Of Books and Coffee
Gajeel stared out the coffee shop window. The moving van that was unloading boxes of various sizes into the newly bought shop next door was blocking his perfectly good view of the high street.
He sincerely hoped that the new owner of the store wouldn't be some cranky old geezer who complained about the teenagers that constantly came to his coffee shop. That was the last thing he needed. After his good friend Juvia, who had owned the shop next door, had decided to move with her "precious boyfriend" to the inner city, he had been internally begging for a decent new tenant. He snorted. What a great start to the week. And he still had to open up the shop.
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"Alright Jet! That's the last of the boxes, thanks again for all your help!"
Levy high five her best friend as he drove his moving van away from her new store. Well. It wasn't nearly ready to be opened yet but she wasn't going to waste time. As she turned to enter her new, own little place, she noticed the coffee shop next door.
She looked up at the name proudly emblazoned above the door.
" 'Redfox Coffee', huh..."
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Gajeel was stupified. He realized that the truck wasn't just blocking his view of the High Street but of an angel he was pretty sure belonged in heaven. Oh man, she was gorgeous. She was the new owner? Why on earth did such a magnificent creature even think about owning something as simple as a book store? Her hair was a ocean of color as it sat around her petite shoulders. She took of her cute red-rimmed glasses and her beautiful big brown eyes were even brighter than before. She was quite short, almost pixie-like. Her chest wasn't massive but it was decent. She may not be as voluptuous as his cousin's girlfriend, Lucy, but you could see that she was definitely a woman...and he didn't even let his mind wander to her fantastically built hips and behind...
Oh man...He needed a customer, a form of distraction, anything, and soon. And there was still an hour to opening time.
Shit.
Just then he saw her turn and look at the sign of his coffee shop. Oh boy. He quickly busied himself with the nearest task he could find to get his mind off that gorgeous new shop owner...
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Levy sighed eight hours later when she had almost half of the books up on the baby-blue colored shelves. She needed to invest in a ladder. The half of the books that were up were only on the shelves to where she could reach. She knew she was small, but these shelves really seemed to be rubbing it in.
She took a deep breath. She needed some coffee. Being up since the crack of dawn was starting to get to her.
Time to go meet the neighbours.
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One thing was for certain, the owner of the coffee shop did not belong there. He belonged in some pro-sports arena. Or an army base as a commander. Yeah...
Levy gulped. She was not ready to order coffee from that tall, handsome hunk behind the counter...
Luckily there were a couple of people in front of her, so she had time to stare a bit more.
His eyes were the first thing she properly noticed. They were red, and so harsh..yet soft at the same time. His piercings were the next thing to catch her attention. He had more that some of the more...alternative... girls at her college! But mama...she bit her lip, they sure added to his overall attraction. The next thing she saw was his hair. Black and sleek and tied in a low pont just near his neck. She didn't know many men who could pull off having long hair but this guy was rapidly making his way to the top of the list.
"Thanks Gajeel!"
"Anytime Wendy."
Dang...Even his voice was sexy...Levy was brought out if her daze just in time to realize it was her turn.
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Gajeel could hardly keep still. The new bookshop owner was the last customer of the day and that meant he didn't have the distraction of the next person to serve.
"Hey, what can I get you?" He was surprised his voice didn't shake.
"Uhhh..." She bit her lip while looking at the menu above his head.
His eyes wandered to her lips. That perfect red, that plump softness...
"I'll take a Caramel Macch-Macchiato?" Her lips cutely worded, and he managed to actually pay attention and get the order right. If this continued he would need to have quite a few slaps from Lily.
"Sure thing, Shrimp."
Oh crud.
He tried to cover up his familiarity with her by yelling her order to his partner, Pantherlily.
"Lil', I need one caramel macchiato."
The woman in front of him giggled.
"Did you really just call me Shrimp?" she asked half amused, half indignant.
He literally felt his ear tips go red.
"Uh..yeah...seemed appropriate for your size..."He mumbled, fiddling with the edge of the counter.
She giggled again. Damn, her laugh was angelic...
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Levy mentally berated herself. Keep it cool...the nickname didn't mean anything...just introduce yourself, get the coffee, get back to unpacking books...
She extended a hand over the counter.
"Levy McGarden" She said smiling, "I've just moved into the shop next to yours. I needed some coffee after unpacking some of the books and it seemed a perfect time to introduce myself to my neighbours."
The man across the counter took her hand and shook it firmly.
"Gajeel Redfox. Welcome to the area."
She did it! She actually introduced herself to this...this absolutely stunning hunk of a man...
" One Caramel Macchiato for our last customer of the day!
The man he had called...'Lil'? interrupted her entirely inappropriate thoughts and he handed over her coffee to the man she now knew as Gajeel Redfox..
"How much will that be?" she asked, taking out her purse.
"Nah, don't worry about it. First one's on the house."
She looked pleasantly surprised before laughing lightly.
"Thanks Mr Redfox!"
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He laughed. He had never been called Mr Redfox in his entire life.
"Nah, Shrimp, just call me Gajeel."
"Well then thanks, Gajeel" She smiled and walked to the door.
"Wait," he called to her, "I should be done with all the admin for today in about an hour..." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "If you want I can help you unpack some more books?"
She smirked, "on one condition," She took a sip of her coffee, "I can come back for another one of these tomorrow."
He smirked at her forwardness.
"Deal."
Hey guys...
Just thought that in honor of the canon last week Monday, a oneshot was in order.
Hope you all like it!
Love Rusu-Chan the Scarlet Fairy