Stella beeped goodbye and Marley waved as the Subaru pulled out of the commuter rail drop-off zone. Stella was out of sight and off to seek her own adventures for the day by the time Marley turned around and headed for the platform.

She had missed whatever rush-hour there would have been on the Long Island Railroad two days after Christmas and found herself to be the only person standing on the platform.

A chill wind whipped through the corridor and Marley stuffed her gloved hands deeper into her down-coat pockets, burrowing her face into her scarf. Her panning gaze froze when she found that no, in fact, she was not alone.

She looked away as Felix looked up from his phone. When she glanced over again, he was still looking at her and raised a tentative hand in a wave of recognition. Marley didn't turn her back on him and pretend like she hadn't noticed him and Felix took that as permission to walk over.

"Hi."

His smile was perfect, at least his teeth were. The lopsided smile made another appearance. Of course, it's perfect, Marley reminded herself. She now knew who his family was, their history. If she hadn't, his neat wool coat and leather shoes would still have been screaming 'Money!'

Marley nodded in acknowledgment, her mother's manner lessons forcing her to.

"Headed into the city?" Felix asked.

It was an obvious question, a stupid one, actually, as the next train due to arrive was an express headed for the city.

"Yup."

Felix continued to converse as if she was as equally invested in chatting with him as he was with her. Marley couldn't get the look on Thea's face Christmas night at the country club out of her head, nor could she Christian's words from the day before. She had been family for three days and already she was taking sides in a feud that had nothing to do with her.

"Me, too. I saw you at the festival, in town, yesterday. What did you think?"

He was so friendly it was annoying.

"It was nice."

"Nice."

Apparently even Felix had his limits of one-sided awkward conversations.

"Aren't we-" Marley started then immediately stopped herself.

"Aren't we... What? What were you going to say?"

Marley was still facing the stone wall opposite, across the tracks, but at the term 'we' Felix was facing her full on.

"Aren't our families, like enemies or something?"

"Christian's been filling you in on the family drama, I see."

Marley nodded.

"I mean, from the sounds of it, our grandfathers hated each other."

"Hate is a bit of a strong word. My grandmother likes to use the term 'politely dislike'."

"But, I mean, bottom line, our families don't get along."

"No," Felix sighed. "No, they do not."

"But you're standing here talking to me. Won't you get in trouble or something? I've met your dad, remember? I doubt he'd want you talking to me."

"Ah. I see."

Felix took a step closer and looked around as he leaned into half-whisper his reply.

"But I don't see my dad around anywhere. Do you?"

Marley didn't get the chance to reply. By the time she took in the mischievous light in his eyes and his half-smirk, the train was pulling into the station.

Felix extended his arm towards the open train door.

"Ladies first."

The train was empty. At least their car was. Marley grabbed a window seat facing forward and Felix took the one opposite. She tried to feel awkward but he was so cool, calm, collected that her own tension seemed heightened in comparison. She took a deep breath and tried to relax into her seat as the train pulled away from the station.

Eager to keep an awkward silence from falling between them, Marley was the first to initiate conversation with the question of 'Why are you headed into the city?'

During their train ride, they found they were both heading into the city to get away from the Hamptons, at least for the day. He had sympathy for her sense of overwhelm at the world she found herself spending the holidays in.

She heard all about the deal Felix's father's made with his mother to spend the entire week together on Long Island and how quickly his mother had come to realize that she should have made him promise to leave all work behind in the city.

Marley lamented about the long list of items her family had asked her to bring back, certain she would have to bring with her an entire suitcase just for Gabbie's things alone. Felix talked about the ghost town he was sure to find at the offices as most everyone was off until after the New Year.

Marley talked about the paycheck she needed to pick up from work and how crazy even nearing the back entrance was going to be, one block off of Times Square. By the time the train pulled into Union Station, a comfortable atmosphere had settled around them and they exited the train almost friends.

As soon as Marley stepped into the swirling mass of chaos that was Union Station, she could feel herself relax for the first time in days. When she looked over at Felix, she found his crooked smile slowly easing up his face.

Just when they should have split ways, Marley headed to the subway that was going to take her over to Brooklyn, Felix headed to the financial district, Felix stopped her before she could go too far.

"Do you want a ride?"

They had made it out of the chaos of the underground station and into the chaos of the sidewalk beyond. The only two people not in motion, the foot traffic flowed around them. Marley followed to where Felix had nodded to find a man in a black suit and sunglasses standing by an idling car parked along the sidewalk.

"You have a chauffeur?"

Marley moved towards the car out of curiosity, not out of acceptance for the offer.

"Joe works for the company so, technically, my dad has a chauffeur. He told Joe I was headed in, apparently. I planned on taking the subway."

"I was headed for Brooklyn. That's way out of your way."

Felix shrugged.

