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Rose stared at the screen above her gate trying to process the information. Flight 760 from New York to Heathrow - Delayed.
She glanced from the screen to the window, saw swirling snow blow against it, and her heart sank. The din of voices behind her, multitudes of accents that all reminded her that she was not at home, seemed to overwhelm her. It was noisy and crowded and she just wanted her home, to be by her parents’ Christmas tree, away from the chaos of unhappy travelers. With one more glance at the screen, she sighed and wandered over to a spot on the floor by the window. She sank down onto the floor, resting her head against the wall. The snow continued to swirl.
*******
Across the gate, John Noble was texting his sister. Flight out delayed , he typed. No idea when I'll get in.
You're not going to make it back in time, are you? You should have come home last week when you finished up the semester!
John could imagine the look on his sister's face, could hear the scolding in her voice. I was busy! This was the earliest I could get away!
Oh, pull the other one. You just didn't want to deal with Mum.
John huffed at his phone. Didn't matter if she had a point. He didn't cause the oncoming snow storm. He told her as much, then added, Tell Josh and Ella Uncle John sends his love.
You know I will. We’ll miss you, Spaceman.
After exchanging goodbyes, John sighed and slipped his phone into the inside pocket of his leather coat.
He scanned the crowd of disgruntled passengers, taking no real notice of anyone until his eyes fell upon the blonde at the window.
She wore a hoodie and a parka with fur trim, had shoulder length blonde hair and a mouth he'd love to see smiling. Okay, where did that come from , he thought.
The woman was most definitely not smiling now. He was close enough to see that her lip was trembling as she rested her head against the large glass window.
Quite unconsciously he found himself moving toward her. It was as if she was the sun and he was a planet in her orbit. Okay, really now, you're starting to sound like one of Sylvia’s romance novels and that just won't do.
The woman reached into her pocket and pulled out her mobile. She looked at the screen and winced. She quickly fished a charger out of her bag and started looking around the area for a vacant outlet. There at least a hundred people in the room, and at least thirty of them were occupying outlets. He saw her give a little shrug and dial her phone anyway.
******
Each time the phone rang Rose imagined another percent of her battery power draining away. On the fifth ring finally, the phone was answered.
“Hello?” A small voice said cautiously.
Rose had really hoped it would be her mum so she could give her a run down of the situation quickly. “Hi, Tony, happy Christmas!” She forced herself to sound cheery.
“Rosie! Where are you? Are you home yet? Mummy says we're waitin’ for you!”
Rose cringed. “Well…I’m in the airport. In New York, still.”
“Why are you in New York?” Tony asked, and Rose heard her mother in the background. There was some rustling and Jackie Tyler took over the conversation.
“Rose? You're still in New York?”
“The snow hit sooner than they expected, Mum. Right now my flight’s delayed. We’ll see how it goes. I have some presents hidden up in the closet in my old room for Tony if I don't…..”
“Aw, love, have hope. You're just delayed. Maybe you'll make it,”. Jackie decided, always the optimist.
“It's not looking good, Mum.”
“Do you have a place to be safe?”
“I'm at the airport. I'm warm and dry.”
She heard Jackie sigh in relief. “Well, that's good. I hate to think of you alone in an airport on Christmas Eve, Darling. I'm glad you're safe, but….”
“I know, Mum. I want to be there. I wish I could've left yesterday. Nothing to be done about it now.” A commotion started behind Rose. “Hang on a mo…” She turned just in time to see the delayed switch to cancelled. A voice was making an announcement but Rose couldn't make out what it was saying. “Mum….my flight’s…..Mum? Mum?” She pulled the mobile away from her ear to see a black, dead screen.
******
John watched the word on the screen dash any hopes he had to make it back to Chiswick in time for Christmas. He swore under his breath and pulled out his phone again to text, Flight’s cancelled.
It wasn't long before he got a response: I’m sorry. We’ll miss you. You're breaking it to Mum.
John scowled at his phone screen. He knew he couldn't dump that particular job on Donna, no matter how attractive it sounded. I know that, he typed. He also knew he'd have to call her since Sylvia Noble didn't do texting. Groaning, he stuffed the phone back in his pocket. Not yet.
That's when John caught sight of her again, and this time her tears were flowing freely. That just couldn't happen. He began to weave through the crowd to get to the woman.
