by Chris Watt
“Did you forget your purse too?”
These words were wasted as she found herself face to face with Sean. Jodie almost fell over. He smiled and said:
“Is this creepy or romantic?”
Jodie laughed and shook her head.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just in the neighborhood,” he shrugged.
“In the neighborhood?”
“Well, district, or region or whatever, you know how it is. I was heading back from Newcastle and thought...you know...”
“What?” she asked. Sean looked at her for a moment. He’d forgotten how pretty she was.
He noticed she’d changed her hair. It was shorter, which he liked. Jodie did much the same, forgetting how tall he was, how deep his voice was.
“I wanted to see you,” he finally replied.
“But I was just chatting with you online?”
Sean held up his iPhone and gave a mock head tilt.
“Get with the times, Jodie!”
Jodie smiled and stepped forward, as Sean extended his arms and wrapped them round her shoulders in a warm hug.
The hug lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to remind Jodie of being back at home. It made her feel warm and safe, Sean was good like that.
She stepped back into her room, allowing Sean to enter before closing the door.
In years to come, Jodie would think about that night and come to many conclusions. But above all else, she would try and pinpoint exactly when she fell for Sean.
It could have been as far back as their first meeting, or that first night they spoke on Facebook. It could have been during one of the many glances they would give each other at their bedroom windows, or the first time they kissed on that night when everything fell apart, but she was never quite sure.
But if she was completely honest with herself, it was probably the iPod that did it.
The End
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks to my editor Linzie Carson, as well as my friends and family.