Fame and Coffee (Closed)

[musicankane]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Barista_COSTA_COFFEE.JPG

It definitely wasn't the career Jake expected when he graduated college. He had double majored in music theory and biology. His parents had insisted that if he were to study music, he must also study a back up subject in case he didn't become a famous rock star. Turns out Biology jobs weren't all that wide-spread either. So Jake became the master Barista at a little coffee shop hidden away in town.

Small though it may be, The Steamy Bean, was famous in town for being the best fucking coffee shop in the country. Or at least the best in the city. Mostly because they used spiced beans, and only organic milks and flavors for the coffee. People loved it and Jake had quickly found he had a knack for doing a little foam art.

A couple months of working there and Jake had an audience for his foam art, and people came specifically when he worked in the hopes that he could do art for their cups. However the demand got too high and Jake was unable to do it for everyone who wanted it. So it became a kind of game, you were lucky to get a foam art piece with your coffee.

People would lift the lids on their coffees to see if they got a little art work with their coffee. Funny enough, people still tipped Jake very well even when he didn't get to do artwork for them. It made him feel good when someone enjoyed the extra effect he went for people.

On a very special day, Jake was coming around the counter to give a little girl her hot chocolate in which Jake had made a picture of Mickey Mouse in her whip cream. The girl cheered and showed the cup to her mom, and Jake rose up with a smile. He loved the reactions he got out of little kids the best, the sheer joy was incredible to see on their faces.

He came around the counter to see a woman smiling at the little girl as she waited for her order to be taken. Jake was working alone as it was early afternoon and the coffee shop slowed down enough that he could handle business alone for a couple of hours until the after work crowd showed up.

Approaching the register to take her order, Jake could help but feel like he knew her from somewhere. But it was hard to place out of context in his mind. So he dismissed it and smiled, "Sorry about the wait, what can I get for you?" He asked.

 

[asetikish]

As a kid, Line knew what she was going to do when she grew up, amd with her father already working in the industry, it had been easy for her to get in and sing. But it wasn't just her father or her pretty face that hot her signed. There was no doubt that she was a good singer and had a knack for writing good songs too.

It didn't take long for her career to jet and she got through high school then straight into tours and records, skipping college altogether. As a result, she didn't have many friends. Sure l, there were some nice people in high schoo, but she usually spent her time with her songs.

Now that the last leg of her tour was over, she put on her shades, put on a shirt and jeans and headed to a well-known coffee shop in town. She had already promised herself that she would see the place before she went back home.

She really didn't care much for coffee, but she had a song to write and her inspirations ce from real life experiences. Unfortunately for her, her label was demanding a love song. Without any experience, she never wrote one and if she succeeded, it would be her first, so she had to get as much inspiration as she could. Though she really doubted she could write a good one, but she was going to try.

Entering the coffee shop, she smiled at the scene before her. The kid was so happy about a very well made latte art given by the barista. It was a heart-warming sight and it gave her ideas for a song, but that wasn't what she needed to do.

As soon as she came up to the counter, she pulled up her glasses to her head and smiled. "That was a nice thing you did for that kid," she paused looking at his nametag. "Jake. You're that famous latte artist,then I presume?"

The man looked like the cheerful type. Genuinely cheerful. Not one of those put-on faces and that was a relief for her. He wasn't smiling and accommodating just for tips.

 

[musicankane]

Jake blinked as she pulled up her glasses. She was stunningly beautiful, her eyes were breathtaking and it shocked him a little. He had definitely seen her before somewhere, yet he still couldn't grasp were it was from. Maybe he had seen her at school or something, no....that couldn't be it, he would have remember if a girl as stunning as her was in his class. Mostly because he would have been staring a lot.

He smiled at her and shrugged, "I do what I can. It's the smiles that make it all worth while." He said nodding. "Though I wouldn't exactly call myself 'famous'. I prefer to call it, 'regionally popular'." He teased with a smile.

"What can I get for you today? I'll put a heart in your drink." He offered with a wink.

Her voice sounded familiar, where the hell had he seen her before? It was killing him that he couldn't put his finger on it.

 

[asetikish]

Allie had just finished the last leg.of her tour. She had a few weeks left to go around town to rest and relax. And she made it a point that she would definitely go to this famous coffee shop right across the hotel she was staying in. Putting on her jeans, shirt and sunglasses, she headed out to see whether she'd get her coffee with an art or not.

Besides, she really needed the break. She was having difficulty with her label's request. A love song. Never having been in love, she had never written one, so writing something she didn't know about was going to be a first.

