Eloquence

It was early.

The sun hadn't risen fully and all was black with the exception of the street lights which illuminated the streets and the sunlight that just peaked above the horizon, outlining the tall buildings in the city. Andrew wrapped his thickest scarf around Jordan's neck and shoved her hands into his bright red mittens. She sat on his bed, looking up at him with a slight pout, feeling slightly ridiculous in all of his clothing.

"I don't want to go anywhere looking like this." She said, nibbling on her bottom lip. "I look stupid."

Andrew chuckled, ducking down and pressing his lips very firmly to hers. "How about you wear it until we get to your house, and then you can change into whatever you want? I just want to keep you warm so that you don't get sicker."

She sniffed, looking away. "I'm not sick..."

He laughed again, taking her hands in his and pulling her onto her feet. "Liar."

"I'm not lying." She muttered. "Why are we going out, though? Won't your mother be upset?"

"She's working." Andrew shrugged, sending her a soft smile. "Until dinner time. Don't worry."

Jordan nodded, following him as he made his way out of the room and through the front door. Patiently, she waited at his side as he fished through his jeans pockets for his keys, locking the front door. The hallway at his complex was similar to the one at Jordan's, although his looked older and a little less kept than hers was, but still nice nonetheless. The elevator was a little more rickety and the ride to the lobby was a little slower than hers would have been, but she didn't mind. She just appreciated the fact that she was actually allowed to leave the proper way, rather than being shooed out of his window, like she usually was. She liked the fact that he was holding her hand, not looking ashamed that it was her that he was with in the slightest.

There were several fake trees set up in different corners of the lobby, all decorated in blue tinsel with white, flashing lights. Each were adorned with a glowing, yellow star and had fake gifts set beneath them. Most of the mail boxes were full with small parcels and manila envelopes that held cards sent from friends and family too far away to give them in person. It was a nice atmosphere; very festive, unlike the feel of her lobby, which didn't have any decoration other than a tiny little Christmas tree trinket that sat upon the front desk, near the bell.

The second she stepped through the front doors, she could feel tiny flakes of snow fall and touch her cheeks, melting against her warm skin. She smiled up at the sky, then looked up at Andrew, who was grinning down at her. Hand in hand, Andrew walked down the street while Jordan skipped beside him, for today was her most favourite day of the year. She knew she was acting childish. He thought so too, but she didn't care and he thought it was the most endearing thing he had ever seen. Her child-like innocence was adorable to him.

They didn't talk very much. They just enjoyed the silence as they made their way down the street. Occasionally, Jordan would hum a tune quietly to herself as she looked up at the tops of the buildings, leaving Andrew to silently try to figure out which song it was that she was singing to herself.

"This is going to be awkward, isn't it?" Jordan asked aloud, pursing her lips.

"What do you mean?" Andrew furrowed his brow slightly.

"Well, obviously, they know I left last night and have been gone until now." She sighed, giving his hand a small squeeze. They were at the glass doors of her apartment complex now, and she grabbed the gold bar of the over-sized door handle, yanking it open with all the strength she possessed in her right arm. "My mother knows about you. She knows that you're older and smoke cigarettes. I just feel like walking up there with you, where they're obviously waiting for me, will end badly."

"So, what do you want to do?" Andrew asked curiously, wondering if this was her way of telling him that they weren't going to spend the day together. "Should I just go home?"

"No." She giggled, turning around to face him. She took his hand and lead him to the cushioned chair by the lobby's fireplace. "Get comfortable. I'll be downstairs in a few minutes."

He grinned in appreciation, for the idea of ever going up there to face her parents hadn't appealed to him in the slightest. He sat down on the chair, squirming a bit until he finally felt comfortable. "There. Comfy."

She smiled, leaning down and kissing him quickly. "Good. I'll hurry."

"You don't have to rush." He insisted. "Take your time."

Jordan smiled over her shoulder, continuing toward the elevators. Her journey upstairs was a relatively short one, but she couldn't help but feel slightly nervous, for she had no idea how her parents would react. Her shoes tapped against the linoleum flooring as she slowly made her way down the narrow hallway of doors, stopping at her respected one. She looked up at the number that stared back down at her, nibbling on her bottom lip. Reluctantly, she reached into the pocket of Andrew's sweater she was wearing, extracting the key and sliding it into the lock. The click almost echoed through the eery silence that had taken over the building, and she cringed. She stopped for a moment, building up the courage to turn the door handle, despite the slow, loud squeak it made as she did so. She pulled open the door a bit, letting go and allowing it to swing open the rest of the way itself.

