Bookworm, Inchworm

Things at your job had been going amazing. Going in with the coffees had seemed to be a great idea and had worked like a charm. The other nurses were incredibly welcoming and your patients, while a little fussy, had just been the cutest kids imaginable. As a celebration of your arrival at the hospital, and as a way to get to know you a bit better when you weren't running from one place to the other, the other nurses had invited you for a night out on Friday. You figured it would probably be a good idea to get a drink down at the local bars or to go out dancing, and you were excited to get to know the nightlife around the city. Going to school didn't really leave you with much time to go out and explore. Also living with your parents had kind of restricted the number of nights of crazy fun, movie nights with them not being included in this description. You honestly hadn’t minded living with them because you were so close, but it was nice to get out once in a while. 

It was finally Friday and looking at your wardrobe you decided to go with a simple black satin dress. The snugness of it did wonders to show off your curves, which were usually comfortably hidden behind the scrubs that you wore everyday. It was long enough to not be uncomfortable while dancing, but short enough to make a nun blush. The straps of it were thin, which complimented the V-neck plunge that showed just the right amount of cleavage. Paired with some black heels and gold jewelry you were pleased to see you could still look put together after the week at the hospital. Running around chasing three year olds and dealing with helicopter parents could sometimes make you forget that you were young and didn't always look totally disheveled. 

As you got ready you started to think about the families that you worked with, which led to you thinking about if you ever wanted to have a bond as strong as those couples do with someone. In your line of work you had seen many incredible couples go through some of the most awful things imaginable with their families, but it always impressed you how their love prevailed despite their circumstances. Having any loved one be in pain is like the worst type of torture imaginable, but having it be your child, well there are just no words to describe that. This is why it amazed you how these parents were able to care for their child and one another in some of the most difficult times in their lives. You figured it was because of how much trust they put in one another, and how they were always there to hold each other up. 

 It must be so incredible to have someone to rely on, it’s something you hadn't really had in the past couple of years in terms of partners. This got you thinking about Marcus, which had really been all you could think about since you totally obliterated his tie and shirt in the diner. You wondered what he might be doing tonight. He could be hanging around the art museum working on a case while wearing one of those tailored suits, or maybe he would be back at the diner reading a book in a tight gray t-shirt that hugged his arms just right. He seemed like the type of man who would wear glasses while sitting in a booth, reading alone, someplace where the lighting makes him look like he’s right out of a painting. 

You shook those thoughts out of your head with a gasp when you almost smeared red lipstick all over your cheek due to daydreaming about him. You had known the man for less than a week and you were already coming up with increasingly unrealistic scenarios about him. Looking at the clock you shot to your feet and started to panic, noticing that you were almost late to the meet up. 

Grabbing your purse and checking yourself out one last time, you sprinted out the door and headed for the stairs. You were almost out of your apartment building when you collided with someone coming in. 

An audible “ufff” came from the man that you almost ran over and you looked up to apologize for casually slamming into him. Your words stopped short when you saw those honey brown eyes staring down at you again. 

“Marcus?!?” You exhaled with a gasp, half catching your breath and half losing it from the surprise that you were seeing him once again. 

“We really have to stop running into each other like this” He said with a deep chuckle as his expression gave way to the amazement you both appeared to be feeling. 

You let out a short laugh. “Yeah I really have to stop using body slamming into someone as a conversation starter.” 

As he laughed you could tell he realized how different you looked from the other times he saw you, and as hard as he tried to hide it you could tell that he was checking you out. Not that you looked totally shabby in your scrubs, but this was definitely a step up from your “just woken up” Monday look. 

“Wow, I uhh… you- you look really … dressed up. Not that you weren’t before, I just meant that you look like you're going out, not out like at the museum, like out … at night … with people. Which is great because it's night and-” The tips of his ears reddened as he continued to try and finish his sentence. 

“No worries Marcus, I got what you meant.” You giggled at his cheeks suddenly flushing with a pink tint. “You’re actually right, I’m headed out to go to a bar or dancing, I-I’m not quite sure what the plan is if I’m being honest.” At this moment you realized how dangerously close your hands were to his strong chest from when you braced yourself on the impact of crashing into him. 

“Oh right,” his smile seemed to falter a bit. Marcus added as he moved a few centimeters back as if to not crowd your space. “Well I hope you have fun, uh... they’re very lucky.” He added with a sweet but sad smile. 

