Chris started the drive back to the school. He had to pass the road just before his own yet when he did so, something caught his attention.
A small, huddled up mass was curled up in the nearby bus stop. Whoever it was had their hood right up, completely covering their head and face.
He frowned. He knew he shouldn't really stop for them as he had to get back to work, but if they were still there by the time he'd finished…there was probably little harm in asking them if they were ok or if they had somewhere to go.
He got back to the school, relieved that everything remained pretty much the same as it did as he left it.
He went back to what he was doing and within a few minutes, Karen came through the door.
He peered up from what he was writing. "Everything work itself out ok?"
She nodded wearily. "False alarm."
"It's still early days though, isn't it?" He assumed. "I know you never quite know with things like that, but you should feel happy enough that nothing untoward has happened to the baby."
She tilted her head at his philosophical attitude. It was a side to him she hadn't noticed that much before, yet there was something comforting about it. It was almost as though he was trying in the most understated of ways to not let her worry.
He felt her admiring gaze on him and it prompted him to peer up at her. "Something wrong?"
She shook her head, smiling softly. "No, no, not at all…I'm just glad that you managed to cope ok without me and that you were able to take over for an hour or so while I was gone." She noticed Harry wasn't where she'd left him.
"I took him home." Chris answered her unexpressed thought subtly. "There was just no way he would've been able to stay here. He looked worse when you left."
"Really?" She noted, incredulous. "He was that bad?"
"Bad enough to want me to take him inside." He pulled himself out from behind the desk, his soft blue eyes not leaving hers for a split second. "Everything is ok with him, isn't it, Karen?"
"Yes, it is," Karen breathed, "he's just been feeling really poorly."
"And you're sure that is just it?"
She shakily resumed her place behind the desk. "I know my family has its share of secrets, Chris, but…that's all in the past now."
"I'm not really sure why he's feeling so sick or why he behaved the way I did when I stayed with him up to the time I left, but he didn't seem to wanna open up to me. And that was when it was just he and I. What does that tell you?"
She looked to him pensively. "How did he come across to you exactly?"
"Like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite get it out." He explained. "I don't wanna worry you, but I'd talk to him when he feels better. Maybe he'll find it easier to tell you that way."
She looked to him appreciatively. "Thank you for your concern."
There was something the young male had tapped into – something he'd obviously sensed, either from her or from Harry. Maybe from both of them.
And he was quite a perceptive person. No beating about the bush with him if he sensed something that someone else was trying so hard to hide.
"Just wanna look out for you." Chris smiled reassuringly. "If you don't, who will?"
He left her to carry on where he left off, not at all realising she'd followed him with her gaze or that he felt her eyes on his frame as he disappeared out of the room.
He didn't want to press her any further if there was something she wasn't hiding. Maybe he got it wrong for once.
She tried to get back on track with what she was doing, finding it hard when all she could think about was him.
There was something so reassuring about him and she didn't know why she felt that way towards him. And he felt something she didn't.
He was concerned for her, she knew that much – there couldn't have been anything else coming in between them, surely?
She kept her pen nib poised on the paper. Did she…no, she couldn't feel anything for him. He was a nice person, they both got on well together and they were both friends. Why not keep it that way?
Oh, my god, she thought suddenly, I think I've fallen for him.
Chris went back to his own room, feeling less than thrilled about having to do marking for a whole hour. It gave him some time to relax, but he could hardly call it relaxing when he had to draw ticks and crosses through papers.
He heard his door open, and Karen came into the room. It wasn't an unpleasant thing to happen, not at all. It was something that was unforeseen yet pleasing at the same time.
"Did I do something wrong?" He made to get up out of his chair and go with her. Knowing him, he wrote or did something, which probably confused her somewhat.
"No, it isn't that, Chris." She admitted, suddenly coming over all shy and prompting him to stop behind his desk.
"Then what is it?" He got confused at her sudden change of temper. He knew she was someone who never found it hard to say what she wanted to say, so he found it odd that she did that time.
Unless…she did have something she so desperately wanted to talk to him about.
She didn't pick the most ideal place in which to tell him, it wasn't as private as her room – anyone could've walked by and maybe eavesdrop on their conversation if the door was wide open the way it was.
"It's just that…" She felt butterflies in her stomach and she didn't dare look up into those eyes – those bright, soft blue eyes that questioningly tried to catch her gaze. To look up at them at that time was something she felt she wasn't worthy of enough to do.
"Just what?" Chris didn't want to push her into saying something she didn't mean to say, but her hesitation worried him a fair bit.
