Song: I've Just Seen a Face - The Beatles
****************
Anya peeks around the archway, curious as to who is at a bar so early in the morning. She can hear Roni speaking to a younger man maybe a little older than herself... which is an unknown number since Anya has no idea when her birthday is. She catches herself staring at the man in a black leather jacket, his shaggy dark hair hides his eyes as his head droops down. She has seen him before, but never spoken to him let alone ask his name.
"You know I can't serve you this early, Rider..." Roni sighs.
"I know..." His voice is soft; the opposite of his appearance, "I just needed to clear my head... and pay my respects."
She reaches across the bar to pat his shoulder, "Thank you... you know I'm always here for you, Flynn." Huh, does she say that to everyone?
Anya catches his smirking grin, and feels her heart beat a little faster as he keeps speaking, "Yeah, I know..."
Suddenly, he looks up and catches Anya's gaze. Instantly his demeanor changes, "Hey! What are you looking at?!"
Anya quickly ducks around the corner, out of view, but still within earshot. Maybe he won't notice. Maybe she won't have to talk to him. Maybe he's got a third eye under those bangs. Roni's voice drives her out of her thoughts.
"Don't ever talk to her like that! You hear me?"
"You hit me!" Anya chuckles at Rider's childlike tone. Roni must have slapped him upside the head.
"Congratulations for stating the obvious."
He laughs, and Anya's brow curls in confusion, "That kind of hurt."
But Roni's not joking, "Then let that bruised ego of yours remind you to be kinder. You never know what someone else is going through..."
"What is she going through?" Anya's heart skips a beat, dare she turn around the corner?
"That's for her to tell you, but I doubt you'll be able to talk at all to her unless you apologize."
All is silent. Did he leave? She is about to peak around the corner when she nearly runs into the man from the bar. She forces herself to look down at her feet.
"Sorry, I'm so sorry..."
"No, no it was my mistake..."
His voice makes her face redden and Anya becomes even more determined to stay focused on the floor tiles.
"Look... I'm sorry for yelling at you before... It's been a rough morning for me and uh... I just sort of lost it there for a moment."
The words come out before she can stop them, "You really should be kinder to people you've never met-"
"I'm apologizing now, doesn't that count for something?"
She tries not to smile, "The only reason you did was so Roni wouldn't slap you again..."
"Maybe, but that could have been only one reason. Maybe you should try and see that not everyone has an agenda. And maybe if you look them in the eyes you might see they actually care."
She glances up for a moment, seeing him looking eagerly at her. She sighs, looking up at his chocolate brown eyes combined with that dopey grin. She tries not to remind herself that she's never been so close to a man before... at least one that wasn't a police officer. "There. Happy?"
"See that wasn't so hard." He extends his hand to her, trying not to get lost in her eyes, "The name's Flynn. Flynn Rider."
She can't help but smile back as she shakes his hand, "Anya."
"Anya..."
"Just Anya."
"No last name?"
"None that I know of..." Suddenly everything comes out like vomit, "I have amnesia and don't remember anything apart from when I was found, Victoria Belfrey adopted me-"
"Whoa whoa... slow down... so you don't know anything about who you are?"
She shrugs, "Not a clue. Just the name they gave me when they found me wandering the streets: Anya."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Anya. You are nothing like your caretaker-"
"Stepmother is how she likes to put it."
He chuckles, "Right, and uh we've never met before?"
Anya grins, "I'm not exactly the best person to ask..."
He laughs, trying to shake the feeling that he knows her somehow, "Well, Miss Anya, I apologize for my behavior; I'm usually not so..."
"Rude? Arrogant? Self centered?"
"I was going to say charming."
Anya rolls her eyes, "I may not have any memories but I do know my vocabulary Mister Rider."
"Please, call me Flynn. Mister Rider is my father."
"Do me a favor then, Flynn?"
"Name it."
Her smile fades, "Cherish your moments with him... you never know how great those times are until they're gone..."
He stares at her, blinking as he tries not blurt out that Mister Rider isn't actually around, "You're very different than most people, Anya."
"Well, thank you. It would be a very boring place if we all were the same."
