Emma's Pov
I wake up in the morning with my alarm practically screaming in my ears, why do I keep forcing myself into waking up at the earliest hours of the day? Oh right, because I have social anxiety and in the morning is the only time when I can run without people staring at me because they don't have a better thing to do.
Like really, is it that interesting to stare at a lady doing her normal jog? To men, yes. The number of men I saw giving me "the eyes" is too much.
After doing my morning routine, I change into a pair of leggings, a fitting t-shirt, my running shoes. I take my AirPods, my phone, and I'm out of the apartment I live in.
Mornings in Atlanta are very relaxing, barely anyone on the street, the usually crowded city is calm. The only people I see are the ones going to their jobs, or sometimes I'll see another person running or walking their dog. But is mostly quiet, which I adore.
My playlist changes the song to a more upbeat one, and I start to run faster, feeling the adrenaline rushing in my veins.
A few miles in and I'm starting to see a few more people here in there, but I keep ongoing. That's when I see her.
6:27 a.m. Right on time.
Today she looks even more breathtaking than usual, even though she seems a little bit tired. She leaves her apartment building and starts jogging down the street. She is on the other side of the road, a few feet in front of me. But for a reason, I can't stop looking at her.
She has her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, a few strands of hair rebelling and falling on the sides. She is also wearing something simple, comfortable for the run, and seems to be listening to music as well.
Stop staring. I say to myself when it's been a few minutes and I'm still admiring her.
To be honest, she is the main reason why I'm keeping this habit of running in the morning. It's the only time I see her, even if it is from distance. She is just so beautiful, I could stare at her all day if I'm given the option.
I've first seen her a few weeks ago, and since then she is all I could think about. She seems to have her routine of running, a slower pace, only 3 days a week (as far as I know), and don't know how much she runs, since I usually pass her after a few minutes of admiring her (more like staring, but I won't admit that to anyone).
I'm too shy and awkward to approach her though, I know for sure that I would make a full out of myself if I even attempt to talk to her.
With a quick speed change in my running, I pass her and see about my business. It was good to see her again, she makes my mornings without even knowing.
You've lost your mind, I tell myself when I'm crossing the road, falling for a stranger. A very beautiful one.
Okay, time to make my way home, I still need to go to work.
I work at a restaurant as a cook. It's not a fancy one but is still a pretty nice one (in my opinion at least). I don't want to sound cocky or something, but my food is great. I know for a fact a few customers who come just for my food, which is a great motivation to keep doing what I'm doing.
I pretty much work there from 8 a.m till 4 p.m or some days when it is crowded, I'll work till 5 or 6. After that, the other cook takes over. She is usually with me for the afternoon rush since she comes at like 2 p.m and stays till closing time.
Her name is Abby and is one of my closest friends, even though she can be a little shit sometimes with the amount of teasing she does. Since the day I told her randomly that this beautiful woman started running as well, she can stop making fun of me and my not-so-little crush. She keeps pushing me to maybe make conversation with the mystery lady on her good days. On her bad ones (for me), she comes with ideas like "maybe fall in front of her, so she can help you", or "what if you pretend not to be looking, and accidentally stumble into her", oh and don't get me started in "just shout after her that she is beautiful and that you like her".
Yeah sure, and after that, I'm jumping in front of a car.
Even the thought of talking to her makes me want to crawl into a ball and never leave my house ever again.
I go quick over the morning rush since most people want something light or filling to start their day with. And without knowing Abby comes and starts helping me in the afternoon.
"Soo" she makes a pause while chopping some vegetables, "did you see her today?" asks while wiggling her eyebrows at me.
I'm so tempted to just say no and be over with this conversation, but she will just see right through me.
With a small sigh, I reply with a small "Yes".
"Still no courage to talk with her?'
"Nope." I sigh again and continue frying the pasta.
"One of these days you will talk to her, I just feel it." She tries to encourage me this time.
I think she saw that I wasn't really in the mood to be teased about my fear of approaching the beautiful stranger.
"What makes you say that?" I ask curiously with a head tilt.
"Call it a gut instinct." She chuckles.
"I don't know if I trust your gut though." I tease her back.
"Well, I do! it has never let me down." She exclaims. But continues when she sees that I'm not convinced. "I'm telling you the truth! One time I was on this date with this dude, and even though he seemed so sweet and kind I never called him after our date. Only to find out later that he went home with another chick since I refused him. He was a player pretty much." She tells me determinated.
"Congrats on not going home with him I guess?" I ask dumbfounded. "But that could also be a coincidence." I continue unsatisfied.
