It was getting towards the end of her night shift. During the holiday period, they were always uneventful. You had to be there, no one else wanted to be there, but you just got through it somehow.
This time around, it had been made so much easier by keeping in touch with a close friend of hers. Callie had been going through some difficult times in the past few weeks... but John had been there for her even before her troubles began.
He'd supported, encouraged, and more recently he'd been open and honest about how he really felt about her. The timing had been awful... she had confided so much in him... then one innocent afternoon he had blurted out how often he'd thought about her, and more importantly WHAT he'd thought.
There had always been subtle signs, the odd throwaway comment from him, she presumed in jest. Sometimes, her mind had wandered, not only to how badly he'd been treated himself, but to how he had treated her... how things would be if she wasn't engaged, or if she'd met him earlier. The thoughts had kept her warm some nights, but that's all they were - thoughts. Deep down, she'd always thought he wasn't giving her a second glance.
In her mind, after years of a pedestrian relationship, not without its issues, she was the annoying younger sister - taken under his wing when stepping into her new job in a new area. Little did she know, until he'd come clean that afternoon, that he had often felt the same way about her, and his enthusiasm for working with her extended to more than just being her friend.
That said, after a heart to heart... and a little more of an encounter when she had considered splitting from her fiancΓ©, they had decided to be JUST FRIENDS. She had dealt with her own demons in the relationship, and despite choosing to work hard at her relationship and make a go of it, he hadn't cut her loose. This reinforced his promise to be friends first, anything else second.
The encounter often stuck in her mind though. She replayed it over at times when she stole some time to herself. A weekend of exploring herself, and him, her feelings for herself, her friend, and her partner before coming to a decision. She didn't regret it, she loved Mark... and because of her encounter with John, and the relaxing closeness she still felt for him, she never would regret it.
And now, a week on... she was finishing another night shift. John had been keeping her occupied, but had long since fell asleep with is phone in his hand. She was going to take him up on his offer to stop at his this morning, in relative peace, away from her fiancΓ© and daughter, whilst he did his usual bachelor stuff of sport, computers and dog walking to let her sleep.
As she left work, thoughts and echoes of last weekend spun into her head. She blamed the sleep deprivation combined with that last shot of coffee she'd had before leaving. At least this time it was broad daylight, and there was no opportunity to gradually slide closer on the sofa after some wine.