When she woke that morning, Anna was even groggier than usual. Twisting to and fro and burrowing into a ball underneath the covers didn't prevent the light from painfully intruding so she resigned herself, rolling onto her back, head lolling on the pillow, eyes scrunched up as she held her hand over her forehead. She groaned heavily; she couldn't have got more than four hours sleep at most. Her nights had been awfully fitful of late. She supposed the dream that had caused her to awake startled, broken out in a cold sweat in the middle of the night didn't help matters.

It had been so vivid; for moments afterwards she had been convinced that her mind was simply replaying a deeply regretful reality back to her. She was at the restaurant with John at her side, her hand tight in his. He looked completely adoring as she glanced up at him and she had flushed when he bent to kiss her warm on the cheek, slipped his arm down round her waist, whispered in her ear. She laughed as his fingers began to play at her neck and she turned swiftly to kiss him, but found Jeremy there instead, smiling at her, persuading her. She knew that she didn't want to but she wasn't able to stop herself as his hand dug into her waist and then his lips were upon hers, hot, insistent. In the distance, her name was cried out in a strangled whisper. She broke away to see John standing in front of them, pain etched deep upon his face, his heart torn away and broken in her very hands. She tried to call back to him but she was stopped by another deep kiss from Jeremy, held firm in his grasp. Her eyes flew open and all she could see was John going further and further, looking at her in disbelief all the while, the hand of another clasped around him, leading him away…

She found herself sitting bolt upright, her hand resting over her chest that was pounding almost as furiously as the blood against her head. Folding the covers back between her fingers, she sighed. Nearly a week had gone by since that night, when she had left John there, forlorn on the street while she rode away without so much as a word to explain why. And now, she had not heard so much as a word from him. She supposed it was only what she had deserved, but still it made her utterly miserable and really quite worried. It was a strange feeling; she had become so accustomed to him in such a short space of time, talking to him at least over the phone if she didn't see him in person. Now that the contact had been severed, so swiftly, it actually felt as though she had lost a limb, lost some vital part of herself. Her heart seemed to forget how to beat in time.

She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. There was absolutely no question in her mind that she wanted John, wanted to be with him in every way possible. They had been having such an amazing night, and more than ever she felt aware of the connection between them, so natural, so overwhelming…a lot like love. It had just taken her by surprise, to see Jeremy appear out of nowhere. It had knocked her sideways, stopped her from thinking and functioning properly. It was the only explanation for the way she had acted in the aftermath. God, why had she been like that, dismissing John out of hand when he had only cared about her? She had felt it surrounding her then, felt shame for how she spoke to him even as she was doing so. It was the look in his eyes when she was turning him away, full of hurt and uncertainty. It was the look in his eyes when she had found them again, stepping back inside. She could see that look every time she closed her eyes. It was indescribable, but she knew one thing it said without having to speak. Heartbreak. Completely unnecessary and unfortunately confused, but unavoidable when she couldn't even raise her voice to say otherwise.

Anna took up her phone, left on since she had woken in that dreaming frenzy. Her heart sank deeper when she saw there were no messages left overnight from John. She hadn't expected them, but she wished the last few hours might have changed his mind.

The screen wasn't absent of notifications. She shook her head as she saw the five text messages and three missed calls from Jeremy's number. She couldn't stop herself from cursing aloud in the silent room as she threw down the phone, the tirade petering out into tired laughter. If she didn't feel so hopeless, her laughter would have been far lighter, more hysterical. It was funny really, the way the tables had turned.

In minutes, she was sitting in her fluffy robe at the table, shoulders slumped over a particularly soggy bowl of cereal. Anna was engrossed in quietly trudging her spoon around the mixture rather than actually eating it, her mind otherwise occupied. Out of the corner of her eye, she managed to notice Gwen sweeping into the kitchen, not that she could have failed to, with the noise she was making clattering bowls and spoons around.

"Good to see that you've left at least a drop of milk for me," Gwen remarked, shaking the contents of the pint bottle. "Jesus, that's absolutely swimming."

"Oh yeah."

Anna sat peering into her bowl, her gaze focused upon the cornflakes all but drowning in the sea of milk she had poured in until Gwen plumped herself down into the seat opposite, crunching into her toast.

"I didn't really notice. Actually I don't know why I made it; I'm not even that hungry."