******
Rose really hated to cry in public. It was a point of pride for her. When the bullies on the Estate bothered her, she'd always held it together. She saved her crying for home, in her tiny room in the flat. Most of the time Mum didn't even know. Even when things had gotten better and her parents got off the Estate years of playing tough had conditioned her not to show that kind of emotion in front of others.
But now, she was tired. The trip had been a long one. She missed her parents and her brother and London and her own bed, and it was Christmas. Here she was stuck in a scene right out of some soppy Christmas movie and……
“Erm….excuse me? You look like you could use some help,” a male voice said.
Rose looked up into a pair of gorgeous blue eyes. The man speaking also had a lovely smile. And big ears.
She was still crying, but the humor in the situation struck her and she began to laugh. It really was like those cheesy holiday movies her best mate watched from first November on to the New Year. Complete with the handsome stranger poised to assist the damsel in distress. It made her laugh even harder.
The raised eyebrows and slightly injured expression from her handsome stranger had her doubling over.
*****
That was not the reaction he had expected. He knew he wasn't the Prince Charming type and didn't expect her to fall over him but he also didn't expect her to laugh in his face.
“Huh. Can take a hint, me,” he grumbled. Calling Sylvia would be better. And slightly less humiliating. He started to walk away and was suddenly stopped by a hand grabbing his arm.
“No, no...I’m sorry. I'm a mess. I didn't intend to offend you. I really didn't,” Rose panted out, trying to calm down enough to talk. “Really. I apologize.”
“You just looked like you needed...anyway, I won't keep you.”
“Thing is, I do need some help. I need a plane out of here. And barring that, I need an outlet to plug in my phone. The battery died when I was talking to my mum. Didn't even get to finish the conversation.” Her mouth trembled again.
“Could maybe help. You want to use my phone to call your mum, erm….”
“Rose. Rose Tyler.”
He grinned. “Rose Tyler. And maybe we could find…”. As if by magic, a man was standing up and unplugging his phone at an outlet across the hall. “Rose, run.”
“Wha….” she started, but had already grabbed her hand and pulled her quickly through the crowd to claim an outlet. They'd just cut off a man, who stood there like a shop window dummy, staring at him shock.
“How much does your phone have?” he growled at the man.
“Fifty percent!” the man declared.
“She has zero. She wins,” John said flatly as Rose triumphantly plugged in her phone. The man stalked off.
“That was a bit Scrooge like, I suppose,” Rose murmured.
“Needs must,” he declared, starting Rose laughing again. “Now. Use my phone, call your mum, and I'll go off and check to see if there's any options. I think we're stuck, though.”
“I think you're right,” Rose sighed, laughter tapering off. “Wait, I didn’t tell you what flight I was on!”
“Flight 760, to Heathrow, same as me.”
Rose snorted. “How did you ever guess?”
“Be right back, call your mum,” he said, starting walk away.
“Oi! If I'm using your phone, you need to introduce yourself,” Rose called. She grinned at him, her tongue poking out.
John’s heart did a little flip. He wanted to get to know that tongue a little better. A lot better, actually. He stammered, “John Noble. Dr. John Noble.”
“Thank you, Dr. John Noble,” she smiled.
John nodded and grinned, then went off to join the queue.
******
Life had certainly taken a bit of turn in the last few minutes, Rose thought, watching John Noble wind his way through the crowd. That smile he'd given her as he walked away made her heart do a happy somersault. She knew some of it had to do with her relief at being able to contact her family. And while her mum had always warned her about strangers, she also had told her that sometimes, just what you need comes along when you least expect it. She certainly hadn't expected it to come in the form of a gruff looking man with brilliant smile.
She shook her head, and texted her mother to give her the heads up about the strange phone number from which she'd be receiving a call.
By the time John returned to her, she'd talked to both parents, her brother, and her cousin Mo. Her mother had reclaimed the phone and was lecturing her on the dangers of accepting favors from strange men. “Now, you just make sure he doesn't want something back from you. Don't let him lure you to a motel or something…..”
Rose barked laughter. “Mum, it's below freezing and the wind is nearly hurricane force. I don't think he's luring me anywhere. We'd freeze before he'd have chance to take advantage.”
