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 Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 5:42 pm
Everything after that was done in a happy blur. He made her hot chocolate with the utmost care, topping it with whipped cream and sprinkling just enough coco powder and syrup on top for garnish. He wasn't the one to hand it to her, but the thought was certainly there when she received it.
Fifteen minutes went by. Alex got himself a frappuccino, and went out into the seating area where he saw Jess sitting.
Without much of an intro or hint he was coming, he sat right down in front of her.
"You look beautiful today," he said, in that same factual fashion he had used the previous night. "How's your drink?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 5:52 pm
Jes was leaning back in her chair, engrossed in a book, which she was sure shocked those who knew her, though snapped up and smiled when he spoke. "Oh hey...Ah- T-thanks..." She smiled shyly, closing her book before taking another sip of her coacoa.
"I am really not exaggerating when I say its the best hot chocolate I've ever had..." She smiled wide, setting it down again with a slightly goofy grin. "Though really I can only compare it to the 1 credit coacoas on the corner store near downtown..." She shrugged at her little joke. She grew up on the slightly dirty and unsure streets just before hitting hardcore downtown. Not the best place in the world but it was home back then. Her and Robin used to run down to that little store and invest in that small little watery hot chocolate and share it once every week when it started getting cold. Really it was just so they could hold onto something warm. They didnt always have the best of clothes either...
All of this went through her mind distantly and it showed on her face she finally realized she had let her mind wonder. "Ah- Your coat..." She pulled it out from behind her with a little lingering. It still held a faint smell of Alex, though now seemed to have the light and sweet smell that Jessica had about her. Not the strong overbearing perfumes that people including her parents bought for her as gifts, but just ... her...
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- Pocket Full of Ashes - Crew
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 5:57 pm
Alex grinned, and somehow it spread even further as he got his jacket back. He noticed that subtle change in smell, too.
"Finally, my coat doesn't smell like cafe," he joked as he tucked it behind him in his seat. "So... I have about twenty minutes for lunch today. How'd you get home? Alright?"
He had a sandwich being made for him and was just about to get up to quickly retrieve it, but first he had to make sure that she had been alright. emotionally she was a wreck, sure, but today she was glowing. He needed to know why.
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:08 pm
She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows. "Um...Yeah...I guess you could say that..." She took another sip of her drink. "Everyone was asleep when I got home, and after a mild reprimand from the housekeeper I just went to bed. Then this morning, Mother said nothing of my late night escapade let alone at all hardly.." She shrugged looking down at the table. "Merely gave me the present my father left... He ...had a meeting somewhere on Druis or Altru or somewhere..." She sighed a little sadly, touching the book in her lap idly before smiling up at him again.
"But Yea...I must say today is already much better than yesterday..." She blushed ever so slightly as she attempted to hide it with another sip of hot coacoa.
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- Pocket Full of Ashes - Crew
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:14 pm
"Good..."
He could tell that her father must have meant a great deal to her, but as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. He couldn't do anything about that. There really wasn't much he could do about anything in her situation, except for being her friend. And even that, he thought, was a new experience.
Alex looked down at the book and stuck out his chin at it. "What are you reading? Is it better than all my required books?" He thought of his high-level english course that he had to get out of the way and cringed. A paper was due by the end of the week on a novel he hadn't even cracked open, but through class discussion, felt he knew enough about.
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:23 pm
She smiled fondly at the book. "It was my gift actually..." She held it out for him to read. "It's just an old novel I used to read a lot as a child...well ok it was read to me. But I always loved it just the same no matter how over my head it was. So now I'm getting the chance to kind of see what I missed as a child and I'm enjoying it a lot." She admitted, though left out the part about how it was her sister who read it to her. And the book she buried her only copy with her beloved sister. It was all just a bit too deep for coffee shop talk.
"...Though, You're taking classes? What's your major?" She asked out of curiosity. That and she wanted to move off of herself for a bit.
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- Pocket Full of Ashes - Crew
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:36 pm
Alex held up one finger and went to retrieve his sandwich, which was really only a few steps away from where they were seated. As he sat down, he revealed a delicious BLT.
"If you'd like some, take some," he said, before taking a bite of his own. Only after he was done stuffing his face for a minute (he was hungry, after all, and had been working all day. what did he care for politeness?), he answered her question.
"I'm almost ready to graduate at the university, to be a history professor. I can't just jump right into it, but you know. I specialize in the early historical periods, especially about earth history and how it affected all of us."
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:46 pm
Her eyes sparkled a little as she nodded, following along, though politely declined his offer for his food. He had worked hard all day and deserved the meal and break, so she let him enjoy it all.
Though elaborating on her interest of what he said, she cocked her head and smiled. "So you're passionate about the past..." She noted rather distantly, thinking on it. "You know that says a lot about you as a person..." She smiled lightly, studying his eyes for conformation.