She pushed the bowl away from her in disgust, half-heartedly, feeling guilty for doing so a second later. She did have quite a morning ahead of her, she should at least attempt a little more, even if her stomach protested. With reluctant fingers, she dragged the bowl back across the table top and prised up the spoon, grimacing as she heard the sludge within. She didn't have to gaze up to know that Gwen was shaking her head softly in despair.

Despite herself, she let out another sigh. Her elbows slid down over the table, sulking, until she appeared to have been given an electric shock out of the blue, her shoulders shooting up and her body stiffening.

"God, Gwen, you don't think something has happened? To John?" The thought had only just occurred to her, and Anna believed it was a plausible one. She felt paralysed with panic, and instantly sickened.

Gwen simply shrugged, finishing off her slice of toast. "You would have heard if it had, one way or another."

Anna's eyes were still wide and her face still pale, but she relaxed marginally as she realised Gwen was probably right. She took one final mouthful of cereal before deciding it was quite enough, the bowl still more than half full.

"Here's a crazy idea," Gwen announced from the other side of the table. "You could always try calling him yourself."

Anna pouted. "I have, a couple of times. But his phone's been off. It seems like a sign, really."

She knew his battery could have been flat, or maybe that he was simply busy. But she couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps he was deliberately screening her calls, choosing to ignore her. It wouldn't be something that he'd normally do, but really, she couldn't blame him for acting out of the ordinary when she'd done the very same thing. It was up to her to call, to say that she had been wrong and apologise. She just dreaded the possibility of him not accepting.

"I don't know, maybe I'll try again when I get back. You know I've got that appointment in town with Robert's daughter."

She'd almost forgotten that was today, and wondered if there was any way she could get out of it. She didn't particularly feel at the top of her game to be discussing potential business plans, even if she had spent the night before outlining everything. No, it was no good, she had to get on with things. It was the best way to put John out of her mind. Even though she knew he wouldn't leave.

"I didn't leave a message, either time. Maybe I should have left a message. I don't know what I would have said."

Gwen stood with her hands planted on her hips, having already washed all the things at the sink while Anna had been ruminating. "Do you actually know if he saw you with Jeremy? I mean, it's not like you did anything with him. Or did he try?"

"No, no. He acted like a gentleman." She let out a little snigger, disbelieving the irony of it all. "I honestly don't know, Gwen. I didn't notice him around when I went out, and not at first when I came back in. But he must have done." That look again. "Oh god, why am I so bloody stupid?"

"Oh, Jeremy called by the way," Gwen announced, drying off a plate. "Twice in the space of half an hour. I told him where to go, but I have a feeling he won't listen to me."

Anna banged her head down onto the table, yelping as she made impact a bit too forcefully.

"Terrific. That's just bloody marvellous." She raked a hand through her hair as she lifted her head back up to see Gwen staring at her with sympathetic eyes. "Two months ago, I want Jez to come around, John comes around. Now I want John to call, Jez calls."

"That's usually the way life goes. It's a bloody shitter."

Anna managed a chortle at Gwen's acute observation, before dropping her head into both of her hands and making a gasp of exasperation. The situation wasn't quite the worst it could possibly be, but it did seem to be getting increasingly unsalvageable.

Gwen's comforting but insistent voice broke through her thoughts, bringing forth the questions she knew she had to answer, as much as she wanted to hide away from them. "What are you going to do? Do you want to see Jez?"

"Not particularly," Anna sighed. That was the last thing she wanted to do. "But I don't think he's going to make it easy to refuse."

She stared up at the ceiling hopelessly. If only she could just stay here, shut off her phone for a couple of days. It wouldn't solve anything, but she'd feel a damn sight better if she could just wallow for a little while. But then, she'd only be trapped with her thoughts. Her relentless thoughts of him. She swallowed hard, looking out towards the hallway.

"I just want to see John, to let him know I didn't mean anything. If only he'd turn up on the doorstep now…"

"But that's not going to happen." Anna stared at Gwen, her arms folded tight against her, her gaze firm but still supportive. "It's all in your hands, Anna."

She exhaled in despair and slightly hopeful recognition. Gwen was right, she knew, and it was down to her to sort this mess out, stop everything from slipping away. It was just a shame she didn't trust herself to keep grip.

Anna smiled as she stepped off the bus, into the relative lull of the city just before lunch. After somewhat of a strange start, she'd been able to muster enough willpower to shake herself out of her self-imposed daze and rediscovered her purpose as she went through the morning, heading across town to meet with Mary as they had arranged a few days back.

