Finding Love In NYC

Arthur Kirkland, a journalist from London, England, walked through the busy streets of New York on his lunch break on a Monday afternoon. He had been in the city for a week and already he was finding the place tiresome. He was used to large cities with crowds- he grew up in London and had lived there all his life- but this was something else entirely.

To get out of the way of passers by, the Englishman walked into a shop of some sort and let out a breath of relief. He glanced around and saw that he had entered a small cafe; it wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. There was a small queue of people by the counter with two or three workers at least. There were a few tables scattered around and even then only less than half of them were taken. Arthur ended up smiling a little; this would be the perfect place to come and do some work. It was quiet, relaxed and it had a nice atmosphere.

Fishing in his pockets, he found some money and joined the small line by the counter and when it was his turn he was greeted with a friendly smile from the blond worker as he said, "Hi! What can I get you?"

"Um... just some tea, please," Arthur said politely. The worker blinked at him for a moment them his smile returned brighter than before, if that was even possible.

"Hey! You're not from around here, are you?" he asked. Arthur smiled a little to maintain his polite impression and he shook his head.

"No, I'm from England. I've been here a week."

"How do you like New York?" the worker asked. Arthur glanced around; he was the last person to join the line so he wasn't holding anyone up while he talked to the American so he decided that a little chat wouldn't hurt. Besides, he still had half an hour left on his break.

"It's very busy," Arthur said, "But I haven't been here long enough to form a real opinion."

"Yeah, a lot people say it's really busy but you'll love it, I just know you will!" the worker beamed at him and his blue eyes sparkled happily from behind his glasses.

"Are you local then?" Arthur asked and the worker nodded.

"Mmhm! I've lived here my whole life! Don't plan on leavin' either!" the workers colleague handed Arthur his cup of tea and the Englishman handed the correct amount of money to him to pay.

"Well, it was nice talking to you..." Arthur stated as he made to leave but the worker spoke again.

"Hey! I didn't catch your name. I'm Alfred!"

Arthur blinked. Why would this guy want to know his name? Did he want to be his friend or something?

"Oh, well it's nice to meet you Alfred, my name is Arthur," he said and extended his hand for the American to shake. Alfred shook his hand firmly (and Arthur almost spilt his tea) and beamed at him.

"It's nice to meetcha! Enjoy your tea, by the way!" he stated and finally let go of his hand. Arthur merely nodded and sat down at a table by the window.

He sipped his tea quietly and stole glances at Alfred now and then. The blond was currently cleaning tables and the Brit couldn't help but wonder if Alfred befriended all his customers. However he was very loud and not someone Arthur would usually converse with, but there was something about the boy that he liked. What, though... he couldn't tell.

Arthur finished the last of his tea and set the cup aside. He stood and as he moved to leave, Alfred called over to him, "See you soon, Artie!"

Arthur blinked and scowled, "My name is not 'Artie'; it is Arthur!"

"Whatever. You're coming back, right?"

"Do you always harass your customers?"

Alfred laughed loudly and didn't answer the question. Arthur huffed and left the cafe.

He also didn't answer Alfred's question but the very next day on his lunch break, he found himself walking back to the cafe.

-----

After their meeting, Arthur went to that cafe every day on his lunch break. Alfred would greet him with that same beaming smile every time he asked for tea. By now, the American had learnt exactly how Arthur liked his tea and worked on getting it perfect for him when he came in.

They had known each other for a few weeks now and Alfred started taking his breaks at the same time as Arthur so they could talk and get to know each other more. Arthur had told Alfred what he did for a living and he had learnt that Alfred was a college student and he worked at the cafe to earn a little extra money. He was studying Law in college and he wanted to get his qualifications so he could open his own Law firm. He wanted to be a criminal lawyer so he could be someone's hero. Arthur had rolled his eyes at the hero statement but the American had pouted and declared that it was true. It was then that Arthur started to realise that Alfred had some kind of hero complex. He would do absolutely anything to help people.

"You better watch yourself," Arthur had said, "You'll end up getting into trouble."

"Pssh!" Alfred had waved the statement off with a shrug, "I'll deal."

It was only a few days later that Arthur walked into the cafe and noticed a large purple bruise on Alfred's cheek.

"Someone got their purse stolen," Alfred said, "I got it back, but I got hit for it. No big deal, though. At least I got the purse back."

"You're impossible," Arthur had said with a small shake of his head. Really though, he admired Alfred courage and strong will to help others. Even if it did had disastrous consequences.

Nonetheless, he didn't hesitate to say 'I told you so'.

-----

Alfred had offered to show Arthur the sites of New York when they both had spare time. Arthur thought the invitation was sweet but he really didn't need a tour guide. Alfred had smiled that million dollar smile of his and insisted upon it. With that smile and the look he was giving him, he could hardly say no.

