"Here's your coffee, miss. Miss?"
Belle looked up, drawn back into her present surroundings by the man running the coffee cart. She'd been caught staring. Again.
It wasn't entirely her fault. That man, the man she saw on the corner every morning, wasn't where he should be. So of course, Belle had to look for him.
Belle pulled out two crumpled bills from the pocket of her jeans and handed them to the man.
"Keep the change." She muttered, already moving away to continue her search. She'd been passing this same corner on her way to work every morning for the past six months, but she'd only begun seeing this striking man the past couple weeks.
Belle didn't know where he came from or where he went, but she guessed he was homeless. He had terribly dirty dreadlocks and the most worn red kilt she'd ever seen.
That wasn't what drew her to him, though. There were a plethora of homeless people in Glasgow, you could find a group under almost every bridge. What drew Belle to this particular man was the look in his eyes.
The way he sat on his corner screamed that he didn't want anyone coming up to him offering handouts. From his angry posture to the fire in his brown eyes, he practically shouted 'Go away'.
So of course, Belle was drawn to him.
She sighed as she took a small sip of her coffee, turning around to retrieve the forgotten sugar packet. She couldn't even focus on things that should've been second nature by now. The only thought that was consuming her mind at the moment, was where the man could be.
Winter was quickly approaching, promising all the sleet, sludge, and cold it always brought. Perhaps the man had gone to seek out somewhere that wasn't so darn cold. The kilt he was always wearing certainly didn't look exactly warm.
Belle continued down the sidewalk, unconsciously dragging her feet. It was only a couple blocks to her office and Belle was in no hurry this morning.
Just as she was preparing to turn down the side street that led to the building that housed Ever After Books, she paused, shifting her weight to the balls of her feet. Perhaps, she'd never see him again. Perhaps, he was just gone. Belle wasn't sure why that thought struck so much sadness into her stomach.
She glanced down the street again, flicking her eyes towards the lone coffee cart, steaming gently into the afternoon. Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
A flash of red.
Belle gasped quietly, not daring to move lest she lose the flash, though some portion of her rational mind reminded her that she was far enough away for that not to matter. She latched onto the spot between two buildings where she'd seen the brief splash of color.
Should she walk back? Would it be odd to walk back, to look for some man she didn't really know?
Who was she kidding, she didn't know him at all.
That made up her mind. Work forgotten, she turned back towards the coffee cart, her wirring mind already conjuring multiple ways she could approach him.
She dismissed her first two plans, accidentally tripping, or merely walking up to him. She didn't want it to seem like she was using him. Her third idea actually had some merit. It was darn near freezing this morning, offering another human being a hot cup of coffee couldn't be taken poorly.
Decision made, Belle walked faster, her footsteps ringing slightly against the hard cement. Reaching the coffee cart she saw surprise flit across the attendant's face.
"Something wrong with your coffee, lass?"
"Oh no," Belle answered, "I just would like to purchase another one. A large."
The man fixed her with a peculiar look but thankfully didn't say anything. Belle handed over the necessary money and took the offered coffee from the man. She stopped and stirred a little sugar into the new cup, relishing the warmth the cup was giving off. It was always so difficult guessing how someone took their coffee. The opportunities to mess it up were limitless. Belle didn't dwell too long on that, surely he'd appreciate something warm, and snapped the lid back on, she'd wasted enough time as it was.
Turning away from the cart, she let her gaze slide between the two buildings, grinning when she saw another flash of red. He was still there, probably hiding to get out of the slight wind. She took two steps towards her destination when a gruff voice halted her advance.
"Oye, Nosty! Please tell me ya got sum fuckin' shite on ya. I'm desperate."
Belle paused, the nature of the conversation not exactly screaming friendly. She strained to pick up the words of the other voice, a lower pitched, rolling brogue.
"I told ya wankers I wasn't dealing today. I ain't got time to deal with your bollocks. Piss off."
The first voice made a sound of protest before Belle heard hard footsteps slapping against the concrete towards her. With her hands full of coffee, she didn't have anything to look occupied with and merely chose to move closer to one of the buildings and look like she was waiting for someone.