Everything had gone well; Mary had invited her to have some coffee and croissants over at the offices she had already bought a while back and for offices, they were really quite beautiful. They were in a renovated apartment block, consisting of the attic – which had a gorgeous rooftop view of the city – and the two rooms below. Anna could see that it definitely had potential and she had to admit that she could quite happily see herself working from there. The idea of having her own business, which had been a terrifying prospect just a couple of months ago, had much greater appeal with a partner to work alongside.

She found even more on their second meeting – she supposed it was their first proper meeting, really – that herself and Mary were on the same wavelength. They had some differing personality traits, of that there was little doubt, but they were ones that could be lived with and indeed, would complement each other well in business terms and as friends too. And already, they were firm friends. Mary praised Anna for her choice in coffee and the jam she had brought along and while she perused the outline proposals Anna had written carefully, she spent far more time simply chatting, eager to know as much as she could about Anna's background, of which Anna was happy to tell. As Mary reciprocated, Anna couldn't help but wonder why she had a reputation for being cold or difficult. To her, she was nothing but perfectly welcoming, embracing her warmly before jokingly insisting they part with a firm handshake to solidify the plans they'd discussed. Both had agreed they would set up a PR company, specialising in events. There was a little bounce in her step as she navigated her way across the streets; Anna couldn't deny the buzz of excitement at the approach of an ambition she had figured was years off. At least on that front, things looked as if they couldn't be better.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stopped at the traffic lights and saw the building across the road, standing tall, its windows glistening. Every day, even when her destination was not in the slightest bit near, she somehow found herself walking by John's office. Perhaps because she thought if she did so for long enough, the hour would finally come when she would catch him on the corner as he was popping out for a few minutes. It didn't matter that she hadn't so far; that only increased the chances. Hurrying her steps to get to the other side, she glanced at her watch. It was nearly lunchtime. She didn't have any rush to get back home, maybe she would run into a shop, get a sandwich and stay on the street to eat it, just long enough that she might see him…

This was getting ridiculous, she thought to herself. If she wanted to see him, she should just march in the doors and do it directly. That wouldn't be a problem, unless he was swamped with work and meetings. Then he surely wouldn't appreciate her barging in, bothering him with her silly worries. The best way was to let fate run its course; that was what had brought them together in the first place, after all, it couldn't steer her far wrong now. But she realised she was being foolish. That was the whole point of fate, that you couldn't control it or push it in the direction you wanted it to go. Perhaps they were only meant to have that bit of time, as short and sweet as it was. Perhaps she was meant to completely balls things up.

As she walked towards the building, willing her whirling emotions to batten down, her heart leapt up when she spotted a tall, dark-haired man striding out of the doors. The beating built fiercer in her chest as she started to run without realising she was doing so, watching his back keenly as he went on walking. If he would only turn around…

She was just about to reach her hand out to grasp onto the back of his coat when he turned, obviously aware of her presence. He was a few years younger than John, slightly slimmer, clutching a manuscript and staring at her with puzzlement. Anna stopped on the pavement, stammering out a 'sorry' before she quickened her pace again. Thank god the train station wasn't that far away.

She could feel herself burning from head to toe and her throat was starting to ache. She was sure she was going crazy now; if she looked long enough, she could see him in every face she saw. But none of them were him. Come on, Anna, she repeated to herself as she swept down the steps that would lead her underground. It's time to get a grip. Easier thought than said, and easier said than ever done.

She hid herself away in the half-full carriage, letting her thoughts get lost against the chug of the tracks. Her head was splitting with a sharp pain, and she could think of nothing better than lying down on the sofa for a nap when she got in. She reached into her bag for her bottle of water and a packet of paracetemol and then heard her phone bleep loudly, grimacing a little as the sound shot right to her temples. Feeling fragile, she pressed lightly on the keys to open the message.

"Oh, bloody hell, I'll go then if that's what it takes!"

She looked up to see an older woman glaring at her outburst, and shrank back against the seat, turning her face to the illuminated display above. When the train approached the station, a few stops away from her intended destination, she stood before the door, grasping the rail, seeing pictures fly by her eyes in a blur. Life seemed to want to make her feel dizzy and completely confused right now.

Hopefully, this twist of fate would let her correct at least one thing.