Alfred's expression had lit up like a puppy that got a treat when Arthur finally said yes. He bounced around and threw away Arthur's tourist pamphlet as he led him down the street, "Who needs that when you have a local?" he beamed and tossed the pamphlet in the nearest trash can, "I'll show you around no problem! You won't get lost with me!"

Arthur learnt that Alfred wouldn't hesitate to brag about his city at any given opportunity. It seemed that he knew a lot about New York, but when asked about other parts of the world, Alfred would just stare like the asker had grown a second head or something. Arthur came to the conclusion that Alfred's world geography wasn't as good as he'd hoped.

In return, Arthur told him all about London. Alfred asked as many questions as he could and Arthur answered them to the best of his ability. Like Alfred, he too knew a lot about the city he was born and raised in.

"You know the guys with the cool hats?" Alfred asked, "You know what I mean, right? The ones who stand outside the Palace?"

"You mean the Queen's Guard?"

"Yeah, them!"

"What about them?"

"Have you ever made them smile? 'Cause don't they stand there all serious?" he stopped smiling and furrowed his brows into a frown in an attempt to impersonate the guards. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"I personally haven't, but I have seen people try," he said and Alfred laughed loudly.

"Really? Did they do it?" he asked hopefully.

Arthur shook his head, "No, they didn't. I don't think anyone ever has."

"Aw. I'd get them to smile!" Alfred said, "I can make anyone smile."

Arthur nodded. He didn't doubt that for one second.

-----

Arthur's life had changed drastically ever since he met the loud American named Alfred Jones. They started spending more and more time together. They started requesting time off work so they could spend time together visiting sites such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty or even going for a walk to Central Park. Arthur was starting to over-look Alfred's loud and obnoxious exterior and pay attention to what really mattered- and that was a kind and caring person who would do anything for anyone regardless of who they were or what back-round they came from.

Alfred had come over one night to pick Arthur up. They were going to see a Broadway show after the American learnt of Arthur's love for theatre. He had arrived early in hope of some time with the irritable Englishman before they had to leave. Arthur had invited him inside his small apartment and offered him some coffee- knowing he didn't like tea- before they were due to leave.

Arthur had a question that had been nagging him for the past couple of days. Why had Alfred taken to him to well? Arthur wasn't the most sociable person in the world and Alfred had certainly learnt this. The Brit wasn't one for conversation (unless it was about good literature, embroidery or Shakespeare) and Alfred had learnt this pretty early on in their friendship. However he did enough talking for both of them so it didn't bother him that much. Arthur got very irritated very easily and the American had found out the hard way. Arthur called him all sorts of names, such as a 'git', a 'wanker', a 'tosser' and God knows whatever else. Alfred didn't have a clue what they meant and he just irritated Arthur further by saying for him to 'speak American'.

He had blocked out Arthur's ten minute rant about the English language and how the American version of it was just lazy and obnoxious.

Arthur really wondered how they tolerated each other.

So that night, he asked him, "How do you cope with me?"

Alfred had blinked then smiled brightly, "Because I like you, silly!"

"Yes, well... we are friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but that's not what I meant," Alfred said and a small blush dusted his cheeks, "I like you like... you know..."

Arthur frowned then his own cheeks turned an embarrassing shade of red, "Oh. Oh, I see."

"I..." Alfred took a few steps closer, "I really like you. I've liked you for a while."

Was this a love confession?

Yes, yes it was. And Arthur didn't have a clue how to react.

"I'm not going to say 'I've liked you from the moment I met you', 'cause that wouldn't be entirely true," Alfred continued, "When I first saw you I thought 'hey, he's kinda cute' and that was it. But as we started to hang out... I guess I started to like you more and more..."

"I can't believe I'm saying this..." Arthur said and blushed again, "I think I feel the same way..."

Arthur had never questioned his sexuality before. He'd had his fair share of girlfriends but they never really meant much. He'd even had his fair share of gay experiences and the more he spent time with Alfred, the more he was starting to realise just what gender he was actually attracted to.

Alfred stared at him, not really believing what he was hearing. He had never in a million years ever thought that Arthur would return his feelings. He quickly pulled himself together and decided that he was very lucky that the Brit liked him back. He was so worried about telling him and now he had nothing to worry about, right?

"Really?" he asked, sounding dumbfounded. Arthur nodded and looked to the side with red cheeks. Alfred chuckled lightly and placed a hand on Arthur's cheek and connected their lips in a sweet kiss.

Arthur's gaze snapped back at Alfred immediately and after a few moments he relaxed and kissed him back. He closed his eyes a little and enjoyed the kiss; it was better than he could have possibly imagined. He felt Alfred place his other arm around his waist and Arthur couldn't help but smile into the kiss. To him, this was perfect.

Alfred finally pulled away and the two of them were blushing hard. Alfred removed his hand from Arthur's cheek and held his hand instead. He gave it a small squeeze and with his brilliant smile he said, "Consider this our first date."