He had to chuckle at the look that Juliette gave him when he brought up the chicken juggler. It was a rough day, for sure, but slowly the man was coming back from the shock and awe he felt concerning that particular showman. It was interesting, to say the least, but also quite terrifying and something that the librarian really never wanted to see again. He was certain that, at some point, it must have been one of those awkward shows held in deepest, darkest corners of Tijuana. Ugh! The chick-anity!

He shuddered but smirked as he informed the sunshiney nurse that, ”Real.” he informed her. But added, ”And it went as well as you think juggling three live chickens can go.”

Another shudder. Such a terrible show.

Turning back to the matter at hand, thankfully Booker didn’t have to spare too much thought on the even as the music soon began to start up. The musicians all geared up and the music made by their expert strings immediately filled the air. Booker closed his eyes, smiling a bit as he felt himself getting swept away by the scene. It truly was such a perfect moment that the man could scarcely think anything that could make it better.

That is until he felt a small squeeze of his hand. He turned his jade eyes back over to the woman and gave her a soft smile. She too was enraptured by the music and had yet to turn to face him. Letting his eyes roam over the contours of her face, her cheekbones, the softness in her brown irises, and the flow of her dark hair, Booker felt himself utterly swept away.

Really, what happened next was her own fault. It was her idea to stop for the music and natural setting, plus with how amazing she looked, the self-proclaimed book-sherpa just didn’t have a chance.

Quietly he undid his bag and set it next to his feet. Not the wisest decision in New York, especially Central Park, but it seemed that most everyone who gathered were more interested in the music playing. Besides, the most any thieves would get would be his notebook for D&D next week, a printout of call numbers he wanted to double check, and his back-up sweater. Plus a plethora of pens! Any thief would be stupid rich with pens. Besides, for what he wanted to do, he was willing to risk it.

Once his bag was set aside, Booker lifted the young woman’s hand to his lip and gave it a soft kiss on the knuckle. This immediately seemed to pull her attention to him as he gave her a charming grin. He wanted to dance. Yes, she admitted that she had never gone salsa dancing, but this wasn’t salsa music, thankfully. This was soft, stringed instruments playing the cover of a quite well-known song (that was he was still trying to identify). Either way, Booker was assured that Juliette to master some gentle swaying. At most he’d just advise her to blade of grass on a windy day. Simple enough.

>> "Of course you may,"

The blush of her cheeks and her grin were enough to make Booker grin as well. With her consent, Booker stepped in front of her, tightening his grip a little on the hand he already had a hold of while she placed her free one upon his shoulder. His other hand dipped down, placed gently upon her waist. Aside from the kiss the two shared several weeks ago (and the timid kiss they shared earlier), this was probably the closest he had gotten to the woman.

Slowly he took the lead, adding just the smallest pressure with his hand upon her waist to guide her in the direction that she needed to move with. The music continued to swirl about them, weaving in and out of their steps. Booker was clearly an excellent dancer and showed it with how easily he guided Juliette into this very slow and soft dance. Looking down, he caught her eyes with his and his foolish smile once against covered his lips. This really was the best night.

>>] "This is almost too perfect...Are you sure it isn't planned?"

He chuckled and pretended to look guilty before he responded in a low voice, tilting his head down so only she could hear. ”Damn. You figured me out,” he shrugged. ”The restaurant, the music, you coming by the library…I masterminded the entire thing.” He breathed in the scent that ran through her hair (shampoo, soap, perfume, he wasn’t sure which but he liked it). ”What can I say? I’m so, so diabolically brilliant.”

They moved along with the music, Booker leading her through the dancing. She was glad that he was able to take the lead for the two of them, using gentle bits of pressure to guide her steps and movements. It was a simple enough dance that she was able to follow with relative ease. There was nothing complicated about that moment.

Despite the dance being a simple one, it was clear that Booker was a good dancer. It was no wonder, too. Juliette recalled him saying something about loving salsa dancing. She was glad that he wasn't using those particular skills in that moment, but it was decidedly nice to follow someone that knew what they were doing.