It was just as silent inside as it was in the hall and she furrowed her brow, entering carefully. The living room was empty, as well as the kitchen and breakfast nook. As she slowly made her way down the hall in the direction of her bedroom, she stopped at her parents' room, peering in the small crack. Through the darkness, she could vaguely see two bodies nestled beneath the covers, their rib cages rising and collapsing as they slept. She could faintly hear their snores and sleepy murmurs, and she sighed, continuing to her room quietly so that she wouldn't wake them.

In a way, she was happy they were asleep, she thought as she slipped on her peach tights adorned with tiny, black hearts. This way, she didn't have to face them and come up with some story to justify her actions. On the other hand, however, why were they so clueless that they weren't aware of their only daughter living with them leaving through the front door at night and not returning? Surely, you'd think they might check on her or something, to make sure she's safe or to see if their hostile shrieking had awaken or upset her?

Jordan was upset. She was unhappy with her life at home. She was unhappy with her social life, considering the fact that Andrew was the only person she really had as a friend. She knew that she was sheltered and probably to some people, a little messed up because of it. She thought that all of these things were visible, especially to the people who are supposed to care about her the most, but apparently not, since her parents were so clueless that they wouldn't notice their daughter coming home in the same cloths she was wearing the night before, reeking of cigarettes and sometimes alcohol.

She pulled on her coral pea coat and wrapped Andrew's scarf around her neck, sliding her feet into her lace-up booties and looking at herself in the mirror. She pulled a knitted tuque over her unruly waves, shrugging at her reflection and rushing out of the room. She pulled her over-sized, brown satchel over her shoulder and rushed out the door. She stalked toward the elevators, hitting the down button repeatedly until one of set of doors finally opened. Without any sort of disturbances, such as the elevator stopping before her desired floor, she made her way back down to the lobby where Andrew was waiting.

She could see him from across the lobby as the doors slid open, and she smiled slightly. He was watching the fire as it flickered before him, his mouth hanging slightly agape. She approached him slowly, her hands clasped behind her back, stopping when she was standing right in front of him. His eyes trailed up her body slowly with a small smile on his face, of course lingering on her chest and thighs because this was Andrew, after all. But, eventually, he brought his gaze up to her face, taking in her features.

"You look pretty." They both smiled and he grabbed a hold of both of her hands. "What's wrong, Jordan? You look kinda down." He pursed his lips, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "What did your parents say?"

"Nothing's wrong." She shook her head, looking down at her shoes. Andrew let out a small sigh, wondering whether he should pry because he knew she was lying, or let it be and she'd tell him eventually. "And no, they didn't say anything. They weren't even awake."

Andrew nodded his head slowly, now understanding what was wrong with Jordan. She didn't feel like talking about it, though, he could tell, so he didn't make her. Instead, he stood up, still holding both of her hands. "Are you still up for hanging out?" Jordan made a face, nodding her head as if to say, 'of course'. He smiled lightly, untangling his fingers from hers on one hand and touching her cheek. "I just meant that maybe you wanted to spend the morning with your parents, when they wake up."

"No way." Jordan shook her head. "Why? Do you not want to?"

"No, of course I do." He chuckled. "I just mean like, are you sure they won't mind you not being there?"

"No, they won't really." She shrugged. "Casey doesn't come home again until tomorrow and we're waiting for her, so today isn't really special."

"Okay." He smiled. They stared at each other for a moment before they decided to be on their way. The sun had risen considerably since they stepped inside and now, they didn't need the street lights in order to see the streets. The air wasn't as cold as it was when it was darker and Jordan was thankful, because that meant that Andrew wouldn't be fussing over her and what she was wearing.

They walked for a while. Jordan hadn't been counting the minutes, but she was sure that they had been walking for over an hour. Eventually, he stopped. Jordan took the opportunity to look around, surprised by where he had taken her. A place with grass that she could see beneath the thin layer of snow, right beside the river with one of the bridges almost overhead. Beside them was a bench, only a few meters away from the water.

