"Alright Ernie, I'm out of here."

"I'll take you."

She felt several pairs of eyes burning into her back as she strolled to the door. She turned slightly, throwing a blind glance over her shoulder. "I'm Alicia by the way."

He didn't respond, but she could tell he was smiling.

She heard Ernie chuckle beside her as he took her arm. She turned and let him guide her to the door, a warm smile gracing her features. The bell above the door jingled as he opened it for her.

"Thanks Ernie." she said, stepping into the cold winter air. Alicia turned, starting the short trek back to her apartment. She paused. Did the door to the bar shut?..

She glanced back. "You need something Ern?"

Ernie stepped a foot over the threshold, his shoe crunching the frost on the sidewalk. "Can I get a word real quick, before you head home?"

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

The door clanged shut and the barkeep took her aside. "Couldn't help but notice that little exchange you had with Ben," he mentioned.

Her cheeks turned a soft pink. "Yeah, I think the whole place noticed."

"Benjy…He's a real good friend of mine. Grew up together in the Bronx. Protected each other when times got tough. We even went to college together- he was a lot better at school then me, goin' on and bein' an astronaut and all. He never let it change a thing though. Best pals, you know?"

"Sure." She nodded. "...You going somewhere with all this?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Are you…are you thinkin' of lookin' him up? After tonight?"

Her eyebrow quirked. "Why?"

"I wanna know... 'cause I could tell that what you did…how you two connected…" He sighed. "Look, it just meant alot to him. I don't want you startin' stuff if you're just gonna let him down. No offense or anythin'. I'm just tryin' to look out for the guy. He's had a real tough run the past couple of months."

She smiled and shook her head lightly. "I'm not leading him on, if that's what you mean. I could tell, when I 'saw' him… There's something more- alot more- going on underneath the exterior. And it's not just his personality, what lay underneath the pain-- I could feel the weight of his grief just… pulling down on his heart." Her eyes closed and she looked away. "No one should ever have to suffer that much." she whispered.

Ernie glanced through the window- his lumbering friend was still standing there, lost in his own world. A small smile resided on his face, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what the cause of that was.

Ernie felt his own lips tilt in a wistful grin. "No. He really shouldn't."

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