Wait, Is This A Coffee Date? [Marko]

[Deleted]

She knew the second her safety wire snapped in rehearsal that it was going to be one of those days. Granted, she hit the safety net and had nothing but minor rope burn on her knees to show for it. It was a sign though, a sign that things would go wrong today. She knew she shouldn't have asked Daciana to wake her up from her nap but they were pulling 14 hours right now and she didn't want to be passing out when she met up with that guy later. Of course though, Daciana forgot and woke her up 30 minutes late. Instead of changing and looking like a respectable adult she just threw on her large track jacket over her leotard and ran to the train station.

And just when she thought she might be on time the train before her had technical difficulties and was backing the line up. All Vesna's prayers to God went unanswered. After a 10 minute delay they finally got back on their way. It was too late though, she'd be late. Oh how she hated being late. They barely knew each other either, she didn't want to make a bad impression.

It was a huge surprise to her when she phoned him and he actually agreed to go out for coffee with her; a gesture of gratitude for helping her out before. For some reason she got the feeling he didn't really like her too much but since he agreed that couldn't be the case, right? Instead of dwelling on it she tried to think of the fastest way to the coffee shop from the station. She also threw on some spandex shorts since it might not be the best idea to show up in a leotard in a public place.

The second the train doors opened Vesna shot out of it like a bat out of hell. He wouldn't have left right? She was only a few minutes late but he was a doctor, his time was precious. Vauxhall wasn't all too familiar to her but his instructions were easy enough and she spotted him sitting outside as she rounded the corner.

Thank god, he was still there. “Marko!” She was only slightly out of breath as she set her bag down beside the free chair. “I'm so sorry for.. for being late!”

When times are hard we’ll smile and say we’re not afraid of anything

LAIKA OF BTN!

[Deleted]

	He would be there for three hours, at least. Alone, potentially... Ten minutes had passed since the agreed meeting time and still Vesna was no where to be seen. Well, if she didn't show, this wouldn't have been the first time he'd been stood up. At least this time, it was in a coffee shop, where customers seated alone was perfectly common. In a restaurant? Not so much... Not that just meeting for coffee qualified as an actual date or anything. Marko stirred the coffee in front of him idly to himself. He took it black without sugar, so there wasn't really any need to stir it at all. It was just... Therapeutic, he supposed. He didn't really have anything else to do except sit still and watch the world go by outside the shop's window. The spoon kept his hands busy. Besides, it wasn't like he drank coffee quickly or anything, either. He supposed he must have been staring out of the window without really thinking about it, completely spaced out, because moments later, there she was, out of breath and apologising for being late, dressed like she'd just come from practise – which she had done, if he remembered right – and he had suddenly snapped back into reality. He smiled very slightly, relieved that she'd turned up and he wouldn't have to carry around the disappointment of being stood up for the rest of the day... Or week. Hell, it probably would have been worse than usual in this case, because Vesna seemed like such a nice girl, and he'd only been on the phone to her merely a few hours ago when she'd asked if he wanted coffee. He supposed for that reason, there hadn't been anything to be concerned about in the first place, unless he'd wronged her somehow, and that had warranted her doing it to get back at him. Of course, that hadn't been the case at all, so there was no point him even considering it, now. “It's fine, don't worry about it.”
Words: 341	Notes: -
Tagged: Vesna	Credits: Aquarius of BTN

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Was he mad? Vesna couldn't tell at all. He was smiling so that was good, right? But, her mother sometimes smiled at her when she was in trouble but that was a different type of smile and woah Vesna slow down. Instead of standing there like an idiot she took the seat across from him and brushed her hair out of her face. Did she look like a mess? Not that she was particularly worried but she didn't want to look so haggard looking sitting across from a doctor.

“I'm really sorry about that. I've been at the arena since 3 am and I took a nap and that damn Daciana was supposed to wake me up. I even planned on putting on normal clothes too.” Under her breath she cursed the woman in her native tongue. Normally people didn't infuriate so, but the woman was antagonistic, especially the way she treated the veterans. Next time she would ask Maggie, she could trust the nice Scottish girl to help her out.

