Love at First Glance

Chapter One

(A/N: This is based on the Hallmark Channel original film of the same name. I have added a few of my own scenes, events and dialogue, and I've omitted a few scenes that weren't really necessary to tell the story.)

Ianto and Daffyd were seated at their usual table in the main dining room of one of their favourite restaurants. While Daffyd was studying the menu carefully, Ianto was merely fiddling with his. "Don't need to look at this, I already know what we're having. Guess you could call us boring, set in our ways, right, Daffyd?" He smiled fondly at his boyfriend and even though there was no response, he continued, "We're like an old married couple, comfortable, ya know?"

After a few minutes the waiter came up to the table and pulled his PDA from his apron pocket. "What may we prepare for you gentlemen tonight?"

Ianto announced that they'd have what they always have, "the butternut ravioli for two, please."

Daffyd didn't look up from the menu he'd been reading as though he'd never seen it before. "Actually, I'll have the mushroom and chicken risotto, please." He closed the menu and handed it to the young man with a brief nod.

The waiter motioned for the busboy to attend their table as he left to take an order from a large party of eight.

Ianto leaned backward so the busboy could fill their wine glasses with the house red – a delicious discovery they'd made on their first visit – and drop off a basket of crusty, warm artisanal breads and butter, some of them flavoured, and when it was just the two of them again, Ianto leaned forward and asked, "what's going on? We always share the ravioli, ever since the first time we came here. Remember that night?"

Daffyd lifted the cloth from the bread basket and offered it to Ianto, who chose a small roll of dark brown molasses bread, and then he plucked a piece of warm baguette from the basket for himself. He picked up his knife but in the middle of taking a butter pat, he caught sight of Ianto buttering his role and Daffyd found he couldn't look away. Ianto's fingers were long and slender, 'an artist's fingers,' Daffyd thought, 'so elegant… and so very erotic.'

Daffyd Collins had first noticed Ianto getting into the lift as he was getting off, but other tenants got in his way before he could get into the car; the doors closed and the handsomest young man Daffyd had ever seen vanished.

A few days later Daffyd got his first chance to speak to Ianto; in perfect rom-com fashion, they collided in front of the mailboxes. Ianto was sifting through his mail while Daffyd was concentrating on texting his brother. In the process of collecting themselves and their things, they bent over at the same time and knocked their heads rather sharply, which led to rueful laughter, "are you all right?" spoken at almost the same second, then introductions and handshakes.

It was actually Ianto who took the first step the following week; he and Daffyd were in the lift together and Ianto asked him out for coffee. "If you're not doing anything Sunday afternoon? Say two o'clock?"

Struck dumb by the invitation, especially since he'd actually just had the exact same dream the night before, all Daffyd could do was nod his head like one of those annoying bobble-head dogs on a taxi's dashboard.

Ianto's grin had been positively sinful. "Morag's on the Bay. It's right across from Mermaid Quay. They do some incredibly delicious things on Sunday afternoons, plus there's live music; Morag's supports local bands, gives them a chance to be heard."

The lift doors opened and Ianto exited the car and then the building with a jaunty step, knowing that Daffyd was still standing there, watching him walked away.

After they'd successfully achieved coffee complete with the lightest scones Ianto swore he'd ever eaten, they enjoyed going out casually at least once a week for several months. They went to the cinema – they both loved Monday Night Film Noir at the Bijou – they shared a love of live theatre, seeing classics 'Hello, Dolly' and 'Showboat' as those troupes came through Cardiff. They went with Rhys to several Rugby games and then to Rhys' local to celebrate the home team's wins.

And then came the Saturday morning when Daffyd knocked on Ianto's front door and when it opened, he said, "I want to be more than friends, Ianto, I want more than this casual thing we've got going on." He noticed a sparkle in Ianto's eyes. 'Is he getting ready to blow me off or agree with me? I can't tell!'

"Go on."

Encouraged and with the beginnings of a goofy grin on his face, Daffyd boldly asked, "Ianto, would you go to dinner with me tonight? Say Bellini's on Mermaid Quay at nine?"

With a bark of laughter, Ianto leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on Daffyd's lips. "I was growing so bloody old waiting for you to ask!"

Daffyd sighed and looked down at his hands for a moment before facing Ianto. "I think I can explain…" he paused and then pushed on. "This all has to do with something that happened last week."

"Does this have anything to do with the mushroom and chicken risotto?" Ianto raised an elegant eyebrow as he took a sip of his wine.