"Or. Or another time, I had a feeling that something was going on with my parents. I got weird vibes from them when I talked to them. Only to find out they were going to adopt another child and didn't know how to tell me." She continues talking when she sees I'm not convinced "Another time the wheater said that it will be sunny all day, but I had a feeling that it won't. So I took my umbrella with me. And guess what? In the afternoon it started raining all of the sudden!"
"O-" I'm interrupted
"Another time while in high school I had this bad feeling about the meatloaf that they served in the cafeteria, so I didn't eat it. I also told my friends not to eat it. Some didn't listen to me though. And guess what? After half an hour or so, everybody who'd been eating the meatloaf, started going to the bathroom cause something wasn't right with them!" She exclaims.
"Okay okay." I interrupt her before she starts telling another story. "I believe you." I laugh. "Also, you sounded way too excited while telling the last story."
"Well yeah! My gut saved me from food poisoning, while everybody who didn't listen to me had to suffer."
"I'm getting a little concerned here." I fake being scared of her.
"Oh, you shouldn't be." She quickly replies. "Unless you do something to upset me, or make me mad. Then you should be scared." Abby tries to say it with a serious face, but that doesn't last very much and she starts laughing.
"So no more questioning your gut, I got it." I laugh as well.
"Emma?" a new voice can be heard.
I turn around and see Mikaela one of the waitresses on today's shift.
"Yeah?" I ask while plating some sauteed vegetables. "Everything alright with the food?" I ask not taking my eyes off of the plate, making sure that it looks good. We might not be a 5-star restaurant, but I will still make sure that everything looks (and tastes) great.
"An old lady asked to speak with you."
I ring the plate and start to follow her. "You good here on your own?" I ask Abby before leaving.
"Yeah sure, no problem. I'm almost done here so I can make another order." She reassures me.
I give her a quick nod and continue following Mikaela.
"Did she said something bad about the food or?" I ask confused since we don't usually get called in front of the restaurant.
I wipe my hands quickly with the kitchen towel that I have tied to my apron.
"She didn't say anything. She just said that she wanted to talk with the chef that made her dish." She replies quickly. "So I took a look at her meal, and I recognized the pasta that you rang earlier."
I start to tremble a little bit, what if I messed up her meal? What if I almost gave her food poisoning or something? Oh my gods, I will get fired.
While on the inside I'm freaking out, I try to maintain a confident and put-together front.
I get to the table quicker than I would have hoped, because I didn't have time to try to stop my worries.
"Good afternoon!" I greet the table with 4 people seated. All 4 being women over their 50's. This could go 2 ways. They are either mean and want to get me fired in front of the customers, or maybe they are nice and everything is just a misunderstanding.
"Hello dear." The lady with the pasta in front of her greets me gently.
So no mean ladies, thank gods!
"How can I help you?" I say to the table.
The same lady answers. "Are you the chef here?"
"One of them, but yes." I reply quickly.
I could feel some eyes on me, but I'm trying to ignore them. I'm pretty sure it's because people are curious as to why one of the cooks is out of the kitchen.
"And did you make this pasta?" She asks me again while pointing to her plate.
"Yes, I did." I answer confidently, even though on the inside I'm freaking out.
"Let me tell you something." She starts and I get even more nervous. "This is one of the best dishes I've tasted. And I've been through a lot of places in my life. But never one as good as this." She compliments me with a kind smile on her face.
"Thank you so much. I'm glad you liked it!" I reply with a huge smile on my face.
"Oh honey, I didn't like it. I loved it." She jokes.
"You can tell that it's been a while since she's been this satisfied." One of the other ladies says jokingly.
"Oh, you can be sure of that. My husband is dead so I've been pretty lonely." She jokes back.
"Mine as well, but that didn't stop me from looking for other men." Another lady said. "You don't know what you're messing let me tell you." She continues with a smirk.
I laugh quietly while watching the interaction. I can tell that they have been friends for a good amount of years.
"Are you single my dear?" The first lady asks me, a smile still present on her face.
"Yes, I am." I admit while blushing slightly.
"So all the love that you have goes into your food, I got it." She jokes kindly.
"It's either the food or a cat. But I'm not sure I want to become 'the lady with cats' yet." I joke back a little awkwardly since my anxiety is in full mode.
"So the food it is." The 2nd lady said.
"In all seriousness, you are an amazing cook. I can tell that you are doing it with passion, and is something that makes you happy." She smiles at me.
"Your future husband will be very lucky to have you as his wife" One of the other ladies says.
I rub at my neck nervously while I let out a "Not really the husband kind".