Allie had been in the industry for quite some time. She got in through her father's connections, but what made her famous was her voice and her ability to write really good songs. Since high school, she stayed by herself writing sings, and when her father's associate heard her on a visit at their home, she was quickly given an offer.

Soon, she was recording, going on tours and winning awards. It was such a whirlwind that she didn't have any time token have any real friends. At least friends who weren't attracted to her fame.

Reaching the cafe, she waited in a short line like everyone else and smiled at the interactions of the people with the barista. He seemed to genuinely be cheerful and not just for tips.

At the last ransacking with a kid, her heart warmed. That she could write about, but that wasn't what she needed.

As she came up to the counter, she looked at his nametag. "That was a nice thing you did for her, Jake. You must be that famous barista everyone's talking about. So...what would you recommend?"

 

[musicankane]

Jake shrugged as she left the decision in his hands. Or at least a suggestion. He turned and glanced back at the menu on the board, trying to think of something he could make really special for the beauty at the counter. The beauty he swore he knew.

"Well I don't know how strong you like your coffee, but I make a pretty awesome Cappuccino. Plus I can do some pretty slick foam stuff with those things." He said, turning back toward her.

As he turned toward her, his eyes passed across the CD rack they had by the entrance where the staff picked their favorite artists to sell in the store. There on the rack was her picture. Jake felt his breath catch in his throat and his eyes go a little wide.

Of course! That was where he had seen her before. They sold her album in the store. His mind spun as he realized he was standing in front of Allie, grammy award winning all star artist. The girl put Taylor Swift to shame lately, and she was here right in front of him.

Jake blinked and tried to shake away his shock at suddenly realizing who he was talking too. None of the customers in the store had seemed to take notice of her, so Jake did his best to dismiss the fact of who she was and simply treat her like normal.

"So yeah....uh...Cappaccino would be my suggestion. But I'm awesome at everything so you can't really go wrong." He teased her, trying to keep his composure.

 

[asetikish]

"Cappuccino with latte art? That sounds nice." Allie smiled at him and noticed his eyes go from her to the side before widening. The reaction was very common. He knew who she was. She was waiting for the common requests that would follow: an autograph. A selfie...but he didn't ask for any of them. Instead he kept it as casual as he could as if she were just another customer.

And she was very, very grateful for the break.

Allie looked at where hus eyes went and saw the CDs and sighed. Her face was right there up front. "Yeah. A Cappuccino will be very nice."

She leaned over the counter and motioned for him to come close. In his ear, she whispered, "Thanks for keeping it all hush-hush. Can I also ask you to turn the CD? I kind of want a little downtime. I promise I can give you something in return. Maybe an autograph or something?"

 

[musicankane]

Jake blinked as she leaned close to whisper to him. Apparently she saw him put two and two together to figure out who she was. Yet she wanted peace and quiet and he could easily give that to her. He looked into her beautiful eyes and smiled, "Of course. Leave it to me."

Jake gestured towards an open table in the corner. "Have a seat and I'll handle the rest. Only relaxation and coffee for you, I promise."

Jake moved to the machine and fired it up to start her drink, then he moved around the counter to grab her CD off the shelf. He didn't turn the CD, instead he took it off the rack completely as if he were simply changing the stock. Without a word he took the CD behind the counter and slipped it into a drawer.

Once that was done, he worked on Allie's drink. As he was doing the artwork in her foam a co-worker came in and patted him on the back. "Hey Jake. I got this you can take off for the day man." The guy said.

"Oh thanks Chuck. Let me just finish this real quick." He told him. Chuck was a good guy, and also the night manager. He often came in early because he knew that Jake pulled extra hours all the time. So when possible Chuck would come in to give Jake time off.

Jake finished his art in Allie's foam and smiled. He took off his apron and brought the coffee out to Allie at her table.

HE handed her the drink and smiled, "I thought you could use a laugh, so I hope the picture makes you giggle."

https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/webdr01/2013/2/7/18/enhanced-buzz-21711-1360278639-4.jpg

Jake took off his apron and rolled it up. "So I'm done for the day. It was nice to meet you, I hope you get that relaxation you've been hoping for." He told her, prepared to say goodbye and never see the singer again. He wished he could get a picture or something with her, but he didn't want to be that kind of guy. Plus she wanted to relax and it wouldn't be right of him to ask such a thing of her.

