Coffee Break (Aspen?)

[piper rae starr]

With a sigh a lean girl wearing casual denim dress slung her black messenger bag onto a comfy looking chair in the local coffee shop. She had just moved into town a few days ago, her brother, Dean ,was somewhere around for the weekend, she didn't bother to even ask. After unloading an entire U-haul plus both of their vehicles, she wanted the day off before having to go back an continue the journey of unpacking. It was time to unwind wither music and a nice latte.
A worn looking guitar hardcase was set down next to coffee table as the girl fished for her wallet. Piper's heeled gladiator shoes tapped across the floor as she walked up to the counter. "Ice chai latte, soy, and no water please." she ordered her usual drink without batting an eyelash. She had talked to the manager about playing on the shop's small stage sometimes and had come to check out the space, maybe even play a little bit. Her long red hair fell in waves and swished as she walked back to her chair and leaned over to open the guitar case.
There it was, her prized Gibson signature Hummingbird, sunburst, custom pick guard and all. Her fingers grazed over the top of the fretboard for a second before she sat down in the chair and pulled a Macbook Pro from the messenger bad next to her. No playing until she got a few things taken care of.

"Ice chai latte, soy, no water for Miss Piper!" the barista called. Piper didn't bother to close the laptop when she got up to retrieve her drink. She soon retreated back to behind her screen, glancing around at the scant crowd at the coffee shop, maybe today wouldn't be a bad day to try out the acoustics after all.

[aspen lee grace]

He had his laptop set up in his normal chair, his eyes peeled open wide, hair messed with his lip twistching. He'd sat at that spot for six hours straight, eyes glued to his screen as he faced his enemy on the game, World Of Warcraft. Not quite an obsession to Aspen Lee Grace, but he was determined to destroy the ones who kept killing him for the fun of killing him.

Three cups off coffee were scattered around his table along with various homework assignments and even a chess piece. A white knight. His fingers tapped expertly across his keyboard as if he were playing the most complicated church organ. To be honest though, Aspen could be rather musically challanged. He could sing rather well. His voice a beautiful baritone. Sadly, he couldn't read any note that was placed before him. Just a bunch of lines and dots. His musical career stayed in the shower along with his hairbrush mircophone.

Now, the ultimate nerd didn't dare look up from his game when the beautiful red head walked past him. Unlike most men, he didn't pay much attention to women when he was "in the zone" which he often was. Her sweet scent did, however, touch his nose making his tired eyes peek above the laptop screen before quickly retreating back into hiding. His enemy was advancing.

A sweat broke out on his brow as a bout of nervousness crept up his spine. He had to win. The tip of his tounge was sticking out of the corner of his mouth slightly in concentration. Eye twitcing he slammed his fingers on his keys as the tension built. He chuckled darkly a leaned forward and hissed at his screen in a low whisper. "Soon my friend. Soon I will have your head on my mantle" a few clicks. A tap on his keys then....

"YES! TRIUMPHANT!" he wailed, pumping a fist and shooting to his feet, his near battle cry making everyone in the building turn and either blink at him, or simply glare unhappily. {b]"Uhhh oops."[/b] he blushed bright red, his eyes on the gorgeous woman with the guitar "Don't mind me.. Just umm. Go back to doing what you need to do."

[piper rae starr]

Piper's own fingers were tapping across her keyboard, at not a fast enough pace. She envied the nerdy looking guy in the chair next to her for his speed. For her, words got scrambled because she couldn't type as fast as she could think. The thing with songwriting was always that the thoughts flew fast. Songwriting was major in her life, she always had music flowing through her pretty little head. Yes, she was always working with film because of the abrupt end to her showtune-singing broadway career, but she wanted to write her own movie soundtracks. Right now the screen was lit with her latest script, a love story about musicians, and she needed some inspiration for a song. Zoning in was rare during the day for her as she was always a night owl. All the best of her writing happened in the early am hours, but today she really needed to just sit down, relax, write, make music, and meet people.

Sudden there was a shout from the nerdy guy that made her jump. At first she let the surprise sink in that she chuckled. "Congrats on whatever it is that you just accomplished." She casually said, a smile playing across her glossed lips. It wouldn't hurt for her to make a few friends. Piper was one to be timid in new places, especially since she didn't exactly know anyone in the entire town. That guy didn't seem to intimidating, after anyone with that much coffee was probably a regular. As far as Piper knew, coffee shop regulars were always pleasant people unless they constantly had their faces buried in newspapers. Those people were usually a little bit more prickly.
"He's a hottie too..." she thought, then she chastised herself in her head "You haven't even met him yet! STOP! Don't need another situation like Tommy do you now? Just keep writing and make a friend!"