"Oh, that is even better!" The first lady exclaims. "If there was an option of choosing which gender you are attracted to while being young, I would have chosen women as well." She tells me and I remained shocked. I don't meet old people talking about those things with such ease. Or agreeing with them. "Trust me, some men are like porcelain dolls. You take them, have your fun with them. Then put it back. Cause with them or without them is the same thing." She continues.
I can't offer my opinion on this since I never had a relationship with one, so I remain quiet.
"It's such a shame I never felt attracted to women, I know for a fact I would have enjoyed their company more than men." She concludes with a small nod of her head. I can also see the other 3 nodding to her statement. "So my dear, love who you want to love, don't feel obligated to fit into some stupid forms just because people say so. And be confident to be who you want to be." She tells me, her smile still presents on her face.
"Thank you! I will." I respond still a little surprised that I'm having this conversation.
"Do you have your eyes on someone?" She asks again.
A quick blush appears on my cheeks while my mind quickly goes to the mesmerizing blond girl from my morning run.
"I take it that you have." She lightly teases me, which makes my cheeks even redder. "Does she returns the feelings?" She asks patiently.
"No, she does not." I respond in a small voice. "I don't think she even knows about my existence." I add on.
"Oh. She should know. She would be a fool not to like you back. Listen to me daling, if it is meant to happen it will. The universe has a funny way of bringing people together, never doubt it. But I feel like something good will happen soon." She finishes with a gentle hand placed on my forearm. "Now I will let you go back there again. I kept you here long enough." She jokes.
"It was my pleasure honestly. Thank you so much for your kind words." I offer a smile to all of them then I'm set on going back in the kitchen.
I still feel eyes on me, I felt them through all of the conversation, to be honest, so I quickly scan the restaurant. When I see the source of the staring my body quickly shuts down and I'm about to be sent tumbling down. But I regain my posture.
The person was none other than the beautiful blonde that I have an enormous crush on. She quickly breaks her stare and looks at one of the people she is at the table with.
Was she staring at me this whole time?
No, no. It can't be. Don't let your hopeful heart see things that are not happening.
I quickly see another blonde at that table making eye contact with me, and smiling a little. When she goes back to the conversation that takes place at their table I see her nudging her friend.
Weird?
I shake my head and continue walking. Even though I'm trying not to, my eyes fall back to her table, and I now just realized that she is sat at a table with like, another 8 people at it.
So she is maybe at lunch with her friends or colleagues.
I enter the kitchen and start working while still thinking of her.
"You took your time." Abby said while sipping on some water.
"What?" I ask disoriented then I process her question. "Oh yeah! The lady was quite chatty. But very sweet though. She said she loved my pasta." I reply with a smile on my face.
"That is nice. I told you that you are worrying too much sometimes over nothing." She says while she gently rubs my shoulders.
"I can't help it sometimes." Is all that I'm saying in return.
"I know, I know. But also, I can tell that you are thinking about something. You are distracted." She says a little concerned.
"Um, you will never believe who is in the restaurant." I respond still nervously.
She doesn't need any other clues, my awkwardness is enough for her to know who I'm talking about.
"Oh my god. Really?" I nod in return. "That is amazing. Did you see what she was eating? I hope she had something that you cooked. She would love your cooking. Was she alone? Or with friends. 'Cause if she was alone then maybe this is not her first time coming here, and maybe she is a usual customer here and she loves your cooking and that is what brings her back every time. Did she look in your direction? Or, or did she looked pleased with her meal? We can't have her not liking her food. Maybe we should go there and just ask random people about their meal, and then ask her just so we can be sure. And and and this way you can be introduced to her. So you will find out her name. And maybe you can look her up on social media after. Or like, maybe we give her some customer discount or something. So she will feel a little obligated to continue eating here. And like, maybe you can put a secret message on her plate or something. Oh! Like your number, so she can text you while also thanking you for her delicious food. And maybe then bit by bit you will get the courage to ask her out. Or like maybe-" She makes a quick pause for breath since she is saying everything so fast.
But I interrupt her before she can continue. "Okay, okay I got it. You can stop your little fantasy. I don't think most of what you're thinking will happen." I say while continue cooking.
My shift is almost over thank gods.
"Sorry, I got excited that she is here." She chuckles.
"Yeah, I could tell." I laugh a little bit myself.
When is time for me to leave, I exit the restaurant from the back door and start the journey to my apartment. All I want right now is to just lay down on my couch, and maybe eat my weight in some junk food while watching a tv show.
I'm in no mood to be cooking more food, so take-out food it is.
The rest of the day goes by pretty quickly, and when I realize I'm already shutting my alarm the next morning.
Today I won't see her running which makes me sad but I push through it. I have a schedule so I need to follow it. I might run a few extra miles since yesterday I've eaten quite a lot of unhealthy foods.
