When I look at you

Bookshops and coffee

Rowan's POV:

Everyone aspires to be in New York to live in New York, to me, it has always been too dirty too chaotic and not worth the expenses it takes to live here. Granted I know I am well off and have been my entire life, I have the money to do as I please, but it doesn't mean that I like to waste it.

But here and now with her arm linked in mine her eyes wide soaking in every detail, her head turning around every once in a while, her smile so broad I would do anything for her. Right here I have never been happier to live in New York, right now the city doesn't seem dirty or chaotic. I could never hate anything that gave her that much joy.

Despite that, I have managed to find some oasis in the city, places that I wanted to share with her. I wasn't worried that she wouldn't like them, I knew she would love anything that I valued, she is truly an angel sent to me.

"Penny for your thoughts sir", I noticed that wicked smirk as she teasingly called me sir. I would probably never admit it to her, but it sent a shiver through my spine.

"I was only thinking about how beautiful you are. And what are you thinking my lady?"

"right now how cheesy you are being, it is almost enough to make me want to walk around on my own" I felt her tug on my arm to pull away in jest, yet I wasn't about to let her slip through my fingers. I pulled her flush against my side causing a little giggle to erupt from her so perfect mouth.

"okay okay, where are we going first?"

"Well I thought we would start with a little shopping'' I could see the protest on her lips I knew she was about to say that she didn't need more clothes (which was entirely wrong she deserves everything I can give her and more) so I cut her off "and before you protest it is a special kind of shopping, it's a tiny shop down a side street that doesn't sell anything that isn't second or even third hand".

I have decided that I am adding confusion to the list of expressions that I love on her face. I didn't know it was possible for someone to look so cute and pensive at the same time.

If she knew how much I feel myself falling for her, my true emotions I am afraid they would scare her, they certainly scare me.

We turned the corner and I pointed to the little wooden sign with beautiful white paint lettering hanging by old iron hinges.

Lara started jumping up and down beside me mouthing the word books over and over again. I nodded and that was all it took for her to launch into a skip down the street and hurtle straight into the book shop.

I ran after her laughing at her obvious excitement. When we reached the door, I placed my finger to her lips and whispered in her ear

"you are going to have to be quiet if you want to go in there angel"

She nodded her quiet agreement, and I placed my hand on the door handle and led her into the shop.

There is something about the old rickety stairs of a hidden book shop, the pages and pages of lives stored in the words of the pages, the histories of people who had read the books before us, and the promise of a new adventure with every page.

I knew she liked reading I remembered the first time I saw her at the hotel, her nose buried in a book, she was reading a Harper and Bros. first edition of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I hadn't had a chance to ask her about where she got it from or if she realized how much it would be worth.

We were looking around the book shop for over an hour and a half, Lara had climbed onto one of the ladders that slid along the rails of the bookcases. I ran over to steady the ladder so that she wouldn't fall or hurt herself, though I am well aware a part of me just wanted to be near her. My head was in, line with the waistband of her skirt and as she was reaching for one of the books on the top of the shelf, I heard a rumble from her stomach demanding to be fed.

She didn't even blink at her stomachs request for food, just simply kept flicking through the book she had manged to reach. I pursed my lips and looked at the pile she had already amassed of books that she wanted. I had told her as we first entered the shop[ that she could have anything she wished and I would buy her all the books in this shop if it would make her happy, she had settled for 5.

"Come on angel I can hear that yup are hungry, this isn't the only thing I have planned for today"

"So we aren't spending the entire day in the bookshop?"

I laughed at shook my head at her

"Well why didn't you say that before, as much as I would love to spend a whole day in this shop, I don't want to ruin any of your plans"

Little does she know I would beg her to wreck my plans if it made her happy.

Our next stop was a small bakery not five minutes from the book shop. We picked a selection of sandwiches and pies along with cake an biscuits for after. On the way to our final destination we also stopped at a green grocers picking up bits of fruit and salad to go with our sandwiches. Our last stop was a coffee shop and as she took a sip of her coffee, she leaned up so that I could feel her light breath on my ear

"your coffee is better" she pulled away smiling at the little compliment. I squeezed her hand and guided her toward my favourite spot in central park.