Norman Reedus Imagines

One Night In New York City-- Part 1 (Norman)

CREDIT TO:https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elle_Gardner/pseuds/Elle_Gardner

***************************************************************************************Work brings me to New York City a few times a year and I have found a few little boutique hotels that suite me just right. I particularly like one in SOHO that makes me feel like a real New Yorker. Brick exterior, small cozy room and near to delis, shopping and a subway stop. My meetings were done and I had a weekend in the city to look forward to now, so clad in spring skirt and flip flops I headed over to a coffee shop where I would defiantly be a regular at if I actually lived in this neighborhood.

Now who would have thought that a simple random act of kindness would lead me to the most amazing weekend of my life? It was just after the morning rush and the coffee house had quieted to just a few people playing on their phones or flipping through the newspaper. I wish I was more of a coffee connoisseur but it was a simple cup of herbal tea for me. I handed the clerk a $20 bill and told him "Please pay for whoever comes through next and keep the rest for yourself". The look of shock was priceless. As there was no one in line behind me, I had no way of knowing if he would actually pass on my gift to someone else, or just pocket the change, but acts of kindness cannot be judged, only paid forward to others.

I sat with my tea at a little café table just by the front door. Smartphone in hand, I was scrolling through email and Facebook messages before I started a bit of window shopping. I loved buying unique trinkets when I came here and I had a few gifts I wanted to buy some folks as well.

"Excuse me." The low voice was almost lost in the city noise but I looked up to see a man in sunglasses looking down at me. He was half smiling. "I hear you bought me this," he raised his cup a bit, "and I wanted to say thanks." His large hand was wrapped around the iced coffee and he waited for my reply.

"You're very welcome, my pleasure." I had been so caught up in the email I was reading that I had almost forgotten about the act of kindness. His smile was infectious, I couldn't help but grin back at him. His long wispy dark hair framed his face and I was suddenly mesmerized by this understatedly handsome man. He didn't seem to be in a rush to leave and there was something about these trips alone to NYC that brought the bravery of mine to the surface.

I spoke before the words registered in my brain. "Would you like to sit?" He slid his backpack off his shoulders and sat across from me. He put his coffee and his phone on the table and seemed to fidget in his seat a bit.

He reached his hand across the table as he introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Norman." I took his hand and choked out a reply, "Jessica." His hand was warm, strong but gentle. He seemed to be waiting for more, but I wasn't sure what. "Do you do this a lot, buy coffee for strangers?" His voice was unique, sexy and somewhat familiar. I tried to place it but I just couldn't, and his sunglasses were dark enough to make sure I would not be able to see his eyes.

"Not as often as I should. I'm sorry, but you seem very familiar to me and I am wondering if we had met before." We must have met, there was just something about this man that was too familiar.

Norman stroked his fingers through his beard, some of it gray, a sexy quality in a man. This time it was more like a smirk and I thought for sure he was going to tell me that we had spent the last three days in meetings together or something like that. Norman rubbed his hands together and twisted at his fingers, a nervous behavior it seemed. "I don't think we've met, but I'm an actor, you might have seen me on TV." My face flushed instantly, I didn't know who this man was but I felt embarrassed as he thought I should know him, and I questioned if he was serious, this was New York City after all. Little did he know that my TV viewing was limited as I chose to give up cable a few years ago and realized that I didn't really miss it at all. My tube television now mostly aired obscure movies off a DVD player that was on its last leg.