The cushion felt uncomfortable beneath her as she shifted, feeling closed in and too warm in the cosy room. She may as well have been sitting on top of a bed of thorns. How funny it was, even now. This very place had been her domain for years before, the sofa she was nestled on where she would stretch out every evening, done in after a long day's work. Sometimes she'd be lucky enough to be treated to a foot massage. It was the one chore he never seemed to complain about. Gazing about her, she saw that everything was the same but looked completely different. Papers and pieces of junk that had been left scattered around for months had been tidied away, albeit into hasty piles in the corners of the room. The little coffee table had been swept of crumbs and there were even two coasters laid out on the surface. She allowed herself a small smirk; this was the most effort he'd put into the house ever. It all made her feel out of place.

Jeremy padded into the room, shirt half-tucked into his jeans.

"Are you sure you don't want a cup of tea?"

"No, I'm alright."

He sat down on the sofa with a bit too much enthusiasm, making Anna shift instinctively further along to the other end. This was already a bad idea, she sensed, but there was no getting out of it now. She would hear him out, for a little while at least. She glanced back across tentatively, seeing him bracing his hands upon his thighs, one of his legs jiggling incessantly. She wanted to be anywhere other than here at this precise moment.

"I'm really glad you came," he began with a stutter. "You know, I would have understood if you didn't. I know I don't deserve any of your time, but I know you have a good heart, Anna. That you'd find it in your heart to listen, if just for a moment. And I'm so thankful that you did."

He smiled hesitatingly at her, and she had to look away. It wasn't her heart that had brought her here; that was lying somewhere else. And if he'd been just a bit more considerate to the goodness of her heart then they wouldn't have gone through all this in the first place. She couldn't even bring herself to think about it.

His hands were now reaching to the floor, bringing up a paper covered bouquet.

"God. What are they?"

"They're flowers. For you." He held them out to her and she took them grudgingly, studying the red petals emerging from the stems. "Do you not like them?"

She let out a sigh, placing the bouquet on the table, Jeremy watching her every movement intently.

"You can't do this, Jeremy. You can't get me here, give me a bunch of flowers and expect everything to be patched up." She laughed, perhaps a bit too harshly. "What did you think I'd do, fall back into your arms, let you carry me off into the sunset?"

"No, but…I…"

The anger was swelling within her, the poison teeming from the walls. She hated herself for going back to that place in her mind, but she couldn't help herself. The urge couldn't be held back when she looked back up to see his eyes upon her.

"Every time I see you, I get that image lodged in my head. Of her, sitting on top of you…I don't think I'll ever get it out."

He shifted a little further towards her, holding his palm open. "It was nothing, Anna. One little moment. Come on, we had ten years together." His voice was pleading even more than his eyes were. "There's so much more to think about, all the good times we had. You must remember them."

"Well, it's funny how one little moment can take the place of everything else."

Jeremy pushed himself back onto the sofa, eyes raised up to the ceiling. "Okay, I know it'll take time. I understand that."

Was he really saying this? Did he really possibly think they could go back? Oh god, it was all her fault. She'd given him the green light by agreeing to come. Why had she done that? She really had no idea.

He had moved again, this time with his hand reaching out to her arm. She recoiled instantly, a panicked look in her eyes.

"Don't," she said, her voice firm and low.

Jeremy bobbed his head in understanding, pulling his hand back to rest against his thigh once more.

"I'll just ask this of you, Anna. That you try and put Claudia out of your mind. Please. She's out of mine, believe me. It's finished now. Over for good, I swear." He looked at his hands, now knotted together, before he shot her another searching look. Her stomach tightened like a vice as a smile arose on his face. "I mean, it wasn't her fault. But Claudia, she was just…well, she was never you."

"Well, it took you long enough to figure out the difference." Her tone was flat and emotionless as she tilted her head to the side in a sassy quirk.

"I know. I made a mistake, such a big, big mistake, and I'm sorry. I'm truly, truly sorry." He paused, taking a breath as he continued to stare her out. "I mean, this new bloke…this John Bates that you're seeing. Does he never make mistakes?"

A curdling shiver crept the length of her, and she found herself leaping from her seat.

"How do you know his name?"

Jeremy shrugged as she stood in front of him, accusing. "Mark's younger brother, Alfred, he's a waiter at that restaurant. Heard the boss talking a few times, they're quite close from what he said. Anyway, it doesn't matter how I know."

"It matters to me," she said in a choked whisper, still reeling.

