There's a new teacher on staff and he's struggling to make friends so he sits with you in the break room....
Okay, you asked for it....
Tea date
Fandom: The Night Manager
Genre: AU, Fluff (-ish)
Pairing: Jonathan Pine x Reader
Words number: 1321
Warning: none
Summary: Jonathan bonds with you.
The breakroom was noisy, as it always was during the first morning break after the holidays. Each member of the staff was all too happy to talk about what they had done without being truly interested in what their coworkers were saying. As a matter of fact, it was only a competition to impress the others and make them believe they had an amazing life.
You did not like to play that game. You had no social life whatsoever and you did not care one bit that everybody knew it, which is why you usually chose a chair in the corner, far away from those fake exchanges.
You inwardly rolled your eyes at them and opened the latest fantasy book you had purchased. Better use those fifteen minutes wisely.
You were about to start when a shadow loomed over you. Hoping it was not one of those overly curious ones, you raised your head to greet the intruder. A light smile curled up your lips when you met the soft eyes of the new literature teacher, Jonathan Pine.
“May I?” He gestured to the unoccupied seat next to yours.
“Of course.”
He sat down and let his head gently fall backwards against the wall. You took the time to admire his facial features. He was perfection in itself, a real Adonis and yet no one here had shown interest. Maybe it was because he is English, maybe it was because he was always elegantly dressed…although he had let go of the tie and suit for the day, choosing to wear a simple blue shirt and dark blue jeans. And yet, he could have been in rags but he exuded elegance and refinement. He was out of place between those idiots who thought they were above talking to him.
Not that you had talked to him more but you at least took the time to say hello and asked if he was alright. You heart clenched when you thought about the time it took you to get included even if you did not really care. But Jonathan seemed to care a lot. He was willing to fit in and it seemed unfair to leave him out of everything. He was doing his best and the kids loved him. Come to think of it, that might be the real reason behind this jealousy.
“Not easy being the new one here” You told him gently as you closed your book and let it rest on your lap.
Jonathan’s eyes fluttered open. He lifted his head and looked at you, as if he was wondering if you were really talking to him.
“I guess it is not.” He answered with a tiny tired smiled on his face that made your heart clench.
“They will come around, don’t worry.” You tried to comfort him. “It took me a while too.”
“Really?” He gazed into your eyes and you gulped, mesmerized for a second by the ocean blue color of his own eyes. This man held unknowingly some power over you, a fact that both scared and thrilled you. This was uncharted territory for you and it was exhilarating.
“I guess they only need a little time to get familiar with Europeans.” He said jokingly, unaware of your inner turmoil.
You blinked, waking from your daze and snorted at his words. “Because you still consider yourself European after the whole Brexit debacle?”
He raised his eyebrows and you comically put your hand over your mouth, inwardly berating yourself for offending him. His lips curved into a smile.
“Well, we are still part of that continent. French people…why do you always have to hold grudges?”
“English people, why do you always want to be a part of something but reject everything from this something at the same time?” You answered in the same tone.
He laughed and the two of you exchanged a knowing grin.
“How long have you been teaching here?” He asked.
“Three years in this school but I have been teaching in the US for a little bit more than seven years. So, trust me when I say I know how hard it is to fit in. I used to get part time contracts only and to change schools a lot. Now, I can finally settle down. It’s…nice. What about you?”
“I was offered this permanent position last year but it is my first time here.” He cleared his throat. “As a matter of fact, it’s the first time I am teaching in high school altogether. I used to teach English literature at Cambridge.”
You let out a gasp. “Cambridge? What on earth made you decide to leave this prestigious place to come here?”
A sudden sad glint appeared in his eyes. “I needed a change of scenery. Matters of the heart are always complicated affairs.”
Your heart clenched at his words. Yes, matters of the heart were always very complicated. You knew a lot about it yourself. It was one of the reasons why you flew away from home all those years ago. You did not regret it all. And nobody was probably missing you anyways…
“I can assure you it did not involve a student though.” He added facetiously.
