Loki stretched languidly on the sofa, which he had taken for his own after the strange man left. Meanwhile, Sarah laid in a tartan mess upon the rug shivering. She woke cold and cranky. "Did I seriously sleep in the floor?" she asked sounding just a little defeated. "This is my life, the cat gets the sofa and I get the rug." She shook her head confusedly, her mouth tasted like stale wine, she had forgotten to brush. "Ugh," she gulped the last sip from the glass on the floor beside her. With a sigh she stumbled to the shower, her shift started in an hour, it would take her that long to warm up her stiff bones.
Thankfully, a 15 minute shower succeeded in thawing her limbs and mood. Sarah switched some music on as she drifted about the miniature kitchen in the corner. Coffee was prepared, bread pushed into the shiny toaster, and jam set on the island. She ate while standing and stashed the plate and mug into the sink as soon as she was finished. A quick check of the apartment ensured her that Loki had fresh water, and all things that he could destroy were tucked safely into drawers. Grabbing her messenger bag and coat, she waved good-bye to the still sleeping feline, hurrying out of the door. While she locked the loft, she heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs from the 4th floor. Only a noisy French lady lived up there currently, and the person approaching the 3rd floor landing was far too quiet, even in those early hours, to be the Madame. Instinctively, Sarah turned from the now locked door and looked up at the staircase. Her eyes locked with the mismatched pair owned by the quiet person, who was certainly not Madame. A tall fair man, carrying a guitar case in one hand and a cigarette in the other, did not back down from her stare as he reached the landing a few feet from her.
"There is no smoking in the building," were the first words out of an embarrassed Sarah's mouth.
"It's an e-cigarette, love," he informed her with an accent and a smirk.
"Oh," she wasn't sure if that mattered where building policy was concerned, but she dared not challenge the stranger. Instead, she introduced herself, "I am Sarah Williams, 3C." She extended a delicate hand enclosed in a silver suede glove, which he took.
"You can call me Jay," he cocked his head sending a sweep of platinum bangs rushing forward across his temples, which the e-cigarette holding hand combed back into place. The two of them continued down the stairs, eventually reaching the first floor lobby. Sarah caught sight of herself and the man in a wall of mirrors to her left and she couldn't help but linger. She looked lovely next to him in the reflection. They complemented each other extraordinarily well, both tall, willowy, and fair, though Sarah's hair was dark. They appeared edgy and elegant, clad in black on this winter morning. To her great chagrin, the man noticed her attention to the mirror and glanced at it himself, meeting her gaze in the steely surface.
Quickly she turned her focus back upon his real face, a face she had determined was strikingly attractive, though perhaps not handsome in the usual sense. "It was nice to meet you Ms. Williams, I am sure that we will be seeing each other again soon enough," he gave her a nonchalant wave and disappeared out of the lobby doors into the frosty morning.
Sarah could not believe what she was doing as she rushed out after him, "Jay...umm, if you're not in a hurry, would you like to grab a cup of coffee, I think we may be headed in the same direction," she called to his retreating back. Sarah was not normally very forward and had stuck to herself recently, focusing her energy upon her goal of finishing a novel, rather than having a social life. Ever since she was a little girl she had been her own best friend anyway. Odd and introverted, she preferred stories and imaginary friends to actual people, who often disappointed her. But, something about this man was making her curious, and curiosity beat out all other sensibilities for Sarah.
"Well, come on then," he grinned over his shoulder, e-cigarette smoke puffing up around him in the overwhelmingly chilly air. Sarah took a few quick steps to catch up with him and then they sank into an even pace across the sidewalks. She huddled into her peacoat as they walked on in comfortable silence, except for the clicking that her ankle boots made against the pavement. A warm coffee shop greeted them within a few blocks, Jay held the door and ushered her in.
The smell of caffeine in a cup smacked them in the face while they dropped into line behind the other addicts. "So Ms. Williams, where are you off to?" Jay asked conversationally, not the lest bit awkward chatting with a person he had only just met.
"I spend my mornings at a second hand bookstore up the street, Miller's," she replied, feeling more shy now that she was standing so close to him in line. "It isn't much, but it pays the bills. What about you?" she inclined her head toward the guitar case.
"Ah, I am checking the acoustics in a bar before they open. I have a gig there tonight and would rather not have any surprises," he stated with a flick of some very expressive eyebrows.
"So you're a musician then?" she asked, still making small-talk as they moved up the line. He did have the air of a rock-star about him. Mysterious, assured, with a hint of barely reformed bad-boy mixed in for good measure, that is how she would describe the man beside her.
"On occasion," he responded, establishing further the sense of mystery. They dropped back into an easy silence. Sarah ordered a frothy latté, and Jay a simple black coffee upon reaching the register. They reentered the now bustling sidewalk and continued on their way. Sarah had to turn down a side street first. "This is where our paths diverge," she smiled.
"It was a pleasant encounter, I assure you," he replied with a slight bow in her direction. Sarah bite her lip and nodded, trying not to giggle at his performance. "Have a good day, Ms. Williams," he called to her while walking on.
"You too," she whispered to herself since he was already disappearing among the crowd of commuters heading into the underground.