She drew slightly closer, being careful not to step on his toes. They moved along with the music, and she couldn't help but smile. It was nice to be that close to him again. She wouldn't have minded if the song never ended and they could spend the rest of the evening like that.

He caught her eyes, and she grinned back at him. He was obviously having as much fun as she was, which was very encouraging.

>>”The restaurant, the music, you coming by the library…I masterminded the entire thing. What can I say? I’m so, so diabolically brilliant.”

"Absolutely diabolical. I don't know how I'll look past this," she joked. Of course, it was absurd to question whether the night had been planned. She had been the one to seek him out, after all, and that had been a rather spur of the moment thing. It was quite possible, that, against all odds, fate was on their side. How rare was something like that?

The song cadenced into a close, but Juliette still wasn't ready to stop. She cheered with the rest of the crowd, but she didn't release herself from Booker's grasp. Instead, she stayed as close as she had been before. Thankfully, the band wasn't ready to stop either.

Bows were picked back up, pages were turned, and the group erupted into an encore performance. That time, it didn't take her long to recognize the number.

"This is one of my favourites," she grinned up at Booker.

>>"Absolutely diabolical. I don't know how I'll look past this,"

He chuckled heartily at her comment but that didn’t break Booker’s stride in the dance. The man was expert enough to engage in both friendly banter and keep his focus in not losing his step. Besides, the woman was far too enchanting for him to lose his focus. He really was being his best here, as that was the side of him he wanted to present to her. They had already had a somewhat rocky start, him kissing her while she was already in a relationship, that now at the prospect of them actually dating, the man wanted to ensure that he presented himself to utter perfection.

Few things in life were perfect, but Booker was going to try his damnedest to make it possible in this instance. He liked Juliette, a lot, and he wanted to make sure not to foul that up; keeping from stepping on her toes would definitely be a plus in that category.

Booker had been around music all his life. Music and literature. He knew how to dissect text, he knew how to play music, he knew how to organization information, and he knew how to get swept away and let a tune guide him. The man was a paragon for the arts (except his couldn’t draw for sh*t) so it was easy for him to take the lead in this scenario. Juliette, being unpracticed, really only had to follow his lead and she was doing beautifully thus far.

The two danced like two lovestruck teenagers, moved to sway thanks to the tones of music that flowed over them like the water in a rushing river. Booker held on, moving Juliette left and right, turning in small circles, grinning when she pressed closer to him and just letting himself get lost in the sensation of being near her.

Darkness slow set upon them, the sun sinking behind several towering buildings before the song finally came to an end. Booker had found himself inexplicable closer to the woman, holding her gently. It was only when the people started to clap in appreciation that Booker blinked and looked up, realizing that it was over. He turned to look over his shoulder, seeing the musicians bowing their head in thanks. Juliette too was shaken from her thoughts as she blushed a little before turning back to applauding with everyone else. A short laugh and Booker joined in.

However, he did notice that even though the music was over, Juliette had not stepped away from him. As a matter of fact, the two of them seemed just as close…a state that he wasn’t going to argue with. His arm still around her waist, he took a breath as he watched the musicians gear up for another song. Perfect. Honestly he didn’t want this moment to end, not in the slightest. He would have honestly been more than happy to just continue dancing the night away, under the stars, with this lovely woman in his arms.

That wasn’t too much to ask for, right?

The new song that began to play was a little more energetic but it was no less beautiful. Again, it established Booker’s love for string instruments as the uplifting tune wove a fine tapestry of beauty and elegance around them. The sounds of the city died away and the librarian found himself swaying a bit in tune with the beat.

>>"This is one of my favourites,"

He recognized the song they were covering, as well, and had to grin at this rendition. He hadn’t heard it like this before but it was done with such perfection that the man couldn’t help but fall in love with it. He hoped that they had CD’s or at least a link to their iTunes store or Spotify available; because, really, in this day and day who didn’t have those things?

