Feelings Sold Separately - Aemond Targaryen

Chapter Two - The Call

Aemond Targaryen

Mandated days off made Aemond's skin crawl. His Grandfather forced him to take two days off each month because he was "Too dedicated to work." and needed to "Live a little." Aemond scoffed at the thought, sat on his couch in a full suit as he stared at the wall.

Usually he would spend his days off with his Sugar Baby but seeing as he didn't currently have one, a staring contest with the wall was his plan for the day. He had already gone on a run and made a full course breakfast, his morning routine complete now by 10 AM.

The ring of his phone snapped him out of his pity party, his eyebrow raising when he realised it was the phone ringing, not his cellphone. "Hello." He deepened his voice slightly, wanting to put on a professional face for the possible Sugar Baby.

"Hi!" The woman practically squeaked. He hummed and waited for her to continue, but instead of asking a question she quickly uttered. "Ihavethewrongnumbersorry!" And hung up.

He chuckled, it wasn't an everyday thing to be hung up on, seeing as he was the CFO of a big bank, and the brother of King's Landing's president, people often gave him the time of day. Though he enjoyed the fact that, right now, he stayed anonymous, he was just another guy, one who got hung up on.

He quickly hit re-dial and waited as the usual payphone phrases repeated, letting him know he was waiting for the woman to put more money into the machine. "Hello?" She picked up.

"Is the payphone for anonymity reasons? Or because you don't own a phone?" He asked, though this time he didn't lower his voice as much, hoping to come off as approachable as possible.

"I don't, I don't have a phone." She said quietly, and awkwardly, like she was hoping to avoid the question.

The idea of her living in Flea Bottom without a phone worried him. "Why did you hang up?" He asked, hearing her rustle the phone slightly.

"I was scared." She said, huffing out a breath before continuing. "I, this is a serious inquiry, I promise. Your Ad was just vague so I, I don't know, I got worried." She rambled. Usually rambling annoyed Aemoned, yet he found the way her voice raised up a pitch endearing.

"Why don't we meet up to talk about my offer?" He asked, hopefulness uncharacteristically lacing his words. "Does this afternoon work?"

"Oh, yeah I'd love that." He could hear her smile. "Does 2:40 Pm work? There's a small coffee shop, Cold Brew, on the eastern border of The Red Keep. I could meet you there after work, if that's okay?"

"That's perfect." Aemond got up from his couch, ready to get things set up for this afternoon.

"My name is Maysie, and I have light brown hair." She added. "So, so you'll know who I am."

"I'll see you then Maysie." Aemond smiled, as he looked out his apartment's window.

"Wait, how will I know who you are?" She nervously asked.

"You'll know."

✩ . ☽ . ☼ . ☾ . ✩

Gold Brew was located where Maysie had said it would be, just on the edge of The Red Keep's business district. The shop was below a large office building, the same cookie cutter building making up the whole block. Outside sat a few tables and chairs, and plants seemed to litter both the inside and outside window sill.

"Is that, is that One-Eye?" Aemond began to hear the whispers and comments by those he walked past. He had enjoyed his few hours of feeling anonymous, now his wall was back up, letting the odd looks and small snickers roll off his back.

The ding of a bell welcomed him into Gold Brew, the homey feeling inside one he thought he could get used to. He immediately picked out Maysie from the crowd. Stood at the cash, the barista's hand on her shoulder as she whispered in her ear, light brown curly hair framing her face as she looked at him in awe with green eyes he found fascinating.

She hadn't looked him in the eye and he wasn't sure if that was on purpose or not, her eyes stuck on everything but the eye patch. "Hi!" The barista smiled, hand sliding off Maysie. "What can I get you today?" She tried her best to seem comfortable, but Aemond knew how to read people, it was one of his best abilities and the way her shoulders stayed ridged and her eyes bounced gave her worry or possible fear away.

"A medium black coffee please." Looking to his right Aemond finally made eye contact with Maysie. She was a head shorter than him, her neck craned slightly to look at him. Until now he thought he had a thing for slim and tall dark brunettes, every girl in his past had been one. Yet now, as Maysie nervously smiled up at him, he realised he might have miss calculated his 'type'.

"Anything else?" The barista asked.

Aemond kept his eyes trained on Maysie, lowering his voice slightly. "Did you have lunch yet?" Aemond asked, he assumed she worked early hours if she was off so early, and he assumed he called him on her break, but he wasn't sure if she was the type to eat during the work day or after.

"Ye-" She began, only to be cut off by her barista friend.

"No, she didn't have lunch." Her friend said with a smile, pulling Aemond's attention back to her. "She likes cheese bagels and iced coffee, if you're offering."

"I'm offering." He answered in a monotone, grabbing a hundred gold bill and handing it over, when the change was handed back he placed it in the tip jar.

"What?" Maysie finally broke out of her trance-like state. "That's, that's 90 gold, that's not a tip?" She stressed, looking between him and Eyla. "You could buy six dozen donuts with that kind of cash."

"Do you want six dozen donuts?" Aemond slyly asked, lifting his brow at her.

"No."

"Then the money can be put towards tips." He smiled, thanking Eyla as he grabbed their coffees and her bagel. "Where would you like to sit?" He asked, stepping slightly into her space.

"Um, my favourite table is over here." She answered quietly, suddenly back in her shell. Maysie led them to the back, a square table and two chairs tucked into a little alcove.

Aemond's mind began flooding with the thought she sat them here so no one would see her with him, but when she sat down her hand immediately found a little divot in the table, one he assumed she created with her light scratching. "Here." He set her bagel and coffee in front of her, cold coffee still not something he truly understood.

As she thanked him and opened her bagel he took his leather jacket off and draped it over another table close by before unbuttoning and rolling up his shirt sleeves. The moment he did her eyes lingered on his forearm tattoo, he chuckled. "Should we begin?" He asked as he sat down.