[The first thing he notices about her is her perfume.
The first thing he notices about any woman is usually their perfume - it's usually overwhelming enough to make him want to gag and leave the area as soon as possible, but on this woman it's actually rather tasteful, even to his nose. She smells like she just walked walked off a tropical beach, which in Cambridge is something that's very hard to find. In one quick flash it reminds him of home and that reminder makes his chest clench all at the same time, but that clench is not as strong as it used to be.
They've been living in Cambridge for four years now - four years since the fire and Derek destroying everything - and it's been a slow process to getting him to the point where he feels comfortable enough being outside with other people again. Being in Cambridge helps - it's still a city without there being people everywhere, and there's plenty for him to do. He gets a job at a used bookstore so he basically spends most of his day reading when he doesn't have to deal with people and audits classes at the university to fill the rest of it. He's come a long way from the kid who was so broken and angry he just wanted to tear everything around him apart (and sometimes he did) but apparently they were right about time.
It heals most wounds - or at least gets them started. He's starting to find moments where he catches himself not thinking about what he lost and there's a part of him that feels guilty for that, but he knows that it's important. It's a sign of moving on, if nothing else, and while he knows he needs to, there's a part of him that still doesn't feel he's paid enough for his mistakes.
Still, he's working his shift at the bookstore and a woman walks in smelling like summer, and when she rounds a corner of musty books to come to the pick up counter she even looks like sunshine, blond and vibrant and so out of place in the muted fall colors of Harvard. She's like a breath of fresh air. She's different, and maybe that's the part that catches his interest more than anything else.]
no subject
The first thing he notices about any woman is usually their perfume - it's usually overwhelming enough to make him want to gag and leave the area as soon as possible, but on this woman it's actually rather tasteful, even to his nose. She smells like she just walked walked off a tropical beach, which in Cambridge is something that's very hard to find. In one quick flash it reminds him of home and that reminder makes his chest clench all at the same time, but that clench is not as strong as it used to be.
They've been living in Cambridge for four years now - four years since the fire and Derek destroying everything - and it's been a slow process to getting him to the point where he feels comfortable enough being outside with other people again. Being in Cambridge helps - it's still a city without there being people everywhere, and there's plenty for him to do. He gets a job at a used bookstore so he basically spends most of his day reading when he doesn't have to deal with people and audits classes at the university to fill the rest of it. He's come a long way from the kid who was so broken and angry he just wanted to tear everything around him apart (and sometimes he did) but apparently they were right about time.
It heals most wounds - or at least gets them started. He's starting to find moments where he catches himself not thinking about what he lost and there's a part of him that feels guilty for that, but he knows that it's important. It's a sign of moving on, if nothing else, and while he knows he needs to, there's a part of him that still doesn't feel he's paid enough for his mistakes.
Still, he's working his shift at the bookstore and a woman walks in smelling like summer, and when she rounds a corner of musty books to come to the pick up counter she even looks like sunshine, blond and vibrant and so out of place in the muted fall colors of Harvard. She's like a breath of fresh air. She's different, and maybe that's the part that catches his interest more than anything else.]
Can I help you?