She kept carefully her distance as she was following the young man. She still wasn't sure of what she was doing and most of all if she should do it. Maybe she just imagined what she had seen in his eyes. She chewed nervously her bottom lip. It was really not like her to act on her feelings. She usually acted on her reason. But this was not about wining an account or dealing with the chairman of the board.

As he was passing by the park he stopped in front of a man who was selling hot-dogs and he bought his dinner. He then entered the park and sat on the only bench not covered with snow, under a tree. She bought a hot-dog as well. She then cautiously approached the bench. His face was somber, his eyes fixed on his dinner. He didn't hear her approaching. She stopped and waited. For a moment she was tempted to leave him alone. She didn't know how he would react. But now that she was there...
" The stars are really bright tonight " she finally said. She mentally kicked herself for coming up with such a stupid idea.

Tony slowly raised his head and looked at her. He frowned slightly when he recognized her. She looked uncomfortable. He was surprised. What is she doing here ? Was she following me ? He saw her bitting her lips. He didn't know what to say and obviously she didn't either, so she pointed the bench, silently requesting the permission to join him. He shrugged. She sat as far from him as she could even though the bench wasn't very large. She glanced at him but he wasn't looking at her. He took another bite of his hot-dog. So did she.

They spent several minutes in silence. Tony was eating, stubbornly staring at his feet. She was admiring how the lights of the street were forming billions of tiny diamonds in the snow. Both were trying to ignore the awkwardness between them. This is ridiculous, she thought. But she just couldn't walk away like that, without saying anything. That would be even more embarrassing. Eventually Tony finished his hot-dog. He was still hungry and now he had to find another occupation to avoid talking to the woman beside him. Why is she doing this ? He had a strange feeling. Her presence was making him a little nervous but at the same time he didn't want her to leave. Not yet.

When she felt him move on the bench she turned her head and saw the look of disappointment on his face as he finished his last bite. Think fast, Angela.

" You... you can have mine " she offered hesitantly. Tony looked at the hot-dog she was handing him then he looked up at her. To her dismay she found nothing in his eyes. She shivered at the thought that her imagination had just played a trick on her earlier. He raised his eyebrows. " I already ate at the restaurant " she recalled him. " Then why did you buy it ? " asked Tony. She briefly looked away, cursing herself for getting into this very awkward situation.

" Listen, that's nice but when I eat, I usually like to buy the food myself, ya know " " Oh, no that's not what I meant. I just... I thought maybe I've been a little rude with you at the restaurant and... well, it's not always funny to eat alone. I mean... for me, anyway. But I guess I didn't realize how big the hot-dog was " she laughed nervously. She couldn't look at him straight. Tony saw her blush slightly and began to understand. He smiled softly at her, a little amused by her discomfort and took the hot-dog. " Thanks " His eyes sparkled and Angela felt her heart miss a beat. There it was. She hadn't dreamt it. He took a bite and paused. " I don't know if I'm hungry enough to finish it all by myself though... Wanna share ? " he asked. It was his way to tell her that he accepted her apology.

" Ahh... sure " she answered, even though she was completely sated. Tony slided on the bench and handed her her half. " But I do want to pay my part " he said. She protested, saying this was ridiculous, but she quickly realized there was no way she could change his mind so she accepted the money. She was finding his stubbornness almost cute. " By the way, I'm Tony ". His name swirled in her head. " I'm Angela " Tony nodded approvingly " That's a nice name Angela. It sounds like angel " Their eyes met briefly. His gaze is so gentle and warm she marveled. And yet she could have sworn there was something deeper, like somewhere, a secret part of his soul was hurting. Angela's stomach made a flip. They resumed eating.

When they were done Tony proposed to take a walk in the park. " Except if you wanna go back to your work of course " he added playfully. Angela didn't know if this was a good idea but she knew she didn't have enough in her to leave now. She felt connected to him. They both knew it wasn't a pure coincidence that they met tonight.

