InsaneJournal

Is anyone sitting here?

Vision worked at the same local coffee shop nearly every day. He liked the hustle in the background and found it energized his ideas for his reviews. There was something about each person living a unique life, but needing a cup of joe to start their day. It united them all despite their differences.

He was on a first name basis with the baristas and they knew his routine. He started his morning like any other; he sat in the corner out of the way so he could watch people coming and going while writing the latest review about yet another mundane romance novel.

Most of the customers were regulars so he was always interested when he spotted a new face. He smiled and inclined his head at the newcomer.

---

This was Waverly's first time in this coffee shop; she'd been trying out different ones since she'd moved to Portland, and they'd been good but none of them had been what she was looking for. Waverly thrived off of being around people, off of observing them and stealing little bits of their life for the characters that she wrote. It was important, making their lives and their struggles realistic enough that people could relate to them.

So no, she wasn't looking for a quiet spot to work. Waverly wanted commotion, wanted people to watch. This place was promising so far, especially when someone else who was clearly planning on writing something nodded to her as she came in with her laptop bag.

After she had her coffee (the sugariest thing they could possibly make her, with oat milk of course), she made a beeline for the other writer, her laptop case bumping against her thigh with every step. She wouldn't stay there, probably, once another seat or two cleared out, but the place was too crowded now and there was a perfectly good seat right across from him. "Is anyone sitting here?"

---

Vision wanted to say no, but the place was crowded and he did greet her when she arrived. Still, he was secretive with his work and moved his computer closer to him before nodding. Once his notes were secure, he became friendlier. “You are new,” he remarked, “I’m Vision. I know almost everyone by face, if not by name by now.”

---

"Got it in one! I'm Waverly," she said, setting her things down so she could hold out her hand to shake in greeting. Gus had always raised her to have manners.

She noticed the way that he pulled his things closer, out of sight, but she didn't take it personally. Some people were really secretive about their work was all. There was a reason that Waverly used a pen name, and it was because she didn't want everybody asking her questions about her next book or her process or whatever every time she introduced herself. Let Wendy Gibson's fans ask all their questions over email where Waverly didn't have to try to hide what her face did over some of them.

"So, you work here a lot?"

---

“Vision,” he said as he shook her hand. “Yeah, I do. Just some business stuff.” It was a lie, of course, but he wasn’t going to divulge that he was a famous book critic. “Spreadsheets and all that boring stuff.” That part wasn’t a lie. He found numbers boring, much to his agent’s chagrin. “What brings you here?”

---

Business stuff sounded boring; Waverly's nose wrinkled when he said it, then smoothed when he asked his question. "To the coffee shop, or to Portland?"

The answer was the same for both. Waverly slid into her seat and started unzipping her bag. "I was just looking for a change of scenery. It gets boring, seeing the same old things every day, you know? Your ideas get stale."

---

“Ah, looking for an adventure,” he replied with a grin. “That’s main character energy.” Damn. He slipped in a book reference. He tapped his fingers on the table and laughed. “At least that is what the kids say these days, I believe.”

---

"Is that what the kids say?" Waverly teased with a grin. "I don't know, I don't spend much time around the kids these days."

Eighteen felt far away now that she was in her mid-twenties, like she couldn't remember exactly what it was like to have been that teenager herself. Her hair fell to cover her face when she leaned forward to pull the laptop out of its bag and settle it on the table; she tossed it back with a shake of her head.

---

Vision chuckled, glad he hadn’t given up too much. “I overhear things,” he replied. His job meant keeping up with the market and the “youth” were part of that market. “So what is it you do for a living?” He wondered if he should let her get to work. She seemed ready with the laptop and all.

---

Waverly would get to work... eventually. Sometimes there were things more important than work. "I write. Just silly little things, nothing you would have heard of." And he didn't know her pen name, just her real name, so there was absolutely no way he would put Waverly Earp and writing together and come up with Wendy Gibson, right?

Right. No way at all.

---

Vision perked up at that. “Oh? Like what? I love reading.” It wasn’t a lie. He just loved critiquing too. Well, he used to love it. Critiquing for a living put a dent into his love. Some might say he was a little cynical about it now.

---

Crap! She hadn't thought this through far enough. Waverly couldn't say she wrote romance novels, that was a little too close to the truth and honestly it was the kind of thing that people judged you for. You didn't tell someone that you were a romance author on the first meeting, that was more of a second date kind of thing.

So... subgenres, right? "Sort of supernatural westerns? I like to blend genres."

---

“Interesting,” Vision replied. “I’ll read pretty much anything.” He needed to in his line of work, but he was genuinely excited by what she mentioned. “Have you ever been published?” He didn’t recognize her name, but perhaps she self-published or used a local indie publisher.

---

Yikes. Nope, too close, too close, abort!

"Oh, you know..." Waverly waved a hand dismissively, which he would hopefully take as a no. "You know, there's nothing wrong with working as a barmaid until you break out, right?"

Which was exactly what she'd done back in Purgatory, so it wasn't really a lie?

---

Vision chuckled. “Nothing wrong with it at all. You’ll have to tell me when you get your big break. I’d love to read it.” He might even be able to turn off his critiquing instincts.

---

"Thanks, I'll do that," Waverly said. "I should probably... get to work huh? And let you get to whatever boring business stuff you're doing. Is it okay if I still sit here? I don't want to distract you from your work."

---

Vision inclined his head. “Please do. You were a wonderful distraction from my boring work.” Again, a half-truth. He wasn’t thrilled with the books he was reading and she offered a respite.

---

"I'll check back in when I come up for air," Waverly promised with a smile. So far this coffee shop was the best decision she'd made since she'd moved to Portland. Good company, good coffee, and now? Hopefully a great place to work on her next novel.

And she definitely wasn't going to tell him about it.