"In a way, yes." Daffyd leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. "Last week, Nigel Patrick came into the dealership. Now, he's been a steady, reliable customer for the last nine years. He comes in every year at the same time, trades in the family car and gets a new one. He gets the same exact same model every time, a four-door, kid-friendly, navy blue sedan. Every year, same time, same car, same features. Except this year… This year he comes in right on schedule and do you know what he leased?"

"I have no idea," Ianto smiled and motioned at the passing busboy and indicated his water glass, which the young man quickly refilled with a return smile.

Daffyd leaned forward towards Ianto as though he were going to impart an important secret. "Ianto, this year he leased a brand-new, just-hit-the-showroom-floor, bright red convertible sports car." He shook his head, a look of amazement on his face. "He just walked right in and got the convertible, no thinking about it, no comparison shopping, no trying to get a better deal, nothing. He just got the sports car."

Ianto tried not to roll his eyes. "What's this got to with the risotto?"

"It has to do with change, Ianto!" Daffyd became animated, his face lighting up as he spoke. "It was in that moment when Nigel signed his name and bought that convertible that I had my 'road to Damascus' moment. I remembered then what my father used to say to me; so many times he'd say, 'Daffyd, if you don't like something, change it'."

"Not quite Dylan Thomas, but okay, have your risotto!" Ianto chuckled and leaned back in his chair, playing with the stem of his wine glass before deciding he was feeling too peckish to wait for his meal.

This time it was Daffyd's turn to roll his eyes with annoyance. "You're not quite getting it, Ianto." He took a drink of water, giving himself a moment to compose his thoughts. With a determined look on his face, he raised his eyes and met Ianto's blue-grey ones.

"Ianto, I don't think we should see each other anymore."

Ianto's jaw dropped and he choked for a moment on the breadstick he'd been nibbling. "Sorry… What did you say?"

"There has to be more to life than butternut ravioli and…"

"We've been together for five years and you've always loved the butternut ravioli!" Ianto exclaimed.

Beginning to lose patience, Daffyd let out a long sigh as he sat back in his chair. "I'm bored, Ianto. I need some excitement in my life."

"Are you saying I'm boring?"

Again, Daffyd rolled his eyes, "Call me crazy but I'd like to date someone who doesn't know what they want without ever opening the menu. Someone who wants to go to a different restaurant once in a while."

"Fine!" Ianto threw his arms up in the air. "I'll change! Where's the waiter? I'll have the manicotti," he called out to anyone who might be listening.

Aware that people were now looking at them, Daffyd leaned in closer, trying to bring the conversation back to just the two of them. "This is bigger than manicotti. Look at you, Yan; you're a great guy. It's just that lately I've been thinking I need something different, something less… predictable."

"Predictable? Are you kidding me?! I just wrote and sold an investigate story about how the chipmunks in Bute Park are depressed cos the squirrels are taking over! Something to do with tails… tail envy… I don't really…" He waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, don't you dare say that was predictable!"

"Yan, I need someone that when he walks in the room I get butterflies in my stomach." Daffyd's tone was imploring, as though he were pleading with Ianto to understand. "I want that. I want that once-in-a-lifetime special moment. I deserve that and so actually, do you."

Ianto was finding it hard to come up with a suitable argument; in the very depths of his soul, he'd thought about meeting someone just like that. Finally, his brain latched on to the closest thing it could find, however illogical. "But we live in the same building, Daffyd, don't you think that's going to be awkward?"

Daffyd sat back in his chair with an 'I hadn't thought of that' look. "You're right…"

Ianto sat back also with a self-satisfied look on his face, as though he'd just fixed the breaking-up scenario.

"…guess you're gonna have to move," Daffyd finished with an approving nod, as though he'd just solved the entire dilemma.

"But it's almost Valentine's Day!" Ianto hated the needy whinge in his voice, but he couldn't help it. In his mind, all the lovely things he'd planned for the two of them were being flushed right down the toilet.

At that moment, the waiter appeared with their meals.

"I'll take mine to go," Daffyd pointed to his dish, "and Ianto?" He didn't wait for his former boyfriend to answer. "Would you get the gentleman a tiramisu as well, please?"

Ianto Jones sat alone on the underground, slowly eating his dessert in little bites, a look of abject misery on his face, not really focussed on anything. Gradually he became aware that someone was looking at him, and he dragged his gaze up to look around. On the other side of the aisle, several seats away, there was a dark-haired man with piercing blue eyes sitting on bench seat facing his, and the man was smiling at him.

