Work Text:
Thursday afternoon, 9th of July 2015.
Bobby crossed his arms, not knowing which hat to choose.
Thank god the little vintage shop was nearly empty. The AC was going full blown, keeping the inside of the Goorin Bros' shop cool and fresh when the street was way too warm for his Scottish composition. Last year, when he had visited this place, it was late at night, he and Emilie were drunk as fuck, and fans were there. Right now, at least, he could hear himself think and he needed to make a choice. He wanted to prepare a surprise to Emilie. Hiatus had been hard for both of them, she tweeting things she didn't mean, he doing and saying things he didn't mean. They had seen each other in Vancouver for three days, but between the heavy workload and the fact she had brought who everyone thought was her boyfriend made things tense. He couldn't stand the man, who had been hunting for a picture with him for months to validate the "relationship" on twitter. First degree appearances mattered more, to naive fans who believed everything they were told. Perfect sheep for the government. He snorted to himself, going back to a more pleasant thought : Emilie.
He hated hats and she adored them. The previous year, he had offered her a white cloche hat, and she looked absolutely gorgeous with it on. She said she loved him with a panama on but he knew better. His gray hair was exposed, it fell down to his eyebrows and made sweat pool against his skin. He sighed again. Emilie was due in two hours, they were to meet in the Manchester hotel and he needed to choose a fucking panama. The shop owner had offered his help but Bobby had declined.
Okay, first, the color. He decided to go for white, since black would bring more heat, and blue, well, fuck, no.
The shop was thin and had a large balcony overlooking the floor which was used to expose more hats. He went upstairs, browsing them. There were a lot of white panamas with one difference, the color of the band. Hm. Bobby didn't know what color to choose. Black was a classic, red was bold, yellow was fashionable, blue was a must have. He had no fucking clue. Not one. He sighed again, feeling that flowers and a CD were a great gift too. He wondered what color she'd wear. Maybe if they could color match, it would be great.
Ah well, better ask her. He took his iPhone out of his jeans pocket and texted her quick on whatsapp. Most flights Emilie was on had inflight wifi - something she made sure of to be able to hang out online for hours on her tablet. The answer came fast.
‘Hey Bob ! Wearing teal. <3 <3 <3 C U in 2 hrs’
What the fuck was teal ?
A google search answered this question, it was some kind of greenish blue, an rather unusual color. Finally, he called out for the shop owner.
"Sir ?" the tall dark-skinned man asked, coming to the rescue.
Bobby made a helpless noise and gestured at the mass of panamas. "I wish to color match a lady's dress and she just told me she was wearing teal. Do you have anything that goes with it ?"
The owner scratched his chin for a second, his gaze flying over the numerous hats on display. "I have one in storage, Sir," he said. "Wait here, I will go fetch him."
Bobby nodded and checked his emails. Nothing too important. There was a dinner for the cast on friday evening and he sent a confirmation. After all, he did need to be seen out of Emilie’s bedroom.
The man came back, holding a hat. When he saw it, Bobby knew he had THE hat. It was white, light - a summer straw panama. The band around it was the color google image had shown.
“That’s the one,” Bobby said, pointing at it.
The owner grinned widely. “I’m glad to hear you say this, Sir. I think this one is in your size.”
Bobby took it and placed it on his head, before looking at himself in the nearby mirror. It fell down to his eyebrows, like all the one he had tried before. It didn’t really fit him. Were they supposed to go that low on his brow ? He never had thought a hat fit him, and he had refused roles because of this. But Emilie loved them, he told himself to avoid finding himself bad with it on.
The owner gave him a large smile. “It fits you wonderfully, Sir ! You have a distinct charm with it on.”
“I look like a fucking moron samba singer,” he commented.
The man laughed as if Bobby had said the joke of the year. “Samba singers are amongst the sexiest of men,” he declared with a wink.
“Yeah,” Bobby replied, not knowing what else to say. Impulsively, he reached to the shelf and picked another hat. It was a summer panama too. The cloth was cream with a black and red headband. Em would like it too.
“Would you like feathers to go with those two beautiful hats, Sir ? It would complete the look.”
Bobby found himself nodding. After all, it was to satisfy Emilie’s love for hats that he was there, and if he had to do it, then he might as well go big.
He bought two similar feathers for the straw hat - that looked a bit like pheasant ones to him - and a fluffy red and black one for the cloth panama to march the headband.
It was time to pay for his purchases and they both went downstairs to the cashier.
“If I may suggest,” the shop owner as he placed the hats in boxes after Bobby paid. “You’re looking to color match your lady. You should find a shirt that matches. My brother-in-law has a shop two blocks on the left from here. I know he has a lot of color available, and you’re bound to find something to go with your special lady’s dress and the hat !”
Bobby accepted the suggestion and left the shop, a big plastic bag containing the two hatboxes in his hand.
A shirt matching her dress would make things more obvious to fans but he knew deep inside people would see it as something innocent. Bobby wanted to be seen as being half of a couple with Em being the other half. He couldn’t do it now, not before the end of the TV show to spare his kids and his girlfriend bad publicity. But still, the desire stayed.
So, he checked the time, biting his bottom lip, and turned left to go and buy the perfect shirt.