This fic was a birthday gift (back in July) for my wonderful beta annambates! But considering she is the the most wonderful person and the best beta in the entire world, she's decided to share her present with you! :) So don't forget to say THANK YOU AMB in the reviews! ********
''Robert!'' John yelled, as loudly as he could. ''RO-O-OBERT!?''
''COME ON!'' Robert called back, laughing, before grabbing his best mate's arm and pulling him toward the bar.
It was Friday night, and somehow Robert had managed to convince John to join him and some other guys from work for a drink. But what he had forgotten to mention was that they were actually going to the AMB dance club, which had opened just a few weeks earlier.
''For god's sake!'' John muttered under his breath, while being pushed from side to side by the crowd.
''What can I get you?'' Robert asked, turning to John when they finally reached the counter.
''WHAT?'' John shouted back, not having a clue what his friend had asked. The damned music was so loud that he couldn't even hear his own thoughts.
''WHA-…" Robert tried again. "Oh, the hell with it!'' he exclaimed, turning to the young waitress behind the counter and ordering two whiskeys. When they finally got their drinks, they made their way to the small table in the corner where their co-workers were already seated. They tried to have a decent conversation, but the music was simply too loud.
''Ready?'' Robert stood up, looking at John.
''Ready for what?'' John shouted, still sitting.
''For the dance floor!'' Robert grinned. His wife, Cora, was out of town, visiting one of her friends in London, so he knew what the whole weekend was going to be about – watching football, drinking, and clubbing.
''I'm OK, thanks.'' John smiled weakly. To tell the truth, he was starting to feel uncomfortable about this whole evening. He knew what Robert was trying to do, but it wasn't working. He had broken up with his long-term girlfriend, Vera, a week earlier, and even though he knew he was better off without her, all he wanted to do right now was to go home and nurse his wounds in private.
''Oh, come on, Bates! Forget about her!'' Robert chided, already dancing right next to the table. ''Look around you! There are hundreds of girls here - just pick one and make a move!'' He tried to make his friend smile, but John just wasn't in the mood.
''Maybe later,'' John shouted back, and gestured to Robert to go on to the dance floor without him.
''I'm too old for this, anyway,'' he muttered, taking the last sip of his drink before standing up.
He was only in his early thirties, but the whole Vera thing had really shaken him up. They had been together, on and off, for the last 10 years, and even though things had never been ideal between them, she had been a fixture in his life for a long time. But finding out that she had been cheating on him since the very beginning had been reason enough for him to move out of their flat and end their relationship immediately. Although he knew it was for the best, he still felt a bit shaky, as if the rug had been pulled out from under him.
''Excuse me, exc-…'' He tried to make his way toward the loo, but it was not an easy endeavour. The AMB club was packed with people dancing and drinking, and he knew he had no right to be angry with them. They were just having a bit of fun, and it wasn't their fault that he'd felt like a complete loser for the last few days.
He spent the next few minutes stuck between a couple of girls who were grinding all over him, before he finally managed to reach the men's toilets. Pulling the door open and stepping inside, the acrid odour of fresh vomit invaded his nostrils.
''For god's sake,'' he muttered, covering his nose and mouth. He really was too old for this, he thought to himself, moving to step back into the hall. But as he pushed the door open, he felt something, or rather someone, collide with it.
''Shit! Ouch! That hurt!'' he heard from the hallway. Peering worriedly behind the door, he saw a lovely young woman with long blonde hair sitting on the floor, clutching her nose.
''Oh god, are you all right? I'm sorry, I didn't see you there,'' he apologized, and knelt down next to her. ''Here...'' he said, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket.
''Thanks,'' she answered, and finally looked up at him, locking her eyes with his and causing his heart to skip a beat.
''Is it bad?'' she asked as he helped her stand up, tentatively lifting the handkerchief from her face.
''Ummm…'' John searched for words, but none came. Although half of her face was spattered with blood from her nose, he had to admit to himself that she was absolutely gorgeous.
''What?'' she asked, when she saw him staring at her silently.
''I think…uh...you're bleeding,'' he managed to say.
''What?'' She looked down and saw drops of blood on her dress. ''Oh god, I'm really bleeding.''