I do my morning routine, then I'm out of the apartment in no time. I already know it will be a slow day.
With a quick pace, I start running down the street lost in thoughts, not really paying attention to my surroundings.
What stops me tho is when I feel a body colliding with mine, sending me tumbling down.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry." Says a female voice. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking. Jesus, I'm so sorry!" She continues apologizing.
"It's no problem really, I wasn't looking as well." I say still not paying attention to the other girl.
"Are you okay? Oh my god, I hope I didn't hurt you or something." She says still stressed out.
"No, no it's okay really".
I finally look in her direction and I'm instantly sent into panic mode. It's her! The beautiful blonde.
Oh my gods! I just made a fool out of myself in front of her.
Fuck! This could have happened only to me, I swear to god.
"Are you sure?" She asks when she sees me dumbfounded.
Oh my gods, her eyes! She has one of the most mesmerizing eyes I have ever seen. They are so captivating. The more I look into them, the more I get lost.
I could stare at her all day.
"Oh my god! I've messed you up. I'm so sorry!" She starts to panic when I'm not answering her question.
Snap out of it! Jesus...
"Oh, no no! I'm good I promise you." I finally realized that I'm still sitting on the pavement, so I get up quickly while brushing my back to make sure I don't have any dirt or something stuck on my clothes.
That would be even more embarrassing.
"Are you sure?" She asks again unconvinced.
"Yes." I answer confidently.
"Can do something for you? I feel like I owe you after I pretty much sent you down on the pavement." Her eyes still scan my body and face to make sure that I'm indeed alright.
"You don't need to." I answer quickly. The last thing I want is for her to feel like she owes me something.
"I want to. Really." She insists.
"You don't owe me anything." I assure her.
"Maybe I just want to get to know you better?" She says in a small voice.
Did she really say that?
Don't panic! Don't panic! Don't panic!
"In that case, I would say yes." I answer in a small voice.
Apparently, I said the right thing because she beamed up at me.
She looks even more beautiful up close.
"I'm glad! Oh! My name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Lizzie." She says while raising her right hand.
I take it and give it a gentle shake. "I'm Emma, nice to meet you." This smile won't leave my face, and from the looks of it, neither will hers.
"You too!" She makes a small pause. I think she is mustering all the courage to say something, but I beat her to it.
"So about that date?" I ask boldly.
"Oh, so it is a date now?" She teases me.
"Only if you want to." I try not to let her see how much her smile affects me.
"I do. I really do."
"Good. Are you free today after let's say 6?" I ask quickly not wanting her to change her mind.
"I am."
"Am I right to assume you live here?" I point to the building I always see her leaving.
"Yes."
"I'll come by at 6 then."
"Do I get to know anything about this date?" She asks.
"Hmm, maybe dress casual. But that is pretty much all the details you will get." I find myself teasing her.
"I can't wait then." She blushes.
I made her blush! I did that!
"I will see you then." With a quick confidence boost, I take her right hand gently and kiss her knuckles quickly.
"Bye." She calls after me with a quick wave and red cheeks.
I decide to cut my run short and just go straight home, I have a date to plan.
The rest of the day I can't wipe my smile out of my face. Abby teases me about it, but I manage to escape her questioning without telling her about the encounter with Lizzie.
6 comes quickly and I find myself in front of her building holding a single pomegranate flower with white accents. My hands are slightly shaking so I take a deep breath to try to calm down.
When I see her leaving the building I lose every ounce of calmness that I had. She looks gorgeous, even in her casual clothing.
Lizzie sees me and comes my way, her smile doubling in size when she sees that I come with a flower for her.
"Hi!" I say in a small voice while giving her the flower. "This is for you."
"Hopefull future. I love it" She says in return, referring to the meaning of the flower I gave her.
"How did you?" I get interrupted.
"I love to garden in my spare time." She says smiling, her eyes have yet to leave mine.
"Shall we?" I ask while giving her my arm.
"We shall."
I take her to the park that is close by. I plan on taking her on the lake with one of those pedalo boats that they offer, so you can go around the lake.
My nerves pretty much disappear as we keep the conversation going. She tells me about herself, and I do the same thing. From the looks of it, she seems to enjoy herself on this date. I make sure to buy her some ice cream when we are on land again, and at some point, she takes my hand into hers while walking.
We ended up on a bench just talking, now sitting closer than before. I will often see her looking at my lips then back into my eyes, but I know for a fact I've done the same thing more than once.
While talking about our jobs our faces are even more close and are getting pretty hard not to kiss her then and there.
