901_freeatlast (901_freeatlast) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-10-24 17:09:00 |
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Entry tags: | spencer hastings, toby cavanaugh |
Who: Spencer Hastings and Toby Cavanaugh
When: Late September
Where: Baxter Bakery
What: Random Encounter
Rating/Warnings: PG? | None
Status: Complete when posted!
Spencer was already ahead on her reading for the semester. She was taking Science, Math, History and Art. Mostly to fulfill General Education requirements before she went on to classes for her Major. Whatever she decided that would be. So far, she was enjoying going to UCI, though it was a little lonely. Most of the social circles had already been formed, and though she had Hanna, she still felt a little out of her element.
So she escaped school and headed to the Bakery she’d heard so much about from Melissa. There was some kind of sparkling drink here? It made her a little nervous, but she was willing to try anything once. Maybe she could have a sparkling cappuccino. She waited in line to order, eyes up on the sign overhead and consciously not taking in the pastries in the case.
Toby didn’t frequent too many places at lunch. He tried to have lunch with him, but he hadn’t gotten to the store recently and so he’d decided going out to lunch for the day couldn’t really be a bad idea. Plus, sometimes a little variety was what people needed. Or it was what he’d heard people say on countless occasions. So maybe it was true. Maybe you couldn’t eat turkey sandwiches every day for...who even knew how long. Today work had been hell (and it wasn’t over yet), but the job was going to look amazing once it was done. So when he got the go-ahead for his lunch break, he decided to go to a place close enough to his job and yet far enough to probably avoid the majority of the other guys that were on their lunch breaks too.
The minute he walked into the Bakery, though, he nearly walked right back out. Spencer was there. The idea of giving himself more of a chance to embarrass himself in front of her was enough to make him cringe in advance. But he forced himself to walk forward and stand behind her in line. He went through multiple introductions and possible ‘things to say first’ scenarios before settling with, “Looks like we’re going to be running into each other a lot.” It was probably not the stupidest thing he’d said, but it sounded stupid. “By which, I mean hi.”
Spencer was facing forward when Toby came into the shop, and hadn't expected someone to speak up from behind her in line. She jumped a little at the sound and turned. Her cheeks were pink as she met his eyes. Toby Cavanaugh. Would wonders never cease. Funny running into him here of all places. But he had a point: it was much more likely to run into him now they both lived in Orange county. “I guess so,” she agreed playfully. “By which I mean hi back.”
Toby found himself smiling despite his insistence that he should definitely not be. But that was mostly because he still remembered his idiotic response from the last time they spoke. It wasn’t that he could say he didn’t agree with himself, though. She was attractive. She did look good. Almost all the time. Especially now. He was just pretty sure that girls like her didn’t go for guys like him. Especially not with the dreams in the mix. “Break between classes?” It seemed like a safe bet. She was in school there, right? He thought it was pretty obvious where he’d been, but that was probably the clothes talking.
“Finished for the day, actually,” Spencer replied. She shifted the bag that was digging into her shoulder, weighed down with far too many books, binders, and other research materials. She had only been in school for a couple days so far, but she was already far ahead in her homework. Which was pretty typical for Spencer Hastings. She didn’t have much of a social life in Orange County, so she spent most of her time behind a book. “What about you? Lunch break?”
Toby’s eyes dropped for a second to the bag before he looked back up at her. He decided not to comment on what appeared to be a bag overly full of books because it was probably normal for college students. He just didn’t know. “Yeah. I figured I’d get something to eat. Also caffeine to make it through the rest of the day. This seemed like the most logical choice. I don’t come here too often, but every so often I’m close to here.” Rambling, Toby. Stop rambling.
Spencer wondered for a moment where his work site was, if it brought him close to this particular cafe. It was almost a half-way point between her school and her parents’ house, so it was a nice place to stop and refuel. Orange County was huge, though, so he really could have been on the way from anywhere to anywhere and still passed by this place. “I hear you on the caffeine. I have about two hundred pages to read tonight, so I’ll need a wet cap.”
The person in front of them stepped forward to order, so Spencer stepped forward to take the next place.
“I’m suddenly not sorry I decided not to pursue college. That sounds like way too much work to me.” He wondered about college professors sometimes. How did they expect people to just read all those pages in one night? Why would anyone want to read that much in one night? He preferred the part of everything where he only had to worry about how houses went together. Maybe that was a little more serious than two hundred pages of reading, but it was simpler to him also.
When Spencer moved forward, Toby followed suit. He wasn’t sure what to say next. Finally he settled on, “So are you going home right after or are you staying for a bit.” He wasn’t sure if that sounded weird, so he added, “Only because if you’re staying, we might as well share a table instead of taking up two. Unless you’d prefer two.” Yep. That totally helped the situation. Super smooth, Toby.
