ethosa

Title: The Meeting of Julia and Anson
Fandom: Spiderlilly (sims 3 original)
Character/Pairing: Julia Rochelle, Anson H.
Rating: K+
Word Count: 759 words
Summary: Julia spots a strange man taking photos of her.
Authors Notes: University arc, post-Viveil. Took maybe an hour or two. Minimal proofing.

"Why are you following me around? Taking photos?" She was sitting in a campus cafe, sipping at her macchiato and eating a warm buttered croissant, when she had noticed a man crouching nearby with a camera. He wasn't particularly hiding himself and she remembered his face from some place before. "I'm not famous," she added.

The man dropped the camera from his face and showed a defeated smile. "You caught me," he said.

Julia smiled. "Come over here," she said and beckoned him with a tilt of her head. He took a seat next to her at the small round table and rested the camera in front of him. "Like anything? A coffee? Tea?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I'm just here for you."

Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. "Why?"

"You're that blogger-writer, right? Julia Rochelle?"

"Yes."

"You're going to be famous one day! Your books are already huge hits; it's a disappointment your blog doesn't get as much recognition."

Julia took a sip of her macchiato and sighed. "It's not weird. My daily life is just so much more boring than my novels. All I post about are the books I read, movies and music. That kind of stuff. You think people would genuinely be interested in that?"

"But it's your lifetime dream, isn't it? You've wanted to be a blog artist since high school."

"Wow, how did you know that?" The man blushed a little and for a moment she thought he looked cute.

"I'm a freelance photographer."

"You're a photographer, but not a journalist."

"I write articles on the side," he said and beamed, a little proud of his work.

"I see," she replied. "So you dug into my past?" She paused and looked into his eyes. He averted his glance and faced the window. "Were you born here?"

"No, I was born and raised in Bridgeport. I came here for university and just never left. Lots of people come through this town. I believe, in the future, they'll all become famous."

She nodded along with him, occasionally taking a bit of her croissant and sipping at her macchiato.

"And when they get famous," he continued, "I'll have photos of their university days! I'll have notes and articles on all the superstars from before their days of renown. I'll make a fortune." He spoke almost feverishly and his fingers gripped at the table edge. His eyes were wide with excitement and the biggest smile was glued to his face.

Julia smiled. "Is that so? Well, good luck with that. I do a little photography, too. In fact, I'm taking communications right now at the school."

The man nodded his head. "Yes, yes. You're taking majoring in communications, taking those writing and photography classes, right?"

"That's right."

She had to admit, having someone know so much about her was, at the same time, a little creepy and a little flattering. She wasn't sure which one won over her feelings, but she didn't feel disgusted at all. Quite the opposite: she wanted to know more about this man. The one who took such an interest in her.

"What's your name?"

"Me?"

"Who else is there?" She laughed and finished the last bite of the croissant. It was cold.

"Anson."

She rolled the name around in her head while she chewed. "It's a nice name. I quite like it."

He blushed a little. "Thanks..."

"How about you stop sneaking around all the time? It's a little suspicious-looking, don't you think?" she said and smiled.

Anson's face brightened and he smiled back. "All right."

"You can just take photos whenever you want. Whenever we're together. And we can get to know each other a little. It would help you with your article writing, right? If you actually knew about me."

He nodded. "It would."

"Would you like to go anywhere right now? Perhaps for a different background, a change of pace?" He thought for a moment and hung the camera around his neck.

"To the movies?" He held out his hand and had on a chivalrous smirk.

"This wasn't some master plan of yours to go on a date with me, was it?" she said as she took his hand and stood.

He laughed. "Don't flatter yourself." With his other hand he held the camera and shook it slightly, drawing attention to it. "Let's take some photos."

She blushed and nodded her head. They left the cafe and walked to the cinema, walking hand in hand the whole way.