"Please," Britney said quietly.
Britney and Chris stand up. Chris pulls out his wallet and throws some cash down on the table. The two walk out.
The car ride was uneventful. Chris had offered to take Britney home because he felt that she had needed someone to give her a shoulder to cry on (not to mention the sheer logistical problem of her car having been towed). He was not surprised that he was attracted to her because he had been attracted to her from the first moment he saw her in the police station. What he was caught off guard by was the fact that he felt he was falling in love with her. He was enjoying all the small things about her that only a person in love can appreciate: her gentle smile, the way her hair fell in her face and she had to brush it aside.
Britney and Chris continued a cordial conversation, Britney kept giving him directions. The directions weren't the best but they got him going in the right direction. Due to her vagueness, he knew that he was on her street but didn't know which house was her's. He eventually slowed down and stopped outside the house that he thought it was.
"This you?"
Britney looked over at the apartment building. "Yep. This is me," she nodded.
Chris sat behind the wheel, looking over at Britney. She eyed him carefully for a moment then looked at the apartment building.
"Would you mind walking me in?" Britney asked.
"Sure. No problem," he responded. He turned the car off and unlocked his door. He got out and went around to open her door for her. He offered her his hand to help her out of the car and she accepted it polietely. He offered her his arm to help walk her, she hesitated at first.
She didn't need to arm to steady her but she wanted the comfort she thought it'd bring. Then she worried about Adam and she found herself frozen, paralyzed by overanalyzing. She decided to take it. She was surprised by how warm and comforting she found him to be. She walked close to him, she enjoyed the feeling of a person next to her. All night she couldn't help but be tormented by nightmares of loss and lonliness, she was trying to shake it off without much success. Having him beside her helped her forget what she was dealing with.
When they got to the door, Britney opened it and the two walked in. She came and deep down, in a part she wouldn't even admit to herself, she had expected to find Adam sitting on the couch, wearing that Major Pain T-shirt that she hated (and once hid until he got so sad that she had to give it back) or watching the Red Sox lose or talking on the phone. The apartment was dark and cold.
"Well, I'd better get going."
"Would you like a glass of water?" Britney turned to face him. She asked him because she wanted to repay his kindness. At least, that's what she told herself. What she really wanted was to not be left alone.
"I'm good, thanks."
"Maybe a cup of coffee?"
"Alright. Coffee," Chris relented. He didn't particularly want any coffee but he could tell that she wanted him to have something and he felt it rude to turn down your host if they really wanted you to do something.
Britney walked into the kitchen while Chris sat down on the couch. Britney returned to the room.
"I just put the coffee maker on. It should be ready in a minute."
The silence returned. Chris decided that maybe it was time he left; that his presence was what was making things feel awkward. He turned to face Britney. She leaned closer towards him, her bottom lip quivering just the smallest amount. At first, Chris didn't know what she was doing. Then her lips touched his.
The kiss might have started off demure but it grew in intensity and passion. Chris put his hand on her neck, cradling her head. Her hand went to his chest. Neither one of them was thinking, only feeling.
That was until the coffee maker beeped. The two broke off their kiss and stood up from the couch.
"Maybe I should just go," Chris offered.
"No. Please, stay. You haven't had your coffee yet." With that Britney left the room and headed into the kitchen. Chris could hear her puttering around in there, getting down glasses and getting out spoons. He thought for a moment about just leaving. He couldn't bring himself to do it because here was a woman who just lost her boyfriend and he couldn't imagine her losing yet another person when she went to go get coffee. Also, he couldn't say that he didn't want another kiss. He cursed himself and returned to his seat on the couch.
Britney returns with two cups of coffee in her hand. She hands on to Chris who takes it graciously. "Thanks," he said and took a sip. It was horrible coffee but he wasn't going to complain. He looked over at her and noticed that her hand was shaking, the dark liquid threatening to spill out.
Chris put his own cup down on the coffee table and then reached over and took her mug away from her. She kissed him again, softly and sweetly on his lips. He enjoyed for a moment longer than he thought he should before he broke it off.
"I should probably go," Chris said reluctantly.
"Please," Britney whispered. "Please don't. I need to feel something; something other than this empty feeling inside me. If I don't, I might go crazy." She was on the verge of tears.
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