"This is going to sound silly," Karen eventually managed to say, "but are you up to anything tonight?"
He cast his gaze away. "Not that I know of, no." He then looked to her. "You wanted to go out for a bit, is that why you asked?"
"I just…" She felt better to look at him that time. To find that he hadn't taken offence to her question made her feel more relieved.
What made her feel even more relieved was the fact that he asked her the most difficult thing of all. Maybe he twigged her nervousness. "I just feel like I could talk to you about anything."
"Sure." He spoke, with absolutely no hesitation. "You know that all you have to do is ask. You wanna meet me after work so we can then head out?"
She nodded slowly, not registering completely that she was going out with him. The one person she'd had her sights on since meeting.
She knew she shouldn't go overboard with how excited she was feeling, but she had real trouble holding that back.
She knew she had to calm down, as it wasn't even a proper date. It was just a talk amongst friends. Nothing more.
"Usual place?" Chris's eyes took on a more playful appearance. He seemed to relax also at her wanting to talk to him.
He felt more than happy to let her do so. He knew there were very few other people she could've turned to.
Karen was almost blown away by the different sparkles the blueness in his eyes gave off. It was such a pretty sight. "Usual place."
After work.
Chris and Karen drove to the bar separately.
The late afternoon sun's rays bathed the roads and pavement and shimmered along the grass as they went for a table outside.
They perched at it, facing each other.
"I can't believe how nice it's turned out at this time." He remarked, loving the feel of the warm rays on his back through his jacket. It made him feel all the more relaxed and he peeled it off him to reveal to her his pure, fair-skinned flesh at his arms.
"I think we've got you to thank for that."
He felt himself blush at her flattering comment. "So what is it you want? I'm buying."
"Chris, I don't want you spoiling me…"
"I'm not," he affirmed, "we're outside of work now, remember?" It was still as though he wanted to maintain his relationship with her as strictly companionable– nothing more.
Although…who knew how it'd pan out? She always felt that there was something else going on with the young male.
He was still single, which she couldn't believe. And why the heck was he still single? He could have any woman he wanted yet he didn't have one. He was extremely attractive; it wasn't as though he'd have much trouble…
Karen found her eyes straying as he went away to order. Her gaze fixed itself on his slender frame, finding it hard to get over how unbelievably attractive he was. There wasn't an inch of fat on him anywhere. He was so slim and athletic, and she was sure he must've worked out at some stage. Although that was something she wouldn't have minded seeing for herself.
Small beads of sweat trailing down his neck from the sides of his face after a few intensive reps sprang to mind. All it took to complete the picture was for her to move her gaze downwards…
No! She switched off that thought in her head. Chris did not fancy her.
At least that was what she thought. Friendship was all he asked of her, nothing else.
But of course, there was no harm in looking or envisaging such thoughts.
"Sorry," he noted apologetically when he came back, "they didn't quite have what you wanted, so I just went with the next best thing."
She smiled appreciatively. "At least you tried."
His eyes sparkled in the low sunlight, and it was something that tormented her relentlessly. Why did he have to be so alluring like that?
"So what was it you so urgently wanted me for?" He asked her teasingly, his posture taking on a more relaxed, casual appearance.
She shyly smiled at his playful question before coming over more serious. "To be fair, I just wanted to get out for a bit. I don't do enough of this."
"It is hard, I can imagine," he tilted his head attentively, "especially since you've got another one on the way."
"It's just the same thing, day in and day out." Karen went on. "I feel like I'm trapped sometimes. Don't you ever feel like that?"
"Well, no." Chris openly admitted. "It isn't something I can directly relate to, but I can understand your frustration of it all. I don't have the same sort of domestic situation as yourself, but I do try and…break it up a little."
She peered down at the table coyly. "I just hope Harry is ok."
"I didn't realise he was unwell." He stated. "If anything, he kept that well hidden."
"He does tend to do that when he's poorly." She explained. "But it's been going on for so long…near enough a fortnight, and I don't know why he's like that. I thought at first it was something I fed him, but he's been fussy with everything I give him."
"Kids do go through funny stages with food, though." He assured her. "If it is that, he'll grow out of it."
"And what if he doesn't?"
He shrugged. "You can't go and think the worst. Not when it comes to things like this."
Karen leant further forward towards him.
"I mean you've now got a grandchild on the way." He pointed out. "There are finer things in life to think about now."
She smiled softly. She wished they could stay there all night and just talk – what about, she didn't know, but she felt a closeness with him and it no longer felt as daunting as she thought.