In the Sixth Hour

2:00 am

Her face was bright red, and her hair blew strands behind her and across her tinted face. But she was beautiful, still. Tobias knew nothing about this woman, yet he couldn't help it when he looked at her and felt an instant attraction. Anyone would, she was stunning. Even now, at this hour, with a face frozen by the cold. She was a beauty. In every sense of the word.

"I wrote a letter." Her voice enters the silent night, and after a long stretch of quiet, Tobias looks over at her. She doesn't look up and over at him, she keeps her focus down at her feet that walk slowly along the pavement. Her heels clicking.

"I wrote a letter that had words that I shouldn't have ever said. But I was angry. I was hurt. And now, all I want is to tear that letter up into a million pieces."

Tobias can hear the emotion in her voice, and he wonders if that's why she hides her face from him. Shame, or tears threatening to fall. He may not know who that letter was written for, or what it said, but he knows that its powerful enough to change something.

"That's what's back home isn't it?" Tobias asks, and she nods. Looking off into the night, as they turn left down the street.

Tobias wants to ask more about the subject, but doesn't want to become invasive. She needs help, not a therapy session.

"He cheated on me."

The words sound as though she had never said them aloud before. As if right now, right here with him, was the first time that confession passed through her now blistering red lips.

"I found out that my husband," She lets out a deep breath. Married. "Has been cheating on me. While he's on his business trips, I've seen the emails on his computer."

Tobias watches as Beatrice tells him this very private and embarrassing information, and wonders if she truly wants to tell him all of this. Or just feels obligated to now.

"I wrote him a letter. A letter filled with hate filled words. Words about me leaving. And I left it on his desk at home." Beatrice shakes her head, and Tobias can tell there's a battle taking place inside of her mind right now.

"He doesn't get back till early in the morning, and I need to be there before he reads it."

"You don't want him to read it?"

Beatrice shrugs, "I do, and I don't. Once he reads what I wrote, he can't unread them. You know what I mean? I need to tell him how I'm feeling face to face, not through sloppy handwriting on a wrinkled piece of paper."

Tobias nods, and looks over and down at her hand.

"You know, I think you're missing some hardware."

Beatrice looks up at him, "What?"

Tobias touches his ring finger. "Oh, yeah. I couldn't stand the feeling after I found out. Like the metal burned into my skin with lies."

"Can I ask why you're telling me all this?" Tobias asks Beatrice, and she looks at him. Her blue eyes swirled with grey pour into him, and he feels slightly breathless.

"I thought you wanted to know."

Her response is simple. Her response is reasonable, for he did ask. He wanted to know, and now that she was finally letting him know the reason for needing to be home so bad... he felt wrong. He felt guilty for getting involved in something so personal and he hoped he didn't come off as insensitive.

Tobias is about to say something to her, when he catches the bright blinking lights of the building feet away. "Lets stop here, see if you can use their phone."

Beatrice nods, and follows him into the bar. It's warm, much warmer than outside. But if the warmth is solely from the heat system or the amount of bodies is anyone's guess.

"Who knew a bar would be this busy at this hour in the morning." Beatrice shouts over the noise, and Tobias doesn't say anything. He knows that places like these are still busy at early hours. For sometimes he falls under their customer category.

"Excuse me." Tobias says, reaching the bartender.

"What can I get you?"

"A phone. She needs to make a call." Tobias points to Beatrice, and the bartender eyes her.

Nodding, he points off towards the back. "There's one in the back."

Beatrice thanks him, and Tobias reaches for her arm before she goes off. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"I'm alright, I shouldn't be long."

Tobias watches as she walks off into the crowd, and takes a seat on one of the empty barstools. Still looking in her direction long after she's disappeared to find the phone.

"So," The bartender speaks up, as he begins to mix a new drink. "How long have you two been together?"

Tobias wants to laugh, but he understands the misunderstanding. "We're not together. I actually just met her an hour ago."

Tobias eyes the clock on the wall behind the man, and it strikes a little after two in the morning. Who knows where he'd be right now, but at 2:04 am, here he is in the company of a beautiful woman in a place of warmth. Even for a few minutes.

"I'm trying to help her get home."

Tobias had to admit, it sounded a bit farfetched. Comical even. But it was the truth, no matter how crazy it sounded. Two complete strangers who met leaving a train station. And now, were strolling the cold bitter morning trying to get her home.

Realizing it's been a while, Tobias looks up and around. The bar is dim as most murky bar establishments are. Crowds of drunks and very late hookups, the place is still busy. And as he's scanning the room, his eyes fall on her. Her hand is running through her golden blonde locks, and walking back his way. But the thing that stands out the most, are the tears collecting in her eyes. He can see them, all the way from where he sits, he can see the red rims around her beautiful blue eyes. He can see the way her eyes shimmer with a glaze of tears, and he can see the expression on her face that says more about whatever phone call she just made, than anything she could tell him.

Tobias stands up from his seat immediately, and his face falls as she walks towards him still wearing that somber expression.

"Can we get out of here?" She doesn't yell over the music as she did when they got here. But Tobias still hears her.

Tobias doesn't say anything, for he doesn't have a clue what to say right now. But placing his hand on her shoulder, he leads her out of the stuffy and boisterous bar. The cold Chicago air hits them like a wall, but Tobias watches Beatrice breathe in the air deeply. Needing this to clear whatever just happened on the phone.

"Come on. There's a place not too far from here."

Tobias holds his hand out to Beatrice, and without a second thought, she places her hand in his.

A/N: I really love writing for this story, and I hope you all enjoy reading it just as much!😊💕