Her curiosity got the better of her so she just smiled at him and stood up. " By the way, what's your job ? "
" I'm working in an advertising agency "
Tony looked at her with wide eyes " You're kiddin' "
Angela raised an eyebrow " No I'm not kidding. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean... "
" Hey oh, don't get me wrong Angela. I'm impressed, that's all. You must have to work very hard "
" Well, I love working "
" I noticed " he smiled. They turned and went further in the dimly lit park.
" And you, what do you do ? "
" I'm a professional baseball player " said Tony with an obvious pride. " I play for the Cardinals "
" Oh. That's great " She tried to think about something nice to say but in vain.

They continued walking side by side, admiring their surroundings. " So... " began Angela " do you have plans for tomorrow night ? " When she saw his shocked expression she added quickly " for Christmas I mean " She immediately regretted her question as it brought back unwanted thoughts to her mind.

" Oh. Well, I'm havin' dinner with my family and friends. I got my daughter a baseball glove. I'm so excited, I can't wait to give it to her ! "
" You have a daughter ? "
" Yeah. Samantha. She turned 6 last week. She's the sweetest kid. "
Angela couldn't help but smile when she saw his face lightening up. " You and your wife must be very proud " Tony suddenly looked at her with a strange expression on his face. He opened his mouth to say something but as if he had changed his mind he just turned his head. " Yeah. We are " he said quietly. Angela felt a little confused at the sudden change of mood. He cleared his throat. " You got kids yourself ? " " Soon. In 7 months " Angela smiled. She protectively rubbed her belly " Oh, you're expecting a baby ? That's terrific ! Congratulations ! " He seemed really excited and happy for her. Like it was the best thing that could ever happen in her life... and maybe it was. " Thanks " she said sincerely.

" You must be excited " " I am " she had a big smile on her face. " And you're all set for Christmas ? " He noticed she was avoiding his gaze. " Ah... actually I'm not doing anything special. " " I see. Just a simple dinner with the fam' " " No... my mother already has plan of her own " Tony seemed surprised but he kept quiet " I guess it will just be me and the TV... " she said, almost to herself. " What about your husband ? " Angela bit her lip " He's... away. For business. I just learned a few hours ago he couldn't come back home before 2 days " she shrugged. Tony was shocked. He stopped. " What could be more important for him than spendin' Christmas with ya ? " " A couple of zebras ? " Angela tried to joke but the laughter got stuck in her throat. " What ? " " Look, could we talk about something else ? " she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Why was she sharing her couple's problems with a stranger ? Tony saw the pained expression on her face. " Sure " he said softly.

They continued their walk in the park. His heart went out to her but somehow he knew she didn't want him to feel sorry for her. She seemed already very uncomfortable and he didn't want to add to it. But, really, what kind of husband was that ? Angela seemed very sweet... despite their previous clash. A little uptight maybe. But sweet. And he had to admit she looked beautiful too. Her cheeks and her nose were rosy from the cold and her dark eyes were glistening. Is she about to cry ? wondered Tony. No. That's probably the street lights reflecting in her eyes.

" So, you live in Manhattan ? " Angela gave him a little smile, she was grateful he dropped the previous subject. " No, I'm from Connecticut " " Oh I see. So, you're probably heading to the station " " No. I... I don't feel like going home right now. Besides, it's late. I think I'll just go to a motel tonight " Tony nodded. He understood. " Hey, I think there's one just around the corner " Tony offered to escort her " Just in case you get lost " he told her.

She knew this was not the real reason since it was just around the corner but this was a good excuse for her to stay a little longer with him. It was dark now in the streets and having Tony by her side made her feel secure. There is so much power and presence emanating from him. It seemed like he could fill up a whole room by himself. She wasn't lonely anymore. Wait. Where did that come from ? Easy, Angela. You just met him. You don't even know his last name. She tried to make a little more space between them without his noticing. They left the park.

Angela slipped on the snow. She instantly felt a strong hand catching her arm. " Oops, watch out " said Tony. She looked up at him and once again their gaze locked. Angela blushed. He just smiled warmly.

" I'm sorry, lady, we're out of rooms. " " What ? But this is the third hotel we've checked now. " " This is Christmas, lady. If you wanted a room you should have booked " " But... "

" Come on, Angela, let's get out of here " Tony dragged her outside. She looked exhausted, frustrated, and now there was no doubt she was about to cry. He put his hand on her arm " Hey, that's okay. Don't worry, we'll find a solution "