 

[asetikish]

"Thank you so much!" Allie said as he led her to a corner table where she was sure not to be bothered. As soon as he left, she started work on the song but she was just coming up with blanks. It didn't take long for her to give up, and when she was frustrated, there was no way she could write anything. She was only a few minutes in but she felt the urge to flip the table.

As if on cue, Jake came in with her drink. She was expecting something fancy, but he came up with a cute monkey that banished her frustrations as she laughed. "Oh wow...that's so cute! Thank you! Now I know why people think you're amazing."

She whipped out her phone and looked up at him. "Wait! Don't go. I promised you right? Do you have an instagram account? I'd like to take a photo of you and the Cappuccino. I'll tag you. I mean, it's not an autograph, but you are forever immortalized in my feed." She winced hearing herself speak. "Wow! I sound like a narcissistic freak. Sorry. I mean I don't know how else to make this day special for you too. But yeah. I'd like to.post you on my feed." She gave him her phone for him to input his details in the search.

 

[musicankane]

Jake suddenly found himself holding her phone. Instagram displayed on the screen so that he could put himself into her social media feed. Jake looked at her, and bit his lip. This was his big chance, and he would be foolish to not go for it. He was holding the most famous phone in the music business right now, and the hottest girl he had ever seen.

Jake closed Instagram and instead brought up her contact list. He hit the button for new contact and inputting his information into her phone quickly.

He smiled and said, "I'm not much for social media. And I don't need you to thank me for anything. It was my pleasure." He handed her the phone, with his name and phone number displayed on her contact list. "But if you want to keep yourself low key. I'd be totally winning to cook you dinner at my place tonight." He told her with a smile.

"Don't worry I'm not a creeper or anything. I'll cook for a bodyguard too if you want." He teased.

Jake sighed and gestured to her coffee. "Please enjoy. And if I don't see you again...It was fantastic to meet you." He told her with a wink and walked away, his stomach suddenly so filled with butterflies he thought he would be sick.

He had just given Allie his number, and he figured she would just delete it, but it made him nervous in that he had just invite a beautiful celebrity to his apartment. Him, a nobody.

She wasn't gonna call him. Of course not. Nothing for him to worry about.

At least he could say he made coffee for her though, so that was a pretty good end to a day if he could say so himself.

 

[asetikish]

Allie got her phone back and saw his name on the screen. He was gutsy that was for sure. And ot made her smile. Even though he did what he did, something about it wasn't intrusive. And the way he quickly went from one topic to another to hide the nervous excitement he was feeling was cute. She wasn't even able to get a word in to tell him she didn't have body guards if she wasn't on tour. Against her father's wishes, but yes. No bodyguards.

Smiling, she looked at him walk away amd took a photo of his latte art anyway with the caption, "Greatest barista ever. Thanks for making my day special."

Then she came back to his number. We'll, she did say she'd do anything to thank him.

She sent him a message. Allie here. You forgot to write your address. How do I know where to go tomorrow night

She looked back at her blank sheet and thought of something crazy. It could work, but she would need to ask him face to face.

 

[musicankane]

Jake was on the way home when his phone buzzed. It startled him because he didn't get many texts from people anymore. Most of his friends outright called if they wanted to do something. Jake dug the phone out of his pocket as he parked in his apartment parking space.

The screen showed him a number he didn't know, and he opened the message figuring it was some advertisement.

His jaw dropped when he saw the message. It was her! No way! And she wanted to come over!? He couldn't believe what he was looking at. He had froze in mid-step as he read the message over and over again until he was sure he wasn't dreaming about it.

When he could move his fingers scrambled frantically over the screen to reply to her. WOW! Oh yeah sorry. Totally should have put my address in. My bad. 6583 State Apartment 4A. Do you like Italian? I can only cook Italian...

He hit send and slumped against the wall of the hallway. God did he just get a date with Allie? In his own apartment!?

"Fuck I have to learn how to cook now." He mutter and scrambled into his apartment.

 

[asetikish]

Allie was looking through her social media a bit, replying to some comments on her new photo, like where it was and who the barista was. Her agent was going to go off the roof again for doing another unpaid publicity stunt, but they were all so rich already. What did they need more money for?

Her phone flashed a notification: a reply from Jake and she smiled, reading its contents.

Italian sounds nice. Don't worry, I don't have a bodyguard so, you only have to cook for two Six is okay? Or do you still have work that time?

She smiled to herself. Italian. That was a fool-proof cuisine for anyone. Just buy some instant pasta and voila! But still...a man who can cook and is not a chef was nice. Not that it was a requirement, but it was nice.