She held her hand to her mouth, pacing back and forth as Jeremy's eyes were on her. A sharper pang of guilt stabbed at her insides. If John knew she was there…he probably wasn't giving her a second thought, all things considered. But then, if by some power he did know, that definitely would be it. She stole a glance at Jeremy, reclined on the sofa. She considered him a lot of things, but she never thought he had it in him to be so vindictive. Shock was swiftly replaced by fury.

"I don't want to talk about John Bates. I don't want to talk about anyone. If that's all you have to say, that you're sorry, then I've heard it all before. I don't want to hear it again. This was a terrible idea, but we both know what I'm like when it comes to them." She snatched up her bag and coat from the arm of the sofa, refusing to meet his gaze. "I have to go."

"No, Anna."

His fingers were grasping hers and her eyes fell upon them laced together, a sharp bolt shooting up her arm. In a second, he untangled them and she snatched her arm back to her side, cradling it close.

"I miss you, Anna."

His voice came out raw, laced with something she couldn't quite make out. Her head was still killing her.

"I hate not having you here, in our house, next to me. It doesn't feel right." He gazed down at the floor for a few long moments, then looked up at her again. "That's why I won't be here much longer. The truth is, I'm going to America. At the weekend."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "I've been writing a lot lately. Getting through pads at a rate of knots." A chortle came from his throat as his face shadowed. "It's true what they say. Heartbreak is good for writer's block."

"Oh, please…"

He ignored her throwing up her gaze to the ceiling in incredulity at his statement.

"Well, Mark said he was going out there and offered me a ticket…I thought it'd be a good chance to finish off the book, I haven't got that much left to do. Maybe it might even get some interest there, if I'm lucky. I'll be there for six months, maybe more. It'll be a completely fresh start." He paused again, taking in a breath as he studied her expression hard. "I don't expect you to want to come straight away, but I thought if you had time to think…"

Anna's eyes widened as she understood what he was implying after a few moments. "You're not serious. This has to be a joke."

"I'm deadly serious, Anna."

"You really think that I'm going to even consider dropping everything I've just got back together to go across the world with you? Someone I don't trust even to buy a pint of milk, never mind anything else."

Her voice lowered to a hush as she looked to the side, finding it hard to take much more of his gaze upon her. Someone I don't even like, never mind…

"Anna, I swear, I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you. If we get away, start again somewhere else, I know we can put all of this behind us. Those good times we had, we can get them back. We were so good together. Remember how good we were together?"

She looked up to the ceiling again, gasping in a breath and shaking her head. If she pinched herself hard enough, maybe she'd wake up.

"I…"

The jaunty ringtone of Jeremy's phone blasted out, puncturing the tense atmosphere. Anna didn't think she'd ever been more relieved to hear it.

"Sorry. I'll get rid of them."

She watched as he jumped up, chattering into the phone.

"Mark, mate, this isn't a great time. Yeah mate, yeah, okay. I'll ring you back in a bit. Yeah? Cheers, mate. Thanks. Bye."

Placing the phone down onto the table, he straightened up, just watching her for seconds. Neither of them changed the looks they held in their eyes.

Jeremy breathed out heavily. "I'm just going to go the loo."

"I don't think I needed to know."

He huffed out a chuckle before his face changed in the next instant. "Please, Anna. Just think it over."

As he left the room, Anna walked around aimlessly, biting her nails, her head in a whirl. There was no need to think, but none of her thoughts were straight at the moment. Bouncing down onto the sofa, she let out a long groan.

The phone remained balanced on the table, its chipped screen blinking. She wondered for a moment whether she should. It wasn't really right to, but then again, nothing felt right about this situation. In the next second, she swept it into her palm, pressing dial on the last number in the call log. She steadied her breathing as she waited for the whirr on the other end to cease.

"God, Jeremy, you know I hate it when you pretend that I'm Mark. It's so pathetic. Anyway, I need to speak to you. I'm late. Four days. And I'm never late."

The bastard.

Claudia's voice on the line got more impatient. "Jeremy? Are you there? Answer me."

She thought about replying, but it would have only caused more complication which she needed to be free of. Instead, she held down the call end button with enough force to turn the pad of her thumb white, collected her things and calmly walked out into the hallway.

His feet thudded down the staircase, coming to a swift stop when he saw her moving to the door.

"Anna? You're not going, are you?" His voice faltered when she didn't reply. "Can you at least give me an answer about everything?"

