Chapter 1: The Meeting
The woman sat beneath her tree, engrossed in her novel, unaware that she was being watched. That was for the best, however, for she would not know what to do with the information even if she had it. It wasn't like there was another tree in this park that would suit her like this one did, she had grown rather fond of it. An old elm, it had stood strong and proud in the park for many decades. Its stout trunk had grown in such a way that climbing the tree wasn't an option for the vertically challenged, so during the day the children were quite content playing in the other areas of the park where there were things designed for them to clamber over. This left the tree available for Ariel quite often. Every now and then she'd find it occupied by young couples with a blanket and a picnic basket, but she couldn't be upset about that. She did go there to read romance novels after all, how could she be upset by young love directly in front of her?
Today, though, she had no competition. She was settled at the base of the tree, snuggled between the perfect spot between the roots that practically formed a seat, which was one of the reasons this was the only tree for her. The park was less crowded today in general. Most likely because the weather was just now turning and the air was brisk. Ariel didn't mind, though, she rather enjoyed the sharpness. It kept her alert and focused and she appreciated the opportunity to bundle up warmly in her jacket with the beanie and scarf that she had knit herself. She also loved how the occasional breeze swept by and knocked a few leaves loose that would flutter down to the ground, sometimes even falling onto her book. It made her giggle every time and she looked up at the tree with a fondness that still surprised her. How could one be fond of a tree? She always shook the thought off with a shrug because it didn't really matter all that much, but it was curious. Her mind was like that though, sometimes being attracted by things she didn't understand at all and she had grown used to it. No point in fighting it if there was no harm in it, right?
Every now and then she would have visitors, people who came over to the tree pretending to be interested in all of its majesty. Only pretending though, because they all inevitably showed their true colors by trying to strike up a conversation with her. She didn't understand it, she was alone sitting under a tree reading a book. What part of that image encouraged people to come speak to her? To hit on her, no less! She was reading for god's sake! She would never come up to someone and stand over them, staring down with that horribly awkward, hesitant look on her face that all these people seemed to have in common, and ask some inane question like "what are you reading?" If they couldn't read the book title as they walked up or see it at the top of the page then clearly they weren't at all interested in the book and therefore it was rude to even pretend to care.
She huffed at the thought of it and tried to push it from her mind, focusing back on her reading. The protagonist was facing quite the temptation right now and Ariel very much wanted to know what choice she would make. It only took a few seconds for her to become entirely engrossed within the story again. So engrossed that she did not register the approach of a new person. They came and stood next to her, leaning against the tree and watching her without her realizing. She continued reading, flipping through page after page and the stranger still said nothing to break her immersion. For a moment in the story, it seemed that the girl was going to make a terrible decision, but at the last minute she changed her mind and took the better path, allowing Ariel to let out a sigh of relief and lean back against the tree trunk for a moment.
That's when she saw the stranger. They were tall, with dark, straight hair that fell down to their waist and dark eyes that were unnervingly fixed on Ariel. They were wearing what looked like casual business attire, a loose, white blouse that was open at the neck but didn't go too low, with black slacks and a long black coat that was open. They had their hands tucked into the coat pockets and there was no scarf covering their neck, which was quite slender and lovely, nor any hat covering their head, yet there was no sign that they felt any of the cold around them, not even the slightest reddening of the tip of their nose.
Ariel realized that she was staring for some time. Which also meant that the stranger was staring for just as long. This was different from the normal people who approached her and she wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation.
"Um, hello," she finally settled on, then immediately berated herself internally for not coming up with anything better.
The stranger smiled. "Red seems to have avoided a bit of trouble there, didn't she?"
Ariel stared up at them, struck dumb for a moment, not comprehending in the slightest. Part of the reason was because their voice was simply stunning. It was soft and deep, distinctly comforting like a being wrapped in a warm blanket of words. Then she made the connection and glanced down at the book with a nervous laugh before looking back up at them. It was an alternate telling of little red riding hood, Red being the main character.
"She did! I was nervous for a bit that she wouldn't make the connection between her last visit to her grandma's house and the sounds around her own house, but she did! Which was nice, I hate it when characters are stupid and don't make the obvious connections just to progress the plot. I don't know, it just feels...cheap."
Ariel faltered, unsure how this stranger got her to blabber on like that. She was normally quite reticent around people she didn't know.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Who are you?"
The question came out sounding much harsher than she intended and she winced. Luckily, the stranger didn't seem phased at all.
"My name's Rowan," they said, a pleasant lilt to their voice when they pronounced their name. "And yours?"
"Ariel," she said, then immediately blushed as she anticipated their immediate question and nodded as they opened their mouth to ask. "Yes, my parents were obsessed with the Little Mermaid."
Rowan smiled again. They had a small, yet very expressive way of smiling and Ariel was finding herself quite enchanted by it.
"I take it that's not an obsession you share," they said.
Ariel laughed, almost able to keep the bitterness out of it. "Well when you grow up with red hair and a name like Ariel, people suddenly lose all creativity when talking to you."
Rowan nodded, sympathetic. "I can see how that would become tiresome."
"Thank you! You get it."
Ariel's mind went blank and Rowan didn't say anything either, so the conversation lapsed. They didn't look away, though, so Ariel couldn't either, which left her staring up at them in a way that was straining her neck. Yet she found she didn't want to look away. There was something about Rowan's gaze, the way that they were looking at her, that intrigued her. She saw curiosity in their eyes, mixed with something else that she couldn't put her finger on.
After a bit, it registered in her brain that she was staring up at this person, who was still basically a stranger, and saying nothing for who knows how long now. It also, finally, registered that Rowan had asked a rather particular question about her book.
She lifted the book slightly. "Have you read this before?"
Rowan shook their head. "I haven't."
"Oh...well then how-"
"I was reading over your shoulder," they said, anticipating her question.
"Oh." Ariel was quiet for a second. "How long were you standing there before I noticed?"
"I'd say for about 15 pages," they said, amusement clear in their voice.
Ariel blushed and could not maintain eye contact. "Oh wow, okay, I'm sorry I didn't mean to ignore you I just got a little caught up in the book I guess."
"That's okay," they said, their voice soft and reassuring. "You don't know me, why would you owe me anything?"
Ariel nodded. That made sense. So why did she still feel guilty about it? Yes, she didn't owe them anything, yet it felt like she did. Their presence demanded attention and she found herself liking it when they gave her theirs.
"Um," she started before having a full sentence in mind. "Do you want to sit with me?"
They nodded, "I'd like that."
Rowan slid down into a sitting position with much more fluidity than Ariel expected from someone their size. They stretched out their long legs, revealing black, heeled boots that disappeared up into their pants, and leaned back against the tree.
"This is a nice spot you've got here," they said.
"It is," Ariel said with a smile. "I've been reading under this tree for years now."
"Do you always find yourself plagued by strangers interrupting your reading?"
She blushed again and shook her head. "You're not interrupting!"
"I didn't mean me."
Ariel glanced over at them, not comprehending for a moment before it sank in. "Oh...oh! Um, you've been here in the park for a bit too then, huh?"
Rowan nodded, looking out from under the trees boughs to the group of children that were playing over by the small pond at the center of the park. They didn't say anything, and Ariel found herself more comfortable in this silence than she would be with most people.
"Do you find it disconcerting?" they asked. "That I was watching you?"
"No." The word was out of her mouth before she even thought about it, which surprised yet, but on evaluation she realized it was true. Which was weird. Why did a stranger watching her for over an hour, at least, not make her feel weird?
