Okay so I should be updating this weekly. Probably a Tuesday. Idk.
It's super short though, and already complete.
Please enjoy!
Chapter 1
It was odd the way it came about.
She didn't know where he went or why, but for some reason at five o'clock every Wednesday, when the shop was open but not busy, he walked past the window. His hands would be in his pockets, a cigarette layered between his lips and he always wore that odd necklace.
Maya would peer out of the window and watch him. While she enjoyed people watching, working in a shop on her own most of the time got lonely, this wasn't precisely the same thing.
When Maya people watched, she gave them a story, a name. With this guy she just...watched. He was interesting, different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was that caught her attention.
Weeks, months after she first noticed him it started to rain. When Wednesday came around it was still raining. And when five o'clock on Wednesday came around, it was pouring it down.
Maya looked up at the clock anxiously. Would he still walk past the window? As of yet he hadn't bought anything from her shop, but maybe he would stop in today, to warm up and dry off. She could offer him a hot drink and a towel to dry off, let him sit and rest and get warm and wait for the storm to pass.
But when he reached her window he kept on walking.
Maya felt the irrational disappoint hit the pit of her stomach like it was something physical. She shouldn't have expected him to stop, why would he? It would be quicker to go directly to wherever he was headed anyway but...
Her eyes flickered to the black umbrella she kept behind the counter but used rarely, living upstairs she didn't need it that often. It took her just a moment to steel her nerves, make a decision and grab the umbrella, running out of the shop and down the street after him.
"Hey!" She yelled, somewhat surprised by her own boldness. The rain stuck her clothes to her skin and she shivered, a small portion of her brain wondering if he had previously seen her dry and knew that she didn't look quite this bad normally. If he didn't...well...
The man turned around. His normally lively red hair had fallen into his eyes but he didn't bother pushing them back and she could feel the intense gaze of his amber eyes regardless, pinning her to the spot.
"You, uh...you should take this." Maya held the umbrella out in front her and wriggled it when he didn't immediately step forward and take it. He gave her an odd look, so she resorted to opening the umbrella and shoving it into his arms, letting it lean against his shoulder.
He quirked an eyebrow and, feeling a hot blush creep up her cheeks, Maya hurried back into the warmth of her shop to hide, possibly for the rest of her life.