“It’s exactly the right amount of work. With the right motivation, that is.” Spencer teased him right back. Some people were made for academia, and Spencer was one of those people. She was good at reading, studying, test taking, homework. She enjoyed it. She set herself goals, she gave herself rewards if she reached those goals. It worked out pretty well.
Spencer turned to glance at him over her shoulder. Was she staying? Share a table? There was something absolutely adorable about the way he offered to hang out for a little bit, and Spencer couldn’t help but smile a little at him. “No, we can share a table--should share a table.” Besides, why eat alone when they could sit and eat together? She’d like to hear more about Emily’s mysterious neighbor, Jenna’s brother. The guy with the incredible eyes.
The line moved forward again, and Spencer stepped up to the register to order her cappuccino and snack, then she paid and stepped to the side so he could order.
There was a hint of relief when she said that they could share a table. He wouldn’t look like a complete fucking idiot even if he felt like it. He’d just have to try to keep up the act (the one where he wasn’t an idiot). “Okay. Great.” Once Spencer ordered, he ordered a coffee and sandwich. It was likely that he’d end up getting another coffee before he left, but until then, he could sit at a table with Spencer and try to find something to talk about.
Once their food and drinks came out, he made his way to a table that wasn’t messy and didn’t have anyone sitting at it and put his stuff down. “Thanks for keeping me company.”
“Hey, no problem.” Spencer couldn’t help but smile as she settled at the table across from Toby. Toby Cavanaugh. Weird world. She pulled her phone out to glance at it, then turned it onto silent and put it away. “I should be the one thanking you, really. You have far more options for company than I do around these parts. I’m recently returning to find most of my friends have gone off to bigger and better things. But you’ve been here this whole time solidifying your network of loved ones.” ...that may have been a little over the top.
Toby resisted the urge to stare at her like she’d just told him that aliens were real when she thanked him. He was pretty sure that whatever had happened, he wasn’t someone to thank for it. She definitely had more friends than he did when it came down to it. He also had no idea why she’d agreed to it. He arched an eyebrow at her assertion that he had been solidifying his network of loved ones. “Oh, yeah. You know me. The most popular person around these parts.” The sarcasm was only slightly evident, but his eyes did grow a little wider as he looked off to the side. “They call me Mr. Popular.”
“Popular is overrated,” Spencer decided, watching Toby as he looked away. She’d never noticed how amazing his eyes were. So blue, with lashes that just wouldn’t quit. She found herself staring at them, batting her own eyelashes a little and wondering how she’d missed noticing them for so many years. “I’d rather be perceived as intelligent than popular.”
The idea that Spencer Hastings even really noticed him was pretty much the last thing that Toby was thinking about. Girls noticed him, he guessed, but he guessed that he hadn’t noticed enough of them back. He’d noticed Spencer, though. At least recently. Before, he’d sort of kept himself separate from their crowd, but according to Caleb, he was part of it in the dreams. He couldn’t really imagine it. Emily’s friends seemed to be a separate entity from himself. Only now he wasn’t sure why. Well, he knew that it was because he’d separated himself from them, but maybe it hadn’t been necessary. “Well, from my understanding, you’re pretty smart, so I think at least that’s something you’ve accomplished. Unless Emily was wrong about you, but she’s not exactly wrong about people all that often.” At least he didn’t think so.
“No, I think Emily’s an excellent judge of character.” Spencer said after a moment of considering his words. She raised an eyebrow. Emily had judged Toby, too, and there must have been a reason they were such good friends. Spencer was starting to wonder how she’d never spent too much time with Toby until now.
“Well, I should probably get home.” Spencer had a ton of homework if she was going to keep herself as far ahead as she wanted to be. “As much as I wish I could stay, I have a ton of homework.”
“Yeah. She seems that way.” Even if she could be a little too forgiving at times, but that wasn’t a trait he really thought needed to be corrected. At least not right now. Maybe if it started to hurt her. Otherwise, she was probably okay.
“Oh.” He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice and his expression with little success. But he forced a smile. “Well, have fun with your homework. I’ll have to get back to work soon anyway. Can’t avoid everyone here all day.” His smile grew a little less forced as he said, “Plus, given how we’ve run into each other twice already, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.”
“I suppose that’s true.” Only a matter of time. Spencer kinda liked the sound of that, actually. It was something she was looking forward to. “I’ll see you, Toby.” She said, gathering her things. “Don’t work too hard.” It seemed like something to say, but Spencer almost immediately regretted saying it. She gave him a silly smile, then climbed from the table to head out of the cafe.