Maybe she should grab a drink? A nice coffee sounded nice, although the run over woke her up pretty well. “I'll be right back, I'm going to get a drink.” It would be weird just sitting there as he drank his coffee. Quickly she got up and ordered a black coffee at the counter. Now that she was here, Vesna realized she was a bit hungry too. With the money on her she had enough to get a little scone. It would have to do.

Coffee and plate in hand she returned back to her seat, happy to finally have something to eat. “Thanks again for the other day. I hope you weren't too busy when I called.” Oh goodness, the scone was heavenly. This was great, real food besides fruit.

“Do you work up here? It's a really nice area from what I could see as I ran from station.” Vesna joked with a small grin. “I hope you're not mad. I realize now I should have texted to say I would be late but I completely forgot.” All she was thinking of was run, run, run, got to get there. If there was ever a next time she would be sure to do that before working herself up in a panic.

When times are hard we’ll smile and say we’re not afraid of anything

LAIKA OF BTN!

[Deleted]

He shrugged her apology off. He'd already said it was fine, after all. It wasn't like she was... Well, hours late, or anything. Ten minutes wasn't so bad, considering her circumstances, and this wasn't an appointment where he had someone else waiting to be seen after her. In this case, that... That would have been weird. Marko said nothing, but watched Vesna leave the table again to get a drink. Himself, he lifted the coffee cup to his mouth and took a small sip. It was still just a little too hot for his liking; knowing him, he'd leave it so long that he'd still be drinking the last few mouthfuls when it was stone cold. And if he had time, there was no harm in ordering another... Come to think of it, he really should have paid for Vesna's drink too, out of courtesy – but by now, she was too far towards the counter for him to insist on it. Next round then, he figured. When she returned, he was halfway through another sip. “Don't mention it.” He replied, setting the cup back down onto the saucer. “I'd just finished clearing the ward, so no, I wasn't busy.” Calling it 'the ward' was easier; it was less syllables and, besides, 'the Room of Rest' was a rather open-ended name... Out of context, it almost made him sound as if he were a doctor for a church or a similar place of worship. How far the SIS building was from that... He shook his head at her question. “More or less; work's about a ten minute walk or so from here, actually.” He leant his elbow against the table, his chin resting upon the heel of his palm. “I live on the other side of the area, too, but that's not as easy to get to from here. You're not familiar with Vauxhall, then?”

Words: 315

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Tagged: Vesna

Credits: Aquarius of BTN

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Ahh, she was glad she caught him at a good time. The last thing Vesna wanted to be was a bother. It was probably why she preferred people to call her, so she knew it was a good time for them. “Oh I'm so glad, I know you're a busy person.” Wow, a doctor. Had she ever been friends with a doctor that wasn't family before? Even her doctors growing up was an aunt or an uncle. She remembered quite clearly because they always lectured her on her reckless behaviour-

No she was doing it again. This wasn't the time to get lost in her head, it was quite rude. She was a grown up now, she should be able to stay on track. He asked her a question, it was only polite to answer. Vauxhall huh? “I think I've been up here once. Boris lives up here and we came for a party when the Christmas season ended last year. I was in a taxi too, so no, I'm not familiar with it at all. Nice houses from what I remember, I'm a little jealous.” The house was a lot better than what she lived in, that's for sure. She also remembered waking up in the bathtub with a huge head ache but that was another story.

“I'm glad you picked something near station. I think I might have gotten lost if you hadn't. I'm from Aylesbury and I still get lost there sometimes. I've only lived here for four years.” From the sounds of his English he had been here a bit longer than she had. Nothing to be ashamed of though, she picked up on the finer points of the language rather quickly. “Come to think of it, I never did tourist thing either. I'm not familiar with much of London.”

She shouldn't talk about herself the whole time though. Then again, she didn't want him to think she was hitting on him. Not that he wasn't good looking, he was, but what if he was married or she wasn't really his type? Besides, flirting wasn't her strong suit. “What about you, do you like London? Also, don't let me keep you too long if you have someone waiting on you.” Vesna sipped her coffee, suppressing a yelp when it burnt her tongue. “Ouch, hot.”

