This strangely novel situation of opening his trouble to his Raveloe neighbours, of sitting in the warmth of a hearth not his own, and feeling the presence of faces and voices which were his nearest promise of help, had doubtless its influence on Marner, in spite of his passionate preoccupation with his loss. Our consciousness rarely registers the beginning of a growth within us any more than without us: there have been many circulations of the sap before we detect the smallest sign of the bud.

Gaze lifting just barely from his weathered edition of Silas Marner the musician glanced across the coffee shop to let his eyes fall on a fairly tall, green-eyed brunette that he had seen from time to time in this particular cafe. Her hair was down and straight as she leaned against the counter to talk to her friend. An intrigued eyebrow rose a tad when he noticed the woman laugh from something the other brunette had said, her elegantly long fingers pushing a couple strands of hair behind her ear as he smiled lightly and returned to his novel.

Crossing his leg over the other he lightly licked the pad of his forefinger to turn the page while glancing at the lighted screen of his iPhone where he seemed to have received a voicemail. With one earbud placed in his ear and the other dangling idly from the chord Blaine paused the song he had been listening while reading in order to put his book down onto the table and pick up his phone. But just before pressing the screen to listen to the message left he noticed a pair of perfectly manicured fingers resting on the wooden surface next to his own hand.

“My friend, Jen, mentioned a charming guy with a pretty smile was sitting over here…I’m almost certain she meant you.”

Blaine placed his phone back on the table and glanced up with a small smile, removing the headphone from his ear, “Are you sure? I mean…” he trailed off as he glanced around the cafe, “That elderly gentleman over there seems charming.” He nodded his head towards the man he was referring to with an amused expression as his eyes returned to the individual next to him, who turned to glance off towards where he mentioned and laughed. That laugh….

“I’m Samantha.”

“I’m Blaine, pleasure meeting you,” he lifted a hand towards her to shake, which she gladly took for a brief moment.

“Likewise. Are you a student? I’m a Senior over at Tisch, I sing and all that jazz.”

An intrigued smile crossed the musician’s lips, “I am as a matter of fact. I attend Tisch as well, I sing and play a couple instruments.” The girl smiled brightly, her hands pushing away from the table as she stood up and gave him another look, though he couldn’t exactly decipher what it meant.

“Well Blaine, I just wanted to come over and introduce myself. It was nice to meet you, but I should probably get back to work. I’m sure I’ll see you around here and the music department.”

“It was nice to meet you as well, Samantha.” The girl held another pleased expression, her weight shifting as though to turn until she hesitated, a light smile spreading to her lips as she faced Blaine once more and leaned across the table to pick up his phone. With a curiously raised brow he watched as she typed something in, replacing the item on the wooden surface when she was done.

“I’ll see you around…and by the way, you can just call me Sami.”

Blaine glanced down at the screen, noticing the new phonebook entry and couldn’t help but smile softly, “Alright, I’ll see you around Sami”. He watched as the singer moved back over to the coffee bar, her friend giving him a kind smile as he turned back to his belongings. The musician collected and placed them into his messenger bag, and hauled it over his shoulder while standing to his feet, grabbing the coffee cup with a free hand. Checking his watch he noticed he had fifteen minutes and promptly left the coffee shop, the only thoughts on his mind were those of an unforgettable laugh. I’ll be seeing you again….