Wasted Time Or Time Well Spent

Time Well Spent

Naomi's P.O.V.

I can't quite put my finger on it, one second I'm stewing mad at him and the next he's making my stomach hurt from laughing. Then, he's looking into my eyes with his and I feel like the world is melting away... Yep, I can't stand him.

We walk down the hall silently, I can sense rather than see him at my side. Suddenly I can't think of a word to say. There's a couple questions I want to ask but I don't know if this is the appropriate time, or when would be. "Up or down?" He smirks as he holds his hands uncertainly over the buttons at the lift doors.

"Up please." My clipped tone, which was my attempt at sarcasm earns me a confusing look.

He hits the down button and continues to regard me with a skeptical gaze.

"Yeah, I know I've got a terrible sense of humor. Sue me." I mumble as I step into the open doors and into the carpeted room.

"Oh wow," he's laughing as he joins me and now I am the one who shoots him a glare. "Sorry, just..." He cuts off to press the ground level and clear his throat. "You've been nothing but proper and I was starting to think you were some kind of robot sent to take over our planet."

My eyes roll so far around in their sockets I worry for a second they might get stuck that way. "Very funny. So I like to be kind and polite. So what?" I step off the lift as the doors open and we wall towards the exit. The guy behind the desk peers at us wearingly and I give him a wave and smile. It irks him to no end, I can tell by the way his face colors and how he seems to sink lower in his seat. There's no law against roaming around your hotel at night, unless you're being disorderly.

"You know, you've got a free pass here." Brett's words cut through my thoughts as we step out on the street. Immediately I hug my jacket closer for warmth, the cool, damp air cuts through my jacket and dress pants like a million tiny needles and I have to focus on my teeth to keep them from chattering for a minute.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... You're an American..."

"Gee, really Sherlock? Didn't realize!" I mutter and he throws back his head to laugh out loud into the night, I'm sure anyone still up at this hour heard it. "Shh!"

"Why? I'm an American, they expect us to be rude."

"Stereotypical. Plus, you're not rude, you're crazy."

"True. But when you meet someone from Britain back home you just expect them to be proper. It's the opposite over here."

"Stereotypical." I say again, louder. I keep my voice down though and my vision trained straight ahead.

My entire body lurches when he throws an arm around my shoulders, neither pulling me close nor leaning on me as we walk. It does feel warmer though, and safer. Though it isn't a rough neighborhood it is late and a single girl can never be too carful. "You can think whatever you want of me darlin' but I promise not to judge you, though it would be so easy..."

"Let me guess, you think I'm stuffy and stuck up." At this moment I'm so tempted to turn around and stalk back to my room, crank up the fireplace and leave Brett to whatever fate he so wishes. But two things keep me from doing so, one is the arm around my shoulders providing the smallest bit of warmth. The second is that he stops walking and looks down at me.

"No, I think you've been lonely and you're very interesting."

"Elaborate?" My voice is a mere whisper, eyes locked in his when the night light gives more shadow than the day sun, even in the dim light I can still see his eyes. His stare seems to cut off the circulation to my windpipe and I'm trapped.

"You've been over here for almost a week and the only people you've talked to are in restaurants and at the hotel. From that little exchange up in your room I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and say you're not in a committed relationship, and while you love your job I think it's taken over your whole life. Now, I'm not asking why... But I'm out to have some fun tonight and wanted to take you along for the ride. I'm really having a good time."

I stand motionless after his little explanation of my life, so spot on that I want to get mad at him. But I can't. I can't even think of a single word to reply with. The longer the silence stretches between us the more sympathetic his eyes grow and I feel a pit in my stomach. "Then... wh- why did you want to spend time with someone as pathetic and lonely as me?"

His eyebrows knit together and it might be my imagination but the grip on my shoulders seems to tighten. "Never said you were pathetic. Just, wanted to get to know my fellow American... I said as much as before."

"Well thanks for letting me be your tagalong charity case." This time I manage to break loose, but instead of running back to the hotel I continue on, heading for the river. I want the lights, the people, and Brett Eldredge to just disappear. I want to stare into the dark water and Imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by that darkness, where nothing and no one would get to me.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Brett's P.O.V.

"Naomi, wait!" I holler as she sprints off. Immediately I feel awful, nice one Eldredge! I kick my foot at a chink of cement on the sidewalk and try to fight the urge to follow. She definitely didn't mean for me to follow her. I didn't think I did anything wrong, she asked me to explain myself and so I did. I thought she'd appreciate the honesty.

'What are you doing? Go after her!' It takes another second to process he thought before I start off at a jog in the direction she went in. It's not safe for her to be out alone at this time of night anyway. Maybe I need to reevaluate why I asked to hang out with her tonight. But right now I just want to find her, make sure she's safe.

I see a small form leaning over the railing at the edge of the river, cast into shadow by the lights from the other side of the bridge and out of reach from the lights on this side. I don't know what to do. Stand a good distance away, confront her, or try to apologize for what I said?

Quietly I approach her and lean on the railing next to her, saying nothing and just staring across the river and at the sky, all stars clouded out by the light pollution and a thick cloud layer. "I'm sorry." I mumble, still not looking at her. "Really, you're not some stray I just decided to pick up. Heck, I met you in a 4 star hotel gym... I'm just not so good with keeping things to myself I guess... And I know I'm kind of wild..."

"You love life... I can't fault you for that." She almost whispers and the cool night sounds almost carry the words away from my ear. But I hear it. Then I hear a sniff and my heart almost starts to break. Just what in the world did I do to this poor girl. I'm such an idiot.

When I feel her arm bump against mine I don't hesitate, I wrap my arm around her and press her shoulder into my chest. I can tell she's shivering and at the least I can do is try to help keep her warm. Soon her head rests against my shoulder and she's almost in front of me, I resist laying my head on hers, afraid she'll perceive it as a move or something it's not.

"You know, this might be the strangest night of my life." She says after a while, it makes me smile. She's not crying anymore, nor is she close to tears. Good.

"Maybe not the strangest for me... But it's definitely different."

"Good different."

"Of course."