A/N : I was watching the 1994 Little Woman movie, and the HEARTBREAKING line "I have loved you… since the moment I first clamped eyes on you" got me thinking; I wonder what Laurie's thoughts were when he first met Jo. Surely he didn't love her at first sight, but there must have been some sort of spark?

Edit : I forgot to clarify that this is based on the movie, because in the book, (which I just finished rereading yesterday, so that I can write more book -based stuff), Laurie and Jo have already met and before the party, and aren't completely new acquaintances.

Curtains

Parties like these are the most cumbersome of all, he thinks to himself as he slowly sinks behind the extremely handy and well placed curtains. Laurie is bored of repeating the same story to every new acquaintance he makes. Theodore Laurence. Born in Italy. Studied music. Staying with my grandfather. Hope to attend college in a couple of years. The words roll off his tongue as his feet itch to move away.

Behind the curtain, now, Laurie likes his hiding place. What a way to avoid prying eyes, tiresome etiquette, and subtle flirting. Perhaps it is because he is not yet old enough, but Laurie does not understand why people make such a fuss over meeting young women at parties. They are all pretty enough, he supposes, but in his opinion, they all look oddly alike. The novelty and the excitement fades after just a little while, and he begins to notice things besides melodious voices and gentle curves. For example, they all curl their hair so it hangs rather unnaturally, hiding parts of their faces. He also does not understand why they all seem so enraptured with frills. He has almost tripped over half a dozen gowns, and every batted eyelash looks more humorous than enticing. A waste of time. He could be practicing the piano, daydreaming… He settles for peeping out of the curtain – the chance of being caught adds at least some sense of adventure – when he sees her.

He doesn't know how he missed her before, because everything about her seems to defy the convention. Most young ladies stand rather coquettishly, but her posture is tall, erect, and slightly awkward. She is standing rather stiffly against a wall, instead of mingling. In fact, he notes with some satisfaction and much sympathy, she looks every bit as uncomfortable as he has been feeling all evening. Her chestnut hair is not placed in well thought out ringlets. Instead it hangs free, thick, and long, at the back of her head. Her dress is plain; it is scarcely ornamented, and he finds himself welcoming the air of simplicity it gives.

He thinks that he has seen her somewhere, and it is this uncertainty, coupled with his curiosity, that holds his attention. He reaches for the dessert that he smuggled, and just as he is about to enjoy a spoon, the object of his scrutiny has moved.

It doesn't take long to find her, of course, although his mind cannot fathom what in the world she is doing. Her back is still to the wall, and she is now shuffling – quickly but clumsily. He is so taken aback by her abrupt movement that he does not realize that she is heading straight for where he is standing. Suddenly, the peculiar stranger has stumbled into him, and he has to hastily grab a wall to prevent both of them from falling.

Laurie has been so distant all evening that even this small event has woken the part of his brain that long tuned out. He recovers rather quickly, and stops her flustered apologies. Before he knows it, he is repeating the dialogue of the day.

Theodore Laurence. Born in Italy. Studying music. Staying with my grandfather. Hope to attend college in a couple of years.

Except this time, everything is different.

He is fascinated by the fact that her dress is burned, by the fact that there are lemonade stains her gloves. He is taken aback when she actually tries to shake his hand. She also doesn't like her full name - Theodore is to him as Josephine is to Jo. She reaches for his dessert nonchalantly; she almost spills. When she speaks, her arms flail, her smile stretches, her eyebrows rise dangerously high. And, he notes with amusement, she seems as genuinely fascinated by him as he is by her.

Laurie dances one more time, but this time, the dancing is not stiff at all – it is erratic, amusing. He forgets his feigned nonchalance, all the monotony. When he finds out that…Jo…will be living in close proximity to his new home, he breathes a long-held sigh of relief.

Perhaps it is because he is not yet old enough, but Laurie does not understand why people make such a fuss over meeting young women at parties. For now, though, Laurie is glad that at least one young woman keeps his boredom at bay.

Thanks for reading!

PS-You know, writing a review can take less than a minute…. ;)