1:03 pm

Azura woke up late.

Very late.

She opened her eyes to the bright rays of sunshine filtering through the gaps in her blinds. As the light fell on her face, she squinted and rubbed her eyes, trying to get herself awake.

She yawned, and unlocked her phone which was kept on her dark wooden nightstand to check the time.

It was almost one o' clock in the afternoon! She had overslept!

But to be fair, you couldn't really blame her. She had awoken before dawn the day before to see Jordan, and didn't seem to be able to fall back asleep, even upon reaching home.

She sighed and lay back down on the bed, covering her eyes with her arm.

She wondered if there was any chance she could slip by unnoticed by her brother. Perhaps he was even still asleep! Azura knew that Xandar was a heavy sleeper, and there might be a fair chance for her to meet Jordan again.

Smiling with hope, she leaped out of bed and started getting dressed in anticipation for the day.

But all her grand plans came to a halt when a knock sounded on her closed door.

"Azura! Come on! Its almost time for lunch already. We've saved you a little breakfast, so you better come eat it before I do."

Azura sighed. Out of all the days her brother could have chosen to wake up early, he chose today? Although, sleeping beyond one in the afternoon was a little bit extreme, even for him.

Defeated, Azura headed towards the bathroom to freshen up.

7:31 pm

Azura seized her opportunity late in the evening when Xandar went out to meet a friend.

Her parents had gone to watch a movie together, and upon her insistence, reluctantly agreed to let her stay alone for the night. She was thankful that her parents were mostly unaware of her daily visits, even though she felt terrible for lying to them.

Xandar, on the other hand, knew all about her comings and goings, and had constantly prodded her with questions throughout the day.

By some miracle, Azura managed to evade all of them.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she ran out of the house and towards the infamous alley. Which almost seemed like a second home now.

To her surprise, Jordan was fairly easy to find. He was dressed in a messy apron, which covered his ragged shirt. She wondered why he was wearing it.

She caught up with him, just as he stopped to rub his hands together from the cold.

"Jordan!" she called out, waving her hands like a maniac.

He turned, and let out what she could have sworn was a breath of relief.

"Decided to annoy me in the evening now, huh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"Would you rather me not come at all?" she replied, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the young man playfully.

"You do what you want. But I'm pretty sure that what you want is to see me," he chuckled lightly.

"Okay, whatever you say," Azura drawled incredulously, shifting her weight onto her right leg. She let the silence fill the atmosphere, which surprisingly, wasn't awkward. Just... Peaceful.

"Anyway, what do you want to do today. Or rather, tonight." She asked rubbing her arm.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Jordan asked, his long legs starting to walk off again.

"No," Azura replied, panting in an effort to keep up with the boy.

"Well, come on then. My treat," he said, walking even faster. Until he finally stopped in front of a small building, which looked to be a cafe or diner of some sort.

"The Gingerbread House," Azura read off the large, illuminated neon sign. Wait...

"What do you mean by 'your treat'?" she asked, trying not to be rude. "I mean, can you..."

"Afford it?" Jordan asked with a small smile.

"Well, yeah..." Azura murmured, her voice tinged with both sadness and apology.

Jordan didn't say anything at first. He simply stared at Azura, before moving on to stare at the small building in front of them.

"I work here," he said, wiping his hands off on his apron.

"You...work here?" she repeated, a little lost. She was glad that he trusted her enough to reveal more about himself, and even happier about the fact that he was actually smiling and laughing for once, but all this was rather unexpected.

"I'm not useless, you know," Jordan said it teasingly enough, but Azura could detect a bitter undertone. She bit her lip in frustration. Deciding to let it be, she stepped into the cafe, Jordan trailing behind her.

She was greeted by a happy jingle from the bell above the door, and the sweet fragrance of all things Christmas.

"Hey there! Welcome to the Gingerbread House. What can I get you?" A man with an alarmingly blue nest of hair asked her in a happy voice.

Everyone seemed to be happy and jolly smiling here. She really couldn't imagine her Jordan working here.

Her Jordan.

"Umm..." she replied, a little stupidly, unsure of what to say.

But the man had already moved on to greeting Jordan.

"Jordan, my man! You here to work the night shift? I could sure use some company. And help," the man huffed, eyeing the long line of customers waiting to get their food.

"Not today, Brett. I already finished my shift. I'm just here to eat. Can you get me..." He trailed off, glancing at Azura, silently asking her what she wanted.

"Oh! Uh...just some hot chocolate please," she replied hastily.

"You sure? We have way better stuff here," Brett asked her incredulously.

"No thanks, I think I'm good."

"Suit yourself," Brett shrugged, turning to Jordan. "And I'm guessing the regular for you."

Jordan nodded, before grabbing Azura's arm, and leading her to a table near the back. It was right next to a window, presenting them with the perfect view of the scenery.

Unable to contain her guilt any longer, Azura blurted out.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I really didn't mean it," she said, wringing her hands in despair.

Jordan looked at her for a long moment, before letting his gaze drop. "I know, and its alright."

"Thank you," she smiled.

Just then, a waiter arrived, carrying a tiny mug of hot chocolate, and a massive serving of what looked like the best sundae ever. It was huge, and topped with with every sweet thing you could want, ranging from chocolate sauce, to a huge slab of fudge at the bottom.

Azura gazed at it longingly. Wishing she had ordered something similar, she resigned herself to dejectedly sipping her hot chocolate.

Until Jordan waved a spoon in front of her face.

"Come on. Try some," he said, the offer sounding absolutely delightful.

"No..I shouldn't," Azura hesitated.

"Live a little. It's really the least I could do," he tried again, until the opportunity seemed too good to pass up.

She grabbed the spoon and scooped a little into her mouth, savouring the milky sweetness of the dessert. It was absolutely divine. In all honesty, she would more than content spending the rest of her life eating something as delicious as this.

And talking to someone as delightful as this.

Azura smiled. And then Jordan smiled, just because she did.

And all was forgiven.

As the duo shared their 'dinner', they talked. They talked about anything and everything they could think of, and so much more. Most of it was mere nonsense, but neither of them cared. The conversation never ceased, and they both spent actual hours doing nothing but enjoying each others company.

"So," Azura started, after many pleasant hours of idle chatter. Despite the time spent there, the cafe was still full, and bustling with commotion.

"What do you want to do later on with your life?" she asked, hoping the question wasn't too invasive.

"Well, as nice as it is working as a waiter here... for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be an architect. I've always wanted to plan, and then build something, and then watch as my imagination comes to life. Its something that I've always wanted to do. I still do, if I can ever get the opportunity."

"That's lovely," Azura said with a smile. "If you want to, then you should totally go for it."

"Hmmm," Jordan mused, lost in thought.

"Hey, Jordan?" Azura asked, a little shy all of a sudden, a thought forming in her head.

"Yeah?" He answered, looking up from the table to meet her gaze.

She fidgeted for a few seconds before sighing, and getting to the point. Flashing Jordan a nervous smile, she leaned forward across the table.

"Live, for your future. For the opportunities that are sure to come, and the dreams that are meant to come true. Do it, to prove that you can do anything. If you want to be an architect, then so be it. That's your next reason."

Jordan licked his lips, and stared long and hard at the girl in front of him. She was so good, it actually hurt, and for the umpteenth time, he thought that she was too good to be true.

But that moment just then was true, and real. And he'd never forget the days he spent with her, for as long or as short as he lived.

But for both his sake, and hers, Jordan hoped that he would finally, finally, get the future he'd always dreamed of.