You blinked at his words and gave him a fainted smile. It looked like he had sensed your sudden sadness and had wished to lighten the mood. You were the one who had brought on the subject but he was not blaming you. On the contrary, he was trying to make you feel better. It was not something that happened a lot. He seemed to be a man with a good heart and you felt the sudden urge to repay him somehow. He needed company and maybe that is what you needed too, somehow.
“You know, there is a nice coffeehouse not very far from here. I often make a stop there on my way home. They have a wide range of good tea.”
“Offering to have a nice cup of tea? You know your way to an English man’s heart, Darling.”
Your belly did a somersault at the term of endearment. You usually did not like the familiarity but from new teacher Jonathan Pine, it did not seem to bother you.
“That’s just because I hate coffee.” You answered nonchalantly to give you some composure. “What do you think about it? Maybe we could go on Friday after work.”
He seemed to ponder your words and you realized you might have been a bit presumptuous. He may not need company that much. Not yours especially.
“But I can also give you the address if you want to go by yourself…or take someone else.”
Heat crept up your cheeks. Great, now you were babbling from embarrassment.
“J’accepte avec grand plaisir. Mais c’est moi qui invite.” He replied smoothly in a perfect French with just that tiny bit of an English accent. This man was definitely full of surprises. You nodded, speechless.
The bell rang, waking you up from your daze. You grabbed your book and rose up from your seat. Jonathan followed your lead. You looked at each other.
“Well…see you on Friday, then. Three o’clock?”
“Three o’clock, it is.” He smiled warmly. “I cannot wait, Darling.”
Darling. There it was again; the somersault in your belly, the heat on your cheeks. This man was making you feel things you were not ready to feel, especially not in the breakroom of a high school.
You smiled at him one last time before leaving the room in a hurry. You knew your coworkers were throwing suspicious glances at the two of you and it would not be long before you would be the main topic of their gossips.
But you were also aware that Jonathan had probably stared at you until you had left the room and that made you feel all tingly. Maybe soon you would give those coworkers something to really gossip about.
French Translation: It's my great pleasure to accept. But it's on me.
Like I said ..seok Hoon can handle the matter well👍
Finally we know the mystery word he said on previous ep..
Also good slaps maam👍
While our main couple upgraded their tea date to beer date
Our second couple pursued more skinship and marriage..at this point the second couple could be married first and our main still climbing the stairs of finding love😅
I kinda feel not good when she try to cover up althought she knew the truth.
So today it was not a good case for me as she's helping out her friend rather than doing the right things
"It won't be just one date" -The Detective, Book Two
Nat and Detective Tharsis having a tea date in his apartment.
Nat gazes at the detective as he enthusiastically tells her about his favorite novel series. Detective Ruffles (the bunny plushie that the detective won and gave to Nat at the carnival) is also present and providing the bestest of snuggles!
Please list for me the top 5 things you love about Peeta Mellark, so we can compare notes!!!
Hey there lady,
This is so sweet ❤️
My notes aren't much but I know I can just pick your brain!
- Things I love about Peeta Mellark
1. His resolve
- he was only 17 yo when he'd decided that he didn't want to be a piece in the games. How many 17 yo have such strong will?
- After the war, he worked hard to come back to Katniss. So many things happened to him (to both him and Katniss!) yet there he was, being a patient and gentle support for Katniss -- loving her, holding her, planting those primroses for her the very moment he got home, baking her bread, etc. What I (we) would give to have someone love me that much 😁😅
2. His intellect
- he's a planner. I wish I could pull out a quote, right now for this.
- the baby! The baby bomb!
3. His kindness
- the bread for Katniss
- the calmness for the dying morphling
- the gift to Rue and Thresh' family
... many many more
4. His love for bread
- I just think it's so cool and endearing to love bread so much. Bread is life. Bread is history. Bread is love.
- I crave to be part of his conversation with Katniss about the different district's bread.
- anyone who loves baking bread is a best bud on my book
5. His sense of humor
- I just think he would be so much fun to be a friend. He'd tease Katniss a lot and she would secretly love it. I imagine long conversations that are as easy as breathing itself.
