The first time he had seen her it was a Friday, mid morning. She'd come in to the play cafe where he worked with a small blonde boy who Jack guessed was no older than four.
Jack had smiled when she took a seat and angled the chair so that she could watch the youngster as he ran and climbed on the play equipment. He'd laughed when the boy's eyes widened at the sight of the large ball pit. Within seconds the boy had dived into the ball pit and had thrown the plastic balls around the area.
She had pulled out her camera to snap some photo's of the boy while he ran around. His arms had been out wide and he'd made aeroplane noises. His loud antics had earned him the curious stares of the other children, but the youngster had remained oblivious and had continued to play.
Jack had gone to take her order. His eyes had lingered a little bit longer on her than they should have. He couldn't help notice that she was incredibly beautiful with long, light blonde hair which she had worn pulled back in a high ponytail, beautiful blue eyes and her skin was so fair with only the faintest trace of freckles that dotted her cute face. He couldn't help feeling like a bit of a perv when he realised that his eyes had glanced over her slender figure. His mind had automatically pictured what it would feel like to hold her in his arms and to trace his arms over the curves of her body before he leaned in to place a soft kiss on her plum-coloured lips.
While he had written down her order, a man had arrived and had taken the seat next to her. Jack's eyes had flicked to the man who was 6"2 with a solid build. His hair colour and nose matched that of the small boy. He was clearly the father of the child. Silently, Jack had prayed that the disappointment he felt was not evident on his face.
Instead, he had scribbled down the man's order. The man's arrival had been enough to distract the energetic boy who had abandoned his post on the play equipment and had charged towards the table at an alarmingly fast pace. His arms had been outreached and he'd eagerly climbed on the man and had bounced around on his lap while he'd repeatedly cried 'Daddy'.
At the sign of family bonding, Jack had taken his leave and had returned to the counter to hand the order form to the chef. He had busied himself and had organised the family's drinks so that he could deliver them.
"Talk about a sprightly little ankle-biter, a gruff Australian accent had said, which had made him jump.
Jack had simply nodded in agreement. His Australian colleague was annoying, but he also knew him far too well. If he had dared say anything then Aster would have picked up on it. The last thing he had wanted was to be teased for having been smitten by a young mother who was clearly part of a happy family.
Luckily, the chef had been quick to prepare the family's order. Jack had excused himself to take the order to the family's table. The woman had called for the boy, who had paused before he'd raced over to her. His little eyes had gone wide and he had proceeded to shovel the chicken nuggets into his mouth in a pace that could only mean he'd be experiencing indigestion at a later time. Jack had shook his head and chuckled while the mother had tried to remind the boy to sit on the chair and to eat slower.
The next day the family had come in again.
They had arrived at the same time as the previous day and had taken the same table. Jack had laughed when he'd watch the woman try to hold the energetic boy still long enough to wipe his nose. The instant that she had released the boy, he had made a run for it. He'd raced to the play equipment and had climbed onto the slippery dip before he'd announced that he was a pirate who had to walk the plank.
Again, Jack had taken their order. The father had ordered a coffee and there was noticeable bags under his eyes. He had muttered something about having to walk their dog before he left for the hospital.
Jack had resisted the urge to groan when he had walked away. Not only was the man taller than he was and built like a mountain man, but he was apparently a doctor. He had remembered thinking that the father could not only kick his ass for staring at his beautiful wife, but he would then be able to tend to the wounds before he repeated the process.
He'd been extra careful when he had walked back to their table. After placing their order down, he had noticed that they boy had been given a healthier lunch today- a carton of milk and one of the chef's freshly made quiches. The woman had caught him eyeing off the order and had told him that the chicken nuggets had made the boy hyperactive, which had resulted in him taking longer to settle for his nap.
The third day they had come in and had been forced to find another table.
Another family had claimed the table which they had sat at the previous two days, which had forced them to take a table a bit further away from the play equipment. Jack had laughed when the small boy raced through the tables, ignoring his father who had cried for him to slow down. Once he had reached the play area he had moved towards the rocking horse and had climbed on it while he'd proceeded to do his best impression of a cowboy.
Once again, Jack had gone to take the family's order. Both parents had ordered a coffee and the lack of sleep was evident.
"I see that your family is here again. You have to stop looking at her, mate. She is not single and her partner looks like he could easily knock you into the next state," Aster had said after he had crept behind Jack.
