I pushed the numbers in the door code for the back door at work. Once the lock beeped in compliance, I pushed the door open and let myself in. The back room was where the store kept most of the merchandise. It was empty save for a couple of stacks of books that were already sitting out ready for stocking in the carts. I grabbed one of the carts ready to go and pulled it with me out of the room.

Damien appeared in the room, sitting on top of one of the carts. I envied how casual he looked, care-free. A foot dangled over the edge, while he propped the other on top of the cart, an elbow placed on his knee. In his hand, he had a paperback novel open as he read it. "Is this what passes for a bestseller these days?"

He always looked like he didn't belong. Too good looking for the room he was in with his disheveled black hair and alabaster skin.

I smiled to myself and looked at the title of the novel he was reading. I placed a hand on my hip. "They made it into a movie, actually. Then they made a story from that one and made a movie from that. Both were pretty successful."

He let the book go as if it were burning his hand. "Rinse and repeat?"

I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to the cart. "I guess so."

He appeared in front of me, blocking me from continuing.

"I have to work, Damien."

He sighed. "No, you don't. I've told you a million times –"

It was my turn to sigh, "I don't want your magic money, Damien."

He reached into his coat pocket, producing an antique gold coin. I smiled watching him, it was a trick that he showed me long ago as children. He was like the magician that would magically make quarters appear from behind your ear.

"Why not? Isn't that why you work, to have money? Take it, I have no use for it."

I smiled. "Thanks, but honestly, I like working."

He rolled his eyes and with a flick of his wrist the coin disappeared in his hand.

"Does it work on others?" I asked. "Offering them money, do they just fall at your feet and do what you ask?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes." He grabbed the door handle and held the door open for me. I obliged going out the door then making my way to the children's section.

He followed me with yet another book in his hand. There seemed to be a familiar theme with the book he picked up and the one he just dropped.

"Why are you reading romances? I thought History was more your thing."

He leaned against the wall of the children's section when I stopped and started unloading the books from the cart. "It's research."

I laughed, "This is for Leah, your future queen, I presume."

He nodded, not looking up.

As I put the books away, I noticed the snickers of the girls around me.

Though not one of the busiest nights in the bookstore I worked at, there were still a considerate amount of people in the store. It was a large store with racks of books aligned along the walls. In the middle of it all was a coffee shop. Most patrons would go to the bookstore, pick up a magazine and spent their evening sipping coffee while reading it. Since it was so close to campus, students would come in, grab a coffee and sit in the coffee shop and study for hours.

The crowd today was more of the latter since it was a Wednesday night. The college girls at the coffee shop looked up at Damien from their books with interested eyes. They whispered amongst themselves then looked up at him again.

Damien was oblivious to it all. He didn't even glance up from his book.

I started putting some of the books on the cart away and he eventually spoke. "So, like you said before, all one has to do is have money and women will basically let you do anything to them? Will that work on Leah?"

I laughed at the new book he was reading; no wonder the girls were looking at him and blushing. It was a popular novel that shot up at the top of the New York Times Bestseller years ago.

I took it from his hands and put it on the cart. "Please don't use that as an example."

"Speaking of which..." his sentence trailed and I followed his gaze to the door where Leah walked in. She flipped her hair to the side and spoke animatedly with Mia who followed her into the bookstore. They both held the same book in their hands, which meant they were there to study for their upcoming midterm.

I looked to Damien who watched Leah as she walked into the bookstore then made her way to the coffee shop tables in the middle of the store. I'd never seen him look at anyone so longingly. He looked like a sick puppy, I'd never seen him look at anyone like that.

"When are you going to introduce us?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I hardly wore it down, but today I'd lost my hair-tie and had to deal with my hair getting everywhere. "It's not that simple."

His mauve eyes turned to me, brows furrowed, clearly concerned. "Are you not friends?"

"Not really."

He crossed his arms. "As a woman, how would you want to meet your future husband?"

"I think that may be the oddest question you've ever asked me." I took a book from the cart, scanned it, and walked to the teen section where the book belonged. I stopped at the section and looked at the books in front of me then looked at the name of the section.

An idea came to me. "How about a chance encounter?"

I heard him sigh behind me as he applied. "Not this again, Em. You're not reading these books, are you?"

