______
"Darling open your eyes. Let me show you the light, girl, you'll never find a love that's right."
______
I.
❝Let's go do something.❞
The store, Bloomingdale's, was packed and crowded as usual. People were rushing in, rushing out. Looking for things, anything. Looking for one certain thing. In fact, two certain people looking for one certain thing. They both had been running frantically around the store searching for one particular thing: A pair of black cashmere gloves. The gloves were absolutely perfect for each of their significant others! They were the perfect black cashmere gloves, and, the last ones in stock. They each spotted the gloves, each only a few feet away, walked quickly towards the gloves and they each grabbed them at the same time. Their hands briefly touched before they both dropped the gloves. The girl picked them up and tried handing them to the boy.
"Oh! I'm so sorry. Um, here. You can take them." She told him.
"No, no, no, it's fine. You take them. I don't really need them." He said.
"No, you take them. I'll ask if they have more in the back." She said, then she grabbed the attention of a sales clerk that she knew. "Hey! Dominic, my man--"
"We're not friends. Please don't call me that." Dominic told her.
She nodded her head. "Noted. But I need some assistance, okay? These gloves," she held them up to show them to him, "you and I both know there's another pair or two in the back. So, if you would just go back there and check, that'd be fantastic." She then flashed him a big smile.
"Why can't you just get a different pair?" Dominic said.
She stood silent for a moment. "Um, because, uh. Well, you see, my friend is having an, um, operation tomorrow and she might not survive. She told me this morning that, uh, if she does somehow survive that she wants to have two pairs of those exact same gloves?" She obviously lied.
"Very convincing. Almost as convincing as last time." Dominic said.
"Can you just go check in back?" She asked.
"I was just back there, there's no more. So, sorry." Dominic told her.
She pressed her lips together in a thin line as she nodded her head. "Alright. But I'm never setting foot in this store ever again and every day I'm gonna protest right outside those doors."
"You say that all the time and here we are now." Dominic said before turning away from her.
When she turned around to see the boy still there and she was surprised that he hadn't taken off while she was talking to Dominic.
"Oh wow, you're still here. I'm surprised that you didn't run off with the gloves." She said.
"Yeah, kinda hard to do that when you have them." He told her.
"Right."
"Besides, I think you should have them. Considering the great lie you told to him to get another pair." He said to her.
"Thank you. But also don't make fun of my lying, I tried my best." She said and they both let out soft chuckles. "Anyway, I don't know how to thank you for these."
______
"I still don't think anything you said to that guy made any sense." He told her.
"I already told you not to make fun." She said. "But, I was serious about the check, I'll pay. It's the least I could do after the whole glove thing. Thanks, by the way."
"No problem. Thanks for paying." He said. "This place is pretty great, how did you even find it?"
"Because of the name. Serendipity. It's my favorite word."
"Why?" He asked her.
"I love the meaning of the word. "A fortunate accident" its just kind of a beautiful word to me." She said. "Although, I don't believe in accidents."
"You don't? Why not?" He asked.
"I think fate is behind everything." She said.
"So, do you think everything is set in stone? We don't make our own decisions, like, at all?" He asked.
"No, no, of course we make our own decisions. I just think that everything that happens to us, happens for a reason." She explained.
"Everything happens for a reason?" He asked.
"Yes, like, Columbus and America." She said.
"Or, Tom and the black gloves." He said.
"Hmm, don't think I know that one." She smiled.
"Oh, it's a classic. Our protagonist, Tom, goes on a quest to find this perfect pair of black gloves for his girlfriend. Then, through acts of "serendipiocity" or whatever, he meets a beautiful, blonde girl with a boyfriend." He said. "You do have a boyfriend, right?"
"I do. And you have a girlfriend?" She asked.
"Yes, I do." He answered.
"Well, this was a very pleasant time." She said to him as they finished off their ice creams.
She paid the check and the two of them gathered their coats and such and began leaving the restaurant.
"I hope you enjoy the gloves you bought yourself." He said to her as they left.
"I'm sure I will, I usually enjoy the thoughtfulness of my own gifts." She said and they both laughed.
"So, are you going to meet your boyfriend now?" He asked her.
"No, he's probably doing what you're doing right now." She said.
"Getting a crush on someone else's girlfriend?" He asked. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she could help but blush slightly. "What I meant to say was, I had a good time tonight. How about you give me you're phone number. Just in case."
"In case of what?" She asked as she hailed a taxi.
"In case of life. I just met the most amazing girl and now I might never be able to find you again."
She thought about it for a few seconds before replying, "I think if we're meant to meet again, then we'll meet again. But it's not the right time right now."
"Maybe we were meant to meet on my time--on British time--and we're five hours too early." He suggested jokingly and she laughed. "Come on, I don't even know your name. My name's Tom. Doesn't that make you wanna tell me something?"
"Yes, it does." She then kissed his cheek before saying, "Goodbye, Tom, and thanks."
Then, she got in the cab and drove away. Leaving Tom alone on the sidewalk. After letting out a few frustrated grunts, he began walking back to his hotel. A few minutes after the two parted ways, Tom realized he had forgotten his scarf at the restaurant. Then she realized that she, too, had forgotten something in the restaurant. They both had to immediately go back to the restaurant. Tom to get his scarf, and her to get her gloves.
Tom arrived at the restaurant a little bit before she did. He checked the table for the scarf and found it on the floor, along with her gloves. He picked them up and also his scarf, before getting back up and starting to walk out of the restaurant. Then, he saw her in the doorway.
"Hey." She said.
"Hey." He replied "Let's go do something."
"Like what?" She asked.
"I don't care." He said.
"Alright, come on."