Random ships and drabble

1: A Storm-like Encounter

THUD!

The shelf dropped with a loud thud. The entire building shook lightly. Dust particles populated the air. In the silence following the thud, the only sound was of beating hearts.

Naf's eyes were staring at the woman's. The woman stared right back into Naf's. Time stood at a standstill. Naf lay flat on the floor, bags and boxes lying around, and the woman? She was on top of him. Her hands threaded into his, her eyes staring at his, her heartbeat in sync with his.

"Ah–!" The first to snap out was Naf. The moment he realised the sort of situation he is in, his face flushed red involuntarily. He tried to keep his thumping heart and emotions in check, but it was in vain. Seeing his flushed face, the woman became conscious of her situation too. In a rush of embarrassment, she hastily got up and stopped leaning on Naf. This allowed Naf to get up and sit.

In silence, they sat. One heartbeat, then two, then Naf spoke.

"Um... are you alright?" He said, looking at the toppled shelf and all the bags that had rained down.

"Y, yeah!! I am super fine!" The woman replied, more forcefully than usual.

"That's good." He replied honestly. "You were about to get seriously hurt. Please look where you step next time." The woman nodded softly at his scolding. Her eyes were averted from him. When it seemed silence would descend again, the woman exclaimed.

"Ah! That's the bag I was searching for!" She said, crawling towards a particular crushed box on all fours. It was the box that had tripped her. With its seal torn, Naf could see a black backpack with cartoon characters (he presumed them to be from Eddsworld) printed on it.

"Wow..." He found the entire situation funny. He was here, trying to find it, and then this woman trips on a random box, making a mess of everything, and accidentally finds what she was looking for. Did he have to search in the first place? He regretted getting up from his windswept throne. He could have just asked her to search. She was passionate enough to do so, he figured.

He laughed a little, to which the woman just tilted her head in confusion. He stood up, prompting the woman to do so too.

"So, are you buying?" He smiled.

"Oh! Yeah! I totally am!"

She handed the bag over to Naf, who went over to the counter and scanned the bar code. "700 Yen," He said."Cash or card?"

"Cash." She said, browsing her pockets for her purse. However, the purse never appeared. "Um... I think I left the purse at home." She scratched her cheek nervously.

Cute... Wait no! What am I thinking?! Naf coughed to clear his mind. "You can pay by phone." He pressed a few buttons on the payment to generate a QR code and presented it to the woman. The woman promptly produced her phone and completed the transaction.

"Uh... Sorry for the mess..." The woman said after being handed the bill.

"Don't worry about it." Naf smiled. He did abhor the idea of cleaning up the mess, but strangely, he wasn't upset. He was even happy. Why? He couldn't answer. He wasn't offered any Boba Tea and his work increased, yet he is happy. This was illogical. His eyes fixed on the woman in front of him.

"Okay then. Good luck." She turned her heels towards the door. She slowly walked towards the exit. Seeing that, Naf felt his heart constrict. He didn't want her to leave. The moment she exits, she will return to being a stranger, and he, back to just a shopkeeper.

"Excuse me...!" He called out, not knowing what he should say. She turned back and looked into his eyes. Her head tilted, indicating the unspoken question. "Can I know your name?" He finished.

The woman's confusion deepened, unable to see the importance or relevance of the question, but she answered regardless.

"It's Jackie." She said and left the store.

=][=

Naf lay slumped on the counter desk. It had taken all his courage to ask that simple question.

Jackie... He muttered softly. That eccentric, non-sensical woman. She defied all social norms. She was rude, weird and whatnot, yet in that moment they held hands together, in that moment when they were on top of one another, Naf felt an indescribable sense of oneness with her. The image of her looking into his eyes, captive of the scene, embedded into Naf's mind, refusing to leave. She was unreasonable like a storm. She came into his store, made a mess, and left without offering to help. That goes for his heart too. Who could soothe the storm of feelings she stirred up?

Let's clean up the store first... Naf thought in resignation. The store earned bread for him. He couldn't let it stay a mess or he would end up homeless before his heart could soothe. He walked towards the toppled shelf and set it right. Then, he cast his glance where the shelf had fallen.

There, along with vintage bags scattered around, was a pink purse. It was Jackie's purse.

***

[A/N]:

Part 1 of Toramaverse stories. No schedule nothing. I update on a whim. Didn't edit aside from Grammarly. If any errors, point them out and bear for now. Also, Jackie, thine a bitch extraordinaire. Much love <3

Don't ask for other story updates. I am very aware of those. The answer is: I didn't abandon the story. Anyone can continue on my behalf if they want.