“You headed home? Why don’t you let me walk you?” He asked, straightening up.
While we were friends at the office, the relationship had never left the grounds of MACUSA. “Oh no, that’s okay. You really don’t need to, Percival.” I said quickly.
“I insist…you know how the city gets during the holidays. Especially New Year’s Eve.” He said, already dismissing my refusal. “I know you can take care of yourself, but what kind of man would I be if I let a lady walk home alone this late at night?” He raised a dark eyebrow questioningly.
Blush crept up my cheeks and I ducked my head for a moment, smiling against my scarf. My stomach felt like it was leaping and twirling, doing some type of intricate dance routine. “Alright fine. If you insist, I won’t say no to a little bit of company.”
I glanced up just in time to see him taking a few steps backward, toward the hallway. “I’ll grab my coat then. Wait right here.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
As soon as he disappeared, I sagged back against the desk. I felt a little dazed. Not to mention silly. He was just walking me to my apartment, which was no more than a few blocks away. I could’ve easily apparated there, but I’d shared with him during one of our conversations how sometimes it was nice to slow down, to take in the world around me without being in a hurry to be some place else. This was the first time he’d ever offered to walk me.
A completely innocent suggestion, I chided myself. He was right after all. People did tend to get a little crazy on New Year’s Eve. As soon as midnight struck, all bets were off. It was like a holiday full moon or something. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to exhale my nerves with it. Then I straightened myself back up and tried to appear calm while meanwhile my insides were jittery as if I’d just swallowed a box of sugared butterfly wings from Honeyduke’s.
A few seconds later, Percival reappeared, shrugging on a long, black peacoat with the collar turned up. There was a soft, expensive looking gray scarf draped around his neck. He was so handsome, it almost hurt to look at him. “Let’s go.” He said, motioning with a nod of his head for me to join him out in the hallway.