The section I stood in front of was Paranormal Romance. I'd read from the section when I was a teen back when vampire novels were all the rave. Naturally, Damien ruined the genre for me since most of the stories dealt with things that Damien had first-hand experience with.

Eventually, I turned to anything that wasn't paranormal, subjects that Damien really didn't share much about.

"No," I answered. "But what I do remember from these books is that usually the love interest would meet by chance–accidentally running into each other."

I looked up at him. He had gotten so much taller than me through our teen years. The top of my head reached about his chin. I wasn't tall, but I wasn't short either, and he was just a bit taller than most guys in campus.

I smiled. "This is perfect, actually. Leah was into this trilogy in high school, that's how the main couple met. Chance encounter at a coffee shop, of all places. The protagonist fell in love with this paranormal guy and he taught her everything about his kind–" This time I laughed louder than intended. "Oh, God, this can't be real."

He rolled his eyes.

I put the book back away where it belonged and put the scanner back in a drawer out of sight. "Okay, this is what we're going to do." I looked over to where Leah and Mia sat and watched Leah get up from the table after she set her books down. "We're going up there," I signaled to the coffee shop, "you're going to take the coffee I give you, but you need to look like you've been standing there waiting for it the entire time. Then when she goes to grab her coffee, she'll run into you and, well, you take it from there. Just be charming."

I started to walk away then stopped and turned. "Like, charming-charming, not use-your-magic-charming. You don't want to start a relationship based on a lie."

He gave a curt nod and I took off to the coffee shop counter.

I ran to the coffee counter and was met with the familiar smell of freshly brewed coffee. The coffee counter was big enough to fit at least five baristas at a time, but only Jenny was there, who was doing a closing shift with me. Leah started to place her order with Jenny as I ducked under the counter that divided the back of the counter with where customers stood.

Crawling on the floor behind Jenny, I was able to grab a cup from the counter, and pour black coffee inside all without Jenny and Leah taking notice. I sat down with my back against the counter opposite of where Leah stood. In front of me, there was a glass case that held the refrigerated items that needed to be warmed up when the customer ordered it. The glass let me see the both Leah's and Damien's reflection.

Damien was in position next to Leah, but Leah still hadn't noticed him. Her eyes were down looking at the phone in her hand. Jenny moved like a blur around the counter, grabbing whipped cream, milk, ice, and syrup. Once done, she turned towards Leah and almost knocks into me.

She let out a small scream, then held her palm over her chest.

"Oh, my God, what's wrong?"

My eyes widened as I heard Leah speak.

I placed a finger to my lips then placed my palms together as if pleading. 'Please,' I mouthed.

Jenny's green eyes quickly darted between me and Leah then Damien. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, I almost slipped. Here you go."

She placed the coffee on the counter and I watched the reflections of both Damien and Leah reach for it.

I heard Leah's typical tsk then her familiar irritated tone. "This is my–"

I watched as she finally looked up at the man who held her coffee with her.

"Forgive me," Damien said, clearing his throat. "I thought this was mine."

Leah gave a throaty sigh, "No, sorry, that's my fault."

I snickered and did a small dance.

Jenny crouched down and mouthed, "What are you doing?"

I pointed to my eye, then their reflection in the glass, then placed my finger on my lips.

Jenny rolled her eyes then went to the same refrigerator and took a small package out. As she closed it, I saw their reflections again. Leah was smiling from ear to ear, a strand of her hair twirling around her fingers.

I smiled. The girl never stood a chance.

Jenny crouched down again and I handed her the coffee I just poured. I pointed to the cup and mouthed, 'This', I pointed to Damien. 'Him.'

Jenny took the cup and placed it on the counter. "Here is yours, sir, sorry it took so long."

I excitedly pumped my arm. Way to go, Jenny!

She crouched down again and whispered, "Enjoy the show." She handed me a package of grapes from the fridge.

I nodded. "Thank you."

She smiled and walked away as I opened the package and watched the show.

Leah giggled at something that Damien said.

Damn, I missed it.

"How come I've never seen you before?" Leah asked.

Damien shrugged. "I come and go, visiting a friend in the area."

"A girlfriend?" she pressed.

"She is a woman and a friend."

Leah giggled again and placed her hair behind her ear.

He made eye contact with me in the reflection and a small smile touched his lips. How long had he known I was there?

Quickly, his smile disappeared almost like I'd imagined it.

He looked at Leah, "Have dinner with me."

