You Captured My Heart - Chapter 2
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Karen stared at the camera on the cashier desk. She’d brought it home last night so as not to lose it and brought it back to the shop today, hoping that its lovely owner would come back today to get it back. She turned it on and browsed the pictures once again, completely bored due to the fact that there had been almost no customers today. It is only eight A.M, but Karen never was one to wait patiently. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the jingling of the door hanger, indicating that someone had entered.
"Morning, Karen!", she heard a woman say.
She stood up and got out from behind the counter and found that the woman turned out to be her best friend, Jenna.
"Hey, what’s new, Coleman?", she asked to Jenna.
"Not much. Just dropped by to say thanks for the gifts to my mum the other day. She loved the flowers. Personally, I loved the china. They must have cost a fortune!", Jenna replied, cheery as always.
"You’re welcome! So glad she liked it. I’ve gotta get a new cash register, by the way. Any idea where I might get a cheap one? By the way, you cut your hair?"
"See, Karen, if you keep buying the cheap ones then they’re never going to last long! Here, let me take a look at it. And yes, I did. Tired of long hair.", she said, walking behind the counter, flaunting her new shoulder-length brown hair.
Jenna took the keys to the machine that was lying beside the register and inserted them in the lock, gently turning and pulling. However, the register wouldn’t open that easily, and the drawer remained locked.
"You tried ringing up a sale already?", she asked.
Karen nodded.
"It’s probably something here jamming the system. You got a ruler?", she asked again.
Karen took a ruler from the desk drawer and handed it over to Jenna.
"Here. I read somewhere that it’s usually the bill depressor that’s making it stuck. I’ll just slide this ruler in the top corner of the drawer,", she did what she said, "and move it from side to side until I hear something drop."
Soon enough, the drop was heard and the drawer snapped open in time for Jenna to pull the ruler out. She placed the ruler in Karen’s hands and smiled.
"Thank you!", Karen said with a smile.
"No problem. I’m warning you, though, one of these days that register will break down for good."
"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Jen."
"No problem.", Jenna said, shifting her gaze to the camera on the desk. "Gotten a camera?"
She picked it up and turned it on, browsing through the pictures just like Karen did the previous day. She stared at the pictures in disbelief, thinking that it was Karen’s. She looked up and opened her mouth to speak, but Karen was quicker.
"Not mine.", she said.
"Thanks for clearing that up. Whose, then?"
"This…guy came in yesterday. Went to buy the paper, among other things. Cash register wasn’t working, so while waiting, we talked. He showed me his pictures."
"Ooh, is he good looking?", Jenna asked.
"Um. Well, he’s..he’s…walking in here right now."
Jenna turned her head in the direction of the door soon enough as to see Matt walking in. He walked confidently to the cashier desk, nodding at Jenna.
"Hi there, Karen. I seem to have left my camera here?", he said.
"Um, yeah. Matt, this is Jenna. I was just telling her about how you left your camera here.", she said, motioning for the two to get to know each other.
"Hey, Matt Smith.", he said, introducing himself.
"Nice to meet you. Jenna-Louise Coleman, or just Jenna Coleman. I’m a friend of Karen’s.", she said, smiling.
"Well, more like best friend.", Karen interjected. "Anyways, want your camera back?", she asked.
"Yes, please! Battery not low?"
"Nope, still good."
Jenna interrupted by saying something about having a cousin’s birthday or something like that, and saying goodbye to Karen and Matt, she left them both alone, mouthing “hottie” to Karen.
"Sooo…", she said.
"So…business good?", he asked, obviously making small talk.
She laughed lightly at that question, knowing that he already knew the answer. “Not bad. Work days are always emptier. But we’ve only just opened half an hour ago, so you can’t really tell. You want your camera back?”
"Oh, right. Do you want to see some other pictures?", he said, taking out a media card from his bag.
"Really? That’s okay with you?", she asked.
He handed her the chip and she gladly took it. She gently removed the current media card and handed it to him, carefully inserting the new one. She turned the camera on again and excitedly looked at the new pictures.
"You went to Brazil?", she asked, flipping the camera to face him.
"In time for one of their extravagant festivals, yes. Flip over a few pictures to the right, and you’ll see Venice’s annual masquerade."
She did so and gasped at the gorgeous picture he took-a lady in a Venetian masquerade costume with her partner in another costume. Behind them were people dancing on the street.
"You are so lucky.", she said.
"Most of the time.", he said, agreeing.
She sighed and browsed through the pictures once again. He stared at her once again, occasionally smiling at her reaction to the pictures.
As last time, she caught him staring. He looked away a little too late, making her slightly laugh.
"Were you staring at me?", she asked.
"Um…no, I..", he stuttered.
She laughed at the reaction and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, whatever you say then.”, she said, focusing on the pictures once again.
~*~
It had been a week since Karen and Matt last met, and Matt had been going there everyday to show her the pictures. Last week it was all about Europe, with the exception of Brazil.
Karen had seen pictures from France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and (of course) England. She wanted to go so badly, yet it seemed so impossible.
Today, however, the photographer that Karen had nicknamed ‘Smithers’ was nowhere to be found. He usually comes at 9AM, before the customers flood in, and leave at 10.30 for work. The clock showed 9.30AM but Karen hadn’t seen him at all.
Bored, she started to draw on the notepad near the new cash register. Matt had accompanied her to the store over the weekend and she got a brand-new cash register that won’t get stuck again. At least, that’s what the clerk said.
The door-hanger jingled and Karen shot up, desperate to see who it was. Her guess was proven to be correct-it was Matt, with a Starbucks bag in one hand and the camera bag in the other.
"Hi, Kaz! Sorry I’m late, traffic was hell."