When times are hard we’ll smile and say we’re not afraid of anything

LAIKA OF BTN!

[Deleted]

	“'Nice'?” Marko scratched at the side of his head momentarily. “I guess the houses're in good condition. They're not exactly luxury, though.” Which was a subjective opinion – clearly Vesna thought they were nice, but, well... He'd had a brick through his window not long back (all things considered, though, he wouldn't have been sat at that table with her right then and there if that hadn't have happened). “I'd live elsewhere if I didn't need to be somewhat close to work.” And even living in the area, he still found himself getting lost on his way back sometimes – something he'd tend to blame on the glitchy satnav he frequently tried fixing, to little avail. He'd thought about buying a new one, but... He hadn't exactly gotten around to doing that, yet. Which brought him to what he said next, “Sometimes, I still find it difficult to remember where to go, too. It's like a rat run, even here in Vauxhall.” He paused for a moment, sipping at the coffee in front of him again. “Though... I've only been in this area a year, so I guess I'm not entirely familiar with it just yet.” And to that, he set the cup down again, leaning away from the table, his arm swinging casually over the back of his seat. “Before that I lived in the middle of The City.” He didn't regret the move too much; it was a hectic journey to the hospital each and every day and the apartment he'd come back to was too... Well, big for just the one person to live in, and that wasn't even counting the fact he'd lived on floor 36 out of 42... The rental costs hadn't been worth the view, either. Granted it had been a lot nicer than his current home, but he couldn't exactly have stayed in it. “I guess I like it enough.” He shrugged. “I'm not really planning to go elsewhere any time soon. And nah, there's no one waiting for me.” Well, there was his boss, of course, but he figured he could do extra research later to catch up. And if there was anything urgent he was needed for, the lab had his number.
Words: 371	Notes: -
Tagged: Vesna	Credits: Aquarius of BTN

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Oh how nice it must be to live close to work. He probably didn't need to leave an hour before he was due just to make it on time. Getting to sleep in, if sleeping till 5 was considered sleeping in. “I'd love to live closer to work, but the producer set us up in Aylesbury since it's the most affordable. A lot of people move out but I haven't really found anything in my price range.” It was frustrating, her lack of control with her finances and she really had no one to blame but herself. Something he didn't need to know though.

This time Vesna had the mind to blow on her coffee. Hesitantly she sipped it, waiting as the coffee slowly made it to her lips. The anticipation of that first sip is the worst part in her opinion. So was getting lost. “I understand perfectly what you mean. Back home there is one road. Getting lost was quite the feat, even if one was drunk.” Usually they'd find the bar's regulars in a ditch just off the road, hungover but well. She was sure that would never happen here though.

“Did you like it there? It's very nice but I don't think I could ever live there for a long period of time.” The noise and crowds would eventually get to her, that she was sure of. Aylesbury was already seeming a bit confining to her. She liked to have space to be, well, free she guessed. Not everyone was the same though, so if he liked the city that was still fine.

Why was she so pleased to hear no one was waiting for him. That didn't guarantee he was single; she was getting ahead of herself again. “I'm glad, I wouldn't want to keep you if you needed to go.” She tucked some stray strands of hair behind her ear as she sipped her coffee again. Oh geez, was she starting to feel shy now?

“I know I keep saying thank you, but I'm really glad I had your help the other day. I'm not sure what I would have done.” Gently she rubbed the side of her nose, taking off a little bit of the make up on there to reveal the bruising underneath. “Make-up had a field day with me, but they're able to hide most of it. I look like a raccoon without it though.” Remembering her reflection in the mirror had a few chuckles escaping from her lips. Despite how bad the bruising got she still laughed it off. Vesna wasn't too particular about her looks nor was she trying to impress anyone so the black eyes didn't bother her too much. It would go away eventually after all.

When times are hard we’ll smile and say we’re not afraid of anything

LAIKA OF BTN!

