She thought it was a mistake, at first, but it seems destiny is determined to bring Rose and James together.
(tagging @doctorroseprompts)
Roseâs morning had not been going well. Sleeping in was a luxury she was rarely afforded, yet her alarm failing to go off on time had allowed her to indulge an extra fifteen minutes this morning. The rush of adrenaline when she discovered this made it easy for her to beat her record for quickest clothing change and make-up application she could remember, though she chose not to fuss with her hair aside from flipping it upside down and teasing it to give it volume.
And of course, this would naturally be the day for her to realize sheâs out of both tea and coffeeâthough to be fair, there really wasnât time for either, already needing to run to catch her bus. Scarfing down a piece of toast, she ran out the front door and tore down the stairs, thankful that her job allowed her to wear trainers.
The only thing that kept her from giving up and wanting to return home to hide from the expectations of the day was the fact that she managed to make her bus, though just barely. And there were far fewer people boarded today than normal. She hoped that might allow her to make up some time.
A few minutes later, bright smile lighting her face, she stepped off the bus with still several minutes to spare. If she hurried, sheâd have time for a coffee run at the recently opened coffee shop adjacent to Henrickâs. Sheâd not been in there yet and this morning she could really use the caffeine.
She made her way through the front entrance of Kasterborous Coffee, thankful there was only one person queued before her. Smiling pleasantly at the young woman helping her, Rose made quick work of paying for her coffee and moving to retrieve her drink.
So anxious was she to get to work on time, she turned hastily to exit the coffee shop and ran directly into a solid body, her coffee spilling down her front.
Her momentum bouncing her off the man, as well as the shock of hot coffee drenching her, resulted in her losing her footing slightly. Strong, long fingered hands grasped her biceps in a gentle but firm grip, helping her regain her balance.
Her gasped sputtering and muttered curses were suddenly drowned out by the smooth sounds of an Estuary accented voice talking quickly and apologizing profusely.
Her eyes traveled up the lean figure of the brown pinstriped suited man, all her anger, and any temptation of shouting at him to watch where he was going, suddenly flew from her mind. She was immediately captivated by his handsome face, hair styled in a modern sticky-uppy fashion, and deep brown eyes that looked at her sharply but with genuine concern. He suddenly stopped talking, allowing her brain a moment to restart and no longer focus on his pouty lower lip.
âMiss? You alright?â he asked anxiously, bending slightly to catch her eye and look her over for possible injury (apart from a mild scalding due to hot coffee, anyway).
âYeah, yeah. âM fine, thanks. JustâŠmindâs a bit scrambled, I guess,â she laughs.
He smiles, words seeming to tumble from his mouth. âSorry about that. So sorry. I was a mite distracted, but of course, if Iâd been paying attention then we wouldnât be in this predicament, would we?â he asks, pulling on an earlobe. âThen again, if youâd watched where you were going, you mightâve avoided me altogether. Oo, was that rude? That was a bit rude, wasnât it. Donnaâs always gettinâ onto me about that, being rude, that is. Not running into lovely ladies and spilling their coffees on them. Sheâd probably give me a slap if she saw me now, too.â His jaw suddenly snapped closed, as though the thought of this Donna person giving him a slap was the only thing keeping more words from exiting his mouth.
Watching his face turn a bit pink as he continued to tug on his ear nervously, she wasnât sure whether to be irritated for being insulted by him, or amused by his rambling and embarrassment. She thought his adorable âkicked puppyâ look made up for the insults.
âNo, itâs fine, really. No permanent damage. Iâm sure a good washâll get this right out. And I bet one of my coworkers has a shirt or something I can borrow.â
It suddenly dawned on her that she was likely to be late clocking in unless she left immediately. And her witch of a manager, Cassandra was unlikely to have any pity for her regardless of the circumstances surrounding her tardiness.
âSorry, gotta run. My bossâll have my head if âM late. Um, well⊠bye, then.â Not giving the man any time to reply, Rose shot out of the coffee shop, throwing away her nearly empty cup on the way. She managed to make it just in time to clock in, roughly thirty seconds from being officially late. Lucky for her, since a reprimanding from Cassandra would have been the icing on the cake to her day that she really didnât need.
The rest of the day seemed to drag, allowing her mind plenty of free time to wonder about the bloke who was the cause of her wearing a slightly too-small shirt (borrowed from Linda with a y; though her perkiness could at times be annoying, she had turned out to be a good friend). Too many times Rose had to drag her mind back to what she needed to be focused on and away from thinking of her mystery man.
