Jessica Moore (lovesaves) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-09-28 00:47:00 |
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Entry tags: | jessica moore, stefan salvatore |
Who: Jess and Stefan
When: Late August
Where: Disneyland
What: Random Encounter
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete when posted
Jess’ dad had told her that he wasn’t upset about the things she’d said to him during their last phone conversation, chalking her statements about him not having any right to say anything about how she lived her life up to her just being in a bad mood which was the explanation she’d given him. The explanation was mostly the truth, she just couldn’t tell him the rest of it - that the bad mood had been part of some larger thing going on in the OC, something that seemed to have pushed almost everyone into bad moods from what she’d noticed on the network. Even though he’d forgiven her she still felt bad and like she always did when she felt bad and could get away with it - she’d taken the day off from work and gone to the one place that could always cheer her up: Disneyland. It had been a while since she’d come to the park by herself but she was enjoying it, being able to go wherever the impulse took her without having to check to make sure her friends didn’t want to go somewhere else.
She wasn’t paying the best attention to her surroundings as she walked around, or at least not to the people around her which was probably why she almost bumped into someone as she turned a corner. “Sorry! My fault. I wasn’t paying attention,” she said, looking up with a friendly and at the same time apologetic smile.
***
Stefan worked in Disneyland. He was there all. the. time., mostly because his best friend Lexi got him the job there, and he liked spending time with her. It was good--he was betting back on his feet after having been gone for so long overseas. Coming back from his work in the Navy and jumping straight into the happiest place on earth gave his head a spin, but it was the good kind.
He’d finished his shift, changed clothes, and was on his way to one of the restaurants in the park to grab some dinner when someone nearly plowed into him. He took a half step back, one hand lifting as if to make sure no one would hit the floor.
“Oh, no, it’s okay,” his voice was soft. Low. “I was walking too quickly. Are you all right?”
***
There was something soothing about that soft, low voice which made Jess feel less awkward about almost running into the guy in front of her. He didn’t seem to be mad about their near collision which helped her relax more. In the past when she’d gotten that wrapped up in her thoughts and almost collided with somebody they’d almost always been a lot more upset about it then he seemed to be. “I guess we’re both partly to blame,” she told him, taking a moment to look at his face. There was something familiar about it but she couldn’t place where she might know him from.
“I’m okay. Are you?”
***
“Yeah, yes.” Stefan responded to her question if he was okay. “No harm done, I assure you.” He added, giving her something of a smile. He should really just be getting on his way, as his stomach was growling and the lines at the restaurant were only going to get longer.
“Well… it was nice… nearly bumping into you.” He said to the girl and turned to head on his way. Even though he wouldn’t mind some company, it was weird to offer that kind of thing to someone he’d never met, right?
***
Jess bit down on her lip as she thought for a second. She’d come to the park by herself that day because she didn’t want to hang out with her friends but at the same time she wouldn’t really mind some company for a while and clearly being alone with her thoughts was not the smartest idea. It was almost dinnertime and he seemed...not like a serial killer she decided to take a chance. Plus the park was crowded so it wouldn’t be like she was going to be in some dark, secluded, spot with a perfect stranger.
“Hey. I know this might be weird but do you want to grab a sandwich or something?” She felt silly the moment the sentence was out of her mouth but it was too late to take it back now.
***
Stefan turned at the sound of her voice again, a curious expression on his features. It only took a split second for his brain to process what she'd just said--it sounded a bit like a pick up line--and he broke into a warm smile at that. Well, what did he have to lose? She was a total stranger, but that wasn't always a bad thing. It was a blank slate.
He nodded. "I was just about to grab something to eat, anyway. You want to come join me?" He offered. "I'll let you use my employee discount." It was a tease, but it was true. Spread the wealth, right?
***
Jess hadn’t meant for it to come across as a pick-up line, at least not consciously, and she kicked herself as she realized how it might have come across. And right on the heels of that realization came the thought Was it really such a bad thing if it had come across as one? She smiled back at him, relieved that he didn’t think her question had been weird after all.
“I’d like that. What do you do here at Disney?” she asked, stepping closer to him. Maybe that was why he looked familiar to her. She was here often enough, it was possible.
***
Hey, Stefan was amused, anyway. He was one of those guys who had a wholesome, boy-next-door kind of grace and good looks, but was often overlooked because girls were more interested in his bad boy big brother. It was nice to get some attention on his own for once.
“I’m a handler,” he explained. It was a good thing he changed clothes. He wouldn’t want to be caught in his uniform hanging around the park on his off hours. That was generally frowned upon. “I’m friends with Anna and Elsa right now.” He couldn’t help but smirk. “What about you? What do you do?”
***
Jess would readily admit that she had a type - she’d always noticed the boy-next-door before the bad boy. She didn’t know why that was the case but it was.
“Handlers are the ones that make sure that guests don’t get rough with the characters right?” She asked him. “I do not envy those guys their jobs.” It seemed like it would be boring a lot of the time to her and kind of thankless but she knew it was necessary. “Anna and Elsa huh? Sounds like you’re probably busy your whole shift from the lines I’ve seen waiting to meet them. I’m more a fan of the older princesses. And Rapunzel.” Jess grinned a little as she remembered the conversation she’d had on the network with the girl who played her here. She still loved the mental image she had of Rapunzel fighting vampires with her frying pan.
"I'm a junior editor at a publishing company.” It wasn’t the most exciting job but she enjoyed it. She loved getting to read books before they were released to the public.