed. It was nice to meet you Michael," she said, holding out her hand to shake his. He took hold of her hand and rose to stand as well.
"Would you like some company…I mean, can I walk you home?" he added quickly, realising that his words might have been taken the wrong way. "I couldn't let you walk home all by yourself at this time of the night, no matter how bright the moon is."
Susan looked at him standing in front of her, a look of nervous expectation in his eyes, and she realised that she wasn't afraid of spending more time with this man, that she wanted this opportunity to get to know as much about him as possible. "Sure, I'd like that," she smiled and nodded.
"Great!" he said eagerly. "Shall we go?" He took hold of her arm, linking it with his, and together they started the long walk back to her apartment in the moonlight, talking all the way…
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(I sort of think this could be left here, but I do have stuff written for the third instalment if you want to read it. Can't believe I've written this much for what was supposed to be a stand-alone. As always thanks for the kind words, and keep reviewing. Em)