The young lady walked in the streets of Storybrooke, smelling the scents above her head. The fresh smells of spring always brought a smile on her face. Her dark blue dress got down above her knees, high heels and few bracelet around her wrists. Half past nine, she could go and pick her order at her favourite restaurant. Sure the place was opened way before but she didn't start to work until it was ten. So she always waited a bit.
Her steps resonated as she passed in front of the green leafs of the restaurant. Finally she was there. She nodded seeing that Granny's wasn't open yet. She raised her wrist and looked at her watch... it wasn't working anymore. It stopped at 8:15. Yet she was sure that she had changed the battery.
" Belle ? " she turned on her heels. A dark haired girl dressed in red called her.
" Ruby, I'm surprised you're not open yet. "
" Yes we're a bit late, Granny is cooking her special Lasagna for tonight, I hope to see you there. "
" Yeah sure. " she smiled.
" Stay here, I'll bring you a tea. "
" Oh wa- " but Ruby was already inside.
She came out five minutes later with a hot red tea into a cup. Belle smiled and took it as Ruby slowly installed the tables outside. No time to talk today... well they would talk tonight. Ruby was one of the closest friend Belle had. They had been roommates and always took time to discuss about their works, love interest, anything. But their favorite talk was about traveling. They both wanted to see the world and hoped one day to be able to fly together away.
As Belle walked down the street, the red liquid slipped beyond her lips. Sure it was a very good tea, but the problem was that it was only tea. She hurried as she arrived near 's shop. She threw the cup in a trash nearby and entered by the back shop.
Her heels echoed on the wooden floor. Her boss, was already here. If she didn't know that he had a house she could think that he lived here as he always was there no matter what. Beside the couch on the back shop looked like it was prepared as a bed. But whatever she could think of she wouldn't dare asking him anything. The older man who was lying over a table, looking through glasses the open clock, jumped and straightened his body. He watched Belle and raised an eyebrow. She softly blushed and looked away.
" Why isn't my coffee here ? "
" Granny's was closed... " he let go of his tools and bent over her smelling her hair.
" Then how is it possible that you had a tea ? " she blushed even more, how could he know ? " Get down to work now. " he said stepping behind to his desk..
" Oh about that sir- " she cut himself seeing his look. She wanted to shut but his insisting look told her to go on. " my watch is broken. Do you think you could take a look ? " but he already had stopped to listen.
" Can't you do it yourself ? "
" I sell them I don't fix them. " she said laughing but stopped herself when he turned to her.
" Maybe it's time for you to learn. You're always reading your books. So you'll fix your watch yourself. " he slowly turned and lowered his voice. " Beside I don't know why I should help you when you left me fool last Sunday. "
Oh so that was the point. He still was mad at her because she didn't came to their 'date' last Sunday. Regina Mills the mayor had call her to come and keep Henry, her son. Even though the young boy didn't need anyone to be here for him, she had to go and her boss got left alone.
" I told you that I was sorry... " she said frowning.
" I don't care. I don't mind. " and the conversation was closed.
She walked to the front of the shop and watched the different clocks ticking, some louder than others. Marco had sculpted some of them, had put inside the mechanism of each of them. He might have been an old grumpy man, he truly had magic hands. Most of the clocks mechanism were made out of golden pieces. No one knew how he managed to create these pieces but after all, he owned the mines, the houses... well the town. He could ask an artisan to create them. The only failure of his entire work was the clock tower. It stopped working ages ago and yet, he never fixed it. Was he unwilling to fix it or was he unable no one knew. The fact was that it was this way and it would certainly be for ever.
Belle let her mind think about it a bit, and then took off her watch she placed on the counter. She barely was ready when the door bell rang and opened on an regular customer.