Strings Attached

Part 2.1: Threads of Discovery

The morning sun shines on Belle's face as she is awakened by her alarm. She looks at the time, 7:30, and springs out of bed rushing to shower and find clothes. She grabs a quick bite from the overnight oats she prepares for occasions like this. She rushes to the elevator putting on her shoes as she descends to the ground floor. She checks her watch to find that she's just in time to open on the dot. As she unlocks the door and flips the sign, she hears her phone ring. She picks it up to see it's an unknown number, maybe it's a customer?

"Hello? This is Belle from Sloane's Skeins and Stitches. How can I help you?" She asks in a friendly tone.

"Isabelle? It's Edmund, you gave me your number yesterday. I just finished with my morning training, could I stop by to look at your shop? I'm interested in all of this crochet stuff. I heard it's very stress-relieving and honestly, I could use that right now." He says as he sighs, you can audibly hear his tiredness and enthusiasm.

"Of course, I'm happy to help! We just opened so stop by anytime, I'm completely free today. I don't have any classes lined up for today but if you're interested I can let you know when we have some available." Belle said cheerily as she sat herself down on her chair with her project.

Belle passes the time with her sweater as she slowly forms it stitch by stitch. Treble stitch by treble stitch. Double crochets and all. She's in her world, she's happy. The cold atmosphere of Misty Pines fades out of her senses, she can only feel the warmth of crochet. The soft yarn, the intricacies of the stitches, the feeling of the silicone grip on her hook; these are the only feelings she cares about. DING. DING. She gets transported back into reality by the bell above her door, someone's here. She leaves her corner of the world to see who it is, maybe it's a customer, maybe it's Edmund. She navigates through the boxes of things and the shelves to see that tall brunette man she'd been waiting for.

"Isabelle? Are you here? Sorry I took so long, I had to fix myself up before coming here. I didn't want to dirty up your cosy shop," he shouts as he scans around the room for her.

"Hi, yeah! I'm here! You can just call me Belle, how can I help you?" she states as she makes her way towards Edmund.

He apologises for the formalities and corrects himself on her name. Belle gives him a tour of her quaint but extensive store, explaining where things are and how they are used. She notices he listens to her intently, something not many would do when she talks about crochet. Walking around the store he finally asks,

"These are all very interesting, when's your next class? I'd love to join one and learn from you! I'm sure you've learnt a lot of useful things over time," he remarks enthusiastically.

"I'm free today, if you want I can give you a private introductory lesson. I enjoy teaching new people the joy of crochet!" Belle excitedly states as she grabs some skeins and hooks.

She leads him to her classroom as he trails behind her. The classroom is a small area near a bay window, filled with cushioned seats and wooden tables. It has a cosy feeling paired with the natural soft light coming in from the window. She directs him to take a seat next to her on the floor near the fireplace, placing pillows under them. His observant eyes scan the room, looking at every detail until he relaxes and focuses solely on Belle. She teaches him how to hold the hook and the meaning of basic stitches. Edmund follows obediently with no struggle, making sure to ask her to check his work. She starts him off by making a simple square to get a feel for the tension.

Finishing her work early, she watches closely as he works slowly and carefully. She takes the time to scan him thoroughly. He's wearing a dark blue polo shirt with two buttons undone for comfort, you can see his defined arms through the short sleeves of his shirt. He paired it with comfortable-looking black pants. His big hands made the 6mm hook look so small, she couldn't believe he was at her store next to her. Her heart didn't race, she felt at ease with his presence. He listened to her, he gave her all his attention, he was respectful and funny. They cracked a few jokes here and there, but overall she felt he was a humble person. To think a rising star would take time out of his busy schedule to meet her and learn from her.