The Beating of Our Hearts

*Regular P.O.V.*

The rest of the morning passed without a hitch. Poppy used her gorgeous smile to draw in the customers and the rest of my kids had an awesome time with their ‘Sponge the Teacher’ and ‘Guess the Number of Jelly Beans in the Jar’ stalls. I looked around at all the kids in my class and I just wish that my mom and dad were still around to see how far I’ve come; that I’ve managed to reach my goals and now had an amazing job.

I smiled to myself, shaking the thought and concentrating on counting how much money we had made so far. Just as I was about half way through I felt a gentle jug on the hem of my shirt. Looking down, I saw Poppy beaming up at me; that girl always seemed to have a smile on her face.

“Hey sweetie, what’s up?” I asked, kneeling down to her height.

“Could I go see my Uncle Tomo and Uncle Jay?” She asked sweetly.

“Sure, do you know where they are?”

“Over there by the candy stand.” She said, pointing her small finger; I looked up to see where she was pointing and sure enough I could see Jared’s bleached hair as though it were a beacon.

“OK Poppy, go have fun with your uncles.”

“Thanks Miss Dawson!” Poppy replied as she ran off towards the two men.

I watched her as she went so that I could see that she made it safe to them. Once she had, I went back to counting the money. I had to concentrate as hard as I could not to look over at the men who made up 2/3 of my favourite band. However, my concentration had never been good, and I had to re-count the money at least three times before I was able to get through all of it without glancing up and losing my place.

Half an hour later, Jared and Tomo were forced to the back of my mind as the midday heat brought in a crowd of customers wanting a nice refreshing cup of lemonade. I smiled and made small talk until my cheeks hurt, and had to put up with some of the single dad’s trying to flirt with me. There was only one person I wanted to flirt with me; one person who happened to be the least likely to do so anyway.

Poppy returned just as the last few people turned up to get a drink. When we had finished serving them, Poppy and I sat on our little folding chairs to have a break and a drink ourselves.

“Did you have fun with your uncles Poppy?” I asked the little girl.

“Mmmhmm. Uncle Tomo bought me candy and Uncle Jay won me a purple teddy bear, but he said he’d keep it safe while I helped you.”

“Just make sure he does give it back, he might want to keep it.” I joked with her. Her tinkling little laugh was adorable as she swung her legs back and forth.

“Yeah Pops, I might just keep Mr. Fuzzles.” I heard a voice come from nearby, chuckling slightly; it made me jump a mile.

“Oh goodness! I didn’t even hear you come over.” I said, my hand over my thumping heart.

“No, she’s called Mrs. Trixie-Bear. Only girl bears are purple.” Poppy told her uncle with an affirming nod.

“OK darling, Mrs. Trixie-Bear it is.” He conceded, holding the bear out to her. Poppy took it gladly and went back to her chair to play with her new toy.

“So how’s business been?” His attention turned to me.

“Um, well, alright. It picked up though when it got warmer.” I managed to say without stuttering, which was a small miracle.

“Think there’s enough for another cup?” Jared asked, producing another dollar bill.

“Yeah, course.” I looked down, pouring the lemonade into a cup and holding it out for him.

“Thanks.” He said, taking the cup; in the process his fingers brushed against mine softly.

Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush. I had to chant to myself in my head. There was no way I was going to blush in front of a world famous actor/musician.

“So how long have you worked here?” He asked. Not moving back over to his band mate like I expected him to.

“Only a few months, moved out here in December, started working in January.” I replied, smiling gently.

“Moved out here? Where were you before?” He seemed genuinely interested; it was making me nervous.

“North Carolina. Born and bred.” I replied, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind my ear.

“Wow, so a real change huh? Gone from one coast to the other. You liking it?” He pressed, taking his sunglasses off and perching them on his head.

Finally being able to look into his piercing blue eyes made me momentarily forget my train of thought. They were so clear and profound.

“Uh, yeah. Um, yeah I’m really liking it so far. I love how warm it always seems to be.” I managed to sputter.

I had to look away then, fearing my will power would crumble and the longing I felt to just touch his face (yes I know that sounds weird, but its true) became too overwhelming. Luckily, Tomo chose just the right time to come over and check on his niece.

“She being good?” He asked me.

“She’s been an angel all day Mr. Milicevic.” I smiled over at Poppy.

“It’s Tomo. I don’t think anyone except our lawyers have ever called me Mr. Milicevic.” He laughed, it put me instantly at ease.

“Alright then, Tomo.” I said, joining in with his laughter.

“Ladies and Gentlemen. Our annual Spring Fair Talent Show is going to begin in five minutes. Please make your way over to the stage.” A voice came over the outdoor PA system.

“We better go and make sure we get good seats.” Tomo said.

“Poppy, do you want to go with your uncles? I know your friend Kate is in the talent show.” I smiled at the little girl.

“Yay! You’re the best Miss Dawson.” Poppy squealed, and ran around the stall to Tomo and began tugging on his hand to make their way over to the stage.

“You better catch up with them so you can all sit together.” I advised to Jared, who was still stood in front of me.

“Good idea. I’ll see you later.” He smiled and proceeded to put his sunglasses back on. Just before he did, he winked at me.

Jared Leto just winked at me.

Did someone put something in the lemonade that made me hallucinate or did that just happen?

*Jared’s P.O.V.*

I couldn’t help it. One little flirty wink wouldn’t hurt. That blush that crept onto her cheeks when our hands touched was almost too much. Even though we were stood three feet apart, I could still feel the electricity.

I knew as soon as I took my sunglasses off and looked properly into her eyes, the same light blue as my own, that I had to get to know her better. I had to do anything I could to get close to her.