“Just the same, be careful. Or I'll figure out a way to fly there and get you home myself. Is he fit? What’s his name? You do know that, at least?”
Rose rolled her eyes. “Yes, mum, he is. He has a lovely smile. And his name is John.”
“Not John Smith, is it? Can’t trust a John Smith. Could be anybody!”
Rose couldn’t resist a giggle. “Mum, I’m fairly sure he didn’t give me an alias. The connection’s goin’ bad. Happy Christmas, Mum. I'll see you as soon as I can. Make sure you put those presents from me under the tree.”
Rose and Jackie said their goodbyes and Rose rang off just as John sat down next to her, bearing two coffees.
“Didn't know how you took it, so….” He handed her the coffee and proceeded to pull out just about every sweetener and small container of cream he could fit in his apparently endless pockets. “French vanilla, caramel, Irish cream….whatever you want. ‘Cause I'm not the bearer of good news.”
“I kind of suspected that.”
He sighed. “We're stuck. The storm is gonna worsen overnight. The earliest departures they're estimating are late tomorrow afternoon. Probably we’ll get home in time to celebrate Boxing Day.”
Rose sighed. “S’just a date. I can open presents with with my parents anytime. It's my brother, though…..he's just five. And I love watchin’ him open his presents.” John raised his eyebrow. Rose explained, “Surprise baby. We're all still in a bit of shock. Mum and dad had me at eighteen. Then twenty years later they hit the jackpot again.”
“Ah. I have a niece and nephew, four year old twins. Gonna miss them, but nothing to be done about it, I suppose. There was a swarm at the ticket counter, so I recommend waitin’ here until it calms down a bit.”
Rose nodded and sipped her coffee. “At any rate, thanks for the phone. And the coffee, Dr. John. Are you a medical doctor, or….”
“M’ a professor. I was guest lecturing at NYU for the fall semester as a favor to a friend. What are you doing in the states?”
Rose grinned. “Oddly enough, NYU. I was interning in their art department. Surprised I didn’t see you around campus.”
“I definitely woulda remembered you if I had,” John muttered. Then his ears turned a bit pink (it was quite noticeable) and they fell into a companionable silence. Rose couldn’t help smiling.
They sat drinking their coffees. Rose could catch bits of the piped in Christmas music, and she began humming under her breath to “Let it Snow.” “Somebody in charge of the sound system has a sense of humor,” she laughed.
John chuckled and sang along in a low voice, “And since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.”
Rose picked up the next line. “We've finally kissed goodnight, how I hate goin’ out in the storm...but if you really hold me tight, all the way home I’ll be warm….”
John joined in, “The fire is slowly dying, and my dear we're still goodbying...but as long as you love me so, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow….” They trailed off, and John could detect a hint of pink on Rose’s cheeks that likely matched the hot feeling on the tips of his ears. They held each other's gaze, blue into honey brown, until finally John stammered, “You have a gorgeous voice, Rose Tyler. I should just shut up and let you sing.”
Rose laughed nervously, breaking eye contact to look at the swirling mass of white outside. “You sounded fine.” What she wanted to say was that she thought his voice fit with hers as well as his hand fit in her hand. But she didn't, she settled for smiling shyly.
More to bridge an awkward silence than anything, John said, “Christmas sure has its share of songs about it bein’ cold.” Then he winced inwardly at his lame attempt at conversation.
“Might have somethin’’ to do with it being winter,” Rose quipped. John snorted laughter.
“Think about it. You could do a whole playlist of songs about it just bein’ cold. Sleigh Ride, Baby It’s Cold Outside…..”
Rose held up a hand to stop him. “Not that one. Can't stand that song. Have you listened to it? The bloke totally gets the girl drunk...or worse, drugged….” She began singing, “Hey what's in this drink….”
“Ah, point taken. I think that's the one my sister hates, too. She's probably given me a lecture on it as well, knowin’ Donna.”
Rose returned his fond smile. “She the mum of those twins you talked about?”
“That she is.” He reached into his pocket for his phone. He opened up the photos and showed Rose a picture of a smiling ginger woman with her arms around two beautiful children.
