Thomas & January (Sleepless 2)

The boy-driver opened the back door to a black Mercedes. I didn’t have the heart to tell January that this was the last decent piece of transportation she was going to see on our entire scouting adventure. She slid in and placed her hand on the back of the front seat ahead of her, her grip nervous. I slid in beside her as the driver placed our bags in the backseat.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said, her face contorting oddly as she forced a smile. Terrible liar.

The driver got in on the right side of the vehicle throwing me off for a moment.

“Uh, about how long to our hotel?” she asked the driver.

“I’ve been told to take you to Dublin HQ. Is that all right, miss?”

“Um, sure, of course. About how long?” she asked.

I almost laughed as I turned my body slightly toward hers and took in her awkward body language.

“Right ’bout twenty minutes usually, Miss. But there’s likely traffic on the M50 ’bout this time ‘a day. I’d guess we’d arrive closer to half past, miss.”

“Oh, okay,” she said, wringing her hands. “Can I-Could I sit up there with you then?”

The boy looked at me briefly but his eyes lit up when they hit January’s hopeful glance. “All yours, miss.”

January floored me when she grabbed her bag and left me in the backseat on my own. I’m ashamed to say my mouth gaped. I was flabbergasted at the little minx.

“Thank you,” she said, settling in beside him.

“No problems, miss.” He smiled at her and I stifled the urge to knock his block off.

January rummaged through her purse as the boy pulled out of the airport and onto the M1. She pulled out a bag of ginger candies and offered me one.

I waved it away with one hand. “No, thank you,” I said, still staring at her.

“Would you like one...I’m sorry, I never asked your name.”

“Ailin, miss.”

“January,” she offered, smiling. “Would you like a piece of candy, Ailin?”

“Thank you, miss. I’d love one.”

I sat stock-still when her hand reached over and handed Ailin a paper-wrapped ginger candy. My hand practically crushed the iPod I was holding when his fingers grazed hers. She turned her attention back to the sights around her but Ailin was having trouble paying attention to the road.

“Oy!” I said, startling Ailin back to the present. “Is this all you do for Seven?” I asked him through the rearview. His eyes met mine briefly and with a silent, cold, hard expression, I told him to let January go because, well, because I wanted him to.

“No, sir,” he answered. “I’m a bit of a gofer for them, really.”

“Me too!” January exclaimed, turning back to Ailin.

“Really?” he asked excitedly before meeting my eyes again, swallowing hard. “Really?” he asked again but with less enthusiasm.

“Yeah,” January answered. “At first, I only fetched coffee and that sort of crap, but with time, they gave me a few more responsibilities and were impressed. It’s why I’ve been given the chance to become an apprentice of sorts with Tom here,” she said, glancing back my way.

That and Jason thought it would be a fun game to throw us together, I thought.

“Anyway, don’t give up,” she said, patting his free hand, making me red in the face. Calm down, Thomas! “It’ll pay off.” She smiled warmly.

“Thank you,” he said, slipping his hand from underneath hers. She frowned but didn’t think more of it. Ailin’s eyes met mine and I nodded.

We met all the necessary people at Seven, before Ailin drove us to the inn the label had set us up in. January sat up front again, inadvertently pissing me off.