To everyone around him, he was just another, totally ordinary person. A single man sat at a two person table at the back of a coffee shop, dressed in expensive looking jeans, pinstripe shirt and red tie with a half empty cup of black coffee warming his hand. Maybe he was on lunch break from work in some formal office, or maybe he was on a business trip, no one could be certain... no one could come close to why he was here. Only a day earlier, said man had dove into another man's subconscious, shared dreams with a team of close allies and preformed Inception. No one would have guessed in their wildest dreams that this man had been involved in an anti-gravity fight in the middle of a hotel against hostile security, with the threat of limbo hanging over his head and of those he protected. No, to everyone he was just another man drinking coffee.
Arthur was not expecting company, he was certain he would be flying solo in low profile until the next contract called. He doubts he would see any of his old team mates for a long time, especially Cobb who had practically disappeared off the radar. But he doesn't protest when the chair opposite it pulled out and the spare space filled. A light shadow it cast over the worn table as the midday sunlight that shines through a dusty window is blocked out.
"Ariadne." Arthur said, a slight smile tugging the corners of his lips. Now he certainly didn't expect to see her again, he was sure she would have got the first plane back to Paris. But she had stayed, and she had somehow found him. She smiled at him, nursing her own cup of coffee in her hands.
"You look surprised to see me." she teased, taking a sip of her coffee. Arthur said nothing, just took in her presence, trying to figure out as much information about her as possible from such a simple scene. It was out of habit... and out of interest.
"What are you doing?" Ariadne asked, seeing the way his dark eyes moved and the totally blank expression that fell over his face. He shifted his gaze to lock onto hers, and she swore she felt a jolt of electricity pass through her.
"I'm just figuring things out." Arthur said simply, leaning back in his chair so it rocked slightly on two legs. Yet another habit, he had many of them. Ariadne cocked her head slightly, intrigued by what the point man had to say.
"And what did you figure out?" she knew she was flirting, just a tiny bit, but it was all innocent fun. He smirked slightly, leaning his weight forward and causing the chair to land back on its original four legs.
"it's windy outside and you've tied your hair up, suggesting that you either don't like your hair getting in the way, or you don't want the style to be messed up." gesturing to slight redness on her elbow and then to the cardigan that hung on the back of the chair he said,
"You got hot whilst walking around outside, but it's still too cold to take your cardigan off so instead you roll the sleeves up. The slight redness to your cheeks means that you've been walking around for quite awhile, sightseeing maybe which is why you stayed a little longer in Los Angles instead of going back to Paris the first chance you got."
Ariadne smiled as Arthur pointed towards the carrier bag that lent against the table leg.
" Finally, you have a plastic bag that has the logo of the corner shop up the road, it's likely that whilst you were walking down the street you just happened to look through the window of a coffee shop, looking for a decent place to stop perhaps, and by chance you see me sitting on my own at a table and think that I deserve some company... the question is why you think I deserve some company?"
The question hung in the hot, coffee scent air as people around them continued to chatter, oblivious to their conversation. They were just another sound in the background. Maybe when people looked at them, it was no longer the lonely business man on coffee break, it was now the classy gentleman meeting his lady friend for an innocent cup of coffee. Maybe she was his sister... maybe she was his lover, it was up to the mind to judge.
Ariadne smiled sheepishly, smoothing down the skirt of her white dress. Correct, she had seen Arthur through the window and felt a sudden desire for the indulgence of his company. But she wasn't about to tell him that the reason she came to sit and have coffee was because secretly she didn't' want to get back on the plane to Paris with the thought that she may not ever see him again. To dream of him wasn't enough, she wanted to dream with him.
"Maybe I wanted to stay, to indulge for just a moment before facing the reality." Arthur gave her a questioning look, folding his arms loosely across his chest.
"Oh and what reality is that?" she sighed, running the pad of her finger round the rim of the slightly cracked mug.
"The reality in which I can only dream of you, yet not be in the company of the real you." A small smirked crept onto Arthur's lips as he leant forward as if to tell her a secret. He took his loaded dice from his shirt pocket and rolled it between his finger and thumb.
"But Ariadne, how do you know you're not already dreaming."