“Aw, they look lovely,” Rose smiled. “If you're gonna brag, well….”. She pulled out her phone and displayed a picture of a strawberry blonde boy wearing a football kit, grinning. “That's my Tony. Surprise baby extraordinaire.”
“And I'll bet you don't spoil him one little bit,” John smirked.
“No more than you spoil those two cuties,” Rose returned. John shrugged, nodding his head. They both took sips of their coffee, watching the snow.
Rose was watching the snow, at least, until she glanced at John and caught him watching her. They both chuckled, embarrassed. “So….”Rose began, “is there anyone else besides your sister’s family?”
“Me stepmum, Donna’s mum. Donna’s my half sister, but since she doesn’t half-arse anything, we both consider ourselves full siblings.”
“I guess your stepmum is as disappointed as my mum that we won’t be home. Lots of disappointed mums tonight, I suppose.”
John looked down at his coffee. “Haven’t called her yet.”
“Oh! Here’s your phone. Better call, I suppose. Or will your sister do that for you?”
John accepted his phone and shook his head.
“I’ll...just give you some privacy then. Need the loo,” Rose commented, then winced. He really didn’t need to know that, but she felt so comfortable talking with him that it had slipped out. “Anyways….” She stood up. “Will you stay….”
“Just leave your phone plugged in. I’ll stay with it.”
She realized with a start that she hadn’t really been asking him to watch her phone. She smiled, then jogged down the concourse to join the long line at the women’s bathroom.
*****
It was a good fifteen minutes before Rose returned to John. He sat on the floor, glaring at his phone screen. She sat down next to him, smiling cautiously. “Call didn’t go well, I take it?” Rose asked.
John found himself spilling the truth to Rose, when it would have been easier to brush her off her question. He muttered, “Didn’t call. When I don’t show up Donna can fill her in.” He kept his eyes squarely on his phone.
“Oh, John,” Rose sighed. “What’s goin’ on there? I guess things aren’t all that good with you and her?”
John laughed bitterly. “You could say that.” He took a deep breath. “My mum...my real mum died when I was three. Car accident.” Rose gasped and slid her hand into his. He glanced down at their joined hands and gave Rose a small smile. “Dad and me moved from Manchester to Chiswick and he met Sylvia. They got married one month shy of the one year anniversary of Mum’s death.” Rose squeezed his hand, encouraging him to continue. “I was a right pain in the arse from the beginning and Sylvia didn’t have much use for me. We were always at odds. Couple of years later she had Donna, which was One of best things to come out of the whole situation, besides getting a Grandad. She and I have always been close. She’s me best mate. She acts like she’s the older sibling most of the time, bossin’ me around. And she’s right, most of the time. Don’t tell her I said that.”
Rose laughed. The idea of meeting Donna was very appealing. She wondered what John was like as a boy and she thought Donna’s stories would likely be entertaining. “I’ll be sure not to.”
“At least not while I’m within earshot, okay?” He chuckled. The idea of Rose meeting Donna was very appealing, despite only just having met her. “She and I stuck together because apparently she couldn’t even meet up to Sylvia’s lofty standards. Nags her to this day, Sylvia does, and Donna’s brilliant. She’s smart, and she’s good at what she does. Fantastic mum. But you wouldn’t know it to hear Sylvia talk. We stick up for each other, though. Have to, Dad passed away a year ago.”
Rose‘s eyes stung with tears. “John, I’m so sorry.”
John squeezed Rose’s hand. “S’okay. Didn’t mean to turn all this into some family counseling session.”
“Don’t be sorry!….I don’t mind at all. Sometimes….you need to talk somethin’ out and the universe puts just the right person in your life.”
“Thank you for bein’ that person, Rose Tyler.”
The look he gave Rose sent a shiver down her spine. So much emotion was communicated through his gorgeous blue eyes. She could easily find herself getting lost in them. She’d had two boyfriends in her life, one horrible and the other sweet and safe. They’d never gazed at her the way he was at that moment.
“You should call her, though. Maybe you won’t ever be close...and one phone call won’t solve everything….but at least you know you’ll have been the one to be kind. And you won’t put it all on Donna’s shoulders.”
She felt his body sag against hers a bit. “You’re right about that.”
“Just say Happy Christmas.”
“You sound like you know this from experience, Rose Tyler.”
