Work Text:
Charlie drew a shaky breath as he stared, wide-eyed, at the packed bookshop.
“Bloody Isaac,” he grumbled, heart beating just a smidgen too fast, as he began ducking and weaving through the tightly packed sea of people.
Not just people. Women. They were all women. Happy, smiling, laughing, giddy-with-excitement women.
He wasn’t surprised by that. He’d been part of the MM romance community long enough to know queer men made up only a fraction of the readership.
Still, he wished Isaac hadn’t stood him up.
He wished there was at least one other—
Charlie came to a sudden halt as he backed into something warm and firm, his elbow connecting with something surprisingly soft.
A sharp whoosh of breath brushed Charlie’s cheek as the person behind him grunted in pain.
With an apologetic grimace, Charlie took a deep breath and turned to face the stranger he’d just assaulted.
He was met with only a broad, solid chest.
He dragged his gaze up, and up, until finally he was staring into rich brown eyes, slightly crinkled at the edges.
“Hi,” the man — the tall, blond, beautiful man — laughed awkwardly, absently rubbing his side. His other arm was clutching book five of the series — Charlie’s secret favourite — against his chest.
“Hi,” Charlie whispered, his heart dancing a pirouette.
“Hi,” the stranger repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Hi,” Charlie replied again, feeling his mouth curve into a wide smile.
Maybe Isaac bailing on him wasn’t such a bad thing after all.