A second later, a man popped out of the shadows from between the buildings and quickly moved to cross the street, not sparing a glance for Belle, or anything else for that matter. He seemed, well, jittery, for lack of a better word.
Belle glanced back towards the shadows, completely silent now, wondering if she could just, walk in there.
She took a deep breath, counting down from ten. The practice had always helped her calm herself before she gathered what small bravery she could.
Reaching one, she pulled her bravery around her like her coat and put one foot in front of the other. She'd just made it to the edge of the shadow when she looked up and found the man standing directly in front of her. She startled, nearly dropping both the coffees all over the floor.
"Oh," she stammered, "Hi there." He was even more intriguing this close up. His eyes, while still firey, are a beautiful brown and something about them drags Belle in.
His gaze flittered over her features, before trailing down her body, taking in her oversized coat and scarf and scuffed boots sticking out from beneath jeans. It felt like he was picking her apart but not in an uncomfortable way.
Belle fell silent and felt the pause stretching between them like a line. The man, Nosty as his friend had referred to him, shifted on his feet, crossing his arms in front of him.
Belle thrust out the larger coffee to him, keeping her own tucked safely against her chest. "It's quite cold today, and, I don't know, I always enjoy a warm beverage, and coffee is lovely, so I thought...maybe..." Her voice trailed off as the coffee remained, hovering in the air. Belle willed her arm to just stay still.
The air between them stood, heavy in the silence. Belle smiled, hoping not to frighten the man away. Perhaps she should say something else, she could always fall back on her words. She opened her mouth, preparing to talk about the coffee blend or something, when an arm snaked out and curled around the offered cup.
A real, brilliant smile split Belle's face. She let go of a breath she hadn't even known she was holding.
"I hope it helps keep you warm." She chirped, wishing she could've at least brushed their hands during the exchange. She paused, where did that thought come from? She shook her head, not wanting to dwell while the man himself was still in front of her.
Still smiling like a fool, she stood for another couple of seconds before turning slightly. "Well, I have to scurry off to work, but maybe I'll see you again! I've been seeing you around, well, not that I've been following you. I work down the street. Um, yes. Anyway, have a good day."
She pivoted on her heel, blush spreading across her face, why did she have to ramble like an idiot. Why couldn't she simply keep her mouth shut? It didn't matter, she guessed, he'd taken the coffee! She felt elated, and didn't want to dwell on exactly why.
Perhaps, tomorrow, she'd also bring a pastry.
Nosty stood exactly where he'd been when the bird had walked up to him. Wow, she was beautiful. Nosty had never seen such a beautiful bird. She was small, but so was he. Beautiful chestnut curls framed a perfect face with blue eyes he knew would haunt him during his next hit.
He also guessed that her body was fucking perfect. It didn't matter that it was hidden beneath a slew of winter coats, he was good at picking up on that sort of thing.
He looked down at his hand, still clutching the steaming cup. She'd bought him a coffee. A fucking cup of coffee. For a guy she didn't even fucking know. He thanked someone that she hadn't shown up when fucking Dave had shown up looking for a handout.
Nosty didn't do handouts.
He looked down again at the coffee. He didn't even want to admit how nice the warmth felt, seeping into his hand. The bird had been right, it was fucking cold today.
The coffee was just there. Taunting him with it's aroma and heat. Why should he drink it? He didn't need any help, certainly not from some wee bird.
He hadn't even been able to say anything to her. He made his living off of words and he couldn't find any when faced with a pretty face.
He was a fucking disgrace.
He moved towards the trash can in the alley, getting ready to pitch the damned cup away and tross any feelings right along with it.
At the last possible second, he stopped, holding the coffee as far as humanly possible away from him as he could. Why did this matter? It was a fucking cup of coffee.
Something about those eyes, that smile. She'd bought him this. She didn't fucking know he was a fucking low class dealer and she bought him coffee.
He slowly brought the coffee to his lips, halfway expecting it to reach out and bite him. He tilted the cup ever so slightly and let a small slip of the drink slide down his throat.
Fuck.
She'd even guessed how much sugar he liked. Not too much, not too little. And she said she hoped she'd see him again.
Fuck.