First Impressions

Oli left the studio, the harsh wind biting at the few bits of exposed skin on his body.

It was particularly cold tonight. Being late November in the centre of London, it should be, but Oli couldn't help but feel even colder than usual, despite the multiple layers he was wearing. He shivered and rushed along the street, people passing him every now and then.

He decided to stop for a coffee, hoping that the warm cup might thaw his freezing hands.
As he left, and made the decision to walk the more scenic park route instead of the dark, busy streets back to his apartment, he passed by a man in a doorway. Oli stopped for a moment before reaching the man who had his back turned to him.

Oli couldn't see him really, but he was obviously a man, he had a lot of shabby clothes on and a very thin-looking sleeping bag round him, although they were doing nothing to stop his violent shivers. Oli looked down at his coffee and shook his head, stepping forwards and crouching down beside the man.

"Alright?" He asked, the man turned his head slowly and Oli was surprised to see a young man, maybe his age, with dark hair, dark eyes, and a very mad mess of stubble.

"Y-yeah..thanks."

"Just bought this cause I was cold, you look like you could use it more than me." He offered the coffee out to the other man who's eyes widened slightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, course."

"Thanks so much, can't tell you how grateful I am for this mate." Oli smiled and the other man extended a fingerless-glove covered hand to take the coffee.

"You're welcome mate, have a good night. Try not to get too cold yeah?" The other man smiled at him.

"Yeah, you too. Thanks again." Oli nodded and left with a smile, feeling happy that he'd done someone a good deed.

Arriving home, he checked his messages to hear that his mum had been trying to get hold of him.
Ignoring the voice in his head that nagged him to call her back, he turned the heating up, thinking absent-mindedly of the young individual he'd met earlier sitting in that doorway, freezing half to death.

The next day he was called back into the studio to meet with his band mates and go over some details on the new record. As he left, he decided to go the other route home again in the hope he might see the dark-haired individual from the previous night.

Sure enough, he was there, and Oli approached him again.

"Heya."

"Oh hi, bit warmer today." Oli laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, just a bit. How was it last night? Did you stay out here the whole time?" He nodded wearily.

"Why didn't you go to a shelter, or a friends place or something?"

"It's complicated." Oli nodded and looked around them awkwardly, hoping to come up with something to say.

Oli spent a while talking to the other man before his phone vibrated against his hip in his pocket, it was an employee in his clothing shop, there was a problem and she needed Oli's help. He sighed heavily and met the homeless man's eyes again.

"Well apparently I've gotta go, see you round." He nodded and nestled back into a more comfortable position and Oli left.

The shop had been broken into, money taken, things messed up. Oli was there until midnight cleaning up, never mind talking to the police about it afterwards.

By the time he got home he collapsed in his bed, absolutely exhausted, vaguely thinking about talking to the homeless man again, and wondering if he should finally learn his name.