Ianto offered back a small twitch of his lips and went back to nibbling at his tiramisu, but the sensation of being watched grew stronger. He looked back up and the man widened his smile and nodded to him as he sipped from his paper coffee cup. This time, Ianto actually smiled back but then broke eye contact to glance out the window and when he looked back he saw that the man was licking his lips in an exaggerated fashion.

Eyes widening with disgust, Ianto was about to say something when he saw the man point to his upper lip, and then slip his tongue out again. Suddenly catching on, Ianto felt a blush of embarrassment start climbing his cheeks as he reached up and touched his upper lip, finding to his horror that there was a bit of custard stuck there. He nodded his thanks to the man just as he raised his cup and took another sip; when he lowered the cup, there was a foamy moustache left behind.

The man rolled his eyes dramatically and shook his head as he licked his lip clean and grinned at Ianto.

Smiling at the silly antic, Ianto opened his mouth to speak when the underground came to an abrupt halt and people instantly filled the aisle. It took several long seconds before Ianto could see the man's seat again, but to his immense disappointment the blue-eyed man was gone.

Ianto narrowed his eyes and looked closer at the seat. Lying there was his mobile; it had been forgotten, or perhaps it had slipped out of the man's pocket unobserved. He leapt up and darted forward, snagging the phone and then rushing for the door, hoping to catch the man but commuters getting on the train pushed him out of the way and just as he got to the door again, it shut right in his face.

When Ianto to go his stop, he approached the ticket counter. "I'd like to turn in a lost item."

"Lost property, Form 2108D." The man behind the window slid a form on a clipboard complete with a pen on a chain in his direction. "Fill out the information and if we find your item, we'll let you know." His thoroughly bored tone was a clear indication that he'd said the same thing way too many times to count.

"No, I didn't lose anything. I found someth…" Ianto tried to explain.

"We don't have a form for that."

Ianto looked at him with frustration. "I don't understand."

"Look, I just work here. People don't just turn stuff in, ya know?"

Ianto pointed through the glass at small pile of items, including several mobiles, some keys, a pacifier, two baby bottles, even a wallet, and on the shelf behind that were several umbrellas. "What's all that?"

It was clear the man was doing his best to maintain his composure. "Every night we sweep the train cars and this is the stuff that we find, the stuff people leave behind as they rush to get home. What can I say," and he shrugged his shoulders. "It all ends up in here," and he reached under the counter and pulled out a large orange duffle plunking it down; the clunk it made as it hit the counter was proof that it contained a lot of other lost items.

Realising he was getting nowhere, Ianto nodded with resignation, "Never mind, I'm going to keep the phone and see if I can't find the owner myself."

"If you say so," the man retrieved his clipboard, clearly relieved that he didn't have to do any work at the moment.

"There's a spag bol on the stove, if you're hungry." Rhys Williams came out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a tea towel and saw the look of distress on his roommate's face. "Okay, what's wrong, mate?"

"Daffyd broke up with me."

Rhys punched the air with delight but immediately changed his tune when he saw Ianto's jaw drop. "I mean, oh no! That's so awful! That bad, bad man!"

"It's all right, I know you didn't like him." Ianto smiled ruefully.

"It's not that I didn't…" Rhys shook his head. "Yeah, no, never liked him, not a bit. Might even have hated him. Sorry." He perched on the arm of the sofa next to Ianto. "I just always thought you could do better."

Ianto smiled sadly.

"All right, tell me what happened," Rhys picked up the remote and turned off the muted TV.

"He said he was bored, that he wanted something different," he shrugged. "What am I supposed to do, how am I supposed to be any different in my life?" He knew he sounded pathetic but at the moment, Ianto Jones just didn't care. "He says I'm predictable. Am I predictable, Rhys? Am I?"

Rhys slid down onto the seat and flung an arm around Ianto's shoulders for a moment. "No! Not at all, Yan! You're a good person, a really good person."

"Thank you, Rhys, you always say the nicest things."

"Well, that's because it's the truth!"

Ianto put a small bite of his tiramisu in his mouth. "I am a good person, aren't I. I do nice things for people all the time! I mean, I hold doors open for people, and at the market I let people with just one or two things go ahead of me in checkout. I donate all my clothes to the charity shops, and at work, Geraint sends me cat videos and train videos every single day, dozens of them, and I always say thank you even though I don't look at them."

"Yeah? See?" Rhys nodded encouragingly.