Feeling the woman beside him sway a bit, Booker slowly began to run his fingers up and down her waist. The music rolled through him, reminding him of all the sweet and romantic things that the man read about over the years in books, seen in television, and listened about in music. It was clear to see the romance in this, to feel in coursing through his veins. Bewitched, the man turned and looked down at Juliette again. When he caught her eyes there was an unspoken dialogue about what was to come next.

Gently he wrapped her arms around his neck, his own hands finding her waist as he started another slow dance. His gaze didn’t break from hers as the music turned them ever so slowly. He continued to dance, leading her gently, sweetly to the waves of music. It wasn’t until towards the end that he started to lean down, his eyes still on her, getting lost in her vibrant, brown irises until he closed his eyes…and their lips met.

Just like before, snapped perfectly together, like lost puzzle pieces that found one another once again.

The music swirled around them, creating what was almost its own space entirely. The rest of the park didn't exist in that moment. She had her eyes on Booker, and she wasn't moving them anywhere else.

The first song might have ended, but they weren't finished dancing by any account. As the music picked back up, they continued from where they were before, that time with a slightly more energetic set of movements. Juliette could feel his hands moving up and down her waist, which only spurred her on. She smiled, enjoying every minute of it.

Everything that had happened in the last while, the RIP, the breakup, the kiss in the library, it all melted away. She was happy, and nothing else mattered right then. If things decided to explode right then, it was alright with her.

They made eye contact, and a certain understanding was silently made. What was that lyric? Oh, reckless abandon. It seemed fitting.

Juliette closed her eyes and stood on her toes to meet Booker halfway as their lips met. She'd stopped swaying by that point, focusing instead on other movements. Her hands had travelled up from Booker's shoulders to the sides of his neck and head, drawing him closer still. She pressed in hard, enjoying the fitting feeling that they seemed to achieve by being close. It was clear that they were in the right place, doing the right thing.

As the song drew to a close with a final, simultaneous staccato note on the second violin and cello, so did the kiss. Juliette's heels fell back to the pavement as she broke away, her smile consuming her face once again. It wasn't her first choice to break off the kiss, but they were in a public space, and there was a certain amount of PDA that was acceptable.

Her mind was fuzzy, but there was one thing that she knew for sure: that had felt right.

It was strange; she felt like a giddy teenager all over again, and she didn't really know what to do with her hands. She dropped them down and rested them on Booker's forearms, not wanting to break contact completely. "That was..." she trailed off and simply grinned. Words were difficult to form and think of. Hopefully, he would understand what she meant.

Juliette hadn't even noticed that the sun had set.

Booker had never thought that the perfect moment could actually exist. Sure he had read about them, countless times, but they were the stuff of fiction. Moments such as when Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bennet proclaim their affections towards one another, to Arwen claiming a mortal life simply so that she and Aragorn could have one lifetime together, affections like these was some fanciful thing to Booker B. Bookman. They were something that he wanted to experience, with all his heart, but try as he might the perfect moment didn’t exist. Perfection was something saved for the pages of literature, not reality.

Or so he thought. There was something about this moment that he shared with Juliette, something about being around the woman made the fanciful seem possible, that allowed him to believe in perfection again. He didn’t know how she achieved such magic, but it was something that the librarian was more than willing to believe in every time he was around her.

Now proved to be no exception.

The music was a bit faster paced than the one before but Booker still found a small niche within it in order to lead Juliette into a dance. However, this dance wasn’t like the other, it wasn’t just romance, it the kindling of a flame. A fire that the book jockey could feel sparking, just underneath his skin, and bursting to climb out through his pores with every touch of the young woman. Initially there was a momentary sense of fear, residue from the fact that he had already kissed this woman when she was in a relationship. But she was free now, she was available, and she had already admitted that she had liked him; and couldn’t deny the fact that he had thought of her most nights since that day.

And now, here they were, together, on an actual date, having shared a great meal with lovely conversation. He didn’t think it was possible for the night to get any more perfect but this was now becoming something out of his cheesy romantic stories. Two would-be lovers, standing under a blanket of stars, surrounded by the sounds of nature with the heart-tugging strings of instruments weaving a net that pulled them closer and closer together.