[Deleted]

	“In the City? It was hectic. Everythin' was loud, even though the walls and windows were pretty thick. I lived on the 36th floor of an apartment block, and if the elevator wasn't working for any reason...” He snorted lightly. “Well, you can probably guess what that's like after a long shift at the hospital. Oh, and the traffic there didn't make it worth having a car; I'd be on the Underground day in, day out...” He set the cup back down again. “I don't really think I liked it that much... It was spacious, and the view from the living room window was amazing, but I wasn't really at home often enough to appreciate either of those. I like where I am now.” Resting his weight on the back of the chair, Marko heard it creak slightly. Truth be told, he'd never been the type to sit up straight, even in the company of a lady; not even in the company of a patient, or an important higher-up at work. “Don't mention it.” He said, casually, in regards to her thanks. “Really.” He didn't really notice that he could have come across as brusque, shrugging her thanks off, but really, he thought of it as nothing. It was something he dealt with at least once a week; in particular, if the newbies recently accepted into the agents ranks got a little overzealous, that was usually about the time when he'd be shoving tampons up their noses and offering them painkillers. That was providing they hadn't broken their nose and just come out of their training bloody, anyway... In Vesna's case, he had neither tampons nor painkillers on hand, but napkins and believing her when she'd said she'd put ice on it at home had apparently been enough – and that was with her walking into that newspaper box, afterwards...
Words: 310	Notes: -
Tagged: Vesna	Credits: Aquarius of BTN

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Just imagining climbing up 36 floors of stairs made her tired, she couldn't even fathom doing it. Getting up her four flights of stairs after a busy day was daunting enough. “I would have just slept in the stairwell. I have no idea how you made it.” Which she had done once. The nice French lady (or was it a man, she wasn't quite sure) on the 7th floor woke her up around 4 am. Just enough time for her to shower and catch the next train to work. “At least you're happy where you are now. And it's still a very nice area.”

She had a whole new level of respect for him. Vesna knew doctors had a rough time in med school, she listened to Petar talk about it on the phone and saw Alek studying so hard. They were in dorms with friends though, so that made it easier on them. “Your hard work paid off though. You're a good doctor, from what I can tell. A lot of people burn out too.” How many of Petar's friends had already given up their first year and went to nursing? Or Alek's friends who changed majors completely. “I never went to college, I was in too many competitions to go even if I could get in. I don't mind though, I like what I'm doing.” Which was the greatest thing in the world for her, to be doing something that she loved. Not everyone got to do that.

Should she try to get to know him? He wouldn't have agreed to meet her if he didn't want to chat and be friends, right? Vesna really wanted to know more about him anyways, he seemed nice enough and he was pleasant company. And she did enjoy making new friends outside of work. “So what other things do you like to do, besides saving clumsy women like myself.” Vesna smiled at her joke, not really minding poking a bit of fun at herself.

When times are hard we’ll smile and say we’re not afraid of anything

LAIKA OF BTN!

[Deleted]

	“In the stairwell?” He cocked a brow. “Eh, I guess I just kept thinkin' of my bed, up there waiting for me. Guess that made it worth it, but if I'd had known at that time, I'd have stayed at work and slept there.” Not that the hospital's bunks for staff were all that comfortable, either. “Most of the other people near me in the block that night gave up and checked into hotels.” He glanced out of the window next to their table. “I think they all kinda thought I was crazy, not doin' the same.” Now that he thought about it, his neighbours in the tower block didn't really associate with him much at all... They were all a lot more wealthy than himself, and mostly all British – it seemed to have surprised them that a migrant from Eastern Europe could have afforded a place like that at all. Only a few actually seemed to take note of the fact he was a doctor, and even fewer weren't sceptical that he hadn't been laundering money in spite of his occupation. “It's funny. I almost didn't go to med school.” He rubbed at the inside of his eye idly. “My grandparents didn't wanna pay for it, initially.” In that respect, he'd lucked out – it sort of seemed like they'd caved and paid for it just so he could have put himself to some use. “Things sure would've been different, if they hadn't.” He was dwelling on the past again... Remembering he was sat having an actual conversation with someone, he peered back over towards Vesna. “Huh? Oh. I, er...” He mulled the question over. What did he do in his free time that might've actually sounded interesting. “Go skiing, sometimes. Time outta work's kinda hard to get, though. Otherwise my days off're spent gardening.”
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Oh wow, it was weird thinking that if he didn't go to med school they would have never met. She has his grandparents to thank for making a new friend. “We had an agreement in our family. If you wanted to go to a university outside of Macedonia you had to pay for it or get a scholarship so most of my siblings went to Bulgaria. I toured Eastern Europe for a year and half on the competition circuit. But listen to me, I'm rambling on.” She tucked some more stray hairs behind her ear, wondering why she felt so shy and self conscious all of a sudden.

