Fond but Fleeting

He had been contemplating for some time before the 51B had arrived. The two separated from each other, unhooked arms, and said their good-byes. There were a few passengers who got off the 51B at the rear exit as her companion entered from the front entrance. Both her and her friend held concerned facial expressions. Their concern was understandable, for Berkeley is not an entirely safe area for a lone woman to trek, especially when late into the night.
"Don't forget to get off at Derby!" was her last line to her friend before the automatic double glass doors on the 51B closed off decibels from the outside of the bus, providing passengers a composed and peaceful trip to their destination as the chaos of the night progressed. And amidst all this, the he and her were standing at the corner of Durant and Bowditch, next to the bus which begun turning right onto Bowditch to safely deliver her friend to the fellowship meeting her friend was already late to. The wind was chilly, streets smelled of puke and the lack of hygiene, the sound of people surrounded us. They needed to return to the apartment, where many were awaiting our return from this journey to the bus stop. The apartment was on the second floor of a building on Durant, thus their journey consisted of walking downhill for a few blocks. She estimated this trip to take about ten minutes.
They began walking downhill. He understood that his contemplated fantasy could be achieved only if he gained the desired response from her. He now needed only to ask the question. Cold sweat began to form under the bangs of his hair which concealed the facial tan he had from the summer sun. His heart raced, nervousness fell over his mind. None of this was unfamiliar, for he had many of these incidents, and in many of those incidents, he backed out and regretted doing so. Tonight would not be one of those nights, he thought to himself.
"I'm kind of cold. Can I ask you something?"
"Me too. What's up?"
"Can I borrow you?"
"Huh? You can have my jacket if you'd like."
"No, no. That would only make it worst for you. I want to borrow you."
"What do you mean?"
He held her with his left arm.
"Like this."
"Oh."
The pair had walked but halfway down the first of thee blocks they had to cover. There was an empty lot to the left of the pair, but that darkness was drowned out by the fact that he had her in his arms. In this darkness with her, he felt his heart soften. The wind suddenly became bearable. The pungent aroma of the Berkeley streets dissipated. Even the sounds of the liveliness of Telegraph Avenue no longer entered his ears, for he was focused on one sound, the sound of her breathing. In his heart, he felt he had to ask her one more question to assure himself.
"You know, if this is awkward for you, I can let go."
"..But you're borrowing me."
He gave a response to show his attentiveness to her response. In his mind, he let out a comforting sigh. He knew now this physical intimacy was all right with her. He knew now he no longer needed to regret. The rock of stress was lifted from his back, and he felt his hunched spine straightening. A small smile manifested itself on his lips.
They crossed the street on Durant, from one side to the other. While waiting to cross Telegraph avenue, he put his right hand on her right arm, and began gently moving his hands up and down her upper arm in hope of giving her some warmth. Against her silky draped cardigan, his hands moved with ease. A warm sensation sparked between his hands and her arms.
"Are you feeling warmer?"
"A little bit."
The light signaled for pedestrians to cross the intersection. Groups of people from both sides of Telegraph avenue trekked through the intersection. He could not hear them, for he only focused on her walk, her bodily motions, the sound her shoes made on the asphalt, and her safety. They were a fourth of the way down the second block on Durant when they passed the yellow Chinese restaurant from where they began the journey to the bus stop with her friend. The three of them, along with eight former friends were sharing a meal together in the restaurant when her friend told her about the fellowship meeting she needed to attend. Some discussion ensued, and she decided to go with her friend to the bus stop. A mutual friend who were at the table with the trio expressed her concern about how she would have to return alone. He saw this chance to be alone with her for a small segment of time, and volunteered himself to go with her and her friend to the bus stop. The mutual friends gave their good-byes, and the trio set off. Now here he was, with her in his arms. An aroma of tea and condensed milk tingled his sense of smell, and he remembered the horrible cup of milk tea he ordered at dinner which bothered him all throughout dinner. The cup of tea no longer mattered, for now she was with him, and that was all that mattered to him. He heard her voice.
"Are you feeling warmer now?"
"Just the left side of my body."
They laughed.
"Why don't I switch sides so your other half will be warmer too?"
"Sure, that way I can warm your other side too."
And so he let her go from his left arm, and embraced her in his right arm.
"If I could just make a fire on the ground next to us," she joked. He pointed to the ground and made a explosion sound. They laughed.
"But then I would light that on fire instead."
He pointed to the double trash cans to the left. They laughed once more.
"Though I bet he wouldn't appreciate that very much."
He pointed at the policeman inside his car that was parked to the left of the double trash cans.
"Oh, yeah. That's true," she replied.
They had just passed the liveliness of Telegraph Avenue, and were now in the darkness of Durant. They were alone on the walkway, cars that moved towards and passed them illuminated the path ahead. He paid close attention to the sections of the path which were illuminated to ensure he would not lead her to a bad part of the path. At the same time, the pair were sharing a conversation which he remembers but little of. They were approaching a building protected by black scaffolding.
"My mom almost died while delivering me. I almost died too, but praise God that both of us survived. Neither my mom nor I was Christian then."
"Oh. What happened?"
"I was choking on the umbilical cord, and they had to do a surgery to get me out safely."
"You mean a C-section?"
"Yeah."
They crossed Ellsworth and were now at the entrance to the apartment when a friend called him to ask about the pair's whereabouts. He told the friend that he was at the entrance with her, and assured his friend that both were all right and will see them in a few minutes. While walking toward the entrance of the apartment, the two were quiet. They arrived at the wooden door. She smiled at him. She took the keys from her purse and unlocked the barrier between the pair and their friends who were now ready to greet them within the apartment.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
-Proverbs 31:30