I've been stuck with writers block this week so this chapter may seem a little disjointed, though I hope you like it. Thanks for all your reviews, please feel free to leave any more with suggestions of what you want to see, I have a chapter planned out for some time in the future, and for the next chapter, but prompts are happily accepted.

Featuring some of my actual notes from my literature class.


David was almost regretting picking a morning literature class as he dragged himself out of bed. Across the room Thomas still slept, David hadn't heard him come into the room the night before so he assumed he must have gotten in quite late, though there was no stale smell of alcohol nor did he look like he might be regretting his actions when he woke up, so David didn't think he had gone partying. He would ask him later on, when both boys could string together words in a coherent way, what he had been up to. David grabbed a bottle of juice from his mini fridge and threw it into his backpack along with his book he would need for the class and his laptop. He quickly got changed in his usual outfit of jeans, a t-shirt, along with a blue plaid shirt. He grabbed his leather jacket and threw it on before leaving the dorm room bracing himself for the cold morning air which was ahead.

He stopped by the coffee shop he had been in the day before for a coffee, he knew he was running extremely early but he wanted to make sure that he didn't walk in late, that would only draw attention to him and make everyone realise he hadn't been in the class before – plus he needed something to wake him up and preferably keep him awake.

Granny was behind the counter as he walked into the place, it was pretty dead and for a moment David worried why it wasn't busy like most other places would be at that time in the morning, then he remembered where he was. No one voluntarily takes early morning classes in college, unless they were a morning person, or they were an idiot like him. "One medium mocha and an expresso please." He said with a smile after they had exchanged pleasantries. As she busied herself making the two coffees David looked around the coffee shop. His eyes fell on the table he had been sat the night before and couldn't help but wish it was occupied, he was sure she said she went there in the mornings and evenings. He shook himself, she was clearly a spoilt rich girl, a princess used to getting her own way, but there was something about her which just kept her on his mind. Something which made him want to see her again. Her cute short hair, the sass and clear intelligence, the way she smiled, and those green eyes which seemed to hypnotise him…

"She's not here."

David jumped when he heard Granny's voice, he turned his head back to face her she was biting her lip to stop her from laughing at having managed to make him jump. "…Oh, I'm not… I wasn't looking for her- for anyone!" He quickly corrected though he knew there was no way even a toddler would buy that one.

"Mmhm." She nodded back with a knowing smile. "She normally comes in later on and in the evenings."

David nodded slowly and tried to make his face look as though she had told him it was meant to rain in a different country, like it didn't affect him. He failed.


After he drank his expresso, sitting at the table in the hopes that it would conjure a short dark haired woman to his table and make her start shouting at him, he walked across the campus to the classroom. The coffee shop was perfectly situated half way between his dorm and the buildings his classes took place, which was how he found it the day before, that was one of the plus points of the place, the other pro seemed to be the raven haired woman who frequented it. He pushed open the door to the empty class room and took a seat on the second row at the front right next to the wall. He slowly drank his mocha, savouring every bit of the hot coffee to which he had already added more sugar to, he wondered briefly what his mother would say if she knew he had drunk so much coffee already – she probably had a saying or life lesson about too much coffee.

He heard the door of the room open and placed his coffee cup down, he leant down to reach under the desk and grab his laptop and book from his bag, to make himself look at least a little busy to whoever had just walked in.

Mary came to a stop as she saw the sandy haired man sat in the seat next to her usual one, or at least she hoped… no, she corrected herself, thought it was, she supposed it could be any blonde haired male who was at the college and wore plaid shirts, but she knew she was right the first time. He looked up at her and saw the recognition in his blue eyes. She tried to stop herself from smiling, instead she smirked, he looked even more surprised than he felt.

"You take this class?" His eyes looked as though they were about to pop out of his head.

She raised a single eyebrow. "You're really sticking to that Prince Charming act aren't you?"

"I didn't mean it like that." He quickly told her, clearly worried that he had insulted her. "It's just that you had your book for this class with you in Starbucks yesterday, I just assumed you had the class then, not that I'm not pleasantly surprised." He grinned at her with his eyes twinkling almost mischievously but his words were honest.

"I like to be ahead." She smiled and shrugged a little self-consciously. "I want to do well in this class, in college." She hadn't said it out loud before, but she hadn't thought it needed to be said, the same way her having black hair didn't need to be said, it just was, it was a fact.

David considered that for a moment and wasn't at all surprised. "Smart move. You strike me as the type of person who has pretty much everything under control, I'm sure you'll pass this class with flying colours."

Mary forced herself not to blush, but there was something about him which made that rather hard. She sat down in the seat beside his. "I always sit here." She felt the need to tell him as she pulled her own laptop and book out.

David smiled to himself as he saw all of the sticky page markers sticking out the side of her book, they seemed to be in some kind of colour order but David couldn't figure it out. "I'm glad to see I haven't taken your place this time." He smiled at her, every fibre of his being wanted to talk to her, to know her in any and every way… but it wasn't just up to him.

