Tuesday, 8:21P.M.
My name is Bella and I go to a community college so I could take care of my father. It's not that bad. I have a job in town. A nice woman named Fran employed me. She owns her own coffee shop called "Frantastic". It was a calm night in Forks; not much hustle and bustle. I like this small city. It's kind of homey. It's the kind of place you stroll through on a cold night, watching the street lights flicker and twinkle like magic, and happen to stroll into a warm, little coffee shop nestled on the end of the street, where inviting, sweet music and the smell of cinnamon and orange blossom flows through the door as you open it. I was making a double espresso, when Fran came over to me.
"I can take over the espresso. Why don't you take this tray to table four?" She said, setting a tray with a soy latte, a half-calf cappuccino, and one of Fran's homemade blueberry muff ins.
"Okay." I said, dusting off my hands on my apron. I carried the tray from behind the counter towards table four off to the side of the shop. I kept my eyes on the tray, trying not to spill coffee. This wasn't a smart idea, because I accidently ran into someone, and we both went crashing to the floor, and the coffee came flying down on us. He grunted as the hot coffee soaked his blue cotton shirt. I pulled myself off of him and held out my hand for his. He took it and I helped him up.
"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! Let me help you. We have some club soda in the back. I didn't mean to make this mess. It's just I got this job just a few weeks ago and I've been trying not to screw it up. I bet I burned you pretty bad with the coffee. Ugh! I am so going to get fired. What will Charlie say? I don't--"
The guy put his hand over my mouth and smirked playfully.
"Just lead the way." He chuckled. I blushed, cleared my throat, smoothed my coffee-covered ponytail, and led him to the employee lounge. I closed the door behind us and went to the fridge.
"So what's your name?" He asked.
"Oh, um, I'm Bella." I gushed.
"Very lovely name. My name is Jasper. Nice to meet you."
I pulled out the bottle of club soda and turned around to see he was shirtless. I don't know why I was stunned, but I think I stopped in my tracks and gasped. I think I might have even made a little whimper/groan. And I think he might have heard it because he looked up at me and chuckled. I held out my hand and he tossed me his shirt and I tossed him a towel. Maybe this was below me, but I kept sneaking peeks at Jasper. He was drying his arms and watching me dab the club soda into the soft light blue cotton shirt. I tried to hide a smile. I couldn't understand why I was so attracted to Jasper. I hardly knew him. But there was something about him. He's different than any other college guy I know that just like kegs and overbearing women. They disgust me. But jasper was different. His shirt was nearly dry so I brought it over to him and handed it to him. He reached for it and his hand brushed mine. My stomach jolted and I got lightheaded. I cleared my throat nervously.
"I like your tattoo." I babbled, feeling like an idiot for not knowing what else to say.
"Really? Well, thank you, ma'am. I put a lot of thought into it." He said. I impulsively traced my fingers across the tattoo on his left hip. It was a rose with pedals falling off and it said "Faith is a virtue. Love is a promise."
"Why did you get it?" I asked. My eyes were locked on his tattoo.
"It's for my sister. She's seven years old and she has cancer. I've been praying for her every day and visit her in the hospital almost every week. I love seeing her eyes light up whenever I come."
"Oh, that is so sweet, Jasper. She's lucky to have you." I said. Then snapping out of it, I quickly removed my fingers from his hip, and went to put the club soda back away. He pulled on his shirt. We walked back out to the front. I saw Fran making small talk with a man waiting for his mocha to be prepared. She winked at me, and I could've guessed what she was thinking, what with Jasper trailing behind me. But she only said one thing.
"Bella, it is Tuesday."
I felt my cheeks warm. Oh. Tuesday nights and Thursday nights are nights that I perform songs for the people in the coffee shop. I turned to Jasper, who was playing with the strings of my apron.
"I have to go to stage now." I squeaked.
"Understandable." He said, taking a seat on the leather loveseat in the corner by the coffee table.
My hands were sort of shaky and the back of my neck broke out in a cold sweat. He was watching me. He was going to watch me come up here and sing. Ugh. Here goes nothing.
Whenever I perform, I usually pick a Norah Jones song to sing, because she has songs that lift my spirits and I get lost in the music when I am singing them. So I took a deep breath as the house band began to play a happy, soft melody. I smiled to the people watching me as I rocked side to side on the stool I was sitting on. I grabbed the microphone and sang "Feelin' the Same Way" by Norah Jones.
"The sun just slipped it's note below my door, and I can't hide beneath my sheets, I've read the words before so now I know time has come again for me, And I'm feelin' the same way all over again, feelin' the same way all over again, singin' the same lines all over again, no matter how much I pretend…"
When the song ended, I grinned while the audience applauded, and climbed down from the tiny stage. Jasper was waiting there for me with one of Fran's homemade blueberry muffins, picking off blueberries and popping them into his mouth. He smiled a winning smile at me and my heart fluttered. I returned the smile.
"You've got talent. That was so wonderful." He said, offering me a bite of his muffin. I took a tiny bite and laughed.
"Really? Well I think your reasoning skills are slightly shy of perfect, because that was not wonderful. It was just…me. I'm no Norah Jones." I said.
"I beg to differ. It was wonderful. You are wonderful. Norah Jones would be awestruck right now." He said, moving a loose strand of hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear. I sighed blissfully with my eyes closed.
"You know, I wasn't so sure of myself. The only way I can find myself is through music. It's all I know. It takes me places. It makes me feel things. It makes life livable." I said with a smile on my lips. Jasper studied my face and murmured something I couldn't quite hear. It sort of sounded like "You found me" but I couldn't be so sure. He glanced up at the wall clock.
"It's 10:00, Bella. I believe your shift is over. Would you mind if I drove you home?" He said. I looked at Fran, who had just put up the last of the clean cups, and turned off the lights behind the counter. She'd wiped down the bar, the tables, the seats, and swept up while I stood there in a daze, absorbed in Jasper. I felt so bad for sticking her with the work. All the chairs were flipped upside down on the tables and all the candles were blown out. She grabbed her jacket and turned to see us still over by the loveseat. She tossed me my keys and said,
"Hey, Bella, lock up when you're down." She smiled, her cheeks stretching up to where her freckles danced across her nose. I nodded.
"Okay, Jasper. You can give me a ride home." I said after Fran walked out. He grinned at me.
"Great. Come with me." He said, grabbing me firmly by the elbow and pulled me behind the counter. He stood behind me and yanked the black apron with pink lettering off my hips revealing my blue jeans that hugged my waist and my Frantastic shirt. He tucked his arm around my waist, and his warm fingers played at the visible skin of my hips. I giggled as he picked me up and took my keys, locking up for me. The street lights glittered around us as we disappeared around the corner and down the street.