Jack had turned to ask him how he had known that he found the woman beautiful. Before he could ask, he had noticed the flash of purple and black hair that had poked out from the window of the kitchen and had sighed. Of course, it had been Tia 'Tooth' Fisher. She had the uncanny knack for noticing those sort of things. Tooth had caught his eye and had given him a warm smile, which he had returned. Tooth was known for having a having a heart of gold and was like a second mother to him.
Balancing the family's order, he had walked towards the table. This time the woman had ordered a slice of chocolate cake for herself and a chicken salad for the boy. Jack couldn't help but fear for her. He had once been a young boy and there was no chance that he would have wanted to eat a salad. Heck, he struggled to make healthy food choices as a 25-year-old adult.
The woman had smiled at him while he had placed the order down and had thanked him in her soft voice. He had found himself wishing that he could hear her voice some more. Instead, he had looked at the cake and had told her that it is good to treat oneself. She had grinned at him and had opened her mouth to speak, but had been cut off by her partner, who had returned with their squirming son.
Jack had backed away slowly while the boy had let rip with an almighty temper tantrum in protest of the salad. The woman had blushed and had nodded apologetically to the other families while her partner had taken the squealing boy outside.
A few minutes later and the father and son had returned. The boy was considerably quieter and the father had looked exhausted.
"Little tacker doesn't like the rabbit food," Aster had pointed out as Jack returned to his spot behind the counter.
"Did you like salad when you were his age?" Jack had shot back. "Especially when you can smell all the yummy unhealthy food around you?"
"Point taken," Aster had replied before he'd excused himself to clean tables.
The fourth day the family had visited they managed to snare the table they had sat at for the first two visits.
Jack noticed that the woman looked absolutely exhausted. She had walked in balancing the small boy on one hip and a large teddy bear on the other hip. She had dropped the bear in order to gently place the boy down and his voice had called out in protest.
"No drop teddy!" he had shrieked while he'd pointed at the stuffed toy on the floor.
The tired mum had sighed before she had bent down to pick the bear up. She had brushed it off and sat it on the empty chair. He had noticed the relief on her face when her partner had entered.
The boy had raced straight into the ball pit. He had announced himself to be a shark before he'd begun to chase the other children. The sounds of children's laughter and shrieks had filled the cafe while the kids in the ball pit struggled to escape the jaws of the shark-boy.
Jack had laughed while he'd watched the boy. He had been unable to deny that he admired the child for his imagination. The small child had become quite the topic of interest amongst his colleagues. Most of them agreed that while the boy was no doubt exhausting, he was also a sweet child with a joy for life.
He had walked out to take the family's order and had stifled a laugh when both the woman and her partner had ordered a strong espresso.
"Thinking you may have dodged a bullet with that one, mate. That boy is exhausting," Aster had said before he'd directed Jack's gaze to the sight of the small boy who had started to jump on his dad's lap while he demanded for the man to play 'rocket ship' with him.
Jack's eyes had welled up when he'd watched the exhausted man stand and lift the boy up and over his head. The child had shrieked with joy each time. Not that he would admit it to Aster, but Jack could not help dreaming of a day when he was a father and as exhausted as the young family were.
He had balanced the tray with the family's order on it and had taken it to them. Both parents had settled on the chocolate cake. The child had a serving of spaghetti bolognaise with dinosaur pasta. He had set the tray down and had caught the boy's eyes before he'd mentioned how cool the pasta is. The small boy had been delighted and had proudly demonstrated his very best dinosaur roar.
Jack had caught the mum's eyes in time to see her smile at him. He had given her a friendly wink before he'd turned and walked away
The fifth day they had come in to find their table cleared for them. Jack had made sure to keep the table free for them,
The boy had been a transformer on that day. He had run into the play area and had made car noises. Jack had laughed when he'd watched the small boy run to tell anyone and everyone who would listen that he was a transformer and that the picture on his t-shirt was also a transformer.
This time Jack had managed to get to their table before Aster could approach him. He had looked back in time to see Aster smirk at him while he had jotted down their order. He'd then redirected his eyes to the family and had held back a laugh when the father had asked if they sold any alcoholic beverages. When Jack had said no, he had sighed before he'd settled for a double espresso for himself and a regular espresso for his partner.
He'd walked past the play equipment to place their order and had laughed when the boy had scolded a playmate for not knowing who Optimus Prime was.