She smiled at him, she bit the corner of her lip to make sure it didn't turn into a full on beam, there was a playful glint in her eyes. "No, but you did take my bag's place, so as you would expect it is very upset with you." She kept looking at him, not wanting the conversation to end, no matter what her sensible side was telling her.

David laughed. "I'll make it up to it." He winked at her and Mary thought it was lucky she was already sitting as she felt her knees go weak.

"Good, 'because you know it's really upset about it." She told him, why was she still talking? And brilliant, now she apparently had a sentient bag, not crazy at all…. But for whatever reason he laughed… and not in a 'please don't stalk me and kill me in my sleep' kind of way.

The longer he looked at her the bigger David's smile got. She still a neatly ironed red dotted shirt beneath a tan suede blazer, a scarf was around her neck though it was an accessories kind not a winter kind, and she had a woollen beret atop her head. He didn't know much about fashion, but god, did she wear that outfit well. She probably looked just as good, if not better, without the outfit… He almost missed her question as he came back to his senses, other students started to file in, he wished he could stretch this moment out, just talking to her.

"Did you switch classes?"

It took him a second to realise what she was on about. "Oh no, I missed out on a few weeks of college, I was meant to be here day one."

Mary opened her mouth to say something else, but on her other side her friend Ella suddenly dropped into her usual seat, practically buzzing with excitement at wanting to tell her about her previous night of fun. Mary glanced from her friend to David, and was surprised that she felt disappointed that he had politely focused himself on his laptop to give Mary and Ella some privacy.


Mary spent the two hour seminar trying not to laugh at the notes she watched David write on his laptop. They were rather different to the detailed notes she wrote on hers, though she had to admit his were much more entertaining. The best of which was 'zoned out for 5 minutes idk what I missed – make something up'. He obviously noticed her reading them, though she supposed it was obvious considering she kept trying to stifle her laughter, so he started to mutter some of his literary analysis under his breath. She joined in. The blue in his shirt brought out the blue in his eyes, she noted while trying not to notice anything at all about him, his eyes reminded her of the ocean – a never ending cycle of blues sometimes looking almost grey while at other times they looked as light as a Caribbean sea. Mary was too old to believe in magic, at least in the same form as a child might believe in it, but those eyes came pretty close…


Once the class had finished Ella raced off to her next class, only pausing long enough to hug Mary behind, soon it was just Mary and David left in the room. They packed up their stuff at the same pace, and walked side by side out of the classroom, then out of the building.

"I have the notes from the classes you missed," Mary broke the silence, "if you want them."

David's smile came easily. "That would be awesome, thanks." The two continued to walk side by side as David searched for something to say to her.

"So, Charming-"

"-Charming?" David interrupted her with a raised eyebrow and a hint of amusement in his eyes which invaded him whenever he she said that name. "I thought it was Prince Charming?"

"Bit of a mouthful." She admitted. "…Unless you're insisting on the royal title."

The look on her face clearly read 'don't even think about it' and David laughed. "I'm good with Charming." Her smile let him know that was the right answer. "Although, I do have a name, you know." He added with a smirk.

"This one suits you better." Her mouth matched his.

"I'm glad you think I'm so charming." She had walked right into that one.

Mary rolled her eyes. "In your dreams."

"Oh, every night." He only kept his face straight enough to see her scowl at him before he broke the façade and burst into laughter. "Sorry," he said when he had regain his composure, "I couldn't resist."

She couldn't stop herself from laughing a little as a smile attached itself to her face. They walked for a little while in silence which was surprisingly not awkward at all. "Are you free now?" Mary asked him as they walked and she suddenly became aware that they were walking without any real destination. "I mean, like, do you have a class?"

David grinned down at her though her eyes were straightforward and couldn't see him. "No, I'm free…Why?"

"I…I just… the hot chocolate." She spluttered out a little embarrassed.
She tried to remind herself that he was probably just a spoilt rich kid, but that was a lot harder to do when he was so kind, and he wasn't too horrible to look at she guessed. No. She wasn't at college to date people or whatever, she was there to pass her classes at the highest level she could, she had something to prove. But he had bought her a hot chocolate the day before, and a muffin, so she was just paying off a debt.
"I owe you a drink, you bought me one yesterday, so I owe you."

David smiled at her though he felt his heart drop, though he wasn't quite sure why, this was more like a business transaction than anything else. He should be used to it, he was a Nolan after all, business was what they were best at. Though it seemed weird that this girl would feel the need to pay him back, it seemed to contrast with how he felt she should be, but then half of her personality seemed to be in contrast with that too.
"It was just a drink and a muffin, you don't have to owe me anything," he assured her gently, "if you'd rather be doing something else I wouldn't hold it against you."

Mary tilted her head to the side, a Nolan turning down compensation for something? And one who was going to work in law enforcement? Plus she couldn't exactly imagine George Nolan CEO millionaire sitting through a literature class, or making people, her, laugh… or even him really smiling. Mary was beginning to doubt that he was even related to those Nolans at all.