''Umm...OK - don't panic - it's going to be all right. I'll fix it.'' John finally pulled himself together. ''Come here.'' He took her by her elbow, and was about to pull her into the men's restroom, when he remembered that it was covered in vomit.
''We can't go in there,'' he said, turning away from the door.
''Why not?''
''Trust me, we just can't.'' He smiled weakly, but before he was able to say more, she had pulled him into the ladies'.
''Ummm, I don't think I should be here,'' John looked around nervously as the door behind him closed. The loo was empty, but somehow it felt wrong for him to be there. At least it smelled better than the men's, he thought to himself.
''Oh god!'' Her voice brought him back to the present. She was standing in front of the mirrors, checking her face.
''OK, let me take a look.'' John said, and stepped in front her. Taking her face in his hands, he started to examine her nose, which gave her the chance to finally look at him properly. He was rather good-looking, she thought to herself - dark hair, hazel eyes, lips turned up into the slightest of smiles, a light stubble spread across his handsome face.
''I don't think it's broken,'' he said gently.
''Are you sure?''
''Yes…but we'll need something to stop the bleeding,'' he replied, and turned around, only to discover there were no paper towels by the sinks. ''Oh...hmm…'' He stepped back and tried to think of another solution.
It took her only a moment to figure out what he was looking for. Unzipping her little black purse, she pulled something out of it. ''Here, use this.''
''Wh-…?'' He turned around, and saw her offering a small packet. ''Ohh, good idea,'' he chuckled softly, making Anna's knees buckle. He really was handsome.
''So...are you some kind of a doctor?'' she smiled, as he pulled one of the tampons out of the packet, and tilted her head to the side, to get a better look at her nose.
''Well…yes. Yes, I am.'' He smiled at her.
''Really?''
''Really.''
''What kind?''
''This is going to sting a little,'' he warned her, without answering.
''All right.'' She closed her eyes and waited, but nothing happened.
''All done.'' He had been so gentle and quick that she hadn't felt a thing. ''The tampon should stop the bleeding in a couple of minutes,'' he added, dampening the clean part of the handkerchief and using it to wipe the blood from her face before disposing of it in the bin. He turned to wash his hands.
''Thank you.''
''And once again, I'm very sorry.'' He turned to face her again. ''I didn't see you behind the door.''
''That's OK.'' She leaned back against the wall. ''You've made it better, so we're fine. I'm Anna, by the way.'' She offered him her hand, and gave him the most beautiful smile John had ever seen.
''I…I'm John,'' he stuttered, and took her hand, forgetting that his own was still wet. ''Oh, sorry...shit. Umm, oh god.'' He tried to shake the water off of his hand, feeling his cheeks burning. What was happening to him, he thought to himself, suddenly feeling like an awkward, hormonal teenager.
''That's OK,'' she laughed. Walking into one of the stalls, she found a roll of toilet paper and handed it to him. ''Here - this one looks dry enough.'' Even though this restroom looked better than the men's, it was still a complete mess.
''Thanks.'' He smiled, and wiped his wet hands on the paper. ''So, how can I make this up to you?''
''How about you buy me a drink?'' she asked confidently. He looked safe enough, she considered. And he had definitely shown more concern about their little accident than most of the other men in the club would have...combined.
''I can do that.'' He smiled. ''But are you sure you want to go back out there with a tampon in your nose?'' he added, when she started walking toward the door.
''Oh, right.'' She laughed, and he couldn't help but join in. My god, she was even more beautiful with a smile on her face.
''So...you didn't answer my question earlier.'' She walked back and leaned against the sink, right next to him.
''What question was that?''
''What kind of a doctor are you?''
''Ummm…'' he chuckled, ''I'm an obstetrician-gynaecologist.''
''Ohh, that explains it.'' Anna crossed her arms on her chest.
''Explains what?'' He frowned, not understanding.
''Your ability to talk about tampons without sweating at all.'' She laughed. The only man she'd ever known who had no problem talking about periods and things like that was her gay friend, Thomas. All of her old boyfriends and her other male friends practically ran out of the room at the first mention of so-called "ladies' problems."
''Do you think that's odd?''
''No.'' She shook her head. ''It's good to know that there are guys out there who can discuss the subject maturely.'' He laughed.
''So, Anna...what do you do?''
