Author's note: Written for my bestie writingbutunpublished. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but I just now got around to writing it. Oops!

Happy reading!

Just Browsing

A Jemma One Shot

The first time Julian saw her she was fixing the display of new releases right by the door. She greeted him with a smile and a hello. Jules responded in kind, but paused when the full impact of her beauty hit him. Her eyes were the color of the sea and her dark hair framed her perfect face.

Looking down, he saw that her name tag read "Emma."

Jules didn't realize anyone could have a favorite name, but as soon as he saw it attached to her Emma became his favorite.

Julian gave his coffee order to the barista and then took a seat with his sketch pad. His pencil flew across the page as he drew every detail of Emma's hands as they carefully stacked and adjusted each book. Her face was stuck in concentration as she made sure to place them all perfectly.

His coffee was cold when his alarm went off to signal that he need to head home for supper.

Emma bid him farewell as he walked past her. He smiled and waved awkwardly.

The second time he saw her, four days later because the nanny was sick and Julian needed to help her out, Emma was behind the counter checking out several customers. There was a rush and she was the only cashier. He ordered a coffee, but instead of taking a seat in the cafe, he headed toward the section of art books.

He picked one at random, barely checking the price. Heading up to the counter, he noticed a second cashier had appeared to lighten the load. Not sure he'd get in Emma's line, he dropped the book on a side shelf and returned to his seat in the cafe. This time he drew her eyes, redrawing them several times trying to get them just right. He never could quite make them look the same as they did on Emma's gorgeous face.

Julian walked in one Saturday late in the morning. His parents were home for once and the nanny had the day off. He was off the hook with any form of child care. And he planned to take the entire day to draw Emma. If she was even in the book store.

Unfortunately, of the familiar faces he'd seen in his previous visits, none were Emma. He made his normal coffee order before taking his usual seat. There wasn't nearly anything as interesting as Emma to sketch, so he kept his pad closed and sat back to watch the customers.

And then she came in. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a low ponytail. She waved to her coworkers and then walked to the café. She leaned over the counter and joked with the barista as he made her a coffee. She hadn't even needed to order.

After she took the cup, she turned and locked eyes with Jules.

His mouth went dry as she made a beeline for his table. Emma pulled out the opposite chair and sat down like they were old friends meeting for a coffee.

"Hello." Jules managed to say.

Emma smiled. "Good to see you." She sipped her coffee and scrawled along the tabletop with the tip of her finger.

"Uh, you too." He said, taking a long drink from his now cold coffee.

"My name's Emma. But I figure you already know that." She leaned forward a bit. "And you are…?"

"Julian." He answered. "Nice to officially meet you."

She laughed. "So what do you do here every night?"

"Nothing much." He slid the sketchpad into his bag and leaned forward. "Just draw the world around me."

She nodded. "Fair enough." Standing, Emma said, "Want to browse?"

Jules hoped that his heart wasn't pounding loud enough for her to hear as he picked up his things and followed her around the shop.