His interests were nice and relate-able, thank god. If he liked doing rich people stuff she wouldn't know what to talk to him about. “I can't remember the last time I went skiing. As a kid we didn't have fancy skis, we just used to pieces of wood so you can imagine how well that went.” Just remembering the first time she used them, oh she lost one and sat on the other and slid right into a tree. Thinking about it was enough to make her laugh out loud. “I think I might be a bit better at it now but it's been, well four years, since I left.”

For some reason she couldn't see him as a gardener. Whenever she pictured one she thought of old ladies. “I would have never guessed you'd like gardening. I've managed to keep a few plants alive but I start day dreaming and lose focus if I try real gardening.” She looked down for a moment and realized her coffee was sitting there. Of course she forgot about it. Quickly she gulped some of the lukewarm liquid down before asking another question. “What kind of gardening? I'm not sure if I can quite picture you in one of those.. those large English gardens with all the flowers, like one of those pretty maidens.” Vesna grinned, trying not to laugh as she pictured it.

When times are hard we’ll smile and say we’re not afraid of anything

LAIKA OF BTN!

[Deleted]

	“As a kid, I didn't have anything like that, either. Dyado helped me to make a sled one year, but uh...” He scratched at the side of his head. “Now that I think about it, we never finished it for when the snow came. Hell, we didn't even finish it for the next year. I don't think he ever really wanted to do stuff like that with me, he probably just felt compelled to that once.” He half-frowned to himself, before nodding his head a bit. “Eh... Sorry, I shouldnt've said that.” He added quickly; he was pretty sure Vesna didn't need to nor want to know about his family issues... Well, if anything, he didn't really want to spill out his life story to her. It wasn't that he'd ever been particularly secretive or anything, it was just that he'd only met her the night before and going into detail would've been weird, to say the least; she wasn't his therapist, or anything. Right, gardening... Gardening... Wait, why was she laughing...? “Actually, er... I guess you could say my garden is kinda like that.” He rubbed at his chin in thought for a moment. Perhaps it wasn't exactly like she was picturing in her head; he would've needed a lot at least three the size of his current home to pull something that would even vaguely pass as an English garden off (so it probably wasn't like she had picturing it at all, as a matter of fact). “I mean, there's not a lot else you can grow but what can survive. Which is grass and roses, mainly. In Vauxhall, anyway.” He reached for his coffee again, bringing the rim of the cup to his lips. “There isn't much space, but, I try to make the most of it, y'know?”
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Tagged: Vesna	Credits: Aquarius of BTN

[Deleted]

It was nice that he shared something personal with her. Not everyone was comfortable with that, which she understood. Sometimes she had a bad habit of telling too many stories. That was what you did though, back in her village. Everyone shared stories, even if they were retelling it for the 30th time. Her Baba must have told her the story of how her and Dedo met at least 100 times.

“Oh, don't be sorry! It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I like listening to other people. Saves me from running my mouth too much.” Lest she say something stupid again. “My Dedo used to humour me and let me start project after project. I rarely finished them, my mind already thinking of doing something else.” After he passed, his workshop was still filled with her half started creations, and she had to swallow an uncomfortable lump in her throat.

