she'll be mine (for at least tonight)
Angelina tapped her foot against the leg of her chair. Perhaps the caffeine had been a bad idea—she could practically feel it coursing through her veins, imbuing her with a restless energy—but she was in a coffee shop, so what else was she supposed to order?
The truth was, Angelina wasn't entirely sure that she could blame the coffee for her jitters. She was nervous about the date that was about to happen, the whole reason she was even in this tiny coffee shop to begin with.
When Fred and George had first offered to set her up with someone, she had laughed right in their identical freckled faces. "I don't need your help," she had said, but after several months of subpar dates, she had finally given in. The twins' older brother Charlie had a friend who was single and looking, and they had arranged to have her meet Angelina at this coffee shop in approximately five minutes.
Angelina had heard Nymphadora Tonks' name a few times, but she had never met the woman before. Apparently, Nymphadora—who preferred going by her surname—liked to dye her hair outrageous colors and had a lot of spunk. She could also be a bit clumsy, the twins had warned, but she was genuinely fun to be around.
Angelina wasn't going to get her hopes up, but she was definitely intrigued by this description of the other woman.
Before long, the bell above the coffee shop door jingled, and Angelina looked over to see a petite woman with short, shockingly purple hair stride in. This had to be Tonks.
The woman began walking in her direction, but almost immediately bumped into a chair, creating a loud scraping noise. She blushed, her face turning a bright pink color that clashed with her hair. Angelina hurried over and moved the chair back to where it had been.
"Hi, you must be Tonks," she said, holding her hand out. "I'm—"
"Tall," Tonks cut in, staring up at her. "Blimey! Charlie mentioned that, but I didn't realize he meant..." She gave herself a little shake. "I'm sorry, you were in the middle of introducing yourself."
Angelina laughed, and the action calmed her nerves slightly. "It's fine. I'm Angelina, but you can call me Angie if you'd like."
"Right." Tonks gave her hand a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Angie."
"It's nice to meet you too." Angelina gestured to the table she had just vacated. "I already ordered a drink while I was waiting, I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all!" Tonks said, waving her hand in the air. "I reckon I ought to order one too. I'll be over in a moment."
Angelina watched as her date studied the menu, then ordered a black coffee with two sugars soon after. She took a small sip of her own caramel macchiato, which was still plenty hot despite having been ordered at least fifteen minutes prior. It was sweet and delicious, and she found herself taking another swig as she waited for Tonks to get her order.
Suddenly remembering the other woman's clumsiness, however, she stood and walked over to the counter. Tonks looked up at her questioningly. "I thought I'd offer to carry your drink," she explained, hoping that Tonks wouldn't take offense.
"No, no, I've got it," Tonks insisted, taking her cup from the barista with a bright smile. Angelina bit her lip and followed behind the purple-haired woman at a short distance. She was glad that she had chosen to do this when Tonks collided with another chair. Putting her athletic skills into action, Angelina dove forward and caught Tonks under the arms, preventing her and her freshly-made drink from tumbling to the floor.
"Thanks," Tonks said breathlessly, gazing into Angelina's eyes. "You...you caught me."
"I suppose I did," Angelina said. Her heart seemed to be beating much faster than normal, but she told herself it was only because Tonks' near fall had caused an adrenaline rush. "Here, let me take your coffee."
This time, Tonks handed it over without a fuss, and the pair made their way back to Angelina's table with no further incidents. Angelina's heart was still racing, however.
"So, I suppose those reflexes probably come in handy on the field," Tonks said casually, taking the chair across from Angelina.
"Hmm? Oh, I guess Charlie told you that I'm a footballer." Angelina sampled a little more of her macchiato and licked her lips.
"He did," Tonks confirmed.
"What else did he tell you?" Angelina asked.
"That's pretty much it," Tonks said, blowing on her coffee to cool it down. "Did his twin brothers tell you much about me?"
Angelina shrugged. "They mentioned that you're a detective, and that you like to dye your hair odd colors." She didn't add that they had also brought up her uncoordinated nature. She had no intention of embarrassing the poor woman.
Tonks was nodding enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, I'm always changing up my hair color, it's just something you'll have to get used to if we decide to keep seeing each other."
"I think I can handle that," Angelina chuckled. Then, feeling bold, she added, "And I would definitely like to see you again, Tonks."
"Really?" Tonks sounded skeptical, despite the slight quirk of her lips. "It's just...most people see the colorful hair and think that I'm going through a crisis, or that I'm not to be taken seriously."
"Well, they haven't taken the time to look beyond that, then," Angelina said. "You clearly value your independence, for example, because you insisted on carrying your own drink. You also picked a career that requires you to be dogged and resourceful, so you're not to be underestimated."
"Blimey," Tonks said, her cheeks flushing pink once more, "that's a nice way of thinking about it." She gulped down some of her coffee, perhaps in an attempt to avoid eye contact with Angelina.
Angelina grinned. "I'm just calling it like I see it."
"Well, feel free to keep doing that," Tonks said, returning her smile.
"It doesn't bother you?" Angelina asked.
Tonks shook her head. "Not at all. I admire a woman who speaks her mind."
"So do I." Angelina savored another mouthful of her macchiato before venturing to ask another question. "Would you mind telling me more about your work as a detective? It sounds fascinating."
Tonks perked up at this, which Angelina found incredibly endearing. "Sure! I love talking about my job. Generally speaking, mind you, as I can't comment on ongoing investigations or anything."
"I understand," Angelina reassured her. She settled herself more comfortably onto her chair, prepared to listen to her date talk for a while. The twins had been right—Tonks was fun to be around, and she would gladly stretch this date out as long as she possibly could.
WC: 1,136