Treading (Jordan Knight/NKOTB Fanfic)

Four

-SERAPHINA-

"This will just have to do," I sighed and turned around once more in front of my full length mirror. Usually, I went to great lengths to put together outfits for work that were classy and yet comfortable enough to maneuver around my classroom with ease. However, all of the work clothes that I'd managed to gather over the last few weeks were stored at the hotel and I'd been forced to scrape together an outfit from the remnants of the clothes that remained in my childhood room. After nearly fifteen minutes of getting dressed and undressed and dressed again, I'd finally settled on a decent-looking light gray cardigan sweater to wear with a pink and blue floral top and a pair of khakis.

After one last glance at my reflection, I slipped my feet into a pair of flats and lightly brushed my fingers over my bun before grabbing my purse and stepping out into the hall.

It was a quarter to six and the sun had yet to rise. Instead, the dim darkness of the early morning hours gave the house a sense of peace and quiet that made me want to crawl back into bed, but I knew with the long list of tasks awaiting me, even waking me before dawn wouldn't give me enough time to accomplish everything.

I stifled a yawn and quietly tiptoed down the stairs, hoping not to wake up Jordan, but to my surprise, when I glanced over to the couch the space was empty and the linens from the night before had been neatly folded and laid on top of the coffee table. The porch swing cushion where Angel had slept was also vacant.

The faint sound of a car starting caught my attention and I stepped out on the front porch to find Jonathan sitting in the passenger seat of a large black truck while Jordan leaned against the driver's door and watched Angel trot across the yard. This early in the morning, it was rather chilly in Laketown and both of their breaths appeared in short puffs.

"So the Knight Brothers are early birds, huh?" I asked and carefully closed the door behind me so that it wouldn't slam closed and wake my parents.

Jordan turned in my direction, but he didn't respond. Instead, his dark eyes trailed me up and down for a full minute until I began to wonder if he'd even heard me. Just when I was about to repeat my question, he blinked and stood up a little straighter.

"Pardon?" he asked in a voice that was a little louder than I'd anticipated.

I blushed as my question suddenly felt silly, "You like to wake up early?"

"Oh," Jordan shook his head. "Not necessarily. It doesn't feel all that early to me."

I was confused for a moment, but then I realized it was almost 9 in the morning on the East Coast, "Oh, right, the time difference? You guys still live in Boston?"

Jordan nodded.

"Right, I should've thought of that," I slipped my hands into my pockets as another long silence fell between the two of us.

My own breath began to wisp into a white cloud and I stuck my hands into my cardigan while I debated whether to say something else or continue on my trek next door to see if Matt was up and ready to drive me into town.

Rather than working out a decision though, I found my gaze wandering Jordan.

I decided that he looked like he'd stepped out of some romance novel where a city boy transplanted to the country and he fit the part perfectly. His heavy-looking pair of black Timberlands with loose jeans, a red and navy plaid shirt, and blue jean jacket made him look like a local farmer, but the Red Sox baseball cap that was pulled over his dark locks complemented his intense gaze and distinct accent to indicate that he was indeed from somewhere else. That feeling of difference made me all the more intrigued by him and I found myself having a hard time looking away.