From the moment Friedrich had crossed the threshold of the March house, he had been surprised by just how at home he felt. Aside from seeing Jo, of course, his favorite pastime at the March house was his discussions with Mr. March. The kind man went through his books and recommended some to Friedrich, even letting him borrow a few to skim through on his own time. Friedrich wished he had brought a few of his own books along.
How nice it would be to live in Concord, and have these discussions often.
Today was one of those days where he and Mr. March would certainly be engrossed in their discussion for a few hours. Friedrich settled in a chair across from Mr. March, removing his hat. Sometime during their discussion, Friedrich drew a cigar from his pocket and went to light it almost instinctively, before remembering that he should probably ask. "Do you mind if I...?" he quickly asked, between long rambling sentences. Mr. March shook his head and waved him on, more interested in Plato than whether his guest smoked or not. So Friedrich went ahead and lit the cigar.
The discussion and the smoke almost took him back to that university in Berlin. Around the one-hour mark, there was a tap at the door, and it gently swung open.
"Father, I- Christopher Columbus!" Jo covered her mouth and shut her eyes, for she had walked right into the smoke. "Father you must warn me when your friends are going to be smoking."
"Oh, sorry Jo. I didn't think you would be home for a while yet. The professor and I-"
"Professor Bhaer?" Jo's eyes popped open, her face becoming a little pink.
Friedrich stood, putting out the cigar and exhaling one more time. "Jo," he said, hoping to remedy his mistake quickly but not quite knowing how.
"I'm sorry, I just-" Jo's nose twitched and a sneeze cut her off.
Her father sighed. "Out with you, Jo, I will air the room out before you come back."
"Marmee says that-" Jo sneezed again, into her sleeve because she couldn't find a handkerchief. Friedrich offered his, but the smell of his cigar clung to it, and his jacket, and only made the irritation worse. Jo coughed and sputtered, leaving the room.
"What's going on?" Theodore Laurence had appeared out in the hallway, a concerned crease between his eyebrows.
"It's- nothing, I'll be fine," Jo managed to say in between sneezes.
She did not sit by him at dinner like she had last night, for the smell that clung to his clothing set her off sneezing again. Friedrich felt her so far away, even though she was right across the table, and left the March household a tad gloomy and regretful after a goodbye from a considerable distance.
He had picked up a cigar several times that day but chided himself every time, recalling Jo's cough that had followed her for a while after the incident. He tucked the box into a drawer instead of carrying it around.
The intention to quit had been in the back of his mind since he had come to America. He didn't want the boys to try it, so when he did indulge in the habit he always waited until they were sound asleep and sat by the open window. And he had cut back since moving, but every now and then the itch would get the better of him. Every time he felt a little guilty that he didn't follow through with his resolution.
He should probably quit for good before going west. It was warmer there, the smoke would be awful there in the warm weather. And how long before one of the boys caught him? That would be even worse than Jo knowing. Ten times worse. One hundred times.
The next time he came to the door Jo stayed at arm's length until assured that he hadn't been smoking. When she did come closer, she pulled him into a hug.
"If I had known the reaction you have to the smoke, I would not have even thought of it, am I forgiven?" Friedrich asked.
Jo grinned. "Of course, it's fine. It goes away after a while. You needn't give up anything you like for my sake." She pulled away, smoothing out his jacket and adjusting his cravat for good measure.
"Well, perhaps I like this better." He caught her hands, watching the immediate blush that spread across her face. "I would rather not be far away from you."
"Oh," Jo squeaked, unsure of how to respond to something like that without embarrassing herself. "I... I forgot something, I need to- you can go ahead and sit in the parlor if you want. There's coffee with dinner tonight because you like that," she blurted, pulling her hands out of his and scampering away to the kitchen to try and make the red in her face go away.
Friedrich watched her go, catching sight of the giddy smile on her face before she turned her head. I should buy a ring soon.