"Kaz? That’s new. And you always walk, what traffic?", she asked in confusion.
"I had to go deliver some pictures to the book publisher, they wanted to see me at 8AM. They’re at the east end, so I had to take a cab here. Like I said, traffic was hell. Apparently cabs and Monday mornings don’t do well together.”, he said, placing the Starbucks on the cashier desk.
"Okay, but what’s with the nickname and the Starbucks?"
"It’s new. Since you came up with a nickname for me, why can’t I come up with one for you? And this?", he said, pointing to the Starbucks. "I know you don’t like coffee, but try this one out. It’s my favorite: Iced Caramel Frappucino with extra cream."
"No, no, no. I don’t do coffee. Ever."
"Try it."
She tentatively took a sip. Clearly, her mind changed as she quickly drank some more.
"Shit, this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!", she exclaimed.
"I know, right? I call it my Monday morning pick-me-up drink.”
"I don’t care what you call it, but I love it.", she said.
He smiled triumphantly and handed her his camera.
"Filled up with pictures of my trip to the United States."
She took it and placed it on the table. For a while, she disappeared into the room behind the desk, and returned with another chair. She placed it next to hers and motioned for him to sit down and waited until he did so.
After Matt sat down beside her, she turned on the camera and pressed the buttons, looking through the pictures. It hadn’t been five minutes when a lady walked in the shop, bringing a toddler along. The lady walked straight to the cashier desk.
"Hi, Karen.", she said.
Karen looked up at her and smiled.
"Donna, hi!", she said.
"I’m going to Harrods but I need someone to look after Rose. Is that fine with you?", she said.
Matt figured out that Rose must be the blonde toddler standing beside the lady.
"Sure, sure! I’ll see you later?"
"Definitely, at three-ish. Thanks, Karen!", she said, leaving the toddler with Karen.
"So, Matt, that was Miss Donna Tyler-Noble. This is her daughter, Rose Tyler.", said Karen. "Rose, darling, say hi to my friend, Matt."
The adorable kid waved and grinned, showing gaps in her teeth. “Karen, is this your boyfriend?”, she asked.
Matt and Karen laughed at the girl’s remark, Matt especially. I wish, he thought.
"Mommy tells me that only pretty girls have boyfriends. You’re pretty!", the three-year-old said.
"Why, thank you, Rose! You’re pretty, too! But I don’t have a boyfriend, not now.”, she said, putting her hands on the little girl’s shoulders.
"Can I go pick a book to read?", she asked.
"Go ahead. Come back here when you’re done."
When Rose ran to the children’s section, Matt spoke up.
"Donna’s your friend?"
Karen laughed at that remark. “No! She’s a friend of my friend’s. She lives in Kensington, with the posh houses and all. She’s really busy, so whenever she has something to do she drops her daughter here.”
"Rose looks more like your daughter than Donna’s.", he pointed out.
"She loves Rose. She’s just really busy."
Matt nodded, understanding the situation. “And what does she do for you in return?”
"She insists on paying me, although I try my best to refuse."
Rose called Karen from the children’s section, saying something about a book about giraffes and another about dancing flip-flops. Karen excused herself and walked over to Rose.
Matt pretended to browse through his camera, while he actually stared at Karen. He realized he’s starting to fall for her, even though he barely knows her.
Get a grip, he thought. What would she see in you?
Now that he knew she’s single, it’d be easier to approach her. He liked how she’s good with kids-like how she is with Rose. He heard her agree to read to Rose, settling on the book about dancing flip-flops because Rose thought that the one about giraffes would be ‘too long, just like a giraffe’s neck’.
From day one, however, he admired the fact that she wouldn’t take any money from anyone, despite making a living out of selling books from a store in a small alley.
He wasn’t sure if this was for real or just a feeling, but he knew that he was falling fast. If only she were there to catch him.
~*~
He’d stayed there for about an hour when Rose wanted some lunch. Apparently she wanted some food from some café near the main road, it was an expensive one.
"Rose, I’m working, so is it alright if we get something from the café across and eat it here?", Karen asked.
She shook her head.
"I’ll take you! We can eat outside the shop.", Matt offered.
Karen shot him a look that said ‘what are you doing?’, and he mouthed a ‘trust me’ to her.
"Okay, I’ll make you a deal, Rose.", he said, kneeling down to face her. "We eat in the café across, and I’ll buy you some ice cream."
A smile quickly spread through Rose’s face. “Deal!”, she said, quickly pulling him towards the door.
"See you soon!", Karen shouted from the desk. She mouthed a ‘take care of her’ to Matt, to which he simply nodded.
*~* "I want my ice cream!", Rose said, not forgetting the deal they made.
"Okay, Rose, what flavor do you want?"
"Chocolate and vanilla."
"Two scoops? You sure about that?", he asked.
She nodded. “Two scoops.”
Matt raised his hand and ordered the ice cream while Rose looked on with a satisfied smile.
"Matt, do you like Karen?", she asked innocently.
Matt was clearly taken aback, but laughed at that remark.
"Now what makes you think that?"
"You’re friends. If you don’t like her, then how can you be friends?.", she whispered.
Matt sighed in relief. Turns out Rose didn’t mean ‘like’ that way.
"Of course I do! I like you, too.", he said.
The ice cream came and Rose dug in, despite the fact that she finished a whole burger. The two conversed while Rose worked on her ice cream.
They didn’t notice Karen looking at them from the bookshop, secretly smiling in satisfaction. She noticed how Matt’s actually good with kids, and how he’d make a good dad.
There was definitely something about him that Karen liked, though she couldn’t exactly figure out her feelings. But right now, this would have to do.
What do you think? See what I did with Jenna, Rose, and Donna? ;)
