Perfect Strangers

- 4 -

Lauren's conversation with her parents was brief. She told them she thought it unlikely there'd be any flights going out before Christmas, and they told her they hoped to see her as soon as she could make it out and to keep them informed.

When she walked back into the living room, Joey had Love Actually queued up on the TV.

"Seriously?" she grinned.

"What?" he laughed. "It's a classic Christmas movie."

"Fair enough."

"You can choose something else," he offered.

"This is perfect," she said. She grabbed snacks and drinks and brought them over before settling in besides Joey on the couch, and he hit play on the movie.

She wasn't paying too much attention to it, more preoccupied thinking about Joey, which she was resigned to at this point. But that problem was exacerbated when, about half an hour in, Joey fell asleep.

On her shoulder.

She hadn't even realised he was tired, and then suddenly his head was resting on her and she looked down to see his eyes closed and his breathing slow and steady. Lauren, for her part, couldn't breathe at all.

"Joey?" she whispered. No response.

She kept looking down at him, unable to pull her gaze away. His hair seemed even longer than it had the first time she saw him across the airport and she ached to brush it out of his eyes, but she was terrified of waking him up. As it was she didn't know what she was going to do when he did wake up. Surely it would be better to move now so it didn't make things weird. But he looked so young, so soft while he slept that she couldn't bear to wake him. And having him this close to her was sending waves of warmth through her heart.

The movie was still playing, but it was background noise to Lauren's internal monologue of you've known him for a day you can't be in love with him stop staring at him it's creepy to watch him sleep even if he does look adorable and you might never get to see this again.

At one point he moved and she was sure he was going to bolt upright at any second, but he simply nuzzled his head deeper into the crook of her neck and she felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest.

She hadn't thought it was possible to fall this hard and this fast for someone. She'd never believed in love at first sight. But Joey was so easy to love. It was just that she knew almost nothing about him. Not if he had a girlfriend, not if he had feelings for her, not if he even wanted a relationship right now. And it had been a long time since she'd opened herself up to someone like that.

The movie ended, and Lauren wondered if that much time had really passed since Joey had first laid his head on her shoulder. She stretched out her arm for the remote, trying to keep the rest of her body as still as possible, but Joey stirred anyway. She found herself holding her breath as he blinked awake, sitting up slowly and stretching. He looked at her, seeming disoriented for a moment, and then his eyes widened.

"Lauren, I am so sorry-"

"It's okay!" she said quickly. She didn't want him feeling as awkward as she did.

"You should have woken me," he said guiltily.

"Did you sleep badly last night?" she asked, needing to make sure they avoided the subject of why she left him sleeping on her shoulder.

He shrugged. "I could have slept better."

"Was the room not okay?"

"No, no, it was perfect. Just new surroundings, you know. And then I was up early to go and get groceries."