She didn't have as much time to talk to the guy as expected because a barista walked to the small stage and tapped into the microphone. There was a sharp sound of feedback that caused everyone to look up.
"Surprise, surprise, can I call Miss Piper Rae Starr to the stage?" he said, looking right at her.
Piper knew she might be sound checking a little bit but she had no idea that they'd just call her up there and ask her to play. She nodded slowly, just once and reached for her guitar. She quickly attached the strap, checked the tuning and grab a cord out of the case pocket. The redhead was never one for stage fright, but being in this unfamiliar place where she knew she was among people she would start to see all the time; with the addition of knowing they'd be judging her from this; that was something a little harder to stomach.
Heels clicked as she timidly made her way to the stage. The barist had set a barstool in front of the mic for her. He smiled at her, "knock em' dead, your brother dropped a demo here a while ago. Yeah this is last minute, but you really do rock!"
Piper shyly smiled back and took the microphone. She quickly put it on the stand. "Hey everyone, it's great to be here in the town of Alpine Falls. I'm Piper Rae Starr" Her voice felt huge and echoey; it made her nervous. "This is a song I wrote about a beautiful boy that I always knew would hurt me, but in the end, he made me stronger."
The lights felt like they were burning into her, and she could see the face of the crowd. It wasn't that she wasn't used to crowds, this was actually quite small, but she was unusually nervous this round. She took a deep breath before she started to sing;

"... Pretty boy too scared to fly
I know you won't stay,
But neither can I
Our kisses have been oh so sweet
But we're far to young, to wild, and must run free
We must run free

Oh golden boy I can never call you mine
But I can't seem to stay away
I know I shouldn't ask but
Who hurt you so bad?
Who was it to make you so afraid?

Pretty boy too scared to fly, I know you won't stay
Neither can I
Our kisses are oh so sweet
But we're far too young, to wild, and must run free

My heart's afraid of pain too,
I know much better than to give it to you
Oh pretty boy you'll never stay
But in this moment, I wouldn't have it any other way

So hold me tight one more time,
Golden boy I want your lips on mine
Right in this moment so recklessly
We know we're young, too wild, and need to be set free
Need to be set free

I must run free... "

Note: All original lyrics copyright of yours truly

[aspen lee grace]

Aspen was incredibly good at embarrassing himself unecessarily. The blush that creeped across his cheeks at the young woman who congradulated him made him sit down and turn away. He rocked slightly. No women talked to him, ever. They usually giggled when he shuffled by on the way to class, clutching his books tightly to his chest. Then they would burst into laughter when someone tripped him, sending all his papers flying. It was just like high school still. Everyone pi9cking on the nerds. He was about to turn around and thank the girl for talking but a horrible sound crawled into his ears, making him cover his ears and hide behind his laptop. Horrible sounds, he didn't like those. Deciding to lose himself in his game again, he didn't look up when they called a Piper to the stage Piper was a musical name, a type of Cherokee instrument that many tribes still played at gatherings. Not that he'd been to any Cherokee reservations, he did have Youtubbe however. Youtube solved a lot of great answers. He did sneakily peek over his laptop again when he heard her voice. It was that redhead. He blushed and retreated into his shell. Aspen was incredibly shy. When she started to sing it only made him blush more, his eyes swelling. PenPen was also very sensitive, and this sad song about jerk men and freedom was going to make him cry. The couple in the table beside him saw his sensitivity and chuckled, throwing their straw wrappers at him. Aspen, feelings stung, got up and retreated outside and sat on the curb, leaving all his belongings in the cafe. Leaving in the middle of her song, almost rudely.

[piper rae starr]

Piper's eyes darted back and forth through the crowd as she sang. There was no explanation to her sudden skittishness on stage, all she knew was that she had to hide it, push any nervousness into the back of her mind. She was performing, it's what she always did. Her fingers swam across the guitar, like clockwork. It was memorized, yet she could pull in something different every time, that's what made her songs personable.

