Nick looked around as he boarded the train. The crowds of people all bustled around, finding their seats.
One person in particular caught his eye.
It was Jordan.
She sat by the window, dressed in a red velvet gown and shawl, both with white fur trim, staring out into the train station dazedly.
He looked aside quickly, watching her out of the corner of his eye.
She slowly turned her head to observe the people within the train. Upon glimpsing him she started, eyes widening, and quickly returned to looking out the window. But as the people moved farther into the train, she realized that the seat beside her was empty, and none of the passengers between her and him had any intent of sitting there.
She placed her purse on the seat, before turning sharply back to the window as he passed. He kept his face straight, walking past her seat as if he hadn't noticed her, but stopping a row back and waiting.
She hesitantly began to turn back, looking to see if he was gone, and he leaned down, out of sight, pretending to tie his shoe.
Nick straightened back up when he saw her somewhat relieved gaze focus blankly ahead.
He stood behind her, catching a few curious glances from the other passengers, until everyone had filed aboard the train.
"All aboard!" the conductor called "Please be seated and prepare to leave the station!"
Nick stepped forward then, taking Jordan's purse from the seat and sitting beside her as the train began to move.
She looked up sharply, her expression slightly panicked.
"Hello, Jordan." he said quietly, handing her purse back.
She took it with trembling fingers, and looked down at her feet.
"What, I don't even get a greeting?" he asked after a second or so of uncomfortable silence.
She looked up, meeting his gaze for a second.
"Hello, Nick." she all but whispered.
She turned to look out the window again, but he kept his eyes on her as the train moved down the track, swaying rhythmically as it picked up speed.
Nick slowly turned his gaze from the girl to look around the train car. People who had bundled themselves against the cold outside sat sweating in their train seats, and only a handful of people whose stops were not for another few stations had even bothered to take their coats off.
His gaze traveled around the car before heading back in Jordan's direction. She was beginning to look toward him.
Their eyes met briefly before she turned her gaze out the window once more. Nick looked at the train ticket in his hand, checking the name of his stop. He already knew what it was, but it gave him something to do.
North side of town.
Nick didn't know when in the next ten minutes of relative silence between them that he had ended up holding Jordan's hand, but the two of them kept their fingers intertwined for the remainder of the trip.
There seemed to be something in the air, between the crisp scent of snow leaking in from the cracks around the window to the warm scent of new clothes and packages within the train.
Three stops later, it was getting dark outside, and Jordan's head was leaned gently against his shoulder. She was asleep.
Nick placed his arm around her shoulders and let his head lean gently against hers.
Nick had dozed off, but the train whistle and the ungraceful, jarring motion as the train paused at another station woke him.
Jordan also woke with a start.
The two of them briefly checked their tickets as the conductor called out the name of the station, but neither got off.
"Where are you stopping?" Jordan asked him.
"Northernmost stop." he replied. "How about you?"
"Oh, I'm getting off at the Half-way Station between here and the next state." she said, hesitating briefly before listing the name of a station that was miles away from his own.
Nick just nodded. More likely than not, she was lying, but he didn't care. All he knew was that his stop was coming up soon.
The two of them had a few short conversations on trivial matters, but neither of them mentioned what had gone on between them, or anything that had happened in the past few months.
When Nick glanced out the window he could see the lights of a station coming up.
As the train slowed, Nick stood.
"This is my stop." he told her.
She glanced at him, but said nothing.
Nick stepped out into the aisle, but before he walked away, he leaned back and gave Jordan a quick kiss.
"I'm sorry. For everything." he told her.
Then Nick turned and blended into the crowd leaving the train.
Nick looked up in the windows of the train through the snow, hoping for one last glimpse of Jordan, but the last car passed, and he still hadn't seen her.
He turned with a deep sigh, shouldering his bag, and paused.
As the crowds moved apart, they revealed Jordan, standing behind him, her bags in hand.
Nick smiled.
"Hi."