Her hair bounced a little as she turned her head to take one final look at his sorry figure. He had no idea that she knew, and yet she'd never seen him looking more shameful.

"Have a nice time. Sort yourself out. Just know that I won't be there to pick up the pieces. Not ever again."

She added one more thing before she left, to be absolutely clear.

"And don't call me. Don't even think about it."

Ten years were at an end, of that they were both now certain.

"God, I feel like such a mug!" Anna exclaimed, pacing the sitting room at an alarming speed. "That useless, no-good, shagging, horrible, lying, two-faced, pissing, shagging..."

"You said shagging," Gwen helpfully pointed out from the sofa.

"Wanker!" She wailed the word in almost a cry, thudding down onto the cushion next to Gwen, cradling her faintly aching temple. "Actually having the nerve to suggest I swan off to America with him, that everything would just be hunky-dory. I can't believe I actually went round there, that I even felt the tiniest ounce of empathy."

Gwen's hand was at her back, rubbing softly as she struggled to restrain her sobs.

"God, Gwen, you need to be with me at all times from now on. To stop me from making such stupid decisions. I don't think I can be trusted."

"I don't know," Gwen uttered reassuringly, putting a bit of Anna's hair back behind her ear. "It sounds like you did pretty damn good standing your ground and ending it with dignity. You know I would have done much worse."

She mustered up a small, slightly crumpled smile.

"You know the worst bit of it? Throughout it all, I couldn't stop thinking about John." He was there, looming large in her thoughts this very second. "It felt like I was being unfaithful to John just by being there."

"That sounds like the best bit," Gwen replied, her hand coming to a stop on Anna's back. "And you were."

Anna winced to think, acid burning in her throat. She raised her gaze from her lap, turning it to Gwen hopefully.

"I don't suppose he might have called? Popped round?"

Gwen didn't even have to shake her head for Anna to have her answer. It was getting harder by the second not to burst into tears.

"Oh god, Gwen. That's it. I've blown it. I've blown it completely, haven't I?"

Her knees started to rattle against the seat, her hands muffling her shallow breath as she brought them up to her face. She couldn't see any other possibility. Nearly a week, and nothing. She had messed up the best thing she had ever had, all because she took too long coming to a decision that needed no thinking over.

She couldn't stop herself from repeating the words in a whisper. "Oh god, oh god…"

Gwen's hand was upon her again, guiding her up.

"Come on," she said softly, giving Anna a little squeeze. "Everything will look better in the morning."

Walking up the stairs supported by her friend, she couldn't help thinking that the words, while well-meaning, were hollow, at least in her head. There was always hope, she supposed. She turned to see Gwen smiling, and smiled back. She just wanted to sleep, and hoped that she would have dreams that were better than her reality.

The next day started much the same as the ones that had preceded it. With still sleepy eyes, Anna heaved a sigh. At least she hadn't had any nightmares, which was one good thing. But she hadn't had any dreams either, and seeing as they were the only place she had the opportunity to see John now, it made her heart sink. Pulling back the curtains, she looked out to see that grey clouds were hanging heavy in the sky. She glanced at the screen of her phone briefly, only long enough to register that there was nothing awaiting there.

Coming up into the light of the street from the tunnel of the tube station, she strode along, keeping her head high. She smiled to herself tracing her steps, realising she was taking them yet again, looking ahead to see the building in the distance. Today it wasn't down to her head's, and more so, her heart's hopeless purpose. It really was the quickest way to where she was headed. She stopped for a moment at the road's turning, contemplating whether to duck into the next street for a coffee, her stomach grumbling. She ignored the sensation and shook her head, carrying on with her route straight ahead. A faint chime sounded, and she diverted her gaze downwards, rummaging in her bag for her phone while not ceasing her steps onward. She flustered, unable to get to the device, and she was aware of the person about to crash into her all the while.

In the next second, her hands were held out against the warm chest, her heart thudding against her own chest at her clumsiness.

"Sorry…"

"Sorry…"

The velvet-like voice overlapped her apology, and her fingers tingled fiercely where they still rested. She wouldn't let herself believe it.

Her eyes flew upwards, meeting a pair of hazel ones instantly.

There he was, right before her. John.

A/N: *dun dun dun!* Sorry for keeping you on tenterhooks a bit longer. But on the bright side, at least Jez is properly out of the picture now. Hooray!

Cheers for reading!