He could not remember the day he saw her. But he sees her now.
He looked past the platonic shadow of the friend he had gotten to know over the cold winter months, and let a new, fresh attraction spring forth.
The way her sapphire eyes sparkled when she laughed, lighting up her face. How confident she was in herself, in what she could do to make the people around her happy, and how determined she was to make the world a better place. The way she held her chin in her palm just so, when she was listening intently, and nibbled on her fingernail. How she was dancing in circles around him, the serene look of freedom making her more beautiful than ever as she swayed along to the beat of the music.
He soon realized it was those little things he liked about her.
She had handled her family's fall from grace with the same poise that she posed back in school, giving off an air of confidence that he always knew she possessed and wouldn't falter.
Confidence in a woman would always be one of his biggest attractions. Dammit.
When she began interrupting his nights of deep thought, he saw her as an intriguing yet avoidable threat; like a large spider on the wall: its form beautiful and inviting, but easily destructive if approached without the proper caution.
So he thought better of approaching said situation, nor did he really want to. He'd avoided any real interaction in years, and he was happy to live out the solitude he had created for himself.
But like a buzzing in the ear, she continued to reappear in his life, and he hadn't the energy nor the willpower to face an argument. So he had begrudgingly allowed her to stay, trying his best to ignore her presence.
But ignorance only goes so far. And silence becomes daunting, hollow to the very core. He found himself warming to her presence, the spicy smell of her perfume and the way that he could quietly hear her sighs as she thought of a way to break the ice.
She entered the pub late that afternoon, noticing the crowd at the front and quickly spying him sitting in the background, eying her up as she walked to the bar. She smiled slightly and nodded to him.
He didn't nod back, but stared, steel eyes boring into sapphire.
She ordered two bottles of whiskey and two glasses, before making her way through the small crowd to the table.
Taking a seat and sliding a bottle to him, she unstopped her own and poured a generous amount into her glass in silence.
Taking a slow, strong sip she watched him as he did the same.
"Would you consider an idea for a minute?"
He stared at her once more, a flicker of a puzzlement in his eyes
"And what is that?"
She took another strong sip. Who knew how he'd take her proposal.
"What do you think about us spending some time together…not in this pub?"
The rolling of his eyes would've been missed by anyone else, if she wasn't searching for it.
"I'm not really the dating type, sweetheart"
She chuckled, but internally her heart sank. Thinking she was finally working her way through that hard exterior of his was obviously a facade.
"That's not what I meant, smart-ass. But there's plenty of other places we can hang out. Go for a walk around the park, coffee shops. Can be muggle places, if you like. We don't have to delve into the other world if you want to stay anonymous"
He scoffed quietly. She frowned, not liking her odds that she'll get anywhere with him.
"I don't really go anywhere else. Home, work, here. They are my places of belonging. The anonymity here is what helps me. I don't feel a need to go elsewhere. With the exception of yourself, I'm invisible here. I prefer it that way." He said, rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously.
He knew that was a whole-hearted lie. He wanted to spend time with her outside of the pub, but that would mean he would have to show that they were something, that she meant something to him.
He wasn't ready for that. Not yet
He observed the flash of sadness in her eyes.
"Oh, well that's ok then. But sometime, you know, when your ready, I think it would be nice!"
He couldn't keep the small smile under wraps that threatened to grace his lips.
She reacted shyly to the smile, the ends of her lips dragging slightly upwards before looking away and to the crowd of people.
"What do you think made the place so busy tonight?"
Her voice was softer than the finest silk.
He shrugged, looking around him and taking in the familiar surrounds.
"Maybe they just realised how amazing this place is, just like us. I feel like we should get discounts off the booze here, for how often we frequent this place"
She rolled her eyes. "I think maybe we need to see someone about how often we drink here. Talk about a pair of alcoholics"
He feigned shock and hurt. "Come now, I am truly offended by that! For all you know, we could be keeping this pub afloat! We are doing them a kindness by drinking our weight in whiskey!"
He narrowly avoided the bottle lid that was thrown at his head.
When she woke up the next day with a dry mouth and a throbbing headache, she lay in bed for several hours, replaying the one thought that had been rocking through her mind like a bad song on repeat; should she keep caring about this silly man that seems to want nothing but the mere shadow of companionship in the dark depth of an old pub, when she wants the world and more from him?
She knew she was destroying herself, both physically and mentally, but she had gone past the point of no return. She knew there was strength and goodness in him, in the past months she had seen it reappear, and that is what she loved about him.
Loved?
Loved.
She would continue on her quest, because she knew that you didn't give up on those that you believed in. And his sad soul was no exception.
Her musings were interrupted by a quiet knock at her front door. She padded slowly to her door and opened it soundlessly, where he stood with an unreadable expression on his face, and a light sprinkle of snow on his coat. He held onto two cups, steaming slightly.
She smiled shyly at him, as she took the hot cup that he gestured to her.
"What on earth are you doing here?"
"I was in the neighborhood"
"You were in the neighborhood? Why aren't you at work?"
He shrugged and took a sip of his drink.
"Still want that walk?"
She couldn't hide her grin, even if she wanted to.
He escorted her, her arm in his, into the soft snowfall where they wandered aimlessly enjoying each others' company.
She felt like she was in an out of body experience; watching herself with walk with him in the daylight, where she could see every refined detail of him, from the sun glinting off his cuff-links on his suit, to the sheen on his shoes. He turned to look at her, she watched his steel eyes wander over her, observing her.
"This feels very odd"
She laughed, "It does feel a bit unusual, doesn't it? If we do it more often it will feel a bit more normal," she hinted, a glint of mischievousness in her eye.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Don't get ahead of yourself, this is a test run. Us vampires don't usually like the day," he joked.
He turned her towards a small cafe, holding the door open for her and taking a seat, waving the waitress over.
She looked at him, amused. "My, how this feels familiar."
The waitress arrived and took his order of two coffees.
He laughed. "Well, it's not whiskey, so it's a bit different."
They sat in silence, drinking their coffees and enjoying each others company. After some time, he looked at his watch and sighed, placing some money on the table.
"I have to leave, can't miss a whole day of work, unfortunately"
She tried to hide her disappointment. "That's very true. I should get some work done too"
He stood up, adjusting his suit, and looked at her with a small smile.
"Enjoy the rest of the day," he said softly, and leaned in to give her a small, soft kiss on the cheek. He moved back, smiled at her, and left.
She grinned, watching his back as he walked out.
A/N: All comments welcome! Chp.4 will be up soon