"You were coming to come back into the city to study at the library, right?"

Marley nodded. She had also mentioned during their train ride that she was using the excuse of a school project that wasn't due for a month to stay in the city all day. Picking up things from the apartment wasn't going to take her long enough.

"We'll drop by your apartment and then swing by the library. The papers I need to drop off aren't going anywhere. It'd be my pleasure."

Marley had come to stop right by the now open door to the large, black SUV. Joe held the door open for her, his expression flat as he watched the people moving around them.

Marley could think of no logical reason to say no.

"Um, okay. Yeah, sure. Thanks."

Felix closed the door behind her after she climbed in.

The car pulled into traffic and slowly made its way down crowded avenues Marley had raced down thousands of times before.

The view out her window of the city passing by was different than what she was used to. She had to crane her neck to an awkward angle to look up at the buildings as they passed by, their tops invisible from her vantage point.

Walking along the sidewalk, it was easy to look up at the giants that towered above. In the car, even as an SUV driving through the herd of yellow taxicabs, Marley felt like an ant.

It was a different situation when they hit the bridge crossing the river. Instead of a small window blocked mostly by steel posts rushing past, Marley had a complete view of the river as they sped over it. She didn't tear her eyes from the sight. If she had, she would have caught Felix watching her.

A few minutes past the bridge and Marley had to lean forward to give Joe directions. They came to a stop in front of her old brownstone building and Marley climbed out. The second car door slammed a second after hers did and Marley found Felix had climbed out as well.

"What are you doing?" Marley asked. "You can just stay in the car. I'll only be a minute."

"From the sound of that list your family gave you, it's going to take longer than a minute. I can help. It'll go faster."

Marley hesitated. He looked out of place in her neighborhood in his jacket and expensive shoes. Sure, Brooklyn was up and coming but the hipsters hadn't made it to her street yet. There were piles of trash along the sidewalk out for collection and proprietors of corner bodegas calling to one another from across the street.

Felix looked around and smiled. Marley didn't have time to stop and stare at him as he took in the sights so she could read his reaction. She climbed the brick stairs that led to the front door and shoved her shoulder across the old wood to knock the door out of its frame so the lock wouldn't stick.

"Follow me."

He kept pace as she raced up the three flights of stairs, missing the bicycles outside the Simpson's apartment on the second floor, stopping at the very end of the hallway on the third.

Again Marley had to shove the door and turn the handle just right to get the door unstuck. Unlike the front door downstairs, it took her a couple of tries.

"Home sweet home," she said, opening the door to their living room-dining room-kitchen entryway.

She cringed at the sight of the pile of shoes by the front door and the haphazard way the jackets were hung by the door. Everything else was neat enough. They weren't a messy family but there were still five of them living in a two-bedroom apartment.

"Cool."

Marley watched as Felix entered and inspected his surroundings. His back was to her so she couldn't tell anything from his expression and his tone was completely devoid of condemnation.

"That's a great view."

Marley joined him at the bay window that looked out the back of the building. Past the basketball court lay a public garden the city kept up.

"Thanks."

Marley didn't let them linger long. The longer she looked at her surroundings, the only home she had ever known, the more she saw spots where they needed to repaint, water stains on the dining room table, a fridge that made a weird sound whenever it wanted to. Compared to her grandmother's house, the Harkin apartment was severely lacking.

Felix was helpful and efficient. Marley did have to pack an entire suitcase for all her family's needs. She left behind the list of shoes Gabbie wanted to make room for her father's computer charger and second pair of glasses. Felix even carried the suitcase down the stairs for her and loaded it into the back of the car.

He made a promise that it would safe there until she headed back to her grandmother's.

He reached out to grab Marley's arm as she turned away to climb back into the car, keeping her with him behind the SUV.

"Wait, Marley, before we head back, I was wondering..."

He had to take a breath before starting again.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner together. Tonight."

The look of surprise on Marley's face made him shake his head and rephrase his words. Marley didn't even have to come up with an excuse to use to politely say no.

"Sorry. That makes it sound like I'm asking you out. Let me explain. My older brother and his family as staying at my parents' house here in the city for the holidays and I was going to have dinner with them tonight. Would you care to join? We could ride back to the Hamptons together if you would like..."

It was the first time all morning Marley had seen him awkward, tense, anything other than suave and charming. She found it adorable and it immediately put her at ease.

"I'd love to."

His smile was in full force at her response. Instead of replying, he nodded and then moved to open her door for her.

She was smiling too as she watched the SUV merge back into traffic from the steps of the library. It wasn't until she had entered the familiar hushed atmosphere that she realized what she had just agreed to.

A/N:

See?? What did I tell you??

Cuteness factor = leveled up!!

Stop by tomorrow to see if it's possible for him to get even cuter!

*Spoiler Alert* it is!!!