He had handed their order in and had watched as Aster had bypassed him to enter the play area. The Australian had then approached the boy before he'd bent down and lifted the sleeve of his shirt to reveal his Optimus Prime tattoo to the small boy. The boy had shrieked in delight and had called for his dad to look at the cool tattoo.
He had returned to their table and had placed three plates of spaghetti bolognaise with dinosaur pasta down. He had raised his eyebrows at the woman who had shrugged and told him that the boy had been adamant that they tried it for themselves. He'd simply smiled and had told her that he would make a note of it for the chef, who would be glad to know that his pasta was a hit with both little and big kids. He'd shot her a lopsided grin and had felt his heart-rate pick up when she had let out a chuckle.
He didn't work over the weekend, but from what he had heard, his family had not visited. He had felt pleased at that. He could not deny that he had come to enjoy their visits, even though it pained him to know that a woman so beautiful would never be his. Still, he had hoped that they would continue to visit so that he could admire her from afar.
Monday morning arrived and Jack is at work. He can't help smiling when the woman and her son enter and take their spot at their chosen table.
The boy raced towards the play area and loudly declared himself to be a dinosaur. Not just any dinosaur though, he was a super cool Tyrannosaurus Rex. He then proceeded to race around the play area roaring and chasing after the other children who either shriek and run from him, or ignore him.
Jack was just about to walk up and take their order when he spotted the husband entering. The husband has stopped to hold the door open so that a woman with strawberry-blonde hair could enter with a pram. He watched with interest as she makes her way towards their table. Craning his neck, he managed to catch a glimpse of the newborn baby asleep in the pram.
Smiling, he walked towards the table to take their order. He watched as the father slid his arm around the waist of the mystery woman who simply sighed before resting her head on his broad shoulders. He managed to recover from his shock and takes down their order. Today they have ordered two coffee's, a hot chocolate and milk. His eyes turn to stare at the new woman who catches his gaze and smiles at him.
"My husband was telling me about this place. I apologise if my son has been terrorising you and your colleagues. I'd like to tell you that he doesn't get his enthusiasm from me, but my sister here will tell you that's a lie," she says.
Jack nodded at her and walked away to hand in their order. He would like to stay and talk longer, but he was too busy trying to keep from leaping in the air and whooping his arms in victory.
Aster can't help but notice the smile on his face and questions him on it. Jack fills him in on what he's just learned, begging the Australian to 'act cool' and not embarrass him in front of the beautiful woman, who he's just discovered is not the mother of the small boy.
Balancing the order, Jack takes it out to the family. This time it was junk food for all. The small boy ran over and leapt onto his mothers lap as she laughs and places a tray of fries in front of him. Jack noticed that the two sisters have both opted for chocolate cake.
"My sister has been helping my husband with our son while I was in the hospital with the new baby," the woman explained. "She told me that the chocolate cake here is to die for and helped her keep her energy up."
Jack laughed and turned to look at the beautiful woman, who is smiling bashfully at him. He winks at her before turning to walk away.
He was busy wiping tables when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he finds himself face to face with the woman, a shy smile on her face.
"So, that's your brother-in-law and nephew?" he asked, despite the fact that he already knows the answer to it.
"Yep," she smiled and twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
"What about your partner?" Jack asked, silently praying that she's single.
"I'm currently single, although, I'm looking to date," she murmured. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I am so not good at this sort of stuff," she blushed, burying her head in her hands.
Laughing, he placed his cloth down and leaned in to gently remove her hands from her face. "In that case let me," he smirked. "My name is Jack. I'm 25. You already know where I work. I'd love to take you out on a date this weekend if you are interested?"
"My name is Elsa. I'm 24 and I suck at flirting, but yes, I'd like to go out with you," she replied, smiling at him.
Boldly, he grabbed her hand and led her over to the counter before ducking behind it to pull out his phone. She whipped her own phone out and they swap phones in order to exchange numbers. With one last smile, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned to leave.
She had just reached the door when he called her. He watched as she turned to wave at him and giggles down the phone. Shyly, he asked her if she would like to go out on Friday night. His heart skipped a beat when she nodded at him before telling him that she will text him her address so that he could pick her up.
The door had just closed behind her when he boldly asks if the appearance of her sister means that he will no longer see her at his work anymore. Chuckling, she tells him that it all depends on their date, but she would like to continue to visit him there.
A/N- So this was just a little plot bunny that I had and managed to write it down in between my chaptered Jelsa fic. I hope you all enjoy a little bit of Jelsa fluff.
Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa :)