mamma mia | jeremy jordan

8. eye contact

She sat down at a smaller table, one that was fit for two customers, and ordered her signature almond milk latte. Ana scrolled through her phone, her thumb hovering over Laura's contact name.

Should she call her and tell her that her end of the rent would not make it next month?

She'd managed her money enough to have rent planned out each month. But, now that slept herself out of a job, she had no plan for the next month.

The barista called out her name and she slid out of her seat to retrieve. Ana thanked the employee with a tight-lipped smile and sat back down.

—

Jeremy had detoured himself on the way home, simply because his furniture wouldn't be delivered for another few hours. Thank God for quick delivery.

He detour brought him to the cafe in which he had met that Ana girl. Why? He couldn't ask himself that question.

He sat at a table adjusted up against the picture window, hunched over his phone as he liked through FaceBook. Jeremy picked up his black coffee, ready to leave when he saw her walk in.

Ana looked absolutely beautiful, as always, in the same turtleneck she'd been wearing the first time he'd seen her. This time, she was wearing light colored jeans that were looser on her figure. They made her look more fragile and small, but adorable. Her hair was messing tossed up in a ponytail, her face bare of very much makeup.

Jeremy sat back down, hunched over again to hide his face, this time. He watched as she ordered, as she sat down at the opposite wall, as she received her drink— was that a latte?— as she glanced up and around the cafe, and as she flicked her eyes over him, looked away and did a double take.

Ana blushed deeply when she caught Jeremy staring at her. She didn't expect him to be, let alone be looking at her. She clenched her jaw in a nervous habit type of way, willing herself to stop blushing.

Jeremy noticed the redness spreading across her dimple indented cheeks and decided that leaving would be the best idea.

Ana glanced back to watch him leave the cafe, a coffee in his right hand and his left in his jacket pocket. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Ana stood up not moments after he left and slipped on her thick winter jacket. She dumped out the rest of her coffee, feeling too nauseous— due to the nervousness of the situation- to drink it.

They walked the same way home, road the same subway train, but in different carts, and walked into apartment buildings that were on the opposite sides of the street.

Jeremy opened his door to furniture boxes, and Ana to a pile of mail.

He got to work on putting together his apartment, feeling excited all over again from the sight of the beautiful woman.

Ana propped open her laptop, scavenging the internet for job opportunities and still feeling warm in the chest from the interaction.

—

When Jeremy was finished with his apartment, he showered. He had gotten everything done that needed to be done, which caused him to sweat buckets.

When Ana was done, she also showered. She had found nothing on the World Wide Web, so she resorted to the drenching of water to cover up her crying.

Jeremy wrapped a towel around his bare waist, rummaging through his now hung up clothes for casually nice clothes.

Ana tied the knot on her robe, balancing her towel on her head as she picked through the clothes on her floor for a dress.

Jeremy spritzed a bit of cologne on the neck of his shirt and skin, locking his apartment door as he headed for one last night of fun.

Ana pressed her thumb repeatedly down on her bottle of hairspray, setting the curls perfectly against her scalp. She grabbed her cross body purse and left her apartment for the first night of her unemployed life.

—

They met eyes again across the dance floor two and a half hours later.

Ana wasn't as drunk as she looked, dancing wildly with other random girls at the club. She'd only had one drink, a pina colada, and was now holding a virgin cocktail.

Jeremy was sat against the bar, drinking the first half of his second bottle of beer. He wasn't exactly looking for someone to take home.

Until her saw her, arms in the air, sweat glistening in the crevices of her body, her waist cinched tightly in a little black dress.

Ana couldn't think to be nervous when she saw him, collared shirt and all, due to the confidence in the air.

She took an unconsciously decided step towards him, causing him to sit up in his seat. Ana took another step, Jeremy stood up. She was five feet away from him, and he closed the space.

"What're you doing here?" She smiled smugly, taking a sip of her drink.

Jeremy shrugged, shoving a hand into his pants pocket. "I don't know. What're you doing here?"

"I don't know either, to be honest with you." Ana laughed lightly, something Jeremy cherished greatly.

Jeremy nudged her lightly with his elbow, causing her to make direct eye contact as her gaze had been drifting away. "Do you- wanna get out of here?"

"Mhm," Ana bit her lip and handed her drink to Jeremy. He set their cups on the counter and offered up his hand.

Ana took a second to reflect on what she was about to get herself into. Jeremy noticed this and he turned his body to face her completely. His face read what he wanted to say, and she seemed to understand it.

She nodded gently, winking playfully at him as she slid her fingers in between his. Jeremy tugged her forwards, causing them to laugh loudly as they exited the building.

Conversation came natural to them as they made their through the subway and back out onto the street.

"No way," Ana whispered to herself when her apartment building came into view.

"What?" Jeremy whispered back, mocking her tone.

"You live right across the street from me?"

Jeremy followed her gaze, stopping right outside his building. "That's just luck."

"What-"

Jeremy lurched them forward again, Ana hitting him lightly on the shoulder in response. The elevator opened, and when it closed, the air became demanding.

Jeremy dropped Ana's hand, looping it around her waist loosely. She gulped, wishing she had that confidence she'd had earlier.

Jeremy watched as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath. All of a sudden, as she was facing him with his hands on his shoulders.

His face asked her the same question it had before and she nodded, more confident than before.

Jeremy's hand cupped her chin gently, tugging her towards him and pressing his lips to hers.