 

[musicankane]

Jake grabbed his phone eagerly when it buzzed. He was online looking up Italian recipes to try and make, weeding out ones that would be too hard to make. It was a hard choice to make though. After all he was going to cook for a millionaire and she probably had some kind of standard when it came to her food. That meant he needed to pick something that was simple to make, but looked impressive.

He had found a recipe for a nice looking lasagna but it required an entire day to prep and he had to work in the morning, so he could never get that done.

He read the message from Allie, her name now coming across his screen as he had taken her first message to put her phone number into his phone.

Sure six sounds wonderful. Don't worry about not having a bodyguard, most of my neighbors are elderly so I'm pretty sure I can fight them off of you if needed.

He hit send and continued to scroll through.

Eventually he settled on a recipe for homemade Ravioli, stuffed with cheese and mushroom. It seemed simple enough, and it would look really fancy. Perfect to impress Allie with.

Again it hit him. He had a date tomorrow night, with probably the most beautiful woman in music. He must be dreaming.

 

[asetikish]

Allie was just finishing her Cappuccino when the message came. She smiled at his way and humor. She felt a little pressured doing the same, but decided that she should just be herself.

Oh, dear. A gaggle of old ladies sounds terrifying! Glad to know you're there.

She went back to her hotel sending him the message. She gave up altogether on writing her song. The truth was, she couldn't, so she won't force herself.

The next day, she walked around the city wearing her shades, spending her time doing absolutely nothing until her meeting with Jake at 6. She avoided the cafe altogether for the moment, not wanting anyone to know realize she had been there.

At 5:30 she headed for his place in a cab, feeling a little nervous. Like it was her first concert all over again. "This is just dinner, Allie," she told herself. "Nothing more." She couldn't help but check herself in her pocket mirror twice, though. Maybe she should have worn something better than jeans and a shirt.

Too late. She was already at his apartment. Buzzing his doorbell, she fidgeted a bit wondering if she was too early.

 

[musicankane]

Jake was nervous all day, and work went unbelievably slowly. He kept checking the clock and agonized over every minute that didn't seem to pass. He made very little foam art today as he couldn't focus his mind properly for it. IT seemed like his eight hour day was more like a twelve hour one.

One the way home he bought the ingredients he needed to make dinner, he faltered at the aisle marked "family planning" and for a moment pondered over buying condoms. He shook his head and cursed himself for even thinking about that. Allie was way to beautiful for a guy like him, not to mention her wealth and her fame.

No, he was to make her dinner and have an enjoyable evening, nothing more than that. Instead he bought a bottle of wine, that was probably cheap for her tastes but he didn't exactly have deep pockets.

He made it home by three and set about quickly prepping the pasta. He cut little round shapes and mixed the cheese and mushrooms together to be placed gently into the center of his Ravioli. In a frying pan he set about putting together an olive butter and basil sauce that would go with the Ravioli.

Before he set about the final cooking, Jake took a shower and cursed himself at the selection of clothing. He hadn't had to dress up for anything in so long that the best he could do was a plain black t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

He combed his hair and set about boiling the pasta.

There came a sweet knock on the door, perfectly on time. He couldn't help but smile as he appreciated a woman who knew how to be places on time. When he opened the door a huge sense of relief washed over him to see her also only wearing a casual outfit of jeans and a shirt.

Of course it looked wonderful on her.

He smiled brightly. "Hey you are just on time." He said, "please come in." Stepping aside he ushered her into the apartment. "Dinner is just about ready, so here..." He darted to his dinky dinner table and pulled a chair out for her. "Can I get you a glass of wine?" He offered as he moved to stir the pasta for a moment.

 

[asetikish]

The smells coming from the other side of the door was nice. She could definitely smell butter. Who doesn't love butter? Not that she was watching her weight anyway. She was just that girl who was always thin no matter how much she ate.

A few quick stomps later, the door opened and Allie smiled at him. At least she didn't overdress. She didn't want to look like she was flaunting how rich she was in hus false."Smells like I'm in for a treat." She followed him into his small apartment and took the chair he offered her.

"Wine? You really are going all fancy! Sure. But you really didn't have to go all through this trouble." She looked around and saw the simplicity of his home, reminding her of how her family used to live.

"So...how long have you been a barista?" She asked curious. "And, have you always been an artist?"

 

[musicankane]

Jake poured her a glass of wine and brought it to her, smiling at she glanced around. He hoped that his apartment wasn't too poor for her. He wanted her to feel comfortable here at the very least.

