That Friday Read Free

pulled back slightly to
look into Tess' face, he loved her, he had never been more sure of his feelings
than he was right then. Not wanting to let go of her after being apart from her
for so long he enclosed her in his arms again, his lips seeking hers for their
first kiss.
    Just as in his fantasy the kiss
began tentatively, their lack of familiarity with one another evident for anyone
to see, but that passed soon enough and they became lost in their kiss. It was
only when the need for breath became almost overwhelming, that Charlie broke
off the kiss, doing so reluctantly.
    "Wow!" Tess couldn't
help exclaiming. "Where did that come from?" she asked a little
breathlessly. "I thought you said you might be a little shy when you saw
me."
    "I have no idea,"
Charlie admitted, as surprised as she was by his forwardness. "I guess you
inspired me. The moment I saw you I wanted to kiss you," he told her, not
quite prepared to admit exactly what it was he had wanted to do the moment he
saw her.
    Tess smiled. "I'm so glad you
did, I wanted the same. I think we should get out of here now though," she
said, her eyes darting around her at the people surrounding them as a touch of
embarrassment set in, colouring her cheeks.
    Charlie could understand her
embarrassment, he felt it as well. He had never really been a demonstrative
person, and certainly not in public. "Where do you want to go?" he
asked. "It's a little early for us to go to the hotel, we can't check in
until two." Though he had lost track of the time while in her embrace he
was sure two o'clock was still a fair way off since his train had arrived at
midday.
    A shake of the head was his
answer. "I don't mind, we can go wherever you like, though I would prefer
it if we could go somewhere warm; I'm a bit cold at the moment." As she
said that Tess looked down at her bare legs and the goosebumps that covered them.
    He couldn't help it; his eyes
followed hers so he could admire her legs. "Yes, you do look a little
cold," he remarked with a smile. "Tell me, are you actually wearing
anything under that coat?" he asked, curious and a little hopeful.
    Tess gave a sly smile. "I
might be, then again, I might not be; you'll just have to wait and see, won't
you." With a wink she took hold of her case again and strode off, leaving
him to catch up with her once more.
    For a moment all Charlie could do
was stare after her, wondering. With a shake of his head he nudged aside
thoughts of her being naked beneath her coat, and what that might mean, though
it wasn't easy, and started after her.
    When he caught up with her he
reached for her hand; he wasn't certain she was okay with such a public
display, despite their greeting, but he wanted desperately to be close to her,
in whatever he could. "Can we go somewhere to get something to eat?"
he asked, a shy smile spreading across his face when she accepted his hand,
entwining her fingers with his.
    "Of course we can." Tess
was amused by the nervousness in his voice, as if he had expected her to say
no. "What are you hungry for?"
    Charlie shrugged. "I don't
really know, where's close by to get food? I'm starving right now, it's been
hours since I ate; just about anything will do."
    Hand in hand they made their way
down the street, their footsteps mingling with the innumerable others that had
flattened the snow coating the pavement. "We could go to MacDonald's if
you'd like, there's one a couple of streets away, other than that there's a
Yates', that's down that street over there." She pointed off to their
right. "It will cost a little more but the food will be better."
    He didn't really have to think
about the choice, the decision was obvious as far as he was concerned.
"Yates, honey; we can have a drink or two while we're eating. It might
help us to relax a bit and will pass the time until we can check in at the
hotel."
    "Sounds good, I'm not really
hungry myself, but I'll join you in a drink," Tess said, thinking that
something to help her relax