What happened next was inevitable, to say the least. Without fear of stepping over moral boundaries, drawn in by good music and excellent company, Booker was just too enraptured by everything about the woman. His hands on her waist, the closeness of her body, it all just felt far too good. The fire within urged him downward, and seeing her lean up, on the tips of her toes, was all it took to seal the deal – he was going to kiss her.

Unlike before, there was not guilt, at all, associated with this kiss. The moment that Booker had pressed his lips against hers, he already felt his breath being taken away. Her hands left his shoulders, slowly gliding across to his neck before wrapping around him. Her hands pulled him down, urging him for a closer kiss, one that he was all too happy to oblige. His own hands had slipped around from her waist, one stopping upon her lower back and the other drifting upwards towards her shoulder. Just as she pulled him down for kiss, he brought her up, just a tiny bit, enough so that they could meet on the even footings of passion.

If Booker had no other moments beyond this one, he could die a happy man. This was beautiful, it was romantic, it was the epitome of perfection for him.

When their lips, unfortunately, parted, Booker found himself still standing very still, wavering a little upon his two feet. It was only then that he started to remember what it was like to breathe. A small intake of air and Booker blinked away the haze that had settled over his mind. If there was any doubt that he felt something for this woman, it was utterly gone now. He could barely conceive of a coherent enough thought to actually spur him on to do anything else but blink, straighten up, and remember that he was standing out in a public place. They had to stop kissing because, really, a moment longer and they would both probably be approached by a police officer and badgered for public indecency.

Clearing his throat, Booker smiled a bit shyly at first, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly until he turned his eyes upon Juliette again. She was looking up at him, smiling with as sweet and a pure a smile as he had ever seen; he couldn’t help but respond in kind. The shyness melted away and Booker was soon grinning wide enough to match that of the nurse in front of him. It was clear, they both has seemingly enjoyed that.

>> "That was..."

”…awesome.” He beamed proudly. But, just in case she wanted something a bit more flowery in prose (which he was adept at), Booker continued. ”I…can’t remember the last time kiss took my breath away like that.” He said, looking down into her eyes. ”It was…like magic.”

A thousand words swirled through her head as she searched for something to describe that kiss. Nothing seemed to fit, so she'd trailed. Really, what could describe that? Their first kiss had taken up a permanent place in the back of her mind over the weeks prior to their third meeting, but that had surpassed everything. It was free of (most of) the guilt and shame that had come with the first one, so she felt like she was free to enjoy it and the passion that came with it.

It had ended, though, and they were left in that stage after something incredible, where they had to walk the line carefully. Thankfully, from the second they made eye contact again, it was clear that they'd felt the same way about the experience. There was nothing left to be guessed or worried about. The moment had been perfect.

Her mind had been foggy from the moment that they'd moved away from each other, but it was getting clearer. Only slightly, though. His eyes were still impossibly disarming.

>>”…awesome.”

Booker's first response had been similar to how Juliette felt: eager and happy. There was nothing fluffy or flowery about that singular word. The kiss really had been awesome, and there was nothing she wanted to change about that moment. The only she wanted to do was lock it in her memory as long as she possibly could. Every single perfect detail.

"Yeah, awesome," she laughed as she repeated the word. It was a single word that encapsulated how the moment had been, even if there was nothing especially poetic about it. She felt comfortable standing there in a public space with him, like that. It hadn't yet occurred to her that there were people staring at the two with their arms around each other. She was a little too distracted to notice that.

>>”I…can’t remember the last time kiss took my breath away like that. It was…like magic.”

Booker's second response was a little more like what she would have expected from someone who read as much as he did. It was poetic and special, but somehow it was less impactful than his first, genuine response. Still, it made her somehow grin even wider, though she had thought that it wasn't possible. "Me neither," she replied. Yeah, really poetic on her end.

