Meet Cute
Author: CK
Rating: P14 / T
Contents: Meet cute - the encounter of two potential romantic partners in unusual or comic circumstances.
Characters: Jane & Lisbon... mostly... again :D
Disclaimer: This masterpiece of a TV show, The Mentalist, unfortunately wasn't my idea. The lucky man who has every right to pad himself on the shoulder is Bruno Heller, as the show belongs to him, Paramount Television and CBS.
Author's Note: This series was inspired by the mention/description of a "meet cute" in the movie "The Holiday". Another definition as the one in the summary, by the way, is: scenario in which two individuals are brought together in some unlikely, zany, destined-to-fall-in-love-and-be-together-forever sort of way.
This won't be an overly romantic one shot series, but hopefully it will be fluffy. I know the definition says otherwise, but we all agree that Teresa and Patrick are not yet ready for a relationship, don't we?
Shopping
She hated shopping. Maybe people said that shopping was part of a woman's nature, but then she definitely was another woman from another planet. Or something like that. And she even more hated shopping when she had to buy a dress - like now.
Of course Teresa Lisbon loved it that her younger brother was getting married. Aside from the fact that she now was the one member of her family who still wasn't married off she was really happy. And since she tended to ignore this certain fact, she had no reason to be not happy. Well, if there wasn't be this whole buying-a-dress-thing.
She had so hoped that there was something suitable in her closet. Not suitable for her - she never looked good in dresses anyway - but for a wedding. A romantic wedding in a palace garden, with lots of beautiful flowers around; a rich green topped by small colorful dots, shining in the sun. And the glowing celestial body would be surrounded by a beautiful blue and some white fluffy clouds.
Maybe she should kill her brother.
Lisbon groaned. Her almost-sister-in-law had asked her to wear something flowing in a light blue - was she a baby? - or pink - definitely no option - or cream - what a stupid color. Or yellow - what was most likely going to be her choice. As far as she found something in this color.
She had already chased away the saleslady who had offered to help her. And her pride held her back from searching for mentioned woman to ask for some advice. Or guidance.
Or counseling.
She definitely should have chosen another, a smaller shop. The range of dresses in the one she was made her think that there were enough of one-piece woman clothing around to supply a whole college for graduation ceremony. She didn't even know where to start; she was wandering around helplessly between sundresses, evening gowns, cocktail dresses, dresses for happy and dresses for sad occasions. This had to be a paradise for those women who loved to pretty themselves up.
But - just for the protocol - she wasn't one of those women.
A figure walking close by caught Lisbon's attention. Mostly because the figure looked a lot like someone... oh no. She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them again. It couldn't be... no, that was, that had to be a hallucination. Patrick Jane, CBI's as annoying as helpful, or sometimes simply annoyingly helpful, consultant, couldn't be here! What the hell was he doing here?! Without any further thought, she ducked behind one of the clothes racks and waited for a moment. She allowed herself to peek over the clothes rack a few seconds later and was relieved to find him out of sight. And hopefully gone.
"Lisbon! What a lucky coincidence!"
Hopes had always been destined with an early death in her life.
The voice startled her and she nearly shrieked when she flinched. How stupid to think that he was actually gone and hadn't noticed her. There he was, with a happy smile on his face, and something dark blue she identified as the usual three-piece suit thrown over his arm. Hundreds of shops around. Uncounted days and hours to shop. But of course he had to chose this particular day and time and shop to buy new clothes. That wasn't coincidence. That was cruel fate.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding excited, and came closer to see if she, too, had already chosen something.
The small and yet powerful cynical voice in her head forced her to let out a very irritated: "Shopping." He only chuckled.
"Let me guess - Teresa Lisbon hates shopping." It wasn't a question - when did he ever really ask when he already knew everything? - and she couldn't make out what the reason for her anger was. Part of it definitely came from being forced to go shopping. The other part... well, the usual. Patrick Jane. Explained everything.
"Yea, well, I don't want to waste your precious time, I guess you have a lot to do. So how about you-"
"How about I help you finding that dress your sister-in-law suggested? Or required, I leave it to you how you'd like to call it," he interrupted her and without giving her any chance to answer, he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him.
An hour later, they were both laughing frantically. People were looking at them confused, some of them even a bit anxious. And who wouldn't have been by looking at the scene that was playing in and around the changing cubicles.
A woman was hopping in and out of one of the cubicles, everytime with another dress. Most of them looked quite ugly or just crazy because of color, pattern or cut, while others made the brown-haired woman look like a fairytale princess since countless layers of cloth surrounded her.
Sitting outside the cubicles was a very handsome man with a contagious smile and cute dimples who was encouraging the woman to try on just another dress. Sometimes he would walk around looking for new dresses for his companion, give it to her and then again wait for her to don it.
They both looked like they had never had more fun in their lives.
Lisbon just couldn't stop laughing. Somehow Jane had talked her into trying on dresses, and he had started commenting on the way she looked in them - not in a bad or rude way, but in a funny and even sweet way. Some of those dresses he brought her were indeed ugly, but then it was also amusing to hear how creative he was in commenting on the designer's skills. She would giggle every time and spin around, or dance on her tiptoes with a serious face.
In the end, after an hour of trying on and nearly laughing themselves to death, he stood there in front of her cubicle when she came out, and held up a wonderful yellow dress. Even in the artificial light it seemed to glow and she immediately fell in love with it. It was perfect.
Turning in front of the mirror, she knew that she had found her dress. It's color was bright and shining and didn't make her look too pale; the cut accentuated her figure, but didn't make her look too small; the long, wide sleeves hid her less-loved arms, although the chiffon they were made of was see-through; the skirt was long and flowing and soft against her skin. It looked like the dress of a fairy, yet not kitschy or too fairytale-like.
"That's it?" Patrick asked silently, watching her from his seat a few steps away from the mirror and noticing her pleased look and the little smile on her lips.
"That's it," Teresa answered.
---
Before they could leave the shop, Lisbon now happily holding the bag with her new dress even she liked in her hand, Jane turned around and effectively stopped her by standing in her way. She frowned a bit when he came close to her and at first she thought he was going to kiss her, but then his mouth only brushed her cheek and stopped next to her ear to say: "If it wasn't your brother getting married, I would be really afraid of the groom eloping with you."
She blinked confused and blushed, and before she could collect her thoughts, he was gone. It took her another few moments to finally shake her head smiling; then she, too, left the shop.
END