«Not all the time.» Jeff cleared his throat. He lost all his confidence, and the policeman was puzzled, as it had never happened to him before.
The snowstorm was still raging outside, hiding the world, and it seemed as if he and Vera were the only two people on Earth.
«How wonderful it would be if it was true,» he fantasized about this situation. «No husband for her, no one who can impede or blame our relationship.»
«What kind of relationship?» his mental voice asked with sarcasm. «She’s just one of your neighbors in the town. And if you would not stare at her all the time when you see her, she’d probably not even notice that you exist.»
He became upset with such thoughts, and only kept his eyes on the road. Looking through the window, Vera did not say a word, and Jeff felt too uncomfortable to start talking. So, they sat quietly. The car moved slowly along the street.
«Jeff,» she suddenly said, and the heart of the policeman jumped. «Jeff, can you not drive me home right now? Is it prohibited if I stay here while you are patrolling?»
He could not believe his ears.
«Won’t your husband be worried about you?» he forced himself to ask.
«Oleg called me.» She shook her head. «He has some business to attend to. He won’t be home tonight.»
«It’s just a dream,» Jeff thought excitedly. «Damn; if it’s a dream, I wish never wake up!»
They entered into a conversation and were pleased to discover how many things they had in common. Their dialogue ran smooth and seemed to be endless.
Jeff drove from street to street. Most of the houses still had Christmas decorations up, and multicolored lights twinkled through the snow, painting the insides of the car with a kaleidoscope of hues. Jeff and Vera felt like they were in a fairy tale, and even the nonstop chattering of the police radio did not dispel the magic.
And strange! Although the subjects of their conversation were very ordinary – they were just discussing their favorite music, the town’s latest events, and weather – they both felt and understood that something remarkable was going on between them, and all their words had deep hidden meanings.
The darkness awoke their natural instincts. The beauty of the night roused romantic dreams, and the intimacy of the situation brought them together much closer than all these months of usual communication that had passed by.
They both realized – whatever happened to them in the future, they wouldn’t forget this ride and this feeling, and from now on they couldn’t be the same as they were before this night.