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[@Musoka]

[i]“Now now now..."[/i] Solenne surprised her by catching her by the hand, and slowly reeling her in. Mia turned, and stared up at him with an amazed question in her eyes. His voice was low and soft, and something stirred as Mia gazed, confused, into red eyes. [i]"I wasn’t about to leave you so quickly without this.”[/i] And he planted a soft kiss to her lips. 

At once, Mia's mind was shaken awake and alert. Caught in Solenne's touch, she stood, hands lying on his chest, unmoving, unpushing. And when they broke apart, Mia leaned away, her lungs feeling tight with what had to be breathlessness. 

[i]So that is what it feels like[/i], she thought in a quiet murmur. She wondered in the moments after as she caught her senses if she would feel a rush of worship, and awe, and reverence. The possibility was fearsome. But when she watched Solenne promise to be back in twenty minutes, and back out the door, she did not see a god. She stood wordlessly, with fingers to her mouth, seeing a man who had left her - fluent in one language and conversational in two - speechless and grinning, and thought that maybe that was alright after all. 

Mia returned to her counter, and at once Delilah pounced on her, peppering Mia with prodding and gushing. Her cheeks flamed as Delilah persisted, and she tried to ignore her with her continuous trope of, [color=6ecff6]"What can I get for you?"[/color] But it took Delilah less than ten seconds to gasp dramatically, and place a fluttering hand over her heart, comprehending entirely. "You've never been kissed before," she said, a wicked grin curling over her face, and Mia's silence was all the confirmation Delilah needed. Delilah sighed, and leaned against the counter, balancing perfectly a tray of drinks that never overflowed. "Girl," she said, with motherly affection blended with her Southern drawl, "aren't you in for a ride?"

When Solenne returned, Mia glanced up expectantly hopeful, to see him with a guitar strapped over his shoulder. He had changed for his stint, into casual clothes. Mia watched him approach the counter with a slight smile. How was it fair that he looked dashing in both? [i]“Figure the suit was a bit much for a little cafe strumming,”[/i] he said, and Mia's smile only grew larger. [color=6ecff6]"It was a bit much for a little coffee,"[/color] she joked. [color=6ecff6]"But that didn't stop you from coming in."[/color] 

Like you would[i] have it any other way[/i], came a niggling thought, as Solenne took the stage and adjusted the mic, and the cafe began to fill with the strains of his playing.

The atmosphere became warm, and lit with a soft glow. Solenne - who was probably comfortable in a concert hall with hundreds of eyes on him - knew how to command an audience. Or perhaps that was because his eyes would not leave Mia, who served customer after knowing customer with blazing cheeks. Once or twice, her own gaze slid to Solenne's, and she would hold his stare for a few seconds, her expression guileless and open as Solenne played to a crowd without hitch or hiccup. But she broke into a wide grin and had to drop eye contact, to return a bemused customer change, or take an order.

When the song came to an end, the whole line stopped as Mia stepped back from the counter and raised her hands to clap. While the rest of the cafe exploded into unified applause - no doubt to call for another song - she watched Solenne from her station, a wry smile tugging on her lips, giving him a standing ovation.