FRIENDLY GESTURE
846 Words
“Hey.”
Julia’s voice pulled him back to reality.
“Oh…”
He blinked.
“You’re still awake?”
She lifted the bottle slightly.
“I just came to get some water.”
He nodded.
“I was doing the same.”
He grabbed a bottle from the fridge.
As he turned to leave, Julia hesitated.
“Alex?”
He stopped and looked back.
She fidgeted nervously with the bottle in her hands.
“I was wondering…”
She hesitated again.
“If you could… maybe take me to the train station tomorrow morning.”
She looked down.
“I just want to see if there’s been any update.”
Alex didn’t hesitate.
“Of course.”
Relief washed across her face.
“Thank you.”
He smiled gently.
“You should get some sleep.”
“You too,” she replied.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Then Alex gave her one last glance before quietly walking upstairs.
Julia watched him disappear down the hallway before finishing her water and heading back to her room.
***
Morning came far too quickly.
By the time Julia had showered, gotten dressed, and made her way downstairs, Alex was already outside, wiping the snow off the trunk of his car and making sure everything was in place.
She stepped onto the porch, pulling the oversized jacket closer around herself.
“Good morning,” she said with a small smile.
Alex looked up from what he was doing.
“Morning.”
His eyes briefly swept over her before he closed the trunk.
“Ready to go?”
She nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Give me ten minutes.”
He disappeared back into the house.
Julia waited outside, watching her breath disappear into the cold morning air. The neighborhood was unusually peaceful, with only the distant sound of children laughing somewhere down the street.
A few minutes later, Alex returned, jingling his car keys.
“Alright,” he said, unlocking the car. “I told the girls to behave while I’m gone. I’ll grab breakfast for them on my way back.”
Julia nodded and climbed into the passenger seat.
Soon, they were back on the road.
Silence settled between them once again.
Outside, the town looked even more beautiful in the morning light. Every rooftop wore a blanket of snow, and nearly every front yard displayed carefully built snowmen, decorated with scarves, hats, and carrot noses. Strings of colorful Christmas lights still hung across porches and fences, refusing to let the festive spirit fade with daylight.
Christmas was everywhere.
You could see it.
You could hear it.
You could almost touch it.
Yet somehow…
Julia couldn’t feel it.
She rested her head lightly against the window and sighed.
For everyone else, Christmas meant warmth, family, laughter, and home.
For her…
It was just another reminder of everything she had lost.
She pulled her gaze away from the scenery and looked ahead.
Then her thoughts drifted back to the previous night.
To that lonely street.
To Alex.
A question had been lingering in her mind ever since.
She stole a glance at him.
He looked completely focused on the road, one hand resting casually on the steering wheel.
Should I ask?
No…
It’s none of my business.
But…
The question refused to leave her.
After several moments of silent debate, curiosity finally won.
“Alex?”
“Hm?”
“How… did you find me last night?”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened almost imperceptibly.
“Oh…”
He cleared his throat.
“About that…”
For a brief second, he searched for the right words.
“I was just driving by.”
He shrugged casually.
“And… by coincidence, I happened to see you.”
Julia studied his face.
“Coincidence?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
But she didn’t believe him.
Not completely.
Alex kept his eyes fixed on the road, pretending not to notice the doubt in her voice.
How could he possibly tell her the truth?
How could he admit that after driving away, guilt refused to leave him alone?
That he’d turned the car around and followed her from a distance, making sure she was safe without letting her notice?
How could he confess that when he saw her enter the restaurant, he’d quietly asked the waiter to let her rest for as long as possible? He had even requested that the heater near her table be turned up so she wouldn’t wake up freezing.
No…
He couldn’t tell her any of that.
She would misunderstand.
She might think he was crossing boundaries.
Or worse…
That he had already developed feelings for her.
He quickly dismissed the thought.
He wasn’t doing it because of feelings.
He was simply looking out for someone who had no one else.
That was all.
At least…
That’s what he kept telling himself.
Before long, the familiar gates of the train station came into view.
Alex slowed the car and brought it to a gentle stop in front of the entrance.
- Writer