"And you probably don't know this about me, but I drop five-pence coins on the sidewalk just so people can find them."

Rhys laughed with delight. "Is that why old man Wiggins is always looking down, watching the pavement when he leaves the building?"

Ianto shrugged in defeat. "Who am I kidding?" He poked his fork around the plastic container holding the remains of his dessert. "Nobody's going to fall in love with me again, not when I'm just predictable old Ianto Jones."

"Are you kidding me?" Rhys jumped to his feet. "There's lots of guys out there!" He headed into the kitchen to stir the sauce, calling over his shoulder, "hundreds of guys even!"

"Yeah, name one." Ianto shoved a bite of tiramisu into his mouth, sucking the fork clean as he pulled it from his lips.

"Ummm…" Rhys returned and set a glass of red wine down in front of Ianto, sipping on his own as he considered. "Well, there's Rory, from the Rugby, you know the one with the shaved head?"

"I don't think he's gay, Rhys."

A look of true surprise came across Rhys' face. "Are you sure? No, he's got to be gay; have you seen the way…?"

Ianto shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, I'll be darned." He thought for a moment, "What about Stewart? He's always had a thing for you."

"My drycleaner?" Ianto looked aghast. "Oh no! No, I'm not crossing that line! Do you know how hard it is to find a good drycleaner and he's the best the valley! Nobody can do my suits like he does!" Ianto shook his head adamantly. "Absolutely not!"

"Okay, fine!" Rhys grabbed the plastic container of tiramisu remnants from Ianto's hands and plunked it down on top of the bookcase. "You're never gonna find love again, you're just gonna grow old and die with a dozen cats around to eat your dead body, is that what you want to hear?"

Ianto sniffled miserably as visions of his corpse growing mouldy and smelly filled his head. "No," he whispered as he used the tea towel Rhys threw at his head to mop at the tears suddenly rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh, don't cry, Yan, you know I can't do crying." Rhys looked around helplessly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. The cats won't eat you, I promise."

As hoped, Ianto gave a watery chuckle, wiped his eyes and picked up the mobile on the table in front of him.

"Oh no, you don't, mate!" Rhys lunged forward and tried to grab the phone from Ianto's hand. "You're not texting that miserable bastard! He just broke your heart!"

"No, it's not that. This is… I found this on the subway and I just wanna look at the guy's contacts so I can get it back to him. UGGHH! There's a security code!" he sighed dramatically.

Rhys nodded knowingly. "Try 1… 2… 3… 4."

Ianto pressed the numbers and the phone's menu appeared. "How did you know that?" He was impressed.

"It's everybody's passcode," Rhys said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It… huh?" Ianto looked horrified. "It's certainly not mine!"

"Yeah, well…" Rhys gulped. "It's not mine either!" and he made a quick mental note to change his code as soon as Ianto couldn't see him do it.

"There's a note here says, 'if you find this contact Jack Harkness' and he's on south State Street." Ianto nudged Rhys. "Here, give me your phone," and when he had it in hand, Ianto dialled the number listed on Jack's contact page, putting it on speaker phone so they could both hear.

"Hey, this is Jack, I'm out of the country right now so don't leave a message. I'll see you after my latest adventure."

Rhys waggled his eyebrows. "Adventure? Who is this guy, Marco Polo?" He grabbed Jack's phone from Ianto's lap and brought up his picture gallery, scrolling through one amazing photo after another. There was one of the man sitting in the cockpit of a military fighter jet, in scuba gear floating underwater… "he dives with sharks!" and a couple of pictures later, "he jumps off cliffs!" and then "he goes white-water rafting!" and finally, "he runs with…" Rhys turned to Ianto with his jaw hanging down in utter amazement.

"He runs with the bulls! Ianto, this guy's incredible! He's the perfect man for you!"

"Rhys, don't be a twpsyn! My boyfriend just broke up with me. I'm not looking for someone new and besides this guy might not even be gay." Ianto couldn't help himself from looking at more of Jack's pictures and the he gasped, holding the mobile out for Rhys to see.

"Wait, is this a real lion?" They both stared in awe at the photo of the man from the underground kneeling beside a very large lion, his hand resting on the animal's mane. "Who is this guy!"

"I don't know, but…" Inspiration struck and Ianto beamed. "I'm gonna get to know him and make him the basis for my next story!"

"How are you going to do that?" Rhys demanded. "He just said he's out of the country."

"Oh, yeah," Ianto deflated like a pricked balloon.