“I do. I told you Mum and Dad split up. It was a long time, a good fifteen years. I didn’t see him at all for a some of those, then hated him for a couple….but then one day I decided just to call him. I don’t know why I did it but I called him and told him Happy Christmas….and he started comin’ around again. And eventually my parents got back together. I couldn’t imagine ever leaving our relationship where it was when I was sixteen. M’glad I didn’t.”
“Looks like you got a little brother out it.”
“Yeah. I know our circumstances are different, but it’s better to just...try. And then you won’t regret not having tried. Of course, here I go stickin’ my nose in where it doesn’t belong. Maybe you’d rather not.”
“Not sayin’ I won’t. I’d hate to give her more to grouse to Donna about. Then I’d have to put up with the both of ‘em grousin’. And when Donna displeased...nobody’s happy. Anyway…..thanks for listenin’.”
“Thanks for lettin’ me use your phone. You could’ve just walked on by.”
“No I couldn’t,” he assured her, smiling. Her stomach did a happy flip.
John looked at the phone in his hand. “I reckon I’d best make this call. Hope I can get through. You’ll stay….?”
She nodded, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. He grinned at her and stood up.
“Back in a mo’,” he told her.
*****
John walked down the concourse to a relatively quiet area. The phone indicated he still had a connection, however tenuous. For a second he considered telling Sylvia that he never called because phone service was lost. It wouldn’t last much longer. His conscience, which now sounded a bit like Rose Tyler, to his surprise, told him to just dial the phone. How could a person he’d known for all of two hours have that much of an effect on him?
He entered Sylvia’s home number, since she never answered her mobile. He had a fleeting thought that he just should have called the mobile and left a message ( coward’s way out his Rose- voice said) but the phone was picked up. The voice on the other end, an elderly man, instantly relaxed John., it was Wilfred. “Hello?” Wilf said.
The best thing to have come from Geoff Noble marrying Sylvia was getting Wilfred Mott in his life. “Happy Christmas, Grandad,” John greeted.
“John! Well, glad to hear from you, son! Where are you? The connection’s a little fuzzy.”
“I’m still in New York.”
“Ah. I was hopin’ you’d get outta there before that storm hit.”
“So was I, Grandad. Looks like I won’t be in until Boxing Day.” He heard Wilf make a sound of commiseration.
“Gonna check into a hotel, then?”
“Nope. Can’t leave the airport. Looks like my accommodations are the floor of concourse B. The sub sandwich store is still open. And the coffee stand. Long as that holds out…..”
“No proper tea, though. Well, hope you’re makin’ friends, at least.”
John grinned. “Think I might’ve met one.”
“Lady friend?” Wilf sounded so pleased and full of mischief that John couldn’t resist laughing. “Ah! You have made a lady friend. Could be the one, you know. I met and fell in love with my Lillian all in the course of a day. All in the course of a dance, actually.”
John had heard this story many times. It never grew old to hear it. He’d only known Lillian Mott for a few years before she passed, but she and Wilfred were proof that long lasting love could happen that fast. “We’ll see, Grandad, we shall see. Don’t know if there’s many opportunities to dance in an airport.”
There was a commotion on the end, and between that and the static John thought he’d lost the connection, but then he heard another voice on the line. “Hello? John? Where are you?”
John sighed. Sylvia sounded as sharp-tongued as ever. And she’d likely have wrestled the phone out of Wilf’s hands. “Hullo. M’ still in New York. Told Donna I’d let you know myself.”
“Will you be back in time for dinner?”
John wondered if she really cared. “Nope, sorry. Looks like you’ll have plenty of leftovers. I won’t be there until Boxing Day at this rate. Nasty storm.”
There was a pause, then Sylvia spoke. “I’ll miss you.”
She sounded sincere, and John couldn’t have been more shocked. “Oh, no you won’t. Like I said….more food for you lot to eat.”
“I really will miss you, John. S’ been a long time since we were here as a whole family. And with your dad gone, it’s been difficult.”
John was gobsmacked. Maybe it was the distance, or the eggnog, or maybe the poor mobile connection, but it sounded as if Sylvia genuinely missed him. “It has,” he finally agreed. “Happy Christmas, Sylvia. I’ll see you on Boxing Day, hopefully.” There was a burst of static, then he heard Sylvia’s voice.
