Title: Love At First Sight
Author: malnpudl
E-mail: lcbergstrom@cox.net
Rating: G
Pairing: Giles/OC
Summary: An unabashed Gilesian romance... of a sort.
Disclaimer: BtVS and its characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Sandollar, Fox, UPN, WB, who the hell knows, but it ain't me. This is just for fun, not for profit.
Feedback: Let me have it. Please?
Author's Notes: An, er, unorthodox response to today's GRB hyper-mini-challenge (sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to fit the chocolates into it).
Not beta'd due to the short turnaround window. It's all my fault.
Challenge Requirements:
Pairing: open...but it must include a romance of some sort with Giles as one of the participants
Rating: open...just remember I loves me smoochies <G>
Must include the following: a cat or dog, a pair of glasses that don't belong to Giles, a paperback novel, and chocolates

The bitch was lovely. Leggy, blonde, and staggeringly beautiful, she moved with sensuous and unselfconscious grace. He knew he was staring, but he couldn't take his eyes off her as she undulated down the street.

"Dear Lord," he whispered as she turned the corner, out of his sight, out of his life. Feeling foolish, he turned back to his lunch. Christ, he thought, sober up, Rupert. You're thirty-bloody-six years old. Get hold of yourself.

Still, the next day he returned to the same place for lunch, once again dining outdoors in spite of the chill breeze, telling himself and convincing no one that he just liked the food there. He lunched alone, no leggy young blonde to cross his path and make him feel like a boy again.

The third day he brought along a paperback novel, his excuse to linger over his meal. It and a pint were his only companions.

By the fourth day he'd given up hope, eating his meal with resignation and a quiet shrug of his shoulders - until a large party departed, and there she was. Her table was out of the way, off in the farthest corner of the terrace. He watched, entranced, as she stood to leave.

There! His opportunity at last, a pair of glasses left abandoned on the table. He leapt to his feet, throwing a tenner down beside his half-eaten meal, and hurried across the room, snatching up the glasses before some eager waiter could get there first and bollocks up his chances. Craning his neck, he was elated to spot her less than a block away. He jogged after her.

"Miss?" he called out as he neared.

She ignored him.

"Miss?" He finally caught up with her. "I beg your pardon. Are these your glasses?"

"Oh! I must've left them at the restaurant. Thank you so much."

"My pleasure." Giles smiled politely at the woman as he dropped into a crouch, reaching a hand toward the blonde vision of loveliness who'd captivated him so completely. She sniffed politely at his outstretched fingers, gave them a tentative lick. He looked up. "Forgive the intrusion, but you have the loveliest Afghan hound I've ever seen. She reminds me so much of the dog I had as a child."

The woman laughed. "Thank you. And I don't mind at all. You've no idea how often strangers stop me on the street, asking to pet her and going on about what a pretty thing she is."

"What's her name?"

"Megan."

"Hello, Megan," he whispered, gazing into the soft, brown eyes. She took a step toward him and sniffed, breathing in his scent, then delicately swept her tongue over his lips and stole his heart.

END