She gets so excited when I tell her that I am a cook, and tells me that she loves to cook as well. She also tells me that we should cook together at some point, and I agree.
A small moment of silence is all it took for me. She looked deeply into my eyes and without realizing started leaning in, so I mirrored her movement. The moment our lips touched it felt like the missing piece in my life was finally discovered. Her lips were soft and gentle. But the more we kissed the more we both got more courageous to put more pressure and more passion.
When we finally separate cause we run out of oxygen, she just looks deep into my eyes and with a small blush admits that she wanted to do that for a long time now. I blush as well but lean in to give her cheek a kiss.
By the end of the day, we exchanged numbers and are already planning our next date. Is her turn this time, she insists.
I kiss her goodbye when we arrive at the apartment building she lives in, and look at her as she goes inside.
Today has been the best day of my life.
After a few more dates, I invited her to my place so I can cook for her since she said she really wanted that. I make sure the apartment is nice and clean, I light up a few candles here and there so they would make a romantic atmosphere. The ratatouille is in the oven at a low temperature so it will remain warm till we eat it. I set the table as well with a small bouquet of daisies set on the table so I can give them to her when she comes.
I requested a little more formal attire for this date since I wanted to give her a fancy dining experience. I wore a black suit with a white shirt, the first 3 buttons open. I also put on a loose tie and some leather shoes to complete the look.
She comes dressed in a black dress that looks so beautiful on her. She kisses me on the lips and I give her the daisies.
"New beginnings, innocence, and purity. I love it" She gives me a kiss on the cheek in return.
The dinner goes on pretty calmly, we made small talk but we focused more on the food. She loved it, and that made me so fucking happy. Her smile is all that I want to see on her face. I made a promise to myself that I would do anything in my power to make her happy.
After dinner, I muster the courage and finally ask her to be my girlfriend. She beams at me and gives me kisses all over my face. When she finally lands on my lips, she keeps them there for a while.
We ended up on the couch cuddling while a movie plays in the background. We are mostly focused on each other. My eyes haven't left her in quite some time.
"Can I be honest with you about something?" She asks all of the sudden nervously.
"Yes of course my dear." I try to settle her nerves.
"You know how I started running a few months ago?" I nod in response so she continues. "Well, one morning I couldn't sleep so I decided to look outside at the quiet city. That's when I first saw you." She looks for my reaction but I continue to smile in her direction. "You were just running and vibing to your music. You got me so hooked up and I knew I had to get to know you." She admits with a blush.
"So you started running." I finish for her with a wide smile on my face.
So she knew about my existence before.
"Yes. I tried every morning to get the courage to approach you. I would continue running but at first, I didn't have the best stamina, so after a few blocks, I would get back to my apartment, hoping the next day maybe I could catch you and talk to you. That was if I didn't have training or filming in the morning." She says nervously.
I just take her hand and kiss her knuckles, one at a time. That makes her smile and continues her story.
"Then there was this day while I was at lunch with the rest of the cast, and you came out of the kitchen looking kinda nervous. I almost choked on my food when I saw the girl I was crushing on, but I couldn't stop staring at you while you talked with those ladies. I remember you smiling so genuine to them and I realized that I liked how it looked on you." She stops again while blushing. I give her a deep kiss on her lips so she knows that I find everything that she is telling me, adorable.
So she continues. "I had to explain to the rest of the people why I was staring so hard at you, and they started teasing me when I admit to having a crush on you. Then you saw me as well, and I got so embarrassed that you caught me staring. But Scar being the shit that she is sometimes, looked in your direction then started teasing me about making a move. She also tried looking for you before we left but you were busy in the kitchen. So the next day, she woke up early, dragged me up from my bed, knowing well that I wasn't running that day. And she literally pushed me into you when she saw you coming." She finishes while laughing.
"That explains so much." I say while laughing.
"Yeah, and now she knows that we are going on dates and stuff, so she takes credit for it." She pretends to be annoyed by it. But I kinda have a feeling that she is grateful for what her friend did.
"I um, I also had a crush on you before you were pushed into me." I admit with a blush.
"Wait, really?" She asks surprised.
"Yes. I started seeing you run and I was so enamored with your beauty. I would stay behind you so I could just stare at you for a few more minutes before it got too creepy." I continue telling her. I see her watching me with curious eyes, so I keep on talking. " My friend Abby would tease me again and again about me liking you, she even made plans for me to get your attention, But my anxiety was too much to try to talk to you."
"Then I'm glad Scar pushed me into you when she did." She laughs slightly.
"I'm glad as well." I say before kissing her forehead.
Can I get an opinion of this first one shot? Did you guys like it?
Request are open.