It was a cold Autumn’s day in Hell’s Kitchen, the streets were littered with colourful leaves, adding some colour to the mostly grey surroundings. It was cold enough that apparently the multiple layers of thick fabric you had put on before leaving your home weren’t nearly enough as the cold creeped over your body. You held your coat and jacket close to your body and the wind blew strongly against you, ruffling your hair and causing your ears and nose to grow even colder. You just hoped that you didn’t look as ridiculously frozen as you felt. You had finally approached your destination and pushed the door open with your free hand, causing the small bell above your head to ding. The temperature inside wasn’t much better than outside, you noted, fixing the positioning of the scarf. You had only come here a few times before, but you had grown to love the small, quaint bookshop. The clean and wooden interior, along with a general cozy atmosphere, stood strongly in contrast to the rough streets outside. Especially with what happens at night. You’d never been one for going for long walks alone at night, but Hell’s Kitchen was something else entirely. Even if a man dressed as the devil could save the day. If you were being honest with yourself, you’d probably never meet the guy anyway. You walked between the full bookshelves as you made your way further into the building and peered over to the check-out desk, seeing that the older woman who owned the bookshop, Cherry, was busily doing some paperwork whilst chatting to a couple standing on the other side of the desk. You had an order to pick up but decided that it could wait a moment as you browsed the newly arrived books, picking up one and reading the blurb every time one caught your attention. Whilst you were reading the blurb of another book- one you might have to buy- you heard the bell ding again. You glanced up at the doorway to see a six-foot-something man enter, holding a white and red cane in his right hand, signalling that he was blind. His hair was fluffy and brown, swept neatly to his left. He wore a smart dark grey suit, a white shirt with a dotted black tie, and a long, matching grey jacket on the top. And the dark red, round sunglasses that glinted in the light that streamed through the window. His nose and ears had grown red from the cold, and you had also noticed the light bruising on his left cheekbone. It looked as if it were in the later stages of healing. Before you could even contemplate where the bruise could have originated from, he started to walk in your direction. You stepped closer to the bookshelf and held the book to your chest as he approached. Apparently, you had stepped on a squeaky floorboard, which grabbed his attention. He stood beside you.
“Hello?” He said, as if he were a sceptic talking to a ghost in a haunted house.
“Hi.” You responded awkwardly, stepping to stand directly in front of him.
“Was I about to walk into you?” He asked, standing his cane up beside him. You glanced at your surroundings, studying the amount of space.
“No… I think you were good.” You looked back at him, just in time to see his resting face turn into a small smile.
“Good. I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself in front of such a pretty woman.” He responded. You weren’t exactly sure on the accuracy of his statement, but he seemed to believe it as a fact, which caused you to blush.
“Mhm” You responded, shifting your weight onto your other foot. He was definitely your type- you noticed that immediately- but that just made you panic more. You wanted to make a good impression. He tilted his head slightly, acting as if he could sense your mixed emotions.
“I’m Matt.” He introduced himself, holding his free hand towards you, as if for a handshake. You put your hand in his, introducing yourself when he surprised you by bringing your hand to his face. “May I?” Matt asked.
“Sure…” You responded, curious as to how this would go. He placed a feather-light kiss onto your hand, before lowering it and letting go. If you weren’t sure that he was flirting with you before, you were now. You felt your heart speed up slightly, and, like he could hear it, Matt’s smile widened. You let out a small laugh, “Nice to meet you, Matt.”
“It’s lovely to meet you too.” He responded, repositioning himself slightly. You were thinking about what you should say next when Cherry called your name. You looked over your shoulder at her.
“Oh, Matt! I have your order too. Come here you two!” She called. You looked back at Matt.
“I know the way,” Matt said, positioning his cane, “Go ahead.” You turned and walked to the counter, bracing both of your hands on the wooden surface. Matt stood to your left and held his cane in his left hand, resting his right hand on the table, his hand brushing yours. He knew what he was doing, you decided, glancing at your hands. Cherry grabbed the small stack of the three books you had ordered, and you passed her the book you had been looking at when Matt had made his grand entrance. She told you the total and you paid by card.
“Bag?” Cherry asked, raising an eyebrow when she noticed you had gone there bagless.
“Please.” You nodded. Cherry looked under the counter for a moment before sighing,
“I’m all out, but I have more stock in the back. Give me a moment dears.” She said, speeding off to the staff room as you tried to tell her you were fine without a bag. After a few moments of silence, you decided to speak.
“So…” You started, turning to him, “Do you come here often?” You asked. He laughed,
“No, but I might start. Do you?” He asked.
“I love it here.” You responded. “If you don’t come here, how’d you know Cherry?” You asked.
“Oh, that was a real question? I thought you were flirting with me?” He responded.
“No comment.” You answered, causing him to smile yet again.
“She had some legal trouble a few weeks back, came to us for help.” He answered.
“Us?”
“My law firm. It’s just me and some friends.” He explained, leaning against the counter and taking a business card out of his jackets inside pocket, handing it to you.
“So you’re a lawyer?” You asked, taking the card. Matt nodded. “Prestigious.” You responded, subconsciously mirroring him by leaning against the desk as you studied the card. Nelson, Murdock, and Paige. Sounds familiar for some reason, you thought. You heard Cherry open the staff door and step through, but she turned back to talk to someone else in the room.
“What about you?” He asked.
“So many questions… Might as well take me on a date.” You joked, putting his card into your back pocket.
“Okay. Are you free now? I have a long lunch break.” He said. You startled, not expecting him to say that.
“Really?” You asked. He nodded,
“If you’d like.” He answered, pushing his glasses back up his nose. You hadn’t noticed it before, but he seemed to have become slightly nervous. Not quite as fearless as he was pretending to be then. You nodded,
“I’m free.” You smiled. He seemed to relax,
“Great. There’s this nice café just down the road from here.” He replied.
“Sounds good.” You answered, slightly shocked at yourself for the sudden apparent date. You bit your lip nervously as Cherry approached, holding a cardboard box full of paper bags.
“Sorry I took so long.” She apologised.
“Don’t worry about it.” You said, and Matt repeated your sentiment. She bagged your books before handing you your purchases as you thanked her. You waited by the counter for Matt and watched as Cherry bagged his book- which was apparently an updated braille law book of some sort. Matt made a side comment about how many editions he had at home with nowhere to go. Matt began to leave, as did you, but Cherry stopped you, gesturing to you to lean over the desk so she could whisper to you.
“You two would look very cute together.” She said, causing you to anxiously smile back to her, “He’s a good man. Good looking too.” She responded, as if she were expecting the two of you to marry the next day. You nodded,
“Good.” You responded, tucking your hair behind your ear.
“Hope the date goes well!” She said, moving back to the computer that sat far back on the counter. How did she know? You made your way over to Matt, who waited for you at the door. He was smiling even more now. You wondered if he’d heard what Cherry had said, but he was too far away for it to make sense.
“Ready, madam?” He asked, holding the door open for you.
“Indeed I am, sir.” You responded, mirroring his energy, holding back a laugh. Matt laughed, following you through the door, his arm brushing yours.
You really hoped that the date worked out. Matt seemed… great.