*This is chapter 1 of this ongoing serial, but I recommend reading the prologue if you haven't. Other than that, happy reading!*
Chapter 1: Laura
He was oddly insistent, Laura thought. Not in any way that was nervous or pushy, just in a way that made her feel like she'd be missing out if she didn't. She'd already politely declined a number of times, but he wasn't seeming to take no for an answer.
'Oh come on, you must, they're absolutely marvellous,' he had said with a big grin. He held out a small, clear plastic bag. 'Trust me.'
He gave it a shake. The contents rattled.
It must have been artisan chocolate, bought from one of those special shops you got in the touristy bits of towns - you could tell from the design of the packing. It was made to look fancy, with a golden strip wrapped around the top and a black and white label furnished with calligraphic patterns imprinted on its front. She didn't read it.
'Try one,' he urged. 'Go on.'
There was such a warmth to his tone. It made Laura smile. She was a bashful creature, so this was directed mainly at the floor.
They sat at the counter at the front of the campus café, opposite the windows - the place typically reserved for people that'd come in on their own and with no one to talk to. She had just been here, minding her business, and he had sat down next to her. They'd hit it off from there, though in later days Laura would realise she couldn't quite remember how the conversation had started.
The clamour of daytime chatter surrounded them.
'Alright then,' she said, conceding to his exhortations. She fished inside the bag and picked out a chocolate button and held it up. It was the richest brown she'd ever seen. It could have been mixed today.
She briefly reconsidered the level of safety there was in accepting food from a stranger she'd only just met, and hesitated as she brought it to her mouth.
Seeming to preternaturally sense her apprehension, he reached into the bag himself and took one.
'They're surprisingly healthy actually. And organic,' he said, popping it in his mouth. He grinned disarmingly as he chewed.
She grinned back. It was a hard face not to grin back at. It made her feel all warm and tingly and stupid, like if she wasn't careful with how she next enunciated, the words would all spill loosely from her mouth in pieces like an abused Jenga tower.
She looked again at the button and took a small nibble - just to be safe. And anyway, if it was as good as he said, she'd want to savour it.
Boy was that hypothesis correct. As soon as she tasted it she knew she needed more. She stared at what remained of the chocolate in disbelief before chomping on it in one bite. The sublime flavour melted over her tongue, coating it. It was soft and creamy.
'Scrumptious, isn't it?' said the man. He looked at her approvingly. 'Would you like another?'
Laura stared at the open bag for a spell. She didn't want him to think she was greedy. She was slightly embarrassed at the thought of him seeing her become so ravenous at just one. Way to live up to the stereotype, Laura - girls all love chocolate. What kind of a feminist was she?
She stared at the bag.
But... only one more couldn't hurt...
'Er, no thank you,' she decided, breaking eye contact. 'But it was nice.'
The man's features didn't shift in a negative way - he didn't look overly disappointed - they merely altered, sliding from one precisely neutral expression to another.
He was dressed from head to toe in black, in dress trousers and a figure-hugging turtleneck. And it was a nice figure. He was more on the lean side of things, athletic looking definitely, but more dancer than bodybuilder. His eyes were obscured by a pair of completely opaque, round sunglasses, and his hair was short, shaved finely at the sides. His watch was expensive. Laura didn't need to know what brand it was to see that.
Then he chuckled softly.
'Ah, well, I can't force you.' He finished his coffee - even the way he held the cup was fancy, Laura noticed - and got up. His jacket was folded over his arm. 'I'm afraid I've got to dash. It's been charming chatting with you. Maybe I'll see you around?'
This all struck Laura as quite abrupt.
'Oh, oh yes, yes,' she fumbled stupidly. 'Hopefully.'
'Wonderful,' he chirped before turning and making his way out the door.
Laura rested her head on her hand and watched him go, keeping particular focus on his backside as it disappeared into the crowd. She continued to stare even when he had left her sight completely. She grew increasingly frustrated with herself.
He had been so charming, it had stunned her completely. She should have asked for his number. She didn't even ask his name, for god's sake. She always did stuff like this.
She wrapped her head in her hands. It was then, with her head at such a low vantage point, that she noticed something else. He had left something.
It was more buttons. Three of them, to be precise. They must have spilt out of the bag when he was sharing them out.
She took them in her palm and stared at them. She ate one.
Not all bad then, she thought as she ate. These chocolates were so nice. She ate the other two in one go. That is, she did after checking that nobody was looking at her. She didn't want to be made out as a pig.
Then, from out of nowhere, she felt a pair of hands land on her shoulders. She yelped and almost choked on her chocolate. Clearly, her surveillance was more slapdash than she'd realised.
'Oh. My. God,' said an energised voice from behind. Laura recognised it at once.
'Michelle!' she hissed, the inside of her cheeks still cemented with melted chocolate. She was mostly upset that she hadn't been allowed to savour them.
Michelle was a blur as she took up the seat next to her and leaned in close. She was grinning like a madwoman.
'I cannot believe you,' she said in a giggling whisper.
'What?'
'What do you mean what? The guy you were just talking to!'
Laura blushed.
'Oh, you saw that. Wait, you know that guy?'
Michelle looked flabbergasted.
'Laura! Everyone knows that guy! Oh, yeah, I forget you live under a rock sometimes.'
Laura looked even more embarrassed. It was true she usually kept to herself and typically preferred the company of books more than people, but she didn't appreciate how Michelle always had to make that seem like a bad thing.
'So you know him?' she asked, trying to deflect the point.
'Ah well,' Michelle pulled a face, 'not know him know him. He's a bit of a recluse, socially speaking. But he's hard not to notice in a crowd! Hey-' she put her hand to her chin in mock thoughtfulness and winked, -'he's a recluse, you're an introvert. There might be something in that.'
'Shut up,' said Laura, but she was smirking. 'So what do they call him?'
'You mean other than "Vlad Dracula",' she said in an over-the-top Transylvanian accent. They laughed.
'Seriously!'
'Alright, alright,' giggled Michelle. 'He's called Sable.'
* * *
The day continued much in its usual fashion, although Laura couldn't help herself but think back to the chocolate that Sable had given her. It's taste, it's texture. It really was super nice. She'd have to ask where he got it from.
But then, she mused sadly, it was probably some super expensive foreign import only meant for the uber-rich. But that wasn't all bad. Maybe if they ran into each other again, she could buy her way into some more...
A moment of clarity lapsed refreshingly over her and she smiled, feeling foolish. What was she thinking? She couldn't try and get in good with a rich kid for chocolate. What kind of priorities were they?
The day proceeded as normal, that is except for one other belligerent, badgering addition.
'You're telling me you didn't get his number!' exclaimed Michelle in disbelief. 'Girl, what the hell is wrong with you!? Don't you see when you're in with a good thing?'
'Well, you said he's identifiable in a crowd.'
