The Unexpected

Chapter 2 - Getting Acquainted

A/N: Hey guys, just wanted to say a massive thank you for all of your views, votes  and comments. It really does mean the world to me. Again if you want to see some nursery nurse edits here's my TikTok user: @ventu.nursery. I am still considering doing an audio version for this, so will look into it if that's what people would benefit from/like to hear it, so let me know! All feedback is welcome!

Mia's gaze bore into Charlotte as she stood before her with a mischievous grin playing on her lips. The air was full of tension as Charlotte hesitated to speak as her heart raced. "Well, aren't you going to invite me to sit down?" Mia questioned, her voice laced with both a flirty and challenging undertone.

Charlotte cheeks flushed as she tried to regain her composure, her gaze faltering momentarily before meeting Mia's once more. Charlottes eyes closed briefly before taking a steading breath before finally managing to stammer "S...s...sorry please take a seat." Her voice was barely above whisper as she gestured towards the booth across from her, a nervous flutter started in her chest.

Mia's eyes danced in amusement as she gracefully settled into her seat, her presence was enigmatic and commanding. With a flick of the wrist, she placed the coffee cup on the table, the clink of porcelain breaking the tension that hung in the air. "It's alright I think I can forgive you just this once..." Mia's voice trailed off, a hint of teasing in her tone as she observed Charlotte intently. A playful smile tugged at the corners of her lips, her eyes alight with curiosity. "I don't think you told me your name, sweetheart."

Charlottes breath caught in her throat at Mia's words, a rush of emotions swirling within her. Could this be the meeting that Charlotte was hoping for, it felt like fate had planted a whimsical embrace on the pair, pulling them together in a dance with destiny. The energy between the two of them was palpable. Charlotte was still reeling from Mia's captivating presence before she gathered her thoughts and responded, her voice still barely above a whisper. "I'm Charlotte" she said her cheeks flushed with mixture of nervousness and excitement.

Mia's eyes sparkled with amusement at Charlotte's response, a knowing smile played on her lips "Charlotte," she repeated, savouring the sound of her name. "It's a pleasure to meet you."  The coffee shop buzzed around them, but in that moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world. The atmosphere had indeed shifted to being suddenly charged with an unspoken connection that neither of them could ignore.

"So, Charlotte, what is that you do for work?" Mia questioned casually however seemed to be leading to a deeper line of questioning. Her voice was like a caress to Charlottes soul which made her skin prickle with anticipation.

Charlotte fiddled with them hem of her sweater, the warmth of the café was doing little to help with the burning feeling inside her which was creeping up and down her body. Mia took a sip of her coffee as she waited for her to answer, her eyes never leaving Charlottes. Charlotte awkwardly shuffled in her seat as she took another steading breath before answering. "I work as a nursery practitioner not too far from here.... The Knight Nursery, have you heard of it?" She said confidently feeling more at ease talking about her passion then about herself.

Mia looked slightly taken aback by the name as she took another sip of her coffee before letting it rest back onto the table in front of her. Something seemed to be playing on her mind as she paused for a moment looking off to the side into the café seeing the lunch time rush filtering through. "I have, heard that Reece is now the manager of the sister nursery, he's dating someone new called Marjorie...?" Her answer came out more like a question, like she couldn't pinpoint who she was referring to.

Charlotte looked at Mia's face trying to decipher how, where, and when she knew Reece and all this information. She then realised that a friend of Marjorie's had set them up, obviously she must have heard about this connection through them surely. "That's correct, Marjorie's my manager..." She looked to her hands and fiddled with the skin on her fingers before taking another steady breath before asking Mia what question was plaguing her mind. "How do you know Reece?" She questioned scanning Mia's face once again to see how she would respond.

It was now Mia's turn to feel the heat rising to her face, she had this uneasy look about her, which had caused to advert her gaze from Charlottes, the confidence seemed to have been wiped from her face, something that Charlotte was surprised to see given how confident Mia has presented herself as being up until the mention of Reece. "Me and Reece..." Mia paused seeming to be calculating the next words that would fall out of her mouth before taking a deep breath. "We used to date..." She then took an audible swallow before looking back at Charlotte with a worried look, now it was Mia who was doing the deciphering.

Charlotte was taken aback by this slightly; she had never been the one to be the judgemental type. However, she couldn't help the feeling of jealousy that had pinged her heart strings after hearing what had just come out of Mia's mouth. "Oh." She said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Well, fresh start for both of us it seems..." Charlotte's voice trailed off, before her eyes widened at what had just come out of her mouth. Did Mia know? Charlotte searched Mia's face for some response.

Mia smiled slightly, Jamie the mutual friend of her and Marjorie's had filled her in with the details of Charlotte's past relationship, she was fully aware of the ex-husband and the children that Charlotte had, not that it bothered her, that's if it didn't get in the way of the potential they could have together. She put her tongue in her cheek and looked at Charlotte softly. "I know." She reassured her before continuing. "I suppose your right... Anyway, I'm a self-made entrepreneur, so unless I have a twin out there somewhere. We won't have to worry about you having previously date someone I know."  She said confidently back trying to ease the tension which had laced the conversation.

Charlotte chuckled to herself before finding some pushed down confidence in herself to respond back. The intensity which was once between them returned as she gave Mia a flirtatious look. "If I find her, I'll let her know I found the better looking one." Charlotte said in sultry tone giving her a wink in the process.

As the coffee ran cold, they continued to talk for hours about their pasts, hopes for the future and the moments that had shaped them into the women they were today.