Disclaimer: I do not own these characters
It was late evening when the meeting finally came to a close. I grabbed my briefcase and made my way to the elevator; my stomach growling from having missed lunch. Upon entering the elevator I hit the lobby button with more force than necessary. The grinding of the gears did nothing to ease the growing ache behind my eyes. The doors opened with a soft ding and I brusquely made my way out of the high-rise and onto the streets.
Any and all attempts to hail a cab proved to be futile. The few that passed either already had passengers or ignored me, the man with the expensive suit and scowl. I'll just wait then I suppose… I thought bitterly.
The city was drab and monochromatic compared to the blinding brightness of the early morning. Even the trees were a dull, dead brown with Autumn now in full swing. A cold breeze and a darkening sky held the promise of rain, something I didn't prepare for. Pulling my overcoat higher around my neck I continued to wait for another taxi.
I felt the first few drops hit like lead. "Damnit," I hissed under my breath as the torrent of fat, frigid rain began to fall. Within seconds I was nearly soaked, but attempting to make it back to the office wouldn't have done me any better.
Suddenly, the assault of the shower ceased. What the? Lifting my eyes I saw a covering of brilliant green. I spun on my heel to see a small woman holding up perhaps the biggest umbrella I have ever seen; her arm stretched high to be able to reach. It would have been comical had I not been in a foul mood. She wore a large, burgundy woolen coat with brass buttons, and a cream colored knit scarf. Her honey curls were pulled up loosely behind her head. She had a smattering of light freckles along the bridge of her button nose, and her eyes, oh her eyes, were the color of a forest.
She's the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen.
"Sorry, I saw you over here without an umbrella and I felt terrible! I hope you don't mind," she called out over the cacophony of the deluge.
I stared blankly before realizing that she had spoken to me, "No, please, thank you. I was out waiting for a cab and I didn't know it was going to rain today."
"Well I am most certainly glad I could be of assistance," she paused before extending her free hand, "Bella. It's a pleasure to meet you, despite the unpleasant circumstance," she offered.
"Thorin," I responded, taking the proffered hand into my own. Her hand was so delicate and small but calloused compared to my overly large digits. We stood with our hands clasped slightly longer than would be socially acceptable, but Mahal above knows I didn't mind. It had been so long since anyone had piqued my interest even slightly.
After a minute to regain my composure, I suggested we go back to my office to wait in the lobby until the downpour and flooding ceased. The wind had begun to pick up, causing the sleet to fall sideways. At this point the umbrella was all but useless.
Jogging back to the building I put my hand along her mid-back to ensure that she didn't slip and fall. Completely respectable, of course, it's what a gentleman would do. I yanked open the heavy glass door and followed her inside. She let out a peal of laughter, giggling like a child. A gruff chuckle fell from my lips, growing steadier along with her amusement at the not-at-all humorous situation. Our coats were sodden despite the umbrella and my pants and her stockings dripped from below the knees.
"We look absolutely ridiculous," I said through my smirk.
"Absolutely ridiculous indeed," Bella smiled, amusement bright in her eyes.
"Why don't we uh… sit by the fire? Try to warm up a bit?" I offered, leading her to the plush lobby chairs.
She took off her coat and shoes and placed them next to the fire to dry before plopping down in an oversized armchair. Taking a deep breath, she blew an escaped curl out of her face, looking almost child-like.
No wonder her name is Bella, she's absolutely beautiful…
"It's so warm and cozy in here, I could just curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea," Bella spoke with a dreamy expression on her face before shifting to face me. "So tell me, Thorin, what is it that you do here?"
I couldn't ignore the way my name on her lips caused a shiver to run up my spine. Clearing my throat I answered, "I'm a partner of a law firm, Durinson & Fundin. It's a family business my grandfather started. My cousin Balin is my other partner. It's boring stuff really. What about you, Bella?"
"I own a bookstore and cafe just a few blocks down. I'm actually pretty new to the area, I've only been here about 2 months."
"What persuaded you to come here of all places?"
"My godfather has always lived in the area so I used to visit as a kid. He used to take me to this little hole-in-the-wall bookshop and I loved it, but the owner died when I was about 11 so the place closed up. I've been by myself for almost 5 years now so my godfather, Gandalf, finally convinced me to move closer so that I wouldn't be alone. I had been saving up to open my own little place for a while, so I thought why not do it here and now? I'm over on the corner of 42nd and 3rd."
"Oh uh, Bag End Books?"
"Yes, yes, that's the one! It's just a quaint little shop, but we do the business. You'll have to stop by sometime if you're free."
"I would be delighted." Normally I wouldn't care much for small cafes and bookshops, but if it meant I could become more acquainted with Bella I'd be willing to try just about anything.
A comforting silence filled the air for a few short minutes. I used this time to study her features more whilst she closed her eyes in contentment. She was short and only reached to about my mid-chest, I remembered. Bella certainly wasn't stick thin like some of the women I had seen, but she had womanly curves and a round face. Gazing down I noticed that her feet were oddly large for someone of her stature. She must have noticed my analysis of her feet because she broke the silence.
"I used to get made fun of a lot in school for them. My mother would tell me that my big feet would keep me grounded. Father and I would always get a laugh at that; she was always up for some big new adventure…"
"I was called Bird-Man," I said, pointing to my nose.
"I think your nose is strong. It fits well with your face, it's balanced," Bella approved.
We continued to chat for the next few minutes about anything and everything. She told me that her favorite books are adventures because of her mother, and her favorite tea is chamomile with just a hint a milk and honey. I told her of my sister, Dis, and my nephews Kili and Fili. She spoke of her parents and how they died tragically in a plane crash 5 years prior; I told her of my brother Frerin that passed in a car accident as a teen. Although I had only known her an hour or two, I felt like I had known her for years. There was a deep connection that I could only hope she felt as well.
During a small break in conversation I looked out into the streets to find that it had stopped raining finally. Looking at my watch I saw that it was nearing on 9 o'clock. I heard a deep grumble from Bella's stomach.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I haven't eaten dinner yet…" a rosy blush coated her face and neck.
Suddenly I was overtaken with nerves. Maybe I should ask her out to dinner? Would it be too soon? What if she says no…? It's now or never, Thorin, I gathered my courage. "Would uh - would you like to accompany me to dinner? I mean uh - as a thank you, of course, for earlier and all… there's this Chinese restaurant a couple blocks over…?" Way to go, you clod! I congratulated myself on my entirely suave manner.
Bella lifted her head from the floor, her cheeks darkening to the color of a tomato; "Um, yeah - yes. I would love to, Thorin," she replied, a shy smile gracing her lips.
"Fantastic, shall we head out?"
"Lead the way, Mr. …?"
"Durinson," I supplied.
"Lead the way, Mr. Durinson," she commanded, slipping her arm through mine.