Alyssa glanced at him, and then at the long line, the noise, the crowd outside... "It's New Year's Eve at Times Square. What did you expect?"
She wasn't cold any more, that was for sure. Between the heat blaring inside the store, and the sheer amount of bodies, Alyssa was tempted to unzip her jacket and take off her gloves. The hat would stay on, she didn't want to think about what her hair looked like under there.
Patience was not one Alyssa's finer virtues. She wasn't one to beat around the bush when it came to the people she cared about, and like it or not, Karl was important to her. He had come all this way to talk to her -- she wasn't going to wait an hour with him next to her to hear what he had to say.
"Let's walk to the next one," she practically had to shout to be heard over all the talking in the shop. Turning around, Alyssa stalked out of the shop and down a side street. This was Manhattan. Throw a stone, hit a Starbucks. They'd get some place they could talk, and work their way back to Times Square later. Clearing through the crowds wouldn't be a problem with Karl in front of her.
She shoved her hands into her pockets as they walked. "You wanted to talk."