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't have anything I need to do." She noticed the smile on his face as they headed towards the Starbucks, she ducked her head so he wouldn't be able to see her smile.

"My name's D-"

Mary interrupted. "I already told you, Charming suits you better." If she didn't hear his name direct from his lips she could think that the name on the class schedule she saw the day before was a coincidence, she wouldn't be tempted to google it to see if it was as she expected, she could ignore his almost aristocratic standing and that within a couple of weeks he would be just another frat boy trying to get with any girl at any party. He could just be her Charming.

David laughed loudly, his head thrown back, though it was not an obnoxious gesture. They entered the coffee shop, both smiling in earnest. "If I'm not allowed to tell you my name, can you at least tell me yours?"

"I can." She walked backwards towards the counter so she could grin at him. "I won't though."

David shook his head though he couldn't stop himself from grinning and rolling his eyes a little. "Gertrude? Myrtle? Enid?"

Mary rolled her eyes back. "A combination of the three actually." She joked.
She noticed that Ruby was working at the counter and leant forward to whisper into her ear, asking her to come up with a fake name to put on her cup, and 'Charming' on David's cup. Her best friend didn't question it, but did eye David appraisingly as he chose what he wanted and grabbed two muffins.

"Those two muffins as well, Rubes."

"Actually I'm getting these." David interrupted, his coffee companion opened her mouth to challenge him. "It's the least I can do considering you're lending me your notes."

Mary tipped her head in agreement. "You're right, mine are actual notes on the lesson though," she mocked a warning, "I haven't noted down how long I was daydreaming for."

"Your loss." David laughed and accepted the coffee he was given, with the name 'Charming' on it, he was growing to like it. He looked at her cup and saw 'Snow' on it, and looked up to see her roll her eyes at the barista, clearly it was an inside joke. He found himself uncharacteristically wanting to know more about it, he wanted to know everything about her, but he didn't even know her name.

"Shall we, Charming." She raised her eyebrow at him challengingly as though expecting him to object to the nickname.

"After you, Snow." He held his hand which held his coffee cup out to let her lead the way, as he carried their muffins in the other hand.

They both settled down at the table they had sat at the previous night, in the same chairs, though this time no wall of books separated them.

"This is still my table though," she informed him, "you're just a onetime guest."

"But this is the second time I've sat at it, plus," he pretended to look on the table and the chair he was sat on across from her, "it still doesn't have your name on it." David chuckled as she shot him a glare. "Anyway, I like the view." He stared right at her as she looked outside at the old buildings which surrounded them, she smiled at the buildings as though she was the only one who notice them, and perhaps she was.

"It is a pretty good view." She said, though she was downplaying it.

Her eyes never left the window and his eyes never left her face.

"Spectacular." David breathed out, though he was downplaying it.


"So, who was that you were with, in the coffee shop?" Ruby demanded as soon as she had entered the dorm room, she had to repeat the question again when she realised that Mary had her earphones in while typing away on her laptop and couldn't hear her.

"Oh that was just this guy from my lit class, I owed him a coffee." She saw Ruby's look and rolled her eyes trying to show that that was all it was.

"'Charming'." Ruby raised an eyebrow as she said the name as though it was a question.

"It's a joke."

Ruby smiled at the defensive tone. Mary had never felt the need to defend herself like that, and Ruby had never seen her look at anyone else in that way, and she had been friends with her since they met in kindergarten. "He seems nice."

Mary bit her lip to stop herself from smiling, but her intent was clear, she shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, I need to borrow a costume for that party Ella's dragging us to."

Ruby sent her a wicked smile. "Cheer up, you might enjoy it." Mary sent her a look which clearly said she doubted it, parties weren't really her thing, but they had both promised Ella. She thought for a second. "I have just the costume for you."


"I met someone."

"Oh yeah?" David shook his head a little with one eyebrow raised, this was not the first time Thomas had met a girl and decided David needed to hear all the details.

"Not like that. We just talked, for hours, but I feel like I've known her my whole life."

David turned to fully look at Thomas. This was new. "What's her name?" His voice was soft and his smile was kind.

"That's the thing... I don't actually know it."

David would normally have rolled his eyes a little at that, but all of a sudden it didn't seem like such a bizarre or foreign concept to him, he had found himself in the same position. Though he doubted she saw him in the same light.

"But I'm meeting her again at a party, end of the week," Thomas added, "before you say anything I already know you don't have classes in the middle of a Saturday night. Come on man, I need you there, please." Though Thomas hadn't really needed to ask. The two had been friends since David's family had moved to Boston, through thick and thin, even staying best friends when David moved back to the town he had been born in a couple of months previously.

David nodded though parties had never really been his thing, they were much more James' scene, much to his uncle's disdain and confusion. "I guess one night away from studying won't hurt."

Thomas grinned at him as he switched the television on. "Oh, and it's a costume party, I already got you something to wear"

"Great." David said in a deadpan voice.


Hope you enjoyed that!
Please check out my other stories which are all Charming Family based.
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