“.....best get Donna to pick you up at Heathrow. It’s out of my way. I’ve got dinner that evening with Hazel and the girls, and theater tickets, so I’m not doing it…..”
John rolled his eyes. “Right then, I’ll text her. Tell Grandad I’ll see him….” The connection was abruptly lost. John shook his head, chuckling, then began to make his way through the concourse to Rose. He was thinking about Wilf’s story of Lillian the whole way.
*****
A short while after John walked away to make his call, Rose’s now functioning phone buzzed with a text.
Rose, are you there? Is you phone working? It was Mum.
With a smile, she typed back, It is now.
Are you safe? What about that man?
Rose rolled her eyes. I’m fine. He’s safe too, thanks for asking.
Don’t get cheeky with me, Rose. I’m worried.
Rose smiled at her phone screen. I’m okay. Things are good, actually.
Good? How good? Very good?
How good? She wondered if she should tell her mother that a man she just met was causing a serious case of butterflies in her stomach? That she might have just found herself in the plot of one of those Hallmark Christmas movies, and she was thoroughly delighted by the prospect?
What she typed was, Very good.
Blimey, Rose, be careful. Don’t know whether to be terrified for you or thrilled.
Just say Happy Christmas.
Love you darling. Stay safe. Do you have condoms?
Rose’s face turned red and she was relieved that John was somewhere down the concourse.
Happy Christmas, Mum! Love to Dad and Tony!
She saw John in the distance, walking back towards her. Her ears still felt hot. She hoped that would resolve itself before he got back. Thinking about it only made them hotter. He sank down onto the floor next to her, giving her a curious look.
Rose explained, “Mum texted. How’d the call go?”
“Sylvia told me she missed me. I think she was sincere.” He sat down on the floor next to her. “And then in the next breath she let me know how inconvenient it’ll be to pick me up at the airport. Got to talk to my grandad too, that was nice.”
“Just focus on how she missed you,” Rose recommended.
“Glass half-full kinda girl, are ya?”
“I try to be. Works about half the time, so I try to focus on that.” She smiled at him, her tongue peeking out. He was gobsmacked again. It took some effort to drag his eyes away from her mouth.
“Anyway...thanks for listenin’, and givin’ me a little push there.”
She reached out and his hand found his way to hers, of its own accord, as if it been doing that forever. “That’s what friends are for, yeah?”
“Yeah,” he answered, grinning.
“I know what else is about half full. M’peckish. I smell chips. Do you smell chips?”
“I smell those things they pass off as chips here.”
“I want chips,” she decided. She unplugged her phone. “Even if it means giving up my outlet.”
******
They did indeed find chips, skinny little American fries with no vinegar, but they were hungry, and needs must. She paid for his chips, mainly because he let her use his phone. (And because he was down to his last few American dollars. He promised to pay for them another time, in London. It made Rose feel warm inside to think of them eating chips together in London.)
Her mind wouldn’t settle down enough to let her sleep, but she needed a rest. They managed to find another outlet and they both charged their phones. Rose lay down with her head on her parka but it wasn’t comfortable. “Here ya go,” John offered, indicated she could rest her head on his leg. The grin she gave him curled his toes. She enjoyed the weight of his leather jacket over her shoulders. He pulled out his kindle and before he started to read to her he put on a pair of glasses, and her brain shorted out a bit at the sight. He began to read to her. “Marley was dead, to begin with…..”
****
They spent the night talking. He learned about her past on an council estate, and how she had gotten her A-levels after giving up on education due to a toxic boyfriend. She told him how she’d gone to uni and won a prestigious internship in New York. They discovered they both liked the same coffee shop on campus (The Blue Box Cafe) and the same bar (The Bad Wolf) and wondered why they never encountered each other.
She learned that he’d started uni early, and had earned two doctorates. “I should just call you the Doctor, then,” Rose told him.
By the time the first weak gray light had shown over the horizon, they were friends. Both felt the stirrings of feelings beyond friendship. “S’ pretty amazing, you know. Thought this was gonna be a miserable day. Turned out to be kinda magical,” Rose commented over coffee.
“It’s fantastic, isn’t it,” John agreed, smiling.
This time she couldn’t take her eyes off his mouth.