Leah nodded almost immediately. At least she wasn't playing hard to get. "Sure, where would you like to go?"

He grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. I watched as she followed his movements with her gaze. "Lead the way, my queen."

If she only knew how true those words were.

Leah seemed at a loss for words and only nodded.

She suddenly disappeared from view and when I looked over the counter I saw her move to Mia at one of the tables.

Damien leaned over casually, trying not to make it obvious he was talking to me under the counter. "Why are you down there?"

I shrugged. "Didn't want her to know you were being coached by me."

He chuckled quietly. "You're a dork."

I glared. "Is that an insult?"

He shook his head slightly and straightened his back. "Not at all."

As Leah spoke to Mia, she turned towards us and I ducked my head again.

I slowly crept back up so that only my eyes were above the counter. I smiled at Damien. "Have fun."

He gave a sly smile and pushed off the counter to walk towards Leah. I watched him introduce himself to Mia then follow Leah out the door.

I sat back down on the floor and popped a grape in my mouth. "You're welcome."

Suddenly long khaki legs appeared in front of me. I looked up at my manager, hands on her hips, with a deadly glare directed at me.

I swallowed the grape. "I'm on break, I swear."

-------------------------

Closing shifts were sometimes my favorite. Weeknights were usually dead, leaving some time to study or read the latest release in the bookstore. This particular night was no different. After Damien left, nothing exciting happened, and after the last customer left, we started cleaning the store.

I put my headphones on and listened to music to pass the time and put away books that weren't in their respective places. I hummed and danced along as I put the books away, and, before I knew it, everything was done and we were all ready to go home.

Doors locked and ready, we said our goodbyes and walked to our respective cars.

My old beat up Camry got me from point A to point B with no problem as long as I didn't ask too much of it.

Like AC in the summer.

Or heat in the winter.

Or just getting over fifty-five.

I pulled the keys from my purse and was close enough to unlock the door when Damien materialized next to me. He held his phone in his hand and showed me his screen.

Leah's number flashed on the screen.

I laughed. "I'm guessing it went well?"

He put the phone away. "Yes, it went very well."

I placed the key in the door and opened it, reaching over to the automatic locks so that Damien could open the passenger door per our usual post-work ritual.

I placed the purse in the center console out of our way and got in just as Damien did.

He sighed. "Please let me get you a new car."

I pushed my glasses up my nose. "Shush, there is nothing wrong with this car." I patted the dashboard between us, speaking to it as if it could understand me. "Isn't that right?"

"Anything that is in the last decade, at least."

I shook my head. "How would I explain that?"

He got himself comfortable as I turned the car on. "You don't owe anyone any explanation. There is nothing wrong with living for yourself."

I didn't pay him any attention as I reversed and left the parking lot. "So, when is your next date?"

"Friday."

"Anything planned?"

He shook his head, "I need your help. What do girls like on dates?"

I frowned. "Oh, I don't know ..."

"Well, what do you like on dates?"

I gnawed on my bottom lip, watching the red light in front of us. I'd never been on a date, had no idea what people did on dates. Did they go to the movies?

That was me. Emmy, eternally single.

"I don't know."

"Come on, Em." I heard the frustration in his voice. "What do humans do? I can't just jump on her and tell her she's not human, she has to be comfortable first-"

I sighed. "I guess my ideal date would be a night out on the beach, where there are no lights, so I could watch the stars. I've never been able to see the stars without all this," I signaled to the city around me, "noise."

His movement caught my attention, he looked at me briefly then turned to the window. He didn't say a word, only watched the buildings pass us by out the window, as if deep in thought. The moving lights of the city casting shadows across his flawless face.

God, I'd already bored him with my pathetic idea.

I took a deep breath at an attempt to bring him back to the conversation. "But knowing Leah, she'll probably want Prada bags, expensive restaurants, and flowers. There's always Vic's. It's an Italian restaurant I'm sure she'll like-"

He clapped his hands, "That's perfect! Order some flowers, a private room! Do you think she'll want wine?"

He continued down the list and I laughed.

"Two days," he continued. "I'll see you then!"

And he disappeared.

I panicked. "Hey! You're not making me do all the work, are you!" My voice was higher than usual.

A large pouch appeared where he was just sitting.

I picked up the heavy pouch and heard the familiar jingling of coins. "I can't order flowers with antique gold, Damien!"