The sound of a chair scrapping across the floor, followed by a closing door. Piper's eyes followed the figure our the door, then glanced back to the table where he had come from. It was the loud nerd she had commented to earlier. Now the question was, was it the song or was it that she had talked to him earlier; the was the confusing thing.

The lights felt blinding, the applause wasn't crazy but it was there, everything felt louder than it was from the stage. A whistle in the crowd brought a smile to the redhead's face. They wanted more. Part of her wanted to make sure the stranger was okay, hopefully she didn't offend him, the last thing she needed was to start out in a new town with a bad rep. Her mind quickly debated if she would entice the crowd with another song or to check on the nerd. The crowd had to be pleased.

"Thank you, thank you everyone," in a place not in the south, she felt extra self conscious of her light Georgian accent. "Sadish song ain't it? Well I guess I'll life up your spirits a little bit with something a stitch happier. This is "I Wouldn't Mind" by He Is We." Working a crowd between songs was something that Piper was always sure she could do, if all else fails she could pull the cute southern girl card, playing off the accent and her father's country lingo. Usually if she was sharing the stage with someone, she'd play a bit of bantering to raise the crowd's anticipation.

"Merrily we fall
Out of line, out of line
I’d fall anywhere with you
I’m by your side

Swinging in the rain
Humming melodies
We're not going anywhere until we freeze

I’m not afraid, anymore
I’m not afraid

Forever is a long time
But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side

Carefully we'll place our destiny
You came and you took this heart, and set it free
Every word you write or sing is so warm to me, so warm to me
I’m torn, I’m torn to be right where you are

I’m not afraid, anymore
I’m not afraid

Forever is a long time
But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side
Tell me everyday I get to wake up to that smile
I wouldn't mind it at all
I wouldn't mind it at all

You so know me
Pinch me gently
I can hardly breathe

Forever is a long, long time
But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side
Tell me everyday I get to wake up to that smile
I wouldn't mind it at all
I wouldn't mind it at all"

More applause, more whistles, more cheers. Enough to bring a glowing smile to Piper's face. She giggled but shied away from camera flashes, those could make her nervous sometimes. "Thank you, ya'll are an awesome crowd." Her voice was back to it's normally bubbly cheer, just with an added shakiness. "That's all I have for you right now, I can't wait to be back if you'll have me again." The redhead's cheeks flushed a shade of pink. She glanced over to the barista who gave her a thumbs up symbol. Then unlike most time's she was performing, she hurried off stage. Adrenaline pumped through her veins from the nerves. She handed the guitar to the barista "Hold this, I need some air," Piper quickly said before walking outside.

The nerd was there. She watched him for a second before sitting down on the curb and taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. The outside air felt cool and soothing after the heat and pressure of making an impression on that stage. Hopefully the performance was good enough to make up for her bolting after two songs.

"Nice outside this evening ain't it?" Piper said, her country accent really show when she said "ain't" northernerers never used that word did they?" Really all she cared to do was to relax her mind, and make an awkward silences. The weather was always a safe topic as far as her mother had taught her about etiquette.

(If you want to listen to the song:
)

[aspen lee grace]

He sat solemly on the curb, thinking about himself. Aspen knew he was overly sensitive. He also knew this sensitivity made him weak, pathetic.Pulling his knees to his chest, he wondered why no one wanted to be his friend. His mind trailed to the red head back in the cafe,

She was, amazing. Her voice, her looks. Everything. Everything about her screamed that she was too good for him. Best just to walk away now before it even got started. Not like she'd even bother speaking with him. He was nothing but a nerd. Maybe she liked ninjas....

No, that was a terrible idea. Girls didn't like ninjas. Especially girls like her. She probably liked the buff rockstar like men. The polar opposite of his geekness of total nerdy nerddom. He heaved a sigh and stood just when she walked out. He froze. What was he going to do now.

Aspen could get a total stutter when talking to girls. It amazed him that he had a child somewhere. Everytime he stepped out into the public eye in the female world his genitalia felt like it was going to curl up and die from underuse.

When she sat down, he suddenly found himself very foolish for remaining standing the entire time. He opened his mouth to speak to her but closed it, unsure what to say. Then she spoke.