"I come here to think sometimes." Andrew said, looking down at Jordan. She didn't meet his gaze, however, for she was too mesmerized by the moving water. "I just felt like today called for different scenery, away from the alleyway or the park or the old apartment."

"Andrew, it's amazing here." She said, taken by how peaceful it was there. "Thank you so much for bringing me here."

He merely smiled in reply, pulling her to sit beside him on the bench. She cuddled into his side, for despite the fact that it wasn't as cold as it was when they first stepped outside, it still was a little chilly. They just sat there for a while, exchanging only glances and no words. Andrew liked the fact that Jordan was so quiet. He could never bring a girl anywhere to just enjoy something in silence together like this, for they always had to say something. They always needed some kind of communication, which he didn't understand. Jordan seemed to understand him, though.

"So, I got you something..." Andrew said quietly, sitting up a bit and making Jordan do the same.

"I did too." Jordan smiled, pulling her bag onto her lap.

"You did?" She nodded. "Jeez, Jordan. You didn't have to."

"You didn't have to either." She smiled.

Andrew chuckled, reaching into her pocket. "So, who first?"

"Me." She grinned, opening the flap on her bag. "It's nothing really special." She said as she struggled to pull the object from the leather depths of her bag. When she finally managed to have it in her hands, she extended it to Andrew, who accepted it and started to peel away the yellow wrapping. "I just saw that you have all those records and I was in a store with my sister, and remembered how you mentioned that band before, so..."

"The Velvet Underground." He said out loud, grinning. "Loaded is my favourite. How did you remember that?"

Jordan shrugged, pleased that he liked his gift. "I don't know. I think I remember everything you say."

Andrew's grinned widened and he leaned in, pressing his lips very firmly to Jordan's. Their lips moved against one another's for some time, but eventually they had to part, and Jordan was happy about the fact that she could feel Andrew's reluctance to do so. She liked knowing that he liked to kiss her just as much as she liked kissing him.

"Thank you so much." He said softly, running his fingers through her hair. "I love it. I'm actually amazed you found it because I've been looking for it in a vinyl and haven't."

"You're welcome." She smiled. "I'm just glad you don't think it'd super lame."

"Not lame at all." He laughed, looking at the bundle in his hand. "You'll probably think mine is, though."

Jordan shook her head, holding her hands out eagerly. Andrew hesitantly dropped the poorly wrapped parcel into her hands, turning so that his body was facing her. He leaned his side against the back of the bench, propping his elbow up on it and resting his chin in his hand. Jordan glanced up at him as she slowly pulled away layers and layers of the wrapping, returning the smiles he sent her until the she had a bracelet resting on her palm. She grinned, pulling off her left hand's mitten with her teeth, touching the cold metal with her finger tips.

"I was thinking about how I needed to get you something as my mom and I were out looking for gifts for our family and I saw this in one of the vintage stores." He explained, watching as her fingertips touched the petals of the metal flowers tenderly. "It made me think of you right away. I suppose because it's pretty and feminine and sort of... Innocent, I guess. I don't know. I just thought it was something you'd wear."

Jordan glanced up at Andrew, than back down at the bracelet. It was made up of two gold bands that wrapped around her wrist and came up to a bundle of little, metal cut-out flowers and leaves painted pastel colours, with tiny pearls and little, gleaming gems. It was very Jordan. She was surprised by how her it was. She knew that Andrew knew a lot about her, but she didn't think he'd be able to walk into a store and see something that he knew she'd adore.

Andrew grabbed the bracelet from her and then grabbed her wrist, bring them closer to him. He opened the clasp and slipped the piece of jewelry onto her frail wrist, snapped it shut and just looking at it. "Perfect fit."

Jordan grinned down at it, touching the flowers again with her fingertips. "You seem to buy me a lot of jewelry."

Andrew grinned too. "Well, aren't us men supposed to buy our women jewelry?"

"I suppose." Jordan said softly, her eyes fixated on the bracelet. "That would mean that I am your women, then."

Andrew grabbed her hand, rubbing her palm gently with the pad of his thumb. "I suppose it does." Jordan looked up at him and he smiled, touching her cheek with his other hand. "Merry Christmas, Jordan."