She seemed polite and asked him questions about himself. Jake began to plate the dinners for them and said, "Oh I've been a barista about two years. After I graduated music school." He explained. "Getting a working music gig was basically impossible for me, and my back up degree in Biology is also not very useful." He told her setting her dinner in front of her.

He took his seat next to her and smiled. "I hope you like it. Cheese and mushroom." He told her. "I might have made the sauce a little too rich, so I went light on it. I have more though if you want." He explained.

"But yeah, I've always been able to draw kinda, so it wasn't hard to at least try to be creative in the coffee. People really seem to like it, so I suppose there are worse things I could be doing. Nothing beats my passion for writing music though." He told her. Smiling he gestured at her, "I mean you know how that is, you're a musician yourself."

 

[asetikish]

The moment he said that he was an aspiring musician himself, her ears perked. She was about to ask him more about it but her stomach growled a little too loudly. She chuckled going a little red in the face. "Sorry."

He didn't seem to mind as he served her the pasta. She took a bite and drank the wine. Turned out, she didn't much care for the wine. The pasta though... "Okay, this is definitely not store bought stuff. It's good!" She continued to eat as he spoke.

"I know how hard it is. It's the main reason why I don't have a social life. Either you're really good or you flirt and have a fling with the right people. And I'm not a fan of the latter. So. Hard work it is!"

She wiped her lips with a napkin. "Would it be okay if I listen to your songs? Maybe I can point you to the right person who can help you if you're still interested. The industry is always looking for new talent. Artists are always looking for composers to make them look good. Just tell me if you need help. You have my number," she winked.

 

[musicankane]

Jake was happy that she seemed to really enjoy the food. Though he did notice that she didn't seem to care for the wine. So he was batting 50/50, could be better but at least it wasn't a disaster.

He jerked upright when she asked to hear his music, and offered to even introduce it to people she knew that might help him get into the music world. "No way! You would do that? That's...I mean I can't believe how wonderful that would be." He abruptly stood and took away the wine, after a moment to calm himself in the kitchen he brought out glasses of ice and two cans of Coke.

He held up the glass and set it before her, winking. "I know it isn't exactly gourmet, but let's pretend for a bit." He teased before pouring her Coke into the nice glass of ice.

He settled back into his seat and nodded, "Yeah I can totally show you my stuff. I love writing songs. I mean I prefer heavy metal, but I also really love writing songs that are normally not my style. I mean the other day I was working on a love song if you can believe that. I have what I think is a wonderful chord progression and theme. I bet you'd dig it." He said enthusiastically.

 

[asetikish]

"You know, I was waiting for this," she winked as he handed her the coke. "And yes, of course I would! I know how difficult it is to break into the industry. We artists have to stick together."

Allie took a long gulp of coke before setting it down. "If you have a guitar, you could show me your stuff. Focus on what you want to do and I can definitely help you out. If you're going for metal, though, you have to have a band and I can probably point scouts in your direction. But for now, let me hear the best you have. And that love song too." She grinned. "You must be in love to be able to write that. I wonder who the lucky girl is."

 

[musicankane]

Jake blushed and hung his head, "Well, no....I don't have a lucky girl or anything like that. But....sometimes you don't need to currently have the feeling to write about it you know?" He paused and licked his lips.

Abruptly he stood and took their empty plates to the kitchen and tossed them into the sink. He came back and motioned her over into the bedroom where he had his guitar and amp set up. He had a little amateur studio in the corner of the room. "Here have a seat, don't worry the sheets are very clean." He teased.

He grabbed his guitar and clicked on the amp. "I wrote the love song because...I guess I the time I was in love with the IDEA of love. If that makes sense." He strummed a few chords as a warm up. Then he began playing the song, chords followed by a haunting little melody that he played across the guitar neck, his fingers dancing along the wood in a way that seemed to mirror the beauty of the music coming from him.

"I can't!
See you in my mind.
The visions of us, fade.
I can't.
remember what it was like.
To have you by my side.
I can't
feel for you anymore
So I must say goodbye....
TO LOVE!!!!!
Love you never returned.
Love you never gave.
For the love I had for you
fell on deft ears and hollow hearts
To love!
Take me in your arms
hold me tight
a dream I can only give myself tonight"

Jake played away the last few chords and let the music fade through the room. Then he clicked the amp off and set the guitar aside. "Sorry I don't have much of a singing voice, but that's kind of the idea that I've been messing with." He explained blushing.

He had just played a song for the hottest woman in music, on a date....like he was some high schooler trying to impress the head cheerleader with the only talent he had.