He nearly lept out of his skin in fright. spinning around, he faced her then looked around for anyone else who might possibly be around. Looking in credibly confused, he watched her carefully, wondering if she could possibly be speaking to him. Was it possible she had an imaginary friend? Did imaginary friends care about the weather? He bit his lip and took in a breath of air. "Are you talking to me-ee?" his voice cracked horribly in the middle of the word 'me' sending the pitch of his voice to a lovely soprano. He gasped then covered his mouth with both hands, his face turning beet red with embarassment.

She was going to laugh at him. He knew it. He just knew it. Tears sprung to his eyes and he quickly turned away from her, feeling like he was about to burst into tears from the nervousness and embarrassment

[piper rae starr]

Piper looked at the boy, he seemed about her age. Definitely not some frat boy, definitely not a jock. Oh wait, she remembered; he was the one with the homework, laptop, and chess piece. He appeared to be in a state of nervousness, maybe not too unlike her own, of course his obviously wasn't caused by a stage fright anxiety attack.
His voice cracked, not typically something typically heard, but Piper knew what it was like to be ridiculed for a voice. She wasn't one that would join the masses like that. But today it was just him and her on the curb of a coffee shop, both of them needing a break from people she assumed.

"Yeah, you." she said with a sweet smile. MIght as well make some friends right? "Sorry, awkward way for me start a conversation isn't it? I'm -" she said, holding her hand out to shake his. He looked like a deer in the headlights, whatever spooked him, Piper wasn't exactly sure.

She was interrupted by the barista, walking outside, holding her guitar. "You okay?" He asked, offering the guitar to her. "You kinda ran off... They loved you though."
"Yeah sorry about that, just a little panic attack, I'm fine, just getting some air." Piper said in a rush of words. She took the guitar from the barista's hands. "Thank you." It felt like she was saying sorry every few minutes at this rate.
"Well, if you're feeling an encore, you're welcome to the stage at any time." The barista said before turning and going back inside.

"Sorry about that, my name's Piper." She finished, turning back to the boy. There it was again; "sorry"

[aspen lee grace]

What was he doing? Talking to this soon to be popular Hollywood chick.. She should mean nothing to him. Shifting his weight from one leg to another he listened as she spoke. She showed no hint of acknowledgement to the break in his voice when he spoke to her. So, she was talking to him. He was suddenly petrified.

Wanting to escape from this girl he shifted from leg to leg again, looking at his hand, trying to think of an excuse to leave. When she held out her hand he stared into her eyes then at her hand before slowly reaching out and taking her hand, giving it a quick shake before backing off, looking at his feet, not talking. He was too nervous to talk.

This wasn't right. He looked around, uncertain, taking his chance when the barista arrived to turn and start walking away. He'd only regret getting to know her. He knew her type. The little celebrity girl that took pity on nerds like him, only to use him when his guard was low.

When she spoke to him again he was a good ten feet away. He paused then turned and watched her a moment before muttering "I'm Aspen. And yeah, make fun of me because I'm named after a tree." his voice was more bitter than he wanted it to be, but he almost didn't care. Turning away again he stood with his back to her, unsure.

[piper rae starr]

Piper's bright blue eyes glanced over to the boy, he had moved. Was it her? All she knew is that she could've majorly embarrassed herself, despite with the barista said.
He looked like a nervous wreak, it was obvious, but he was cute. But the part that made Piper notice him wasn't necessarily the skittishness, it was that he didn't seem judgmental at all. He didn't look like a person that would use her friendship to try to climb up the ladder of success or anything, he seemed content with his life behind a screen.
"Nice to meet you Aspen," Piper's voice was calm, clear, and sweet, "Being named after a tree isn't too bad, my brother sometimes calls me Pieface, I doubt it gets much worse than that." Piper said with a light chuckle and a tiny bit of blush from randomly blurting out her childhood nickname that stuck with her. "Pipers are people that play flutes, imagine all the jokes that would lead to if that's what people thought of when they heard my name. I don't even play the flute."
As far as this redhead was concerned, weird names kept everyone a bit more original. As far as her brother and father were concerned, it was one more thing that made her stick out in the industry. She had been raised for it, quite literally.
Being the youngest surprise child to her parents, they had decided she would be the last one. That meant they'd have a lot of time for her once the other kids were out of the house. They named her Piper because all they wanted was for her to be a great musician. Judging from their other kids all inheriting the talent, Piper shouldn't be any exception. Therefore, an unusual name would be perfect. It was between Piper or Lyre. Good thing it was Piper.