******
The airport was still cheerfully piping in Christmas music, causing some to grumble. “One more round of the Christmas Song and I’m gonna roast somebody’s chestnuts,” they overheard a man grouse in the chair behind where they were sitting. Rose burst out laughing.
Overhead, the music changed to “The Christmas Waltz,” sung by the Carpenters and John rolled his eyes. “Now, this one does grate on my nerves. Sylvia plays it on repeat.”
“So does my mum...and I love it.” Before John could roll his eyes again and complain about the song, Rose began to sing along, and John was mesmerized. “It’s that time of year when the world falls in love...every song you hear seems to say...Merry Christmas. May your new year dreams come true…..”
He stood up suddenly, extending his hand to Rose. He realized, as Rose sang to him, he’d been wrong when he’d told Wilfred that there’d be no opportunities to dance in an airport. He rested one hand on her waist and began to guide her in a waltz in their little area of the concourse. They were entranced, only having eyes for each other. After the initial shock she began to sing to him again, her lovely voice entrancing him. His moves weren’t necessarily the smoothest. He was relieved that he found his feet on the end of his legs and remembered how to dance.
As the song came to an end, there was really only one way to finish their dance. He leaned down, and she met him in the middle in a gentle press of lips.
She’d never been kissed so gently, or so well. He seemed to love taking his time, sucking delicately on her lower lip. She was barely aware that they’d stopped dancing and their arms had tightened around each other. None of hand slid into his hair, scraping her nails gently against his scalp. He sighed and darted his tongue out to taste her lips. And then he was enveloped in everything Rose. Her taste, the feel of her hand on his hair, her sighs.
Awareness bled in as another song began and small crowd of people began to clap. The kiss ebbed away and she chuckled as he kissed her forehead. “I might just have reconsidered my opinion of that song,” John said, slightly breathless.
“Oh, brilliant.” She played with the hair at the nape of his neck. “What’s happenin’ here, John?”
“Christmas miracle,” John explained with a dazzling smile. “The universe is pretty vast and complicated and every so often something amazing happens...and you call that a miracle.”
“Oh, good,” Rose murmured. “Was hoping that’s what it was.”
And just because he could, he kissed her again.
*****
It was hours before they could board their new flight to London, and in that time, they shared many kisses and cuddles in the chairs by their gate.
“Are you goin’ back to New York for next semester?” Rose asked, dreading the answer. “I’m back home next semester. Got a job working in the art department. I’m a couple of classes away from my teaching credential.”
“I’m staying in London, at least until summer. Then it’s off to Barcelona for a month. Mini-sabbatical.” He braced himself and told her, “I’d love a companion….if you’re interested and you haven’t kicked me to the curb by then.”
“Don’t think I will have,” Rose smiled.
“Don’t be so sure. I can be pretty tough to deal with, accordin’ to Donna.”
She laughed. “ I’ll ask Donna for pointers.”
Her laugh was infectious. “She’ll offer, so don’t worry about askin’.” He sobered up abruptly. “What’s your mum gonna think? I’m older, Rose. Forty-one.”
“Mum’s dad was fifteen years older than Gran Prentice. What’ll your family think about you bringin’ around a girl you met at the airport? Bit sudden, they might think.”
John grinned. “Let me tell you a story about a bloke named Wilfred Mott……”
He regaled her with tales of Wilfred meeting Lillian until the first boarding call came over the loudspeaker.
******
As they disembarked from their plane, John caught up to Rose to sing in her ear, “Maybe it's too early in the game, but I thought I’d ask you just the same. What are you doing, New Year’s Eve?”
They spent New Year’s Eve together in London, and summer in Barcelona. His niece and nephew became mates with Tony Tyler. And her parents grew to love John. Donna and Wilfred were over the moon about Rose. And Sylvia...well, she came around eventually.
A year later Rose was singing to John in their own flat, belting out “All I Want For Christmas is You.”
He responded by singing a bit of “Winter Wonderland. “We could build a snowman...and pretend that he’s parson Brown. He’ll say are you married, we’ll say no, man….but you can do the job when you’re in town….” Kneeling in front of her, by the light of their Christmas tree, he asked, “What do you think, Rose Tyler?”
And for many decades to follow, their children retold the story of how their parents found love, stranded in an airport.