They met four times that week.

The first time was really the worst. Alfred was simply walking. He wasn't thinking about anything apart from where he was going to and what he was going to do when he got there. He glanced up at the sky, and smiling to see how clear the day was and watching a few birds lazily drift past. Yeah, it was a pretty sluggish day. The sudden warm weather had nestled into every nook and cranny in the town, affecting the people in the strangest of ways. They came outside.

Many were chatting with their neighbors on their porch, drinking a glass of water or enjoying the quiet of the town. Alfred waved at a few people he knew, looking both ways before crossing the street. He decided he would take a shortcut through the market parking lot when he met Arthur for the first time.

Alfred was looking around on the ground for any gum he would have to avoid when he caught a glimpse of color out of his peripheral vision. Snapping his head up, he saw the back end of a small Volvo about to hit him. Without thinking he put his foot out and sharply kicked the back bumper, hoping to alert the driver. But it kept coming.

"Hey! Watch it!" Alfred shouted. He kicked the car once again for good measure.

It stopped violently, and Alfred sighed in relief. The front driver window rolled down, and a blonde head appeared. The driver was a young man with brilliant green eyes, thick eyebrows, and a horrified expression. Alfred would've thought him cute had he not almost been run over by him.

"Oh my God!" the man said in a thick British accent. Okay, maybe he was a little cute. "I am so sorry! I'm not used to driving here! Please forgive me! You're not hurt, are you?"

Alfred shook his head and smiled. "Naw. No harm done. Just look over your shoulder, okay?"

The man nodded. He looked visibly shaken up, but he ducked his head back inside. Alfred turned to start walking again, but then the car started backing up again. Alfred jumped with a yelp, and the car stopped again. He looked at the driver and saw the Englishman thrashing his hands about.

Not knowing how else to react, Alfred just began to laugh.

The second time they met was another run-in; literally. Once again, Alfred was walking towards the same market he had first met Arthur at a few days prior. This time he was actually going to the market, and he hoped there would be no Volvo or Englishman unused to driving in a rural American town.

That got Alfred thinking. What was an Englishman doing in his small town? Foreigners were rare, and many were just stopping by to ask for directions back to the highway. Alfred had only heard a British accent on television, never right there before him. It wasn't anything he thought much of, that's for sure. Alfred quite liked his isolated lifestyle. No one to bother him about what America was doing right or wrong.

It was this kind of thinking that got him in trouble, and he bumped into someone. They let out a gasp in surprise, stumbling back into the gutter of the street. Alfred whipped out a hand to grab them, steadying them so they didn't fall to the ground.

"Oh! It's you!"

Alfred looked up at who exactly he was grabbing hold of. It was the same Englishman he had been thinking of. Alfred laughed nervously again, righting them both to stand correctly before letting go of him. He rubbed a hand across his cheeks, retracting his hand quickly at the feeling of heat on his face.

"It seems we're even now," the man chuckled. He had a pretty smile, and it lit up his entire face, relaxing the tension across his eyebrows.

"I-I guess so."

"I'm afraid I didn't introduce myself properly last time." The man struck out a hand. "I'm Arthur Kirkland."

Alfred took it in his hand, shaking it. Whose hand was clammy? It had better not be his. "Uh, Alfred Jones. I think we should stop meeting this way, yeah? It's a small town. People will question us."

Arthur laughed. "Then it'll be my duty to report it."

He held up a small notebook that Alfred had missed a moment ago. There was a cheeky smile on his face now. "I'm this town's newest reporter."

Alfred had a look of recognition cross his face. "Oh! Yeah! Now I know who you are! I saw your article in the paper."

Arthur furrowed his brow in confusion. "Ah, it's kind of you to say that, but you don't have to lie to impress me. I haven't published anything yet."

Alfred looked up at the sky suddenly. "Shit! I forgot I have to be somewhere!"

The third time they met was only two hours later. Alfred was wandering around the market, killing time. He had nothing much else to do that day. He had already stopped to chat with the deli employees, earning himself yesterday's meat for half-off. The other employees were up front with the sudden lunch rush.

There was something different about this third time. Alfred actually spotted Arthur before he saw him. He was in the dairy aisle, staring at the cheese. It wasn't as if he were actually contemplating buying the cheese, but rather he had simply forgotten where he was. His eyes were vacant and he kept them trained on the label of some Brie import cheese.