Her smile quickly returned, realizing there was no point being sad, it wasn't something he would like. “Roses, hmm, they're very lovely flowers. My Baba loves those so we have quite a few bushes around the house back home. I remember how comfortable they are to land in.” She said sarcastically as she drank the last bit of her coffee. There was a bush planted outside her window which caused her quite a bit of trouble when she was sneaking out of the house. Too many times she slipped from the second floor and into the bush. Vesna could have sworn the old woman planted them there just for that reason.

Oh that reminded her! “There's this thing in my neighbour in two weeks, it's a festival of sorts. Similar to a harvest festival? It's not as fancy as Protobello but it's really nice all the same. There's a lot of good food and plants and crafts for sale. They also sell a lot of seeds for next year too. I think you might like it, you should come with me!” It wasn't too forward of her was it? Plus she might be getting a bit overly excited but she only went with Dragan. Zoran was always busy doing something and the one time Clara went it was a disaster. It would be so nice to have company to go with it.

When times are hard we’ll smile and say we’re not afraid of anything

LAIKA OF BTN!

[Deleted]

	“I meant that I... Er... Might've said a lil' too much...” His voice trailed off a bit, as if he wasn't really sure of his own words. Even if she didn't mind listening to him, it wasn't something he should have been sharing so openly... Lest he make it seem like he were weighing her down with his endless family and childhood issues, was the excuse he'd use if asked, because if just the one fact was going to come out, then eventually more and more would have. Sure, Vesna seemed understanding, and all; she probably wouldn't think any less of him for it all. And that aside, he'd already shared his story with a few people in that kind of setting, over coffee or dinner or the like... Right now, though? Right now was neither the time, nor the place. He glanced off to the side, hiding his mouth behind the cup and deciding to bring that topic to a close. “Nevermind.” He paused for quite a few moments, before speaking again. “Yeah, I can imagine. They're not all that comfortable to prune without gloves, either.” Were Marko to be entirely honest with himself, he'd probably gotten more cuts and scrapes from tending to his plants than from scalpels or needles or other medical-related injuries, or from the research side of his job. Not that it was of any bother to him; there was something considerably more peaceful about gardening than there was about dealing with an ill or injured person, or looking at slide after slide of tissue or blood samples at least an hour each time. Whilst sipping on the coffee again, setting it down shortly after, he listened to her suggestion. Left wondering why exactly she was asking him, of all people, because surely she had friends that could've accompanied her instead, he paused again. “Sure. I think I can book the day off.” If nothing else, he could do an evening shift in the lab afterwards to add to his hours.
Words: 336	Notes: -
Tagged: Vesna	Credits: Aquarius of BTN

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At least she knew well enough when to keep her mouth closed and not to press people. It was one of the things her mother had spent years trying to teach her, since Vesna had always asked a million questions and could be quite nosey like her Baba. “Oh that's fine, I understand.” She nodded, twirling her finger around the rim of her mug idly. Besides, they didn't know each other very well and if it was an uncomfortable subject he'd obviously not want to share it with her. She was still a stranger after all.

Actually he wasn't much of a talker, which made her hesitate. What did she do? Maybe he didn't like her all that much? She was being overly chatty with her being so nervous. Perhaps he only came out of obligation? Well, that made it awkward for her, she didn't want to keep him if he had other things he'd rather being doing. And then she went and invited him to the festival. Ahh, she might have put him in a tough spot. “You can decline if you want to. Please don't feel obligated to go with me if you'd rather not.” She said bluntly with a shrug. Vesna was not exactly the most tactful. It was better to clear the air than her trying to force a conversation he didn't want.

Oh well, while she was on the subject, she might as well be truthful. Her free hand came up and rubbed the back of her neck as she smiled sheepishly at him. “I was trying to ask you out on a date because I think you're good looking. Plus it's hard to get to know someone like this. I guess I'm not very good at this stuff.” Who even suggests a festival as a date? Good going Ves. “But I get the feeling you don't like me too much. Ahaha, so you really don't have to go if you don't want. I could ask Zoran but he's always busy..” The last part she mumbled to herself, looking down at her mug thoughtfully. Oh well, she'd ask him later.

When times are hard we’ll smile and say we’re not afraid of anything

LAIKA OF BTN!