Lord of the Rings/Hobbit Oneshots (Requests Closed!)

Unexpected Romance- Part Two

      Hey everyone!
This was originally a request by Swoopinghawk that I wrote a few months ago, and more recently MysteryGodes recommended that I write a part two.  I was intrigued by the idea and started writing it, but then I left it for a few weeks and forgot to finish it.  Well, today was the day!  I loved writing this part two and I hope you enjoy it!
      It was a lovely day in London, and you were finally home.  After traveling by yourself for months, looking at various colleges and universities, it felt good to be back with your family.  The tension over your decision to pursue a higher education had finally dissolved when your parents saw you get off the train and realized how much they missed you. 
      So, life had gone back to normal and you were once more spending your days working in your father's bookshop, at least until the academic year started in the fall.  It was currently only March, however, so you had plenty of time to enjoy with your family.
      This morning you could be found in your room, getting dressed and ready to go to the shop.  You put on a plain brown skirt and a white blouse, hoping to look professional but still comfortable, seeing as you had a slight cold.  You walked downstairs and sat down at the table with your father, pouring a cup of tea that you drank as you waited for him to speak. 
      "I would like you to run the shop today," he said, looking up from a newspaper he had been reading.  "I have a meeting today with someone at the bank regarding the shop's finances, and then your mother wants me to run some errands.  Do you think you can keep everything in order?"
      "Yes, I suppose so," you replied with a cough.  "I've been there long enough that I think I should be able to keep things running."
      "Good," your father said crisply, folding the paper and standing up.  "When you are ready, come over to the shop.  I'm going to go set up the ledgers for you.  And take something for that cough of yours," he added with a smile, walking around the table and patting you on the shoulder before he strode out the door.  You coughed again and shivered slightly, making a note to yourself to get an extra sweater out of your closet before you left the house. 
      After finishing your tea, you said good morning to your mother and siblings, fetched some medicine for your cold, and grabbed a cardigan out of your bedroom.  Unhooking your coat from its place in the doorway, you did up the buttons and walked out the door.  The crisp spring air filled your lungs, as did the pollen from some early flowers, and you found yourself in a fit of coughs yet again as you hurried down the road.
A few minutes of walking had you at the back entrance of the shop, where you quickly turned the doorknob and rushed inside. As the door shut behind you, you shivered once more before entering the bookkeeping office where your father was laying out the ledgers and records that you would need for the day. After making sure everything was in order your father left for the bank, leaving you alone to run the shop.
You hung up your hat and coat and strolled out into the main part of the store, adjusting displays and straightening books as you neared the front door.  Once you reached it, you took out your key, unlocked the door, and flipped the sign to "Open."  You then headed back into the office, knowing that the bell would alert you to any incoming customers.
      After about half an hour of silence, you heard the door open and hit the bell.
      "One moment!" You called hoarsely, clearing your throat.  You shut the record books that surrounded you snd stood from the chair, a wave of dizziness hitting you.  You grabbed onto the desk and closed your eyes, waiting a moment so you could regain your balance.  When you felt stable again, you opened your eyes only to see a young, blonde-haired man leaning in the doorway.
      "Am I hallucinating?" You thought to yourself for a moment, blinking several times.  When you saw he was still there, you snapped out of your thoughts and smiled.  This was Legolas, the man from the train.
      "Oh, hello Legolas!" You stepped forward, moving to shake his hand before remembering you were sick and pulling away.  Legolas looked at you, a confused smile on his face.  "Sorry, but I'm quite ill at the moment," you apologized, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe your nose.  "I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."
      "No worries," he smiled, stepping forward to take your hand anyways.  After a brief moment, he let go and blushed, looking down at his feet.  "It's quite nice seeing you again," he said after an awkward pause.
      "It's nice to see you too," you smiled at his flustered appearance.  "Would you like to look around the shop?  We've got some of your favorites, if I remember our conversation correctly..."
      Legolas nodded enthusiastically and made way for you to leave the office first before following close behind you.  You showed him around the different sections of the store, pointing out the books he had mentioned on the train.  He couldn't help but smile at your pride as you talked about your father's vast selection of titles, and he loved your enthusiasm towards books. 
      As you were giving Legolas a tour of the fantasy aisle, you were surprised to see his hand inching closer and closer to yours, eventually intertwining your fingers together.  You tried to ignore it and keep talking, but the gesture had quite an effect on you and you began to stutter.  Eventually you stopped, flushing, and looked over at Legolas's smiling face. 
      "Something wrong?" He grinned, raising an eyebrow at your flushed face.  You shook your head a little too quickly and another bout of light-headedness came over you. 
      "No, nothing," you said breathlessly, smiling weakly.  "I'm fine," you muttered, squeezing his hand ever so slightly. 
      "You're getting pale," Legolas said softly, letting go of your hand and putting an arm around your shoulder.  "Why don't we go sit down."  Before you could reply, he guided you to one of the armchairs in the corner and sat you down, taking a seat in the one next to you. 
      Once you were comfortable, Legolas suggested that the two of you read books.  You quickly agreed, and so Legolas went and found each of you a thick book to read.  When he returned, you took the heavy volume from him and the two of you settled down to read. 
      Not one customer came by all morning, so you and Legolas had the store all to yourselves.  More than once, you glanced over at Legolas, who appeared to be engrossed in his book.  His brow furrowed in concentration as he read, and you noticed his slight changes in expression according to what he was reading. 
      Your eyes flickered down to his hand- it was rested in the arm of the chair, his slender fingers draped over the edge.  After a moment's hesitation, you slowly moved your hand to the arm of your chair.  A few more minutes of pretending to read and you had edged your hand several inches closer to his.  Looking up to make sure Legolas was still focused on his book, you took a deep breath and slipped your hand into his, your eyes darting back to your book as you waited for his reaction.
      Now it was Legolas's turn to look down in surprise at your intertwined hands and up at your face, which was once again red.  You felt a little squeeze on your hand before he adjusted so that his thumb was rubbing small circles in the back of your hand.  You sighed in relief and relaxed, finally able to concentrate on your reading.

Okay!  I hope you liked this, I was going to make it longer but then I thought it was best to just leave it like this.  Maybe there will be a part 3 in the future?  Time will tell 😉
Also- two updates in one day?? I'm pretty proud of myself, if I do say so.
        See ya!
           -Faerveren