Alfred took that moment to watch him. Okay, so he was kinda cute. His eyebrows twitched now and again as if he was thinking and he never once blinked, allowing Alfred free range to look deeply at those eyes. They were such an usual color, but it suited him.

Green eyes, blonde hair, and a British accent. Alfred's lips quirked up into a slow smile, and he wound his way around the aisle to talk to Arthur, but suddenly the man awoke from his daydream. He picked up the cheese without seeing it, dumped it in his basket, and rushed to the cash register.

Alfred only had a moment before he could follow him. There was a line, so he used that opportunity to talk to Arthur.

Or, he would have, if he had the courage to do so. He had no idea what to say. Two hours ago he had run off like an idiot, thinking that Arthur probably wanted to avoid him. Why wouldn't he?

Okay, maybe this was a bad idea, Alfred thought. Arthur was putting his food on the counter and soon he'd be rung up and out the door. Now that they lived in the same small town, they'd surely run into each other, but for some reason, it had to be right now that he talked to Arthur.

But what?

"Twenty-five, forty is your total," the cashier said.

Arthur held out his credit card, but the lady stared at him with a bored frown. "We don't take credit cards, sir."

"What?" Arthur asked, furrowing those eyebrows again. Alfred couldn't help his smile.

"We do not take credit cards," the lady repeated. She pointed at the sign above her that read Cash Only.

Arthur's face paled. He began digging in his wallet, but came up with no cash. He patted himself down and still came up empty. The people behind Alfred were growing impatient. Very soon they would start voicing their annoyance, and Alfred didn't want Arthur to endure that.

He reached into his pocket and whipped out his wallet. He sidled up beside Arthur and smiled when their elbows knocked together and Arthur stared at him with wide eyes.

"Hi!" Alfred exclaimed. "How are you?"

"Uh…h-hi?" Arthur blinked a few times before he collected himself. "I, uh, what're you…?"

"Do you need help?" Alfred asked. He nodded at the groceries.

Arthur flushed. Alfred decided he quite liked that color, and his smile widened. "Yes. I haven't changed all of my Pounds into Dollars yet, and I. I really should have when I was at the post earlier. But my mind just gets away from me."

Alfred laughed. "I've noticed."

"Can we hurry up?" a lady called from the back of the line. "I have other errands."

"So do I!" echoed a man.

Alfred smirked and handed over the correct amount of cash. "Sorry Katie. He's new here. Cut him some slack, okay?"

The cashier, Katie, smiled back at Alfred and took his cash. Arthur watched in shock until his face blossomed into a deeper crimson. He grabbed his bag of groceries and hurried from the store.

The fourth time they met was that night.

Alfred was waiting outside the small diner. He had combed his hair and even changed his shirt. No, he wasn't serious, but it was nice to give a better impression than the one he gave earlier.

Arthur arrived only a few minutes late. He looked to be in a rush, and Alfred wondered briefly if he forgot what time he was to show up. It looked like he had changed too, but his hair was still messy. Alfred didn't mind a bit.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said breathlessly. "Parking is horrendous here. Why are there so many people?"

"Teenagers," Alfred replied. He held the door open and motioned Arthur inside.

They claimed a booth against the far wall. Most of the teenagers were crowding the aisles and the counter space. Alfred didn't want anyone to notice they were together. He especially didn't want to see him as he took Arthur's hand in his.

"I'm glad you agreed to come," Alfred murmured, just loud enough so only Arthur could hear him, though not much else could be heard over the ruckus of the rabble around them.

Arthur smiled shakily, ducking his head as his face reddened again. "I just… In this town… I thought I'd have to hide it forever…"

"Ah, you probably still will," Alfred said. He glanced around, confident no one was paying a couple of twenty-something men in the corner secretly holding hands. "I have. Not even my cousin knows. But… We'll be good, right?"

"Of course," Arthur replied. He smiled a haughty smirk. "I'm the town reporter. If news got out, I can easily erase it."

Alfred smiled widely. "Oh, I think this is going to be a good relationship."

Hoshiko2's cents: The market scene was loosely based on the market scene from You're Got Mail. The car scene was based on my experience last night when a car did almost hit me much like Alfred. I didn't end up getting a boyfriend out of it, though. Boo hoo.

Lemme know what you think. I'm planning on expanding this to a mini series. It will have eventual sex, as well as drama and some angst. Thank you for reading!