Now it was your turn to blush. “Oh no, it's nothing like that. I got invited by some co-workers to go out since it was my first week on the job so … yeah, not really with anyone at the moment.” You fidgeted with your hands now that there was a little more space between you. 

He leaned his arm on the doorframe above you taking back the space he had left empty,  as he seemed to perk up a bit at your response. His pause gave you enough time to think about the fact that you had just run into him in your apartment lobby, which raised your question, "So what are you doing around here?” 

“Well I live here, just on the third floor actually,” he pointed upwards with a smile. 

Your eyes widened at his response. “Wait really? I live on the third floor,” you exclaimed with a bit of amusement. 

“Well then I guess we're going to get a lot more opportunities to run into one another.” He let out a chuckle. “I live in 302 if you ever need anything or want to save me from wearing any other terrible ties.” 

Laughing at his joke you thought this honestly couldn’t get any better, “I live in 303, so I believe we’re next door neighbors then.” You mentioned as you leaned your head to the side. “I think I actually knocked on your door a few days ago to introduce myself but I guess there’s no need for an introduction now.” A small puff of air left you as you laughed about the coincidence of your current situation. “I’m actually surprised this is the first time I've run into you, I guess work keeps you busy huh?” 

“Yeah, I've been staying at the office the past couple of nights because of a case but it got wrapped up today so I should be able to be here a bit more now. Believe it or not there were some guys living in that apartment before you that used to have a band and they kept me up some nights. So I guess I can finally go to sleep now at a reasonable hour, that is of course unless you’re some kind of rock legend that I’m unaware of?” His eyes crinkled in what you swore was the most adorable yet totally sexy smile. 

“Nope, I’m completely rockless. Unless you count playing the piano unsuccessfully for a year in elementary school, then I think you’re good.” Heavens, he smelled so good. Your proximity to him allowed you to notice the soft undertones of amber and clean linen that made up his cologne. Not that you were trying to smell him, because that would be a little creepy, but it's like he was just starting to take over all of your senses. 

“Ah I don't know there are many child prodigies who decide to go back and hone their craft in adulthood or so I’ve heard in a podcast” You both laughed and looked at each other for a moment before a buzzing in your purse brought you back to reality 

“I should let you get back to your night.” He said politely, trying to not take up more of your time than he already had. 

You had been so caught up in him that you totally forgot that there was a reason you were headed out the door. “Yeah they're probably wondering where I am,” you sighed. “ Well I guess I’ll be seeing more of you?” Your voice had an optimistic tone to it now that the probability of seeing him seemed increasingly possible. 

“You can count on it.” He winked and you felt the temperature of the room rise. 

He opened the door for you like a gentleman and you let out a small thanks before heading out the building. Despite the gusts of wind your skin prickled with warmth from your interaction with him, and you felt a shiver creeping up your spine. As you walked into the cool night air you could feel his eyes on your figure, and you would be lying if you said that there wasn't a bit of extra swing in your hips just for him. 

Taglist: 

He was reading the description of the painting in front of him. He let out a short stifled laugh as if he knew something more about the painting that wasn't included in the description. The grey suit and black tie he was wearing made you wonder if he might be here on a date with someone or if he worked here. You were truly hoping that it was the latter of the two.

 When you noticed that you had been staring at him for a creepy amount of time, you started to turn away, and in that exact moment he seemed to catch your eye. The way that he smiled made it seem like the world stopped for a short second. Before your flirty gaze turned into an awkward stare, you gave him a smile back and retreated to look at other artwork. 

Walking around the other exhibits and looking at the sculptures and canvases from different time periods you began to think about all the wonders that you missed moving around as a kid. Your parents were teachers/potters and their jobs came with the occasional relocation to different places. They said that while teaching was their passion, ceramics had been their first true love. This meant that while you were usually in a stable place for a few years, during summer you and your sibling moved around with them to sell their art in different fairs. While you had seen and sold a lot of different types of art over the years, you never really had much time to appreciate it. 

Your parents had been incredible in providing for you, and had only moved to ensure you had the best opportunities; but you always wondered about the experiences that you missed while being in a hurry to assimilate for half of your life. You knew that their teaching jobs didn't pay much, and that they used the money they got from their art to help cover the bills. This is why you had decided to move close to your family after starting a job at a local hospital in order to find a permanent place for yourself, a place that you could call home. 

After making sure to see all of the exhibits at least once, you walked out of the museum with a sense of satisfaction: one, because you felt like you were catching up on lost time, and two, because of the interaction that you had had with a handsome stranger. 

