What Have We Done. (HoldTheDoor x Amaranthine)

[HoldTheDoor]

It was a beautiful day in the last few weeks of summer, little did Jordan know that it was going to be the day that threatened to turn his world upside down, a simple chance meeting with the ability to topple the life he had built for himself. Walking down the street, his head buried in his phone as he flicked across the screen trying to digest as much of the days news as anyone could whilst constantly lifting their head to look when they were going. One story of a particularly eye catching nature had him forget to take his occasional glance up to make sure he avoided people on the side walk he walked briskly down, it was in that moment that he came to bump into Her.

His ex, the one woman in his life who had left with more questions to be answered than when she had entered. Their relationship had been incredibly fun, and unfortunately just as toxic for the pair of them. He didn't care for what exactly ended it, or who had walked first, all he knew was that they had parted ways some time ago and he had moved on.

Yet here he was his large frame standing just over six foot a broad muscular chest adding further to his bulk, crashing into thin frame, instinctively his arms had shot out taking hold of her own to stop her from falling. As he looked down into the eyes of the woman he held in his arms, shock hit across his face, almost feeling bad for the firm grip his hands had placed on her arms. Feeling the contact to be much more intimate in this instance than if he had laid his hands on a stranger.

"El! Shit, I didn't see you there!" Came his shocked response, his arms not leaving hers even though the danger of her falling to the floor had long since passed. His eyes looked up and down her form quickly, she looked well and healthy. "You look great, it's been ages since I saw you last." Jordan continued, short sentences a staple of his behaviour when he encountered nervous situations.

He eventually found the willpower to let go of her arms, his arms returning awkwardly to his sides as he continued to almost gawp at her. "We could go and get a drink if you'd like. It could be nice to catch up, just for old times sake." He offered, his own face wincing as he said the last few words. For old times sake, those words had been used too often to justify reliving a situation that could get people into trouble, and here he was using them after bumping into his ex only seconds before.

He stood in front of her, his arms awkwardly by his sides not knowing where to move, his head unable to look perfectly at her as he awaited a response. He was wise enough to know that depending on what side of El he got, the response could range from a polite "Fuck off!" To a perfectly friendly acceptance of his offer. The suspense was killing him.

 

[Amaranthine]

Elizabeth Stanners had just been on her walk home from work when she, quite literally, ran face first in to an unsuspecting passerby. It was her fault of course, like always she had her head buried in her phone (this time hunting down a Pikachu in Pokemon Go), and honestly, whoever it was should have just let the blonde stumble backwards. Maybe falling on her ass would knock some needed sense in to her.

But fuck, she sure as hell didn't get that when the man she had walked face first in to (who was also on his phone) grabbed her by her shoulders and steadied her. Her initially apologetic expression turned to shock, and her cheeks flared red as she realized who was holding her - Jordan. Once upon a time he was the love of her life in the worst way possible, a series of events that crashed down around them while they struggled to keep themselves together. In the end... Well, their break up, the real one and not every one of those "I can't see you anymore"s that happened, was the best thing they'd ever done.

She finally moved on, ignoring the nagging feeling that she needed him in her life. She finished college, got a job she loved. She hadn't seen anyone else, not seriously, but life was... good.

Until she stood there staring with deer in the headlight eyes until he released her and she managed to step back. As she shoved her phone in to her pocket with one hand the other pushed wisps of blonde hair out of her face, and then her finger tip rested between her teeth as she formulated a response. "Yeah, uh, yeah. Sure. It's been a while. I, uh, need to drop my stuff off at home first but it's... just around the corner." Her hand formed a loose fist close to her face before she pulled it to her chest. "If you wanna wait for me, or come with me, or something. We could go to to the Weston's?" She cocked an eyebrow as she grasped at her thumb, referencing a small (and generally quiet) bar a few streets over on the main drag of the town.

 

[HoldTheDoor]

Jordan stood there patiently as she stammered and stuttered through her words, he was surprised that she had agreed, his surprise growing when she offered for him to come with her whilst she dropped her things back at her apartment. He hadn't been to her apartment since the break up, and a morbid part of him wanted to see what had changed and stand in a place that had once been so familiar to him. He had a girlfriend waiting for him at home, one who doted on him as if the sun shined out if his ass, he knew the last thing he should be doing is following a woman he once thought he loved back to he apartment.

"I'll come with you, why not, I'd love to see what you've done with the place." Jordan said, the words spilling out of his mouth before his courage had the chance to desert him. He started to walk towards where her apartment was, knowing the way all to well as he let his legs follow a route they had walked many times before. He knew he shouldn't be doing what he was doing, and yet that very same thought was what made this so enjoyable for him.

As they walked in relative silence he turned to look at her. "How have you been. You look really well, it's good to see you like this. You know I hated the way it all ended, it's hard for it to end like that with someone you once felt a lot for." He said, almost as if thinking aloud to himself. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the apartment that he had once known intimately.

"Go on, give us the tour of the new and improved apartment." He said laughing jovially, trying to take some of the awkwardness out of the situation.