There they were, standing in Central Park with their arms wrapped around each other, people staring all the while. For the first time in a while, Juliette looked beyond the man in front of her and at their surroundings, a blush covering her face as soon as she realized what was going on around them. The bubble had broken after all that time, and now she knew exactly what was happening around them. How long had they been staring like that? Evidently a while. While most of them seemed to be looking on in support, it still made her feel a little strange about the whole situation. She quietly wished that they were alone.

They couldn't very well stand there forever, especially not like that with everyone watching, but Juliette desperately didn't want the evening to end. Not as long as she could manage. 

"What now?" she asked gently, having not moved positions at all. As much as the people watching made her uncomfortable, they didn't make her uncomfortable enough to want to remove her hands from his arms.

Really there were no other ways that Booker could have described that kiss. It was perfection personified and to not voice how he truly and honestly felt about it would have been a mistake. Besides, this was simple how Booker thought and spoke and if Juliette really did want to get involved with him, it was best she knew now; yes, he was a frequent user of the word awesome. This couldn’t have been more true for how he felt when he kissed Juliette, it was quite literally awe-inspiring.

The world slowly began to click back into place. He became aware of the people around, of the musicians gearing up for another set, of the fact that the sun had firmly set above their heads; they existed in the world again. For a brief second that thought was disappointing, he would have rather spent longer in that safe little bubble of music and closeness that the two of them had just shared, but reality is a harsh mistress that must always pull one back from the brink.

However, even though the two of them had to return to the world, he found that they were still in one another’s arms. Juliette still remained dangerously close to him, her fingers grazing over his arms, while his own hands had retreated from her back, they found a home placed upon her waist.

She just felt so good under his touch. A warmth exuded from her body, through his hands and reigniting fires that already coursed through him. He would have kissed her again, he wanted to, but he feared if he did they the two of them certainly wouldn’t be stopping any time soon. Again, on top of that, he didn’t want to rush things. A lot happened, they were both going through a lot, and for him that meant that they needed to take time to ensure that all this was exactly what the two wanted.

Again, so far, it was certainly looking that way.

"Yeah, awesome,"

He was relieved that she wasn’t put off by his word choice. He had dated others in the past, others who had expected some long, Petrarchan-style love sonnet about how kissing her lips was akin to brush his upon the smoothest drapes of velvet and how her eyes were alit like tiny, sparkling suns. It was romantic (somewhat) sure, but Booker didn’t always talk like that. He could, yes, he was well-read enough to accomplish it quite easily, but that wasn’t who he was twenty-four / seven.

A grin and Booker couldn’t help but follow up his initial comment. In truth it had been a very, very long time since he had been kissed like that. The last was Svetlana but that was most lust driven than anything else. This, with Juliette, it was in a league of its own and it surpassed expectations – it was like magic.

"Me neither,"

There was something both elating and a little sad about that comment. While it was nice to know that he had such an effect on the young woman, there was the unmistakable fact that she had gotten out of a relationship not that long ago. If that truly were the case, and she hadn’t been kissed like that, he was slowly beginning to make connections as to why she had been looking for a way out. But, truthfully, he didn’t have the whole picture. He didn’t know what she was getting out of, what that relationship was like, and he was certainly not one to make assumptions.

So he smiled a bit, watching her, looking away a bit shyly as the burning eyes of everyone around them began to settle. Most were beginning to lose interest but others were indeed continuing to stare in their direction. The hell were they looking for? An exhibition? He thought better of asking, this was New York and, to be quite honest, he had seen worse.

"What now?"

Her broad smile was far too adorable for the librarian to ignore. God he just didn’t want this night to end. However, it was becoming painfully obvious that maybe they should continue their date elsewhere…without an audience.

Regrettably Booker had to unwind his arms from Juliette, but one stayed, curling comfortable account her waist. With that, he leaned down and plucked up his bag, returning it to his shoulder. Now standing next to the nurse, he gave her a sweet smile and nodded his head down the path.

”How about we continue our walk…and see where the rest of the night takes us?” A charming smile and adjusted the strap of his bag so it was firmly set around his shoulder. He was ready go…and he was ready to see what was ahead.