Sonny was always busy. A little part of his brain was suggesting he calm down a little as a lot of this work came from his over-enthusiasm. If he could be productive in his sleep he would be.
He took night classes at the local college, after a day spent managing his co-owned coffee-house, went to his gym or to the climbing club, and spent time with his extended family. For instance, he regularly helped his cousin fill her tax report for her small hairdresser shop. His economic classes were put to use here, along with his own experience. The problem was, Abby relied on him a lot. Maybe he could find a book that would explain it clearly and she could be more independent. Sonny was all for helping his loved one, but he also valued becoming your own man, or in that case, woman.
So here he was, roaming the bookshop. He had never entered this one before. He usually bought second-hand books or ordered online. But here he wanted to browse a little, so as to find the one that would befit Abby. She was bright and personable but complex paperwork were not her forte.
There were very few customers around at this hour and even fewer clerks. Right now, Sonny had managed to get completely lost. He had reached the kid's section when he thought he was headed for the documentaries. He took a flight of stairs and found a hidden level, halfway to the first floor, about spirituality. There was no map on the wall and he was now pretty sure he'd been through the art section already. The place was a maze of epic proportions. He sighed and paused, opening a book at random.
"Ah, Van Gogh. The guy was raving mad. Do you know he cut his own ear to give to his mistress?" Sonny gave a start and slowly turned around. In front of him stood his salvation. A man wearing a jacket with the bookshop's name. And a name-tag that said Will. And blue eyes that looked like a door to the heavens. For a few seconds, Sonny was at loss and that never happened to him. He was a people person, always ready with a come-back or a conversation-starter. Also, he had no idea why the clerk was talking about Van Gogh. Sonny had seen a few of the man's paintings in a museum in South France and they were astounding and he did know about the ear-business, but why...
Oh, wait, the book in his hands. Of course! So he should answer the guy, then explain what he was really looking for, but there was a huge problem as his throat was constricted and he was pretty sure he hadn't eaten peanuts recently. The clerk... Will... was standing politely with a welcoming smile that surely didn't contain the hinge of a smirk that Sonny was seeing. After an awkward minute, which allowed Sonny's heartbeat to slow down to a more comfortable rhythm, the other man gave a little nod and started walking away.
"Hum, wait, sorry! Could help me please?" Now the smirk was even more noticeable, so Sony hurried up "I'm a little lost here. I'm looking for the economy section." The smile widened and the eyes twinkled and Sonny really had to focus to listen to his reply "Oh, okay! It's true that the layout is puzzling at first, but there's a trick..." He walked to Sonny's side, threatening his oxygen supply even more and pointed to a ramp in the middle of the shelve. On it were painted arrows with little drawings on each one. There was one with someone in a yoga posture that pointed to where he had just came from and another with two kids reading, in total there was eight of them. Strangely the drawings were enough to get what section they stood for. Sonny raised his head again, a thank you on his lips, along with a request for further help. It didn't come out at all, though. They stood facing each other and now new details were etching in Sonny's captivated brain. The way locks of dirty-blond hair were escaping and framing the slender face. Or how nicely he filled the store's uniform, especially in the chest area. And how adorable the man looked with one of his eyebrow raised high.
Sonny gulped a few times until he finally found enough voice to go on with "Thanks... Sorry..." He walked past Will, brushing against his shoulder, feeling a shiver go through him at the touch. Why had he said 'Sorry'? It was the guy's job description to help and he had been very nice about it. Maybe Sonny felt self-conscious for eyeing the man like that. Or disappointed as his own sudden ineptitude for social interaction.
Once he had understood the arrow system, he found the correct shelf in record time. He looked across his shoulder, just in case, but he was on his own. He browsed for a while, putting aside the books that seemed promising. It soon became a tall pile, so he looked hard at it, as if he could get it to behave and reveal the correct book to purchase.
"Hello, again. I can't help to notice you seem stuck. I'd be glad to be of assistance." This time Sonny was more prepared. He didn't try to be witty or flirty, instead choosing to focus on business. He explained the matter. Will looked thoughtful for a moment and God! Sonny wanted to kiss him. Feel his soft skin underneath his lips, see if pleasure could cloud the pure waters of these damn blue eyes...
Oh shit, what was he saying? "I'd recommend this one. It's not as exhaustive as the other but it's step by step and very clear." Sonny nodded in a dumb way and looked at the book to figure which one he had agreed on. Will wasn't pointing at anything so Sonny gave him a helpless look. A shadow crossed the clerk's face for a second, then he grabbed the right book.
"Sir, it seems the cashier is still on his lunch break so I'll ring you up." Sonny took out his wallet and racked his memory for all that he had forgotten to say. He managed to talk louder and even looking in the man's direction "Thank you so much. You've been very helpful. Have a good day" "You too, sir."
Here he was, standing in the street, having passed a hidden door that Will had pointed to. The whole experience felt like a dream but the book was real in his arm, so he put it in his bag and went to the parking-lot.
Two days later, Sonny was wiping cups at the counter. He had freed his evening by giving the tax book to Abby who had texted him she had it all under control now and she owed him, maybe dinner soon. He just had to wait for the evening shift to turn up, check out every inch of the coffee-house as he always did and then he could do what he wanted. He wondered idly if the bookshop was still open at this hour...
But he didn't go. A voice startled him, leading to a broken cup and a bruised ego. "Hello, I'd like to order." The same voice. The same crystal blue eyes. No trace of a smirk though and the smile was shy. The man's eyes traveled to his chest and Sonny felt pleasantly flustered and a little weirded out.
"How are you doing... Son-ny?" Oh right, his own name-tag. Now they knew each other's first name. Sonny grinned, feeling more in his element. "I'm fine, thanks. And you?"
The smile almost disappeared. Somehow Will's voice had gotten to whispering level. Sonny listened acutely "... gooonadatewithme?" He didn't reply at once, lost in the contemplation of the very interesting shade of reds displaying on the alabaster skin. Plus he wasn't certain he had heard right. He did want him to repeat but not scare him so he avoided the 'I beg your pardon'. Instead he took the risk of answering "I would love to. If I heard you right that is..." Will's eyes met his and gave him his answer.
They grinned, and grinned, until Sonny shook himself and took action. He scribbled his number on a napkin and drew a winking face next to his name. Then he asked louder "So, what would you like to order?" Will started with "Humm... Just coffee black, no sugar." Then let his tone drop "... and a dinner at your place would be awesome."
So, Sonny's evening got filled after all. He was putting the finishing touch to his pesto when he heard a knock at the door. Here stood Will with a book in his hand. "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't bring an ear but I'm very squeamish. So I just bought you the book with the painting." Sonny chuckled and told him about the museum where he had beheld the original. Then he admitted to having pick the book itself at random, just to feel less dumb about getting lost. It was Will's turn to chuckle and it was too adorable for words and Sonny just had to kiss him.
And that's how Sonny and Will never paid full price for a book or coffee again.
AN: OK repeat after me : this is a one-shot. I'm not continuing this. but do feel free to review, you know how that makes my day guys!