''Nothing special, really. I own a small bakery, just around the corner, with my…''
''You mean you're the one who makes the star-shaped cookies that I've been eating almost every morning for the last five years?'' he interrupted with an excited grin. He stopped by that bakery each day on his way to work.
She nodded, and couldn't help laughing, seeing him so pleased about her cookies. ''They're called Anna's Stars,'' she pointed out.
''That's right! Anna's Stars…oh, you're Anna!'' It had finally clicked. ''Well, I have to tell you, they are delicious.''
''Thank you. I use my granny's recipe, and…''
The door opened, and a voice made both of them jump.
''Anna?! Ann-…!? Oh, here you are!" a tipsy young woman exclaimed, then leaned forward and examined Anna's face. "What's that in your nose? Wait - is that a tampon?! What on earth...?" She turned and noticed John. " And…what is he doing in here?''
''It's a long story, Gwen,'' Anna sighed, smiling at her intoxicated friend. ''I'll tell you tomorrow.''
''All right, I'm probably too drunk to understand any of it now anyway.'' Gwen giggled uncontrollably. ''Why did I even come in here?'' she asked under her breath, wobbling in place.
''To go to the loo, maybe?'' Anna suggested.
''Noooo…oh, oh, oh, Daisy sent me to find you, and tell you that we're going to her place!''
''Oh…umm…'' Truth to be told, for some reason she didn't want to leave just yet. It felt right to be with John, even though she had only known him for about 20 minutes. ''Actually, you go ahead. This gentleman here owes me a drink.'' She tilted her head in John's direction and smiled.
..:AMB:..
After the bleeding had finally stopped and the tampon had been removed from her nose, they made their way back into the club, where Anna somehow got John to relax and enjoy the night out. She even managed to drag him onto the dance floor, and was pleasantly surprised at his moves.
Some time after midnight, Robert located John, saying that he and the others were leaving, his eyes widening just a bit when he saw that John was with Anna. When John indicated that he would stay a bit longer, Robert smirked, but didn't argue, and left with a wink at his friend and a not-so-subtle nudge in his side.
It was almost three in the morning when they finally left the club.
''You sure love to dance!'' John laughed, buttoning up his winter coat. He had never been much of a dancer, and could not believe that she had managed to get him to spend hours on the dance floor.
''I do,'' she giggled. ''But you have to admit that you had fun, right?!''
''Yes, I did,'' he nodded, putting his hands into his coat pockets. It was freezing outside, and suddenly he noticed her shiver slightly in her knee-length blue dress and thin white coat.
''Here,'' he said, and before she could protest, he had already unbuttoned his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.
''Joh-…''
''Shh, I'll be all right.'' He smiled at her softly. He was freezing, but if his mother had taught him anything, it was to be a gentleman, no matter the situation. They'd only known each other for a few hours, but it felt so good to be with her. She made him forget all of his worries, and he felt relaxed simply being in her company.
''Are you hungry?'' she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.
''Well, now that you mention it...'' he smiled, shrugging his shoulders. She took his hand and pulled him down the street.
''Where are we going?'' he asked after a bit.
''You'll see.'' She flashed him a cheeky grin.
They turned the corner and walked in silence for a couple more minutes. When they approached a familiar building, John finally realized where was she taking him. Pulling a set of keys out of her purse, she unlocked the back door and invited him in.
''Welcome,'' she said, flipping the light on and locking the door behind him. They were standing in the middle of the kitchen of her bakery, and John could swear it smelled like heaven.
''What are we doing here?'' he asked, while she took both coats off and put them on the chair in the corner of the room.
''You said that you're hungry.'' She smiled sweetly and pulled two aprons out of a drawer. ''So here we are.''
''Well, I thought you were thinking about the kebab place next to the pub,'' he teased.
''Oh, shush!'' she giggled. ''And put this on.'' She tossed him one of the frilly aprons, which was covered with a delicate daisy print.
''All right.'' John chuckled to himself and tied the apron on.
''Bring that bowl over here, please. We're going to bake some Anna's Stars!'' she said playfully, washing her hands.
The next two hours were the best hours of John's life. They talked and joked about anything and everything. While Anna was making the dough, John did his best to pitch in, but ended up making more of a mess than helping.