The feel of his long-fingered hands gripping her arms, what it might feel like to run her hands through his greatâreally greatâhair, or to puts a kiss to his tempting, pouty lower lip.
Stop it! God, what was wrong with her?! It was one disastrous meeting and now her mind would not stop thinking about him. She didnât even know his name!
Sheâd likely never see him again, which was just as well. She would probably wind up making a fool of herself. He looked too well off to want anything to do with a shopgirl from the estates who never got A-levels. It was time to put all thoughts of the handsome stranger behind her.
Her resolve crumbled many times over the next few days, but slowly she was able to leave all thoughts of Mr. Sticky-Uppy Hair behind.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~Â
Almost a month to the day of the coffee incident, Rose walked into Kasterborous Coffee. This morning seemed to be going much smoother for her, so far at least. There hadnât seemed to be any major problems cropping up, and she was really looking forward to enjoying a cup of coffee on a rare day off.
However, she got quite the shock when she finally went to order.
Standing behind the counter was the man sheâd bumped into, still looking amazing with his wild hair that defied gravity and brown pinstriped suit that seemed to hug his frame perfectly. His bewildered look quickly gave way to a bright smile and twinkling chocolate-brown eyes. She spared a moment to think that he really had no right to look that gorgeous, it wasnât fair since he seemed to be able to scramble her thoughts with a single look.
âHello!â he proclaimed brightly. âCome to get a coffee? Donât worry, Iâm behind the counter today so itâs unlikely I'll drench you with it.â
Laughing with him, she smiled brightly, her brain suddenly working again.
âYeah, I generally prefer to drink my coffee rather than wear it,â she teased him, smiling with just a hint of her tongue showing. She felt a pleasant jolt when she saw his eyes stare at her mouth.
Seeming to realize what he was doing, he blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. âSo, coffee! What kind would you like? Cappuccino? Or maybe a latte? Oh, we have a brilliant espresso that tastes brilliant with caramel or chocolate?â
Rose felt rather bemused for several moments as he threw out possible suggestions of drinks she might like. Before she could say anything though, a red haired woman walked up and smacked him hard on the arm.
âOi! What was that for?!â he exclaimed, rubbing his arm, managing to look simultaneously offended and a bit scared.
âTo get you to shut up, Spaceman. If youâd stop blathering away at the poor girl she might be able to tell you what she wants!â The ginger woman's face and voice told of her exasperation, but there was a hint of a mischievous smile peeking through and humor danced in her eyes as she winked at Rose.
He gave Rose a sheepish smile as the woman walked off, muttering under her breath about idiots and outerspace dunces.
âSpaceman?â Rose asked, puzzling over the odd name.
âOh, thatâs one of the many nicknames Donna has for me. Not sure why she calls me that, honestly. Started when we were kids and it seemed to stick, I guess. Anyway, my nameâs James Noble.â
She shook the hand he offered, trying to ignore the tingling she felt when they touched. ââM Rose, Rose Tyler.â
âLovely to meet you Rose Tyler!â She wasnât sure what to make of the pleasant feeling that flowed though her at hearing him say her name like that, as though he were caressing it.
She nodded and smiled, not trusting her voice. When he asked again for her drink order, after a pointedly cleared throat from a customer behind her, she ordered the first thing she saw on the display, which happened to be a mocha latte. She balked a bit when he wouldnât let her pay for it, declaring that he owned her one since he caused her to spill hers last time. Feeling a bit flustered, but in a good way, she chose not to argue the point, not wanting to hold up the queue any longer.
When she made to get her drink, she was handed a large cup, a generous helping of whipped cream and chocolate shavings decorating the top. Since business had dramatically picked up, she wasnât able to talk to James longer than to say goodbye.
Aimlessly strolling the busy walkway, completely forgetting anything else she'd had planned that day, she sipped at her drink and let her mind wander. What were the chances that she had met him again? And working in the shop next door, at that!
Just as Rose was trying to pull her thoughts away from the handsome James Noble, she noticed a flash of color on the cupâs sleeve. There, written in blue ink, was Jamesâ phone number. HisâŠphone number. He had given herâherâhis phone number!
A megawatt smile lighting her face, Rose slipped the sleeve off the cup and tucked it into her pocket, before throwing the cup away. Pulling out her phone to look up the hours of operation for Kasterborous Coffee, she headed home, all the while making plans for an important phone call later in the day. Not even realizing she was chewing her cuticle a bit, she ran through possible conversation topics and what she might say, and what he might say back.
Though she wasnât sure what would happen in the near future, she was certainly excited to find out.
Happy Birthday, @creativebec! Hope you have a lovely Birthday, Bec!
