Ava sat in Starbucks, waiting patiently.  Her sisters, Catherine and Phoebe, were habitually late and she'd long since given up on trying to get them to be on time.  The cafe was full of noise; the coffee machines at work, people discussing inane aspects of their lives, the occasional wail from an ignored child.  Ava sipped her hazelnut hot chocolate and looked out of the window, people watching.  It amazed her what people did subconsciously in public.  She had once seen a man all but unzip his trousers in his efforts to tuck his shirt in, and another lady had been sitting on a bench picking her nose for five whole minutes before she glanced around to see if anyone had noticed.  Instances such as these always made Ava smirk to herself, although at the same time she wondered what she was guilty of doing.

As the door swung open she glanced towards it, hoping to see her siblings red-faced and abashed at their lateness.  But instead, it was a rather stunning-looking young man.  Ava's green eyes trailed him to the counter where he perused his options.  He was tall, over six foot by her estimations, and carried himself with a certain poise. She didn't feel it was arrogance, more a security in his own skin.  His hair was ruffled and sandy blonde, paler golden streaks catching the light.  Reluctantly, she drew her gaze away and looked back to the door.  Catherine and Phoebe had just clattered in, Catherine's fair curls flyaway.  She was apologising before she even got to the table.

"I'm so sorry we're late - it's my fault."

"It is unequivicoally her fault," Phoebe agreed with a smirk, sinking into an armchair,  "Which is why she's buying me coffee."

Catherine pouted, her baby-blue eyes imploring. "But you have a better job than me, and more money."

Phoebe rolled her eyes and got to her feet.  Catherine was hard to refuse.  "A cappuccino with an extra shot, plus a ginger muffin?"

Catherine beamed, her face childishly open and innocent.

* * *

When Phoebe returned, heavily laden, ten minutes later, Ava had already pointed out the attractive gentleman to Catherine.  They were hypothesising about all aspects of his life, and conjuring dreamy happily-ever-after scenes.  Phoebe followed their gaze, dishing out coffee and cake at the same time.

"Three guesses who you're looking at."

"Dreamy, isn't he?"  Ava replied, stealing some of Catherine's ginger muffin while she wasn't paying attention. 

"Taken, too, I imagine."

"We've already sorted it all out - they're going to live happily ever after."  Catherine declared.

"You do surprise me, sister dear."

For most of the next half an hour, the three sisters considered how they could corner the poor unsuspecting soul.  It was fortunate for them that he was apparently immersed in his paper, for their glances and directed whispers were none too subtle. Just when they thought they'd exhausted all of their options, the waitress went to clear his table and neatly secured their opportunity. The man showed her a piece of paper and spoke with an enquiring expression on his face.  Ava, Phoebe and Catherine were all but craning their necks in an attempt to see what was on the page.  When the woman straightened up, however, she took it away with his mug and disappeared into the kitchen.  The man folded up his paper and stretched slightly in his seat.

"Look!"  Catherine was pointing to the waitress who was now pinning the paper to the notice board. It looked like a poster of some description. 

"Go and see what it says," Phoebe urged Ava once the waitress had moved off.  Ava glanced from the poster to the man's table, but he'd already gone.

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I'm not sure entirely where this is going, so bear with me. =]

In this chapter, three sisters meet in Starbucks and encounter a tall, handsome stranger...

updated May 26 '10 by Nocturne