''OK, it's done!'' Anna beamed, wiping her hands on a towel. ''But I'll need some help with the filling.''
''Sure.'' John was by her side immediately. Standing very slightly behind her, he could not help but smile, noticing how tiny she appeared next to him. She had removed her high heels while making the dough, emphasizing their height difference even more.
John marvelled at the night's turn of events. He'd begun the evening feeling miserable and alone, and now he was in his favourite bakery, baking his favourite cookies with the most wonderful woman he'd ever met. Anna was smart, beautiful, and kind, and he caught himself staring at her lips, wondering how they would taste.
''What can I do?'' he asked. He was so close that he could smell what remained of her perfume. My god, she smelled good.
''You roll the dough and cut the stars, using this.'' She smiled and pointed to the star-shaped cutter resting on the counter.
''All right, I can do that.'' He smiled, his face covered in flour. ''What's so funny?''
''You have flour all over your face,'' she giggled, throwing him a towel.
''Well, I'm baking...aren't you supposed to get dirty while baking?'' Great, John - saying things like "get dirty" will make her interested in you for sure, he scolded himself quietly, but all she did was laugh.
''Just roll the dough,'' she chuckled.
After all the stars had been cut and filled, Anna gave John the honour of putting them into the oven. ''Nice work, mister!'' she said, as they knelt down and looked through the oven window.
''Well, I had a good teacher,'' he joked, and locked eyes with hers. She had the loveliest blue eyes he had ever seen in his entire life, he thought to himself.
Unbeknownst to John, Anna was thinking along the same lines. My god, he was even more perfect than she had thought when they met - handsome, funny, caring...and he had the most soulful hazel eyes. How could a guy like this still be single?
''You certainly did,'' she laughed, breaking the silence. ''Would you mind making some cocoa, while I clean this mess up?''
''Shouldn't I be the one cleaning up?'' John asked, walking around the counter.
''Perhaps, but I'd really like some cocoa, and I'm dreadful at making it. Please.'' She pretended to pout very slightly, but she really didn't really have to ask him twice. Somewhere deep inside, he knew that he would do anything she could possibly ask him to do.
''Sure. Just point me in the direction of the ingredients.''
''Thank you!'' She practically hopped up and down, and pointed to the highest shelf by the fridge.
It took him only a few minutes before he joined her back at the counter with a mug of cocoa in each hand.
''Here you go.'' He handed her one of the mugs. ''Are the stars done yet?'' he asked. "I'm famished!"
''Almost. Thank you,'' she said, hoisting herself up to sit on the counter.
''Won't you try the cocoa?'' he asked, when he saw her staring at him.
''Ye-…, yes.'' She nodded, wishing that she could forget about the cocoa, and simply kiss him. Feeling self-conscious, she took a quick swallow. ''Ahhgh…'' she spluttered, wincing slightly.
''What? Not good?'' John shifted nervously. He had done his best, but apparently the cocoa wasn't as good as he thought it would be. ''Sorry.''
''No, no...it's good. Just a little hot.''
''Hot? Yeah, it is, isn't it?'' he whispered. The atmosphere between them shifted immediately. Taking the mug out of her hand, he set both drinks on the counter, and moved to stand between her legs.
''I think I've burnt my tongue...'' she managed to say, watching him slowly move closer to her. Oh god, he smelled so good, she thought to herself as he neared, her eyes half-lidded.
''I think I can help you with that.'' He smiled, and as gently as he was able, closed the gap between them. Kissing Anna was even better he had imagined. She had the softest lips he had ever kissed, and he could feel her hands locking around his neck. Resting his hands around her waist, he pulled her closer and was pleasantly surprised when he felt her tongue touch his lips.
They lost all track of time and place as they revelled in the taste and feel of each other, until they were both gasping for breath.
''Better?'' he asked, pulling away, noticing her red, swollen lips with a smile.
''Umm…'' she let out the breath that she didn't know she had been holding. ''Yes, much, much better, Dr…'' She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him.
''Bates…but please call me John,'' he rasped, before once again covering her mouth with his, their hunger for each other making both of them completely forget about their earlier hunger for Anna's Stars.
~THE END~
Thank you for reading! Let us know what you think in review! :)**