"Be gentle okay." He said with a smile.

 

[asetikish]

"I envy you. I actually have to know what it feels like to write about it," Allie said as she followed him into his room. It was small, but clean and tidy with half of it converted to a studio. She sat on the bed as he prompted and grinned at the implication that he had not had a girl, at the very least since the last laundry day.

"In love with the idea of love? I get it, but I don't think I can still write that way."

Allie listened to his song. Instantly, she knew that even if he did have a record, the lack of uniqueness to his vocal quality would make him a short-lived star. With a little tweaking though, he could be a songwriter for Beyonce or Arianna. And maybe even Katy Perry.

"Well," she started when he ended his song. "I think you have a nice tune there. Memorable and catchy. A little tweaking in the arrangement and it can be a hit. You can teach me the song and I can try singing it for you just to fluff it up for the producers. But in exchange, I have one request."

She took a deep breath collecting her thoughts before she went on with her proposal. "You see, my label really wants me to make this love song and I just can't write it. Like I said, I suck without an experience. I still have five days left in town and, well, maybe we could go on dates for those five days? As if we're a couple. It doesn't have to be real to you, but, I just really need you to play along because I need it to be real. All expenses will be on me. I'll give you my cash card so you could just charge everything there. Or would you just want me to deposit to your bank account?"

 

[musicankane]

Jake knew that his singing wasn't exactly the best thing in the world. And being a musicial star required a lot more than he seemed to have in terms of talent and appearance. But Allie's response opened up a possibility that he never thought about. Studio musician! Of course! He had been so focused on his dream of being in the spotlight, that it never occurred to him that he could be a song writer for someone else.

He smiled at her offer to try and sing his song herself, and see how it sounded with a true singer behind the words. "That'd would be so cool! To have you sing my song, while I played the guitar behind you, dude that would totally rock!" He grinned.

The smile on his face faltered a bit as she made a request of him. A fairly serious request, to pretend to be a couple for the remainder of her time in town, at her expense? Why was she so hard up to fabricate such an experience. Of course, he would love to date her, hell just the chance to spend more time with her was something so many people would only dream about.

Jake set his guitar down and moved to sit beside her. "Allie, I'm honored." He told her, reaching over to place a hand on her thigh. He gave her a squeeze and shook his head, "But no. I wont do that."

He looked at her, "You want to experience love? Then you have to take the money out of it.You have to take your famous self and forget about her. Be just Allie....Let me take you on dates myself, my way, on my budget. Let me date you like the woman you are, because of the woman you are, not because of your fame, not because you are paying me for it."

"I'll be proud to date you for a week. But let me do it for you, on my own. Keep your money and your fame at home and let me just date Allie." He smiled at her. "How does that sound?"

 

[asetikish]

"And we'll have one copy each for keeps." She winked at him.

When Allie started making the request, she saw his smile fade and she was taken aback by his response. He was not going to accept her offer of money? Her heart sank thinking that he rejected her request entirely, but her ears perked when he said his own terms.

She blushed as his hand squeezed her thigh. She had her fair share of creeps from inside the industry and from fans, but this didn't feel creepy at all. It felt assuring. She couldn't help but be relieved.

"So...just a date between Allie and Jake? You sure you don't want me to pay for it? I do get hungry a lot more often than normal women my age."

He smiled at her and continued and Allie couldn't help but say yes as her insides felt like it was being tickled with feathers. But at the same time, her head told her that she was just overacting. Of course he'd date her, she was a star! It was a boost to his male ego in two points: to be able to date her, and to be able to say that he could afford to date her.

Something told her that her head was wrong, but she still didn't dismiss the point. After all, what did she know of this barista-musician-biologist-artist?

One thing she was sure though, he wasn't about to kidnap her for ransom or sell her into some human trafficking ring. And that was enough.

"Alright. But we have to be discreet about this. The paps are bloodhounds. It's impossible to shake them off. But if ever we do get caught, don't say anything. Just put up a sign on your stand on issues. Your call for social action. Like save the environment or something. Deal?"

 

[musicankane]

Jake laughed and clapped his hands, "Save the baby seals? Okay sounds fair enough." He smiled. "Allie don't you even worry about it, where I'm gonna take you, nobody would ever think to look for you." He told her with a wink.

He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug. Then shifted away from her to tap on his keyboard. The hum of the printer roared to life and he handed her the printed sheet with the lyrics to his song on them.

"Would you mind trying the song, I'd love to hear it out of your wonderful voice." He asked her with a smile, as he reached for his guitar yet again.