Of Mind And Matter (The Vince Experience x Don't_Judge_Me)

[The Vince Experience]

Professor Martin O' Reilly was from an Irish family, though you'd never have guessed by his appearance, apart from the thick, dark hair tangled upon his head in a mess of curls. In summers like this it was a curse, absorbing heat with more efficiency than a solar panel. Still, he had been spared his Father's skin, which was white as milk and prone to burning in even the mildest of summers. His Mother's genes had saved him the same fate, granting him the chance to tan in weather as wonderfully warm as it was today.

Having just moved from further up North, Martin was enjoying the heat of the day more than most people around him and he decided there was too strong an argument for staying outside rather than returning home to finish unpacking his belongings, so he strolled along while eyeing up a rather unique-looking coffeeshop. It was clearly not a franchise and was located on a secluded, but sunny, corner looking over the square. If ever he had seen a place so perfect for watching the world go by he could not recall it.

And so ten minutes later, instead of sticking with the plan he had set for the day, Martin O' Reilly found himself sipping a cappuccino on the patio and gazing out at the people who passed by, hazel eyes half-closed behind designer sunglasses. The heat truly was draining and he found himself a little more slumped than he would usually be.

Martin's posture was excellent, his Mother had made sure of that when he was young, so even while slouching in his chair his back was straight. He wore a red and white checked shirt with short sleeves, halfway unbuttoned to reveal a fair body. No major muscle and no six pack (he was a teacher not a bodybuilder he always told himself) but he looked after himself and the presence of slight definition around his abs and arms in particular was testament to this.

Looking around, he thought he would like it here. A fresh job, a fresh start, a fresh life, it couldn't be done in a better place. Perhaps that was the heat of the day talking, perhaps this was just a nice place. Either way he didn't care. The day was his.

He pushed his glasses up on to his head to avoid a tanline forming around his eyes. A genuine and honest person, for the most part, Martin was the first to admit he was a tad more vain than perhaps he should be allowed. He wasn't a bad looking guy, some would say he was very attractive while others called him plain, but he wasn't getting any younger and the fascination with appearance had begun the day he had found his first grey hair. Yes, maybe he was a little insecure. Maybe he spent a little too long in front of the mirror each morning and just maybe he'd considered dying his hair to avoid those evenings alone searching for more strands of white against the deep brown. But one thing was for certain, Martin O' Reilly had lost none of his youthful vitality over the years.

 

[Don't_Judge_Me]

Fawn welcomed the rush of cool air as she stepped inside the coffee shop. She had lived in this town her whole life, and was accustomed to the warm summers, but this summer seemed to be warmer than the last. Her cheeks were sun kissed from her last outing to the coffee shop, because it was only a short distance from her house she often walked there, when she had forgotten to put on sunscreen. With her paper pale skin tone, Fawn burned easily.

Today she was wearing a white strapless summer dress with a warm colored floral print. Normally her parent would get upset with her wearing something as revealing as a strapless dress, but because of the summer heat they hadn't been too upset when she had sat down for breakfast wearing it that morning.

Her caramel brown hair that rested right below her chin was wind blown from her walk, but it was easily fixed when she briefly ran her fingers through a few times. Today was a good day she decided to herself silently. She didn't know why she was in such a upbeat mood and she wondered if it was the summer air. After nine long months of stressful school days with little break in between, she was relived to have three months all to herself. She could go to the beach, maybe catch a movie with some friends, or maybe get herself a boyfriend now when she didn't have to worry over grades so much.

Her parents had made it clear to her at a very young age that grades were a serious matter in her household and because she was Asian people tended to assume that she was a smart girl, it wasn't easy having to live up to other people expectations but Fawn had handled it for the first 17 years of her life and she was sure that she could do it for the rest of her life as well. And as long as she kept her grades up when school started up again, she was sure her parents wouldn't mind her having a boyfriend. She needed somebody she could have fun and relax with, somebody other than her best friend that is.

After seeing so many of her friends fall so deeply in love, Fawn wanted to experience it for herself. The goodnight kiss, snuggling on the coach together and watching a movie, and the warm embraces! She wanted her heart to ache in the pleasant way her friends had described to her over and over again. She was 17 after all, wasn't it time for her to experience that special kind of love?

Fawn smiled when her name was called and she happy paid for her iced coffee. Her dark eyes scanned to room for a place to sit but found something much better instead. An attractive man with dark curly hair, somebody she had yet to meet and in this small town that was a rare thing. There looked go be a age difference between the two of them, but she didn't mind all the men her age still acted as if they were still young boys. She doubted that something like that would be a problem with him. She waved at him quickly, testing the waters. Maybe they could talk while they each enjoyed their drinks? That was innocent enough, she was still new to the flirting business but she had to start somewhere. So while the courage she had built up was still in her system she walked over to his table with a smile. "Is it alright if I sit here?" She asked him politely.

 

[The Vince Experience]

The coffeeshop was understandably busy. No one wanted to stay indoors on a day like this, but Martin had still managed to find a table to himself. He was surrounded by groups of laughing friends, couples enjoying quality time together and of course those like him: Just people on their own who were basking in the sun. The air was alive with constant chatter but he paid no mind to it, eyes remaining fixed dead ahead on the steady stream of people passing by. It was relaxing to watch others and forget your own troubles, especially when nobody was in a hurry, so Martin shifted in his seat to get more comfortable and let the hint of a smile play about his lips as he remembered once more that he really should be stuck in his new apartment bored out of his mind.

Over the next few minutes Martin lost focus on what was happening around him and so it took a few seconds for him to realise someone was waving at him. He raised a hand, hesitantly returning the greeting, instantly recalling that he had yet to meet anybody in this town and thinking he was probably wrong about being the intended recipient.

But he was surprised, very much so, when the girl walked over and asked to sit with him. There were other tables with vacant spaces, even one between herself and his own, but the throngs of people perhaps made it difficult to see. He replied before thinking any further into it, while drinking in the image of the stranger as he had the scene before him a moment ago.

“Of course, of course,” he replied, moving to his feet. “Allow me.” He pulled out a chair for her with one hand while his other placed his half-full cup (Philosophically, he was definitely feeling it could be a half-full kind of day) back on the table, being so distracted by this newcomer that he almost spilled it in the process.

As he sat back down he noticed a few things about this girl. First, she was a little younger than he had first thought, yet he was still unsure of an exact age. It was difficult to tell with some people but it rarely mattered to him a huge amount. His last girlfriend had been twenty, making her eleven years his junior, and there had been no real problems arising as a direct result of that. Second, she was as fair-skinned as his Father's side of the family, but clearly from a different part of the world. And third, the stark contrast of her white skin, dashed with pink in the cheeks, and the shimmering hair in the sun was spellbinding up close.

The stranger's hair came to a rest below her chin but her blindingly white skin remained on show below. Bare neck, shoulders and a hint of cleavage were on display, all glowing with such perfect, pale skin. She was almost glowing. And he was staring.

He snapped his eyes up to her own instantly, feeling slightly warmer in the face than he had a moment before.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I didn't mean to stare. It's just...” He had to think of something other than the truth. “Well, that's a very nice dress.” Not his best opening line but it was a little better than saying he had begun examining her figure.