"Connor, come on. Let's go." Abby Maitland sighed, bored.
"Five more minutes, Abby, please." They'd been at the comic book shop an hour and a half already. She regretted caving to the boyish enthusiasm in Connor's appeals to "pop by the shop for just a quick look" on their way home from their work in the Anomaly Research Center. "Look about for a bit; I swear I'm almost done."
"I have looked, Connor. I looked at everything and then I looked again. Then I picked out a few gifts for my brother. Then, to give you a bit more time, i even called him for chat." Connor finally looked up, seeing the bag in her hand bearing the shop's caterpillar logo. He also noticed the annoyed expression on her face. "You've been 'almost done' for twenty minutes. I'm hungry and its time for tea."
"Right, sorry. Let's be off then, eh?" Gathering the stack of comics he had selected, he turned towards the queue to check out. One of the shop's owners hailed Connor, waving him over to see the newest Star Trek merchandise just in that day. He turned to Abby and she could see he was torn. He was loathe to annoy or disappoint Abby, but working with the anomalies didn't leave as much time for his other hobbies. Abby knew he missed pursuing his more nerdy interests so, impatient as she was, she nodded with only a tiny sigh of exasperation. "Go on then. Ten more minutes. I'll wait outside."
His engaging grin almost drew a laugh from her as he clasped her by the shoulders. "Thank you, Abby, you're a love. I'll be quick as a rabbit, promise." Connor thew a glance over her shoulder, out the shop window. The day was quite gray, rain in the forecast as it often was for London, but since they'd left the ARC the temperature had fallen and the moisture in the air was starting to crystallize into fine, white flakes.
"Oh. Here. Better have this on you." Releasing her, he unwound the scarf around his neck and looped it around hers. When it was knotted securely, snug up under her chin, he gave her another smile and strode off.
She fingered the scarf as she made for the door. He really could be quite considerate and chivalrous when he thought of it. And didn't overthink it. Abby glanced at his retreating back and noticed the hair around his nape was now unkempt, fluffed out at odd angles. She realized she couldn't remember seeing him without his scarf. Obviously he couldn't have worn a scarf every day, but if she were to close her eyes and summon up a mental picture of the man it would come complete with a scarf and the fingerless gloves he favored. It seemed he was never without a scarf 'round his neck if he could help it. Yet, he'd taken it off… for her.
As she stepped outside into the frigid air and falling snow, she burrowed down into its folds. It held the warmth of his body and as she breathed in his scent from the red cloth, she was happy to have the soft cloth to hide her involuntary, and slightly foolish, grin.