The London rain (Nano)

1

The two bright eyes were still appearing clearly in her mind when she woke up that morning, amongst other images. Lips smiling widely at her, hands stroking her cheeks, arms wounding around her waist. That same dream had been haunting her for an entire year, but somehow, this one felt different, maybe because she hadn't had it in a while now. For a few seconds, the blissful feeling of happiness overwhelmed her and she let it linger for a while before opening her eyes and getting out of bed.  

The first months after she moved to London, Josephine couldn't close her eyes without seeing this face, these eyes, staring at her. But after a while, it became less frequent. She couldn't remember the last time she had woken up like that, it could have been a month ago, maybe two, but however long it had been, she kind of thought that was the end of it. Why it had reappeared after so long was a mystery to her, but she was determined to not let it engross her thoughts all day. She was finally at peace with all of this, convinced that she made the right choice by leaving her home country to start over a year ago. She had found a part time job to pay her rent, a magazine to publish her work, and a few friends to hang out with. She had even started writing for herself, stories that had popped in her head years ago, but that she never took the time to lay on paper. She didn't need more than this.

After getting ready for work this morning, she left her place and headed to the subway. Unlike seemingly everyone else in the thick crowd she was not in a hurry, as her first course only started half an hour from now. She sometimes listened to music, but most of the time, she just enjoyed observing people on the train, trying to imagine what their life were like, what their jobs were, what made them so grumpy or happy or dreamy. Had this guy in a suit, wearing a deep frown on his face, spilled his coffee on his shirt and had to change it in a hurry? Was this girl smiling shyly because she just received a text from the guy she had spent the night with?  That's what occupied her ride every morning, filling her head with ideas and scenarii for the book she was writing. 

Arriving at the school ten minutes early, she headed straight to the cafeteria where she knew she'd find her colleagues. She was greeted by a furious Leila, making her way out of the room, her shirt stained with coffee. "It's not even 9am yet, and I already want this fucking day to be over!!", she yelled as she passed her. "Hi Jo, if I can give the smallest piece of advice, stay away from that DEVIL coffee maker!", was all she said before she stormed out of the room.

Jo turned to Dustin, who was fighting back a smile after Leila's scene, her eyes wide. "She seemed to be in a good mood today".

"Refreshing as always, she never fails to lighten everyone's spirit, right?", he couldn't hold his laugh anymore, as she made her way to him.

"What happened?", Jo asked, grabbing a donut from the box displayed on the counter.

"Um, if I'm remembering correctly, she was woken up by her cat who dropped a book on her face, she had no hot water in the shower, she watched her train leave just when she arrived on the dock, and finally, she spilled coffee on her shirt when a fly attacked her right when she was pouring it in her mug." He answered, extending a new finger every time he stated one of Leila's misfortunes.

"Damn, this girl is the unluckiest person I've ever met", she sighed. "And I know what I'm talking about!"

"Right! Maybe I should stay away from the two of you!", he said, taking a step back.

Even if he wanted to, Dustin wouldn't stay away from Jo for too long, she thought. He'd had a huge crush on her ever since he met her, and made it quite obvious by asking her to go on a date a few times. She always found a way out of it though, using her other job as an excuse every time. He was a fine looking men, tall and lean, beautiful grey eyes contrasting with his dark skin and a charming smile. He was also clever, had a steady job, teaching maths and programming in the same school as her and tutoring struggling youth after hours. Most of all, Dustin was kind. Always helping whoever needed him and putting a smile on everyone's face. She'd most likely fall for him in a heartbeat if she let herself, any girl would. Most girls did actually, but he seemed to only have eyes for her. But she couldn't. She had closed her heart a year ago, and was determined to not let anyone in anymore.