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- Pocket Full of Ashes - Crew
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:51 pm
Alex looked up at her and froze for a moment. She had lovely eyes...
But he chewed and swallowed before going on about anything. Already he was a bit red from finding himself staring.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked with laughter lacing the end of his question. "I guess you have to be concerned about your past... to know where you came from and why you're here. To know why things are the way they are. What are you interested in? Have you gone to university?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:01 pm
"it is...a good thing." She nodded, laughing on the inside how ironic it all was.
"And...Kind of..." She looked own to play with her hands a bit out of nervousness. "My father wanted me to have the best education... So I've been taking basic required classes here and there...though haven't decided on anything yet...I need to make my mind up soon or all this work's gonna be for naught." She shrugged, though it was obvious there was slight worry in her eyes. "I've dabbled with a few ideas for majors...though nothing seems me... you know?" She shrugged and shook her head, glancing out the nearest window idly. It was cloudy and looked like it might rain, or even snow if it were cold enough.
With a sigh she looked back to Alex. "Though I bet it'll take me so long, you'll probably be the one who's teaching my class..." She smiled and covered her mouth slightly to hide her laugh.
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- Pocket Full of Ashes - Crew
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:11 pm
"then you'll be sure to get an A." Alex winked at her and finished up his food, along with the coffee in one gulp. There was still five minutes for their little meeting, but he could use that to the fullest.
"But seriously, if you're looking for a major, just think about what gets your fire going. What really makes you talk, makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?"
He looked down at the book in her hands and thought briefly about her as an english major. Yet somehow that turned into her being a librarian, with the little sexy glasses and her hair all tumbling down to her shoulders...
and again he had to bring himself to the present for risk of missing something important.
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:19 pm
She blushed slightly at his first comment, taking another sip of her coacoa to finish it off to hide it. "Well thats just it... I don't know what I'm passionate about. This year though I've been buckling down more...I've been trying to take various classes that are all over the place...seeing if anything sticks out to me..." She let her eyes fall, not feeling the need to mention the only reason she got out of bed this morning was him...
"Though-...Oh...Look at the time..." She frowned at her phone annoyed. "You're break's almsot over..." She said a bit solemnly as she furrowed her brow down at her book again.
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- Pocket Full of Ashes - Crew
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:29 pm
It was. He cursed under his breath, but then an idea popped into his mind. It was simple, and yet genius.
"Well, you could always call me or text."
They didn't have to rely on his shifts at the cafe. He was always online and his phone was practically a part of him since he started working several jobs. Thank goodness for technology, he thought, or else this might not have worked out.
"Would that be alright if I had your number?" Alex asked, phone already in hand and ready to create a new contact. "Since we are friends."
His eyes looked up to her and seemed to twinkle. She was beautiful, must have been intelligent with the way she spoke sometimes, and had a fire in her he hadn't seen in other girls.
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:39 pm
She seemed to study him a moment, before finally nodding and smiling quite a bit. "Yeah...sure I'd love that..." She blushed ever so lightly as she rattled off her number to him, then added his number to hers, feeling strangely... calm.
Usually whenever she gave a guy her number, or anyone for that matter, it was nerve wracking since she didn't really want to give it away, or because she just wasn't comfortable with the person asking it. But she seemed to ok and eager to let him have a way of contacting her...
It was all so normal yet was so...novel to her.
There were a few other workers who seemed to be looking over, she guessed since it'd soon be there time off as soon as Alex got back to work. So she stood, pushing a few bits of hair that had fallen around her face back behind her ears. "Thanks for talking with me...I'll-" She let herself trail off. She didn't know if she should just invite herself back or if she should ask him when he wanted to meet with her again...if at all... Well he had her number now so if he did he'd have a way to tell her.
"I'll see you around..." She smiled shyly, not sure if she should hug him goodbye or just wave before taking her leave. So to avoid any awkwardness, she merely gave him one last sweet smile before grabbing her coat and heading for the door, not realizing she left her book behind.
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- Pocket Full of Ashes - Crew
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:46 pm
He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful just one more time, but found that with each stare he was getting from his coworkers, the words sunk deeper within him, never finding their way out.
Alex just smiled and waved, like it had all been no big deal to him and just another day.
--
It wasn't until closing time that he found the book. Alex immediately took it up, knowing that Jess had left it at the table. But why, when it was so important to her? With no qualms about still being on the job, he took out his cell phone and dialed her number. It was a terrible wait, as all the scenarios flashed through his mind. Maybe she had slipped him a fake one, just to get him off her back. Maybe she had just felt inclined to sit with him during his break, watching him stuff his face because she felt indebted to him, or... maybe he should just shut up.
No, Jess was a nice girl. She wouldn't leave him hanging like that. But each ring of her phone made him question himself even more.
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