[aspen lee grace]

Biting his lip, he turned around and looked at her, unsure what to say or do around this girl. Things were about to get bad. He thought to himself as he glanced toward his car. The perfect excuse came into his head. He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off and continued talking. Okay, Yeah, Piper's a flutist yeah. "I knew..." Being cut off again he looked at his feet, eyes rolling. She seemed to be the type that liked to talk about themselves alone.

He didn't like that type of person, honestly. Deciding not to be rude, he waited until she stopped then nodded "Umm. Nice to meet you too." he said softly, playing with his hands. His attraction for her was slowly starting to slip. She was pretty, and she seemed nice, but something about her scared the young man. Not a good first impression. Maybe he was just paranoid. Looking around again he looked at her "Umm. I need to go feed my horse... Sorry" maybe that was the wrong thing to say. Girls liked horses.

She was probably rich enough to have a horse better than his old rundown Thoroughbred anyway.

[piper rae starr]

This was getting awkward, maybe it was her own awkwardness. Piper knew she was a bit awkward sometimes, even if she was a pretty little redhead. "You have a horse? Cool! You're so lucky!" Piper exclaimed at the mention of horses. She was always an animal lover, horses were gorgeous and no exception to that fact.
"Stop babbling, you're doing it again, and being awkwardly weird and stuff!" mind shouted at herself, making Piper blush just a little on the outside.
"Don't forget your laptop and stuff, you left it in the coffee shop." She added with a sweet smile. She remembered him bolting out, for a reason she still couldn't figure out, but the laptop, homework, and random chess piece were probably still sitting on the table. Losing a laptop would majorly suck.
Now why he was in such a hurry to leave was a bit baffling to the girl. He probably had a steaming cup of coffee getting cold on that table too, not that she paid enough attention to detail to remember that. Either way, it probably wasn't steaming anymore if it existed. Really she just remembered the chess piece, maybe there was a story behind why it was there. There wasn't even a whole set, just the single piece, strange.

[aspen lee grace]

So she didn't have a horse. He simply nodded then shrugged "He's nothing much. A thoroughbred retired from the track..." he said, his voice just a mutter "Not the kind of horse you're probably used to. Andalusians and such." he shrugged looking up at her to see her blush. A brow raised up as he imagined what she could be thinking of. Probably her hot celebrity boyfriend. Snorting he turned to leave when she stopped him again.

Oh yeah, his laptop. Muttering his thanks he retreated into the coffee shop, logging off of his computer, he put it back in his bag, cleaned up the coffee cups that kept him awake for hours at a time. Looking up he reached for his white knight only to see that the chess piece was gone. His heart exploded. That chess piece was his prized possession. A good luck charm. It was gone.

He found the piece in Vegas before he met the mother of his son. The white knight was just sitting on the sidewalk waiting to be picked up by a curious average Joe. That piece was in his pocket, and since then, good things had happened to him. The birth of his son, going to an awesome university. In a rush, he started searching under the table, around the chairs and in his bag, even in the trash can. People laughed from around him. Calling him nasty names and throwing empty latte cups at him. He payed them no mind.

When he couldn't find it, he slid to the floor, trembling.

[piper rae starr]

Piper's eyes followed the boy inside, still a good bit confused about his abrupt leave. There she was sitting outside of a coffee shop with a guitar in her hand. Her hands moved along the neck, she fingerpicked a few notes, but the eerie silence was getting creepy. Being outside alone when there was so much life on the inside of the building was extra awkward. With that, she got up, took a deep breath, and retreated back inside.

Upon stepping inside, the boy from outside, what was his name? Right, Aspen, that was it, was apparently searching for something, maybe his car keys since he was about to leave? Piper didn't think any of it and laid her guitar in the open battered leather case. She sat down, noticed the ice in her latte had melted, but took a long sip anyways.
The couple sitting at the next table complimented her music, making her blush when she thought about her little panic attack. They also made a comment about her accent, something Piper was shy about around Alpine Falls.

The boy caught her eye again, he was now frantically searching for something, and people weren't exactly nice to him about it. The redhead was really beginning to have doubts on if people in this town were nice or not.

The next thing she knew, he was on the floor, it must've been something a lot more important than his keys that he had lost. Something much more important. She stood up, and walked over to him, which was really just a few steps and knelt down next to him. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, concern written all over her face. "You look like you lost something, want some help?" she offered.