One of the best things was that the drive back to your new apartment from the museum, and pretty much everything else, was only about 5 minutes (10 if you counted traffic during rush hour). This also meant that everything was within walkable distance, which was also good because you sure as hell needed to start buying some supplies if you were going to clean up the pile of unpacked boxes at your new apartment. 

As the night went on you were able to get most of your unpacking done, and you thought back to the stranger with those big brown eyes and gorgeous smile. He had a kind smile, one that made you feel like you could trust him, which was rare in a man you had just met. God, not only that but the suit that he had on made him seem like he was straight out of a James Bond movie. While putting away the last of your clothing, the blue scrubs that you had bought for your new job fell from the pile that you were carrying. This was enough to snap you out of your train of thought. You really needed to focus on thinking about that instead of daydreaming about a person you haven't even talked to, even if he had some of the cutest dimples you had seen. After trying to get him out of your thoughts unsuccessfully, you figured that it was either stressing about your new job or thinking about him. Ultimately you decided that a little daydreaming couldn't hurt too much. You wondered if you would ever see him again, and hoped that by some twist of fate you would. 

--- 

With your job starting today you figured it would be a sign of good comradery to bring your new coworkers some coffee from the cute diner down the street. Also, you found social interactions to be quite tricky at first and an ice breaker couldn't seem to hurt. Plus who doesn't like free breakfast, especially on a Monday morning right? 

As you got dressed in your blue scrubs you headed for the door a whole hour early to avoid being late and to try to make a good impression. Making sure to note as you entered the diner to grab some scones or muffins for those who don’t like coffee, you accidentally stumbled into the man exiting with his coffee. The splash drenched his tie and shirt, only leaving his pants unscathed. Starting to profusely apologize and grabbing a handful of napkins to clean up the mess, you almost missed the fact that the brown eyes that were looking at you right now were the same ones that had held your gaze in the museum. 

“I am so sorry, I can totally pay for your dry cleaning,” you gasped, both out of embarrassment and amazement that you were seeing the gorgeous stranger that had plagued your mind for the past couple of days. 

“No worries at all. I actually needed an excuse to get out of wearing this tie that I got as a gift last year, so to think of it you really saved me,” he let out a chuckle. Now that you're looking at it, it is a very… bold choice of clothing. It was a striped neon tie with pink and orange interchanging lines. 

“I got it as an office exchange party gift and now have the perfect excuse to change out of it.” Those killer dimples were showing along with the smile he gave you that helped to put you at ease. 

“Well at least let me replace your coffee,” you said with a laugh at his honesty. 

You went back inside to pay for his and your coffee orders and got to talking a bit before your orders were out. 

“So what brings you around here, besides the coffee of course. I haven't really seen you here before,” he stated as he moved slightly closer to hear your answer over the clinking of cutlery and dishes. 

“Oh I actually just moved near here. I’m starting today at the nearby hospital as a pediatric nurse. ” His proximity made you suddenly aware of how tall he was. He had at least a few good inches on you, and he leaned in to listen when you spoke. This didn’t help with your already flustered state to say the least. 

“That sounds really exciting, congrats! The closest I get with kids at my job is the ones on an oil painting,” his eyes crinkled a bit as he laughed. 

“Yeah, I totally understand. Little kids are such a wonder but working with them is not for everyone,” you chimed in with a bit of a laugh “Are you a curator then, is that why you were at the museum the other day?” You asked with a hope that he hadn't been there with anyone as a date. 

“Oh no, I actually work with the FBI. I’m in the art crimes division. I was doing research on a new case which is why I was down in the museum. Some inspiration never hurts.” Now it was your turn to be amazed. You didn’t actually think he would be an agent like James Bond, but you weren’t complaining. 

“I guess it doesn't hurt that it's really close to here too huh.” You added noting that it was a bit serendipitous to have met him twice in a few days within the same five mile radius. 

Just as you were about to say something else your name was called and your orders came out. When you were about to turn to leave he called to you. 

“I never did get your name,” he noted before heading out. 

You told him your name and he repeated it in a way that made it seem like he was trying it out. 

“And I feel like the least I can do is learn the name of the person who I so viciously attacked with a coffee cup.” You stated as you gave him a sheepish smile.  

He let out a short laugh and replied, “The name of the person who you saved from having to continue wearing a highlighter tie is Marcus.” You shook your head at his joke and turned to leave.