I've been bitten by the romance bug and this is what it gave me. Read and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in Primeval they all belong to Impossible Pictures.

It was late afternoon and Connor Temple sat at a table in the back of a quaint little café he'd come to frequent. He drained his cup of Cappuccino as he typed away on his laptop.

For months he's been reworking the dissertation that he had presented to his Paleontology Professor, Nick Cutter. The professor had not been pleased with Connor's original proposal, or his lack of lecture attendance. He was offered an ultimatum: either rewrite his thesis and attend the rest of the classes or receive a failing grade. Connor had chosen, quite wisely in his own humble opinion, to rewrite his paper; although, he wasn't too thrilled with the idea of attending the lectures.

He had developed a loose routine, spending most of his mornings researching various prehistoric creatures (from his very own formulated database non-the-less) and the evolutionary timeline at the local library, before heading to the University to attend the lectures. Usually, he found himself at the café during the late afternoon and into the early evening. Connor noticed that if he stayed away from the flat that he shared with Tom and Duncan, he achieved more and was coming closer to finishing his new dissertation. He was a little miffed at the fact that he kept missing out on their sci-fi movie nights, and had promised them they'd spend the summer catching up. Those plans all ended once he met her.

Connor heard a light tap on the table, glancing to his left he saw a paper cup slowly glide its way towards him.

"Um," he murmured as he studied the small, distinctly feminine, hand that was wrapped around the cup, noting the black nail polish.

"Thought you could use a refill," the woman's soft voice reached his ears.

His eyes continued to travel up the supple form of her arm briefly tracing the curve of her neck before reaching her pale, blue eyes. Connor swallowed hard.

"Uh, thanks," he said, a slight flutter to his voice.

"You're welcome," her eyes, accented with black eyeliner, crinkled when she smiled. "I've, uh, seen you working here almost every day and figured you could use another cup."

Connor took a sip, his eyes alternating between her and the cup he held.

"Wow that's good," he said, propping his elbows on the table. "How'd you know m'favorite? You're not some sort of weird stalker-girl are you?" He laughed awkwardly at his own joke.

"Oh god, do I give off that vibe?" Her laugh was equally as awkward, "no, I just, you know, knew you were a regular, and asked them to make you another cup."

There was a long moment that passed between the two of them as they both smiled at each other, at a loss for what to say next. The woman suddenly stuck out her hand.

"I'm…"

"Abby!" Voices called from the entrance of the café. "We're going to be late."

Abby winced, mentally cursing at her ill-timed friends.

"Abby, I'm Abby. Well, obviously." She called across the café, "I'll be right over!" She turned back to Connor, "sorry, my friends are here." She paused for a few seconds, fiddling with her shirt hem as he absentmindedly twiddled his coffee cup.

Before the silence could grow any longer, Abby said, "look, um, maybe we'll run into each other tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah?" Connor said.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling as she started to head towards the door. "And if we don't, you can call me."

A crooked, dopey grin was spreading across Connor's face as she stepped out the door. His brain was just starting to come back online and ask several important questions. Questions such as: What just happened, and did she really flirt with me, and really cute wasn't she? But the one that was shoving its way front and center with the panic of urgency asked: What was her phone number?

Abby and her friends walked into the studio where their yoga classes were held. The shorter of her companions, Amy, nudged her with an elbow.

"So, Abby, just who was that handsome bloke back there?"

"Oh," Abby shrugged, "he's just one of the regulars at the café."

"Ah, and you were…"

"Trying to flirt with him, right?" Her other friend, Emily, butted in.

"No," Abby tried to hold a straight face as they watched her, grinning. After a moment she relented, smiling herself, "yes, fine – I was trying to flirt with him." She stopped suddenly as a look of horror crossed her face, "oh god. I told him to call me."

"And?" Amy asked.

"And I never gave him my number," Abby replied, thumping the heel of her palm against her forehead.

"Oooh, ouch."

"He probably thinks I'm some sort of idiot," She groaned. "Or worse, that I'm one of those girls who get a jolly out of leaving some poor boy lost and confused."

"Aw, it's okay," Emily laughed. "Always good to leave a man confused," she winked, "better chance of them wanting to get in your knickers."

"Emily!" Abby yelled as they entered the locker room.

"What?" Emily said, hands in the air. "All I'm doing is stating a fact."

"From personal experience?" Abby asked as she unzipped her bag, pulling out her sweats.

"No, but my cousin Natalie says it's what works best for a quick shag."

Amy rolled her eyes as she cinched her workout pants up over her hips. "Come on Emily, I doubt she wants to shag him. Well," she glanced at Abby, "not until after the first date, right?"

"What is it with you two and my sex life?" Abby grumbled looking annoyed.

Amy shrugged in response. "We're just concerned is all."

"Yeah," Emily said, choosing her words carefully, "ever since the zoo made those budget cuts and you got kicked from the reptile exhibit. You've, well, you really haven't been yourself, 'specially since you took on that second job."

Abby sighed, unhooking her straps as she reached for a sports bra. "I know, but how else am I going to pay rent on the flat."

"You could always look for a flatmate. Divvy up the rent?" Emily suggested, lacing up her trainers.

"Already thought about that," Abby replied. "I'm just not ready to share my place with a complete stranger."

Amy shrugged, "suit yourself, but you should look more into the idea of a roomy. Never know when you may need the extra income. 'Sides," she gestured to Emily, "It worked out for us."

"Yup," Emily said in a chipper voice. "Okay ladies, I think we've gone on long enough about Abby, now let's get to the stretching." She winked at them, "I believe I have a date with a gorgeous yoga instructor." Grinning, she practically bounced out the locker room door.

Abby rolled her eyes as Amy amended herself.

"Mostly it works."

Her mind still working on the idea of finding a flatmate, Abby followed her friends out of the locker room.

I've been fighting with writers block on Something Wicked and I'm hoping this story will jump start things again. Please leave me some feedback and let me know what you thought of the story. If possible chapter two may get thrown into the mix. Thank you all for reading.