He smiles again; his default cover, no girl can see his inner turmoil through this grin, "Look, I'll give you my number, and the next time you want to see something different in this town than what your stepmother wants you to see... I'll only be a phone call away."
Anya smiles; her face heating up again as she hands him the phone from her pocket, "I'd like that. Maybe we can talk about the pain in your eyes too."
He steps back abruptly, as she catches him off guard and he stumbles into the prep table behind him.
"I'm so sorry." She reaches out to grab his arms to keep him from falling over when a flash of light overtakes her.
She is standing in front of a man dressed in some renaissance style clothing. They're in the middle of a forest, the sun glistening through the dense canopy. She can feel his arms tracing along her back, making her heart race but not out of nervousness or fear. Somehow there's a feeling of ease that she's never felt before... or maybe she has and it's just been so long? Safety? Openness? She can feel his breath on her face as he leans in close, and softly mutters her name-
"Anya!" Flynn shouts again, and suddenly her eyes blink madly. His hand comes to her cheek, as he calls to her again gently, "Anya."
Her eyes meet his instantly, and she backs up clearing her throat as she tries not to think of how close she just was to Flynn Rider, "I'm sorry. I... I don't know what happened."
Roni is at the doorway instantly. She must have been listening the entire time. She races over and checks Anya's eyes and forehead, "Was it another memory?"
Anya loosens her ponytail as she tries to put everything together but is just so confused, she gazes back at the floor as soon as Roni is satisfied that there's no medical reason for Anya's dazes. "I don't know-"
Flynn catches on, "A memory?"
Roni sighs, figuring she can trust Flynn, "She's been having these flashes ever since this morning."
He smiles, "This is great!"
Roni scowls at him, "Not if it happens while she's crossing a street..."
Flynn ignores her, "Anya, you might be able to find out who you are."
Anya hesitantly looks back up at him, "You think so?"
He hands her back her phone, "I know so. And I'll help you in whatever way I can."
"Thanks, Flynn."
He grins widely, "I have to go, but thank you ladies for this morning's entertainment."
Roni rolls her eyes, trying not to laugh, "Get out, Rider..."
He walks backwards out the door as Roni playfully pulls him by the sleeve, being sure to keep Anya's gaze, "It was nice to meet you, Anya. I look forward to seeing you again-"
Anya giggles as Roni forces him out the door, locking it on him as soon as he's outside. He tries to open the door, and Roni laughs at him. He steps away and smirks as he types something on his phone. Anya's phone buzzes.
"Even though she's your stepmother, remember to cherish her too." He says with a winking smiley.
Anya glances at him through the window to see him smiling back. She texts back, "Always."
He looks down at his phone, looking back up at her again. "Always," he grins through the glass before he continues to walk down the street.
"Well, this is going to get interesting..." Roni sighs as she turns back to taking inventory at the bar.
"What? He's just a nice guy..." Anya says, trying to resist the urge to look out the window for him.
"Deep down, yes, he's a great guy... but don't let his smile fool you, Anya. That guy has gone through more pain and caused more heartbreak than you can imagine."
The window mesmerizes Anya as she pictures him just on the other side, "In my experience, most of our pain is there because we're looking for someone to share it with. Someone who doesn't judge it or try to fix it but just... listens."
Roni looks at her through the corner of her eye. She can tell something is going on with Anya, but as friends do, the last thing she wants is for Anya to get hurt. "Victoria won't like you spending time with him..."
Anya shrugs, "Victoria already doesn't like anything I do. What's one more thing to add to that list."
The girl has a point. Sometimes she wishes she had Anya's gumption. "All I'm saying is to be careful, Anya... especially now that you're having flashes of memories... you want to make sure he's going to be there for you when the good ones and the bad ones surface."
Anya smiles, "Even if he's not, you're here to listen too, Roni. You're always here, and I can't thank you enough for that."
Roni smirks back, "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Now get back to work before you make my mascara run." She sighs as the word 'here' seems like a knife to the heart. By the end of the day, this place would be property of Victoria Belfrey. She hears Anya's footsteps fade away into the kitchen as she carefully blots the corner of her eyes with a bar napkin. "Too late."