Remus is new in town, and right now, all he wants is to have some time to adjust.
He's not looking to meet anyone, it just happens in times when you'd least anticipate it. He surely doesn't anticipate this.
Remus makes it about half of the way through unpacking his things by the time he desperately needs a break. He leaves his flat, heading into the heart of the quaint town he now calls home. He'd noticed a little hole-in-a-wall bookshop when he came through town the first time, and that's where he heads now, wanting nothing more than to get lost in a new world of fiction.
He pushes open the door, smiling at the tiny tink of the bell and the smell of shelves upon shelves of books. He hates unpacking all of his things. Even though he doesn't have too much to go through, it's still a tedious process that he'd rather avoid if possible.
Maybe this wasn't exactly avoiding it, but the book store is definitely a welcome distraction.
There's a girl walking amongst the shelves that seem to be overflowing, sliding even more books into them. She looks up as he enters, her smile wide as she asks, "You new around here?"
"Yeah," he admits, moving into the rows of literature.
She finishes placing the stack in her hands onto the shelf in front of her. "But a book lover? What're you looking for today?" Her voice took on the small-shop salesperson tone of voice, and though he usually didn't feel like this about it, he smiled more at that.
"Anything, really. Any recommendations?"
.
Remus finds himself walking into the bookshop the next morning. He'd stayed for nearly an hour the day before, picking through the books he'd read already, eager to hear the girl's opinions on them or hear of any other book she thought he should read. He learned her name was Emmeline, too, which did help, he supposed, get him more accustomed to small town-living.
"Back again?" she asks playfully as the door tink-ed with his arrival. "Remus, isn't it?"
He nods.
He comes for a quiet place to read, but before he knows it, it's been hours and he hasn't so much as opened a book yet. They start talking about trivial things - the weather, how he Remus likes the new town - but soon, the conversation changes to their childhoods and favourite books.
"How do you expect me to choose a favourite? You know it's practically impossible. Can you choose one?" he asks, leaning back against the wall by the counter where Emmeline's standing. He's read far too many books in his lifetime – and he knows she has too—to be able to choose one that stood out enough. They all stood out in different ways.
"Maybe I can't choose a favourite book, but I have chosen a favourite restaurant. It's the little café down the street, on the corner. Meet me for lunch tomorrow?"
.
The next day at noon finds Remus approaching the café she'd mentioned. Emmeline's already at a table inside, waiting for him. He hopes she hasn't been waiting long.
It seems weird to be meeting her here, as opposed to the bookshop they'd grown accustomed to in the past couple of days. He takes a deep breath before pushing open the door (it makes the little tink as he goes in, just like the bell at the shop).
"Hi," Remus says, taking a seat across from her.
Emmeline smiles. "Well this is different. I like it." She looked down at her hands on her lap, like she was a bit uncomfortable being somewhere else with Remus, out of their element. "I'm really glad we met."
He thinks about the past two days, about the dialogue that seems to flow between them without needing anything to inspire it. As cliché as it sounds to Remus, they just click, simple as that. "Me too. Mind you, I still need to finish unpacking all my things at home."
"I could help, if you'd like? I'm not working today, we could head over to your flat after we eat, get you settled in…"
He rolls his eyes. "It's a mess. Honestly, I—I can take care of it myself, you don't need to worry about it."
"I insist."
.
"What's in this box, Remus?" Emmeline calls from across the room in his new flat. She's sitting on the floor in front of an old, unlabeled cardboard box. Remus climbs over teetering piles of boxes and clothes and furniture to make his way over to her.
She pulls off the lid and puts it aside, pulling out the contents of the box. "Rem, is this you? You're so cute!"
Remus blushes furiously, looking down at his baby photos in her hands, wondering whether she just said that to embarrass him or because she actually thought he was a cute baby.
"Though I must say, you've gotten better with age," she chuckles, pulling him closer and kissing his cheek softly.
Remus takes her hand in his. Maybe this was just the escape he was looking for from the little bookshop in the little town.
.
A/N: For Reilly (September, 2014 GGE).