AMY'S POV
Today marked the third week. The third week of Amy's somewhat new life since she had packed her things up and moved out of her mom's house and away from little old Portland, Oregon. New York City had proven itself to be scary, or rather intimidating, but the blonde liked to think that she was settling in quite well. Her apartment was finally all decorated and nearly every box had been unpacked. Work and whatnot was going great, she had managed to create a new routine to which she was adjusting pretty quickly. A routine that included a daily stop at the local coffee shop, just two blocks away from home sweet home, at 7:35 A.M sharp, whether it be during the week or the weekend. She had gotten to know the staff pretty quickly and everyone who worked there knew exactly what she meant by "the usual".
It was Friday morning, and albeit it was snowing and quite windy, Amy still needed her coffee thus paying a predictable visit to Central Perk and it's employees.
"Good morning!" She said cheerfully, shaking the snow off of her jacket and taking her hood down. "It's a chilly one, isn't it?" She continued, stopping at a table for a bit of small talk with another regular before walking up to the counter. "I'll take the usual.. Make it an extra large today, though. Please."
"Sure thing, Amy!" The lady, who was probably in her mid fifties took the money from Amy and then proceeded to get her drink ready.
"Hey, Martha? What's this?" Amy asked as she pointed to the sign on the billboard that said Open Mic Night. "Since when is this a thing? Is it tonight?"
"Open mic night? It used to be quite popular about six months ago.. I have no idea why we stopped it but the big boss thought it'd be a good idea to start it up again.. Maybe business will pick up too." She handed her the freshly brewed coffee before continuing. "It is tonight. Drop by if you get a chance. You'd be surprised at the local talent we have."
Amy took her coffee and nodded, "I most definitely will. See you at 6!" She said before leaving the shop and making her way to the law firm where she worked. Amy was a lawyer fresh out of University and although she didn't think her job would ever consist of answering phone calls and making donut runs, she knew that everyone had to start somewhere and if this what she had to do to eventually amount to bigger and better things, then so be it. Mostly she was in training, something like an intern and no matter how much she wanted to be in court defending some badass case, she knew that first and foremost, taking notes was crucial.
The day dragged on, just like every Friday did. Concentrating was rather hard when the only thing on her mind was how close the weekend was and how excited she was to finally have some time off. The week had been crazy and she had gone home more than once with a coffee stained shirt, but hey, shit happens. The clock finally hit 5 and Amy waited not a second longer to pack her things up, grab her purse and head out of the building. By then the snow had stopped and the weather was rather mild. The blonde made it back to her apartment by 5:15 which was, so far, a record time. Quickly she changed into something a little more casual- a simple pair of jeans, a somewhat baggy black tshirt and a flannel shirt over it. She freshened up, fixed her makeup a little and by 5:50, she was out of her apartment yet again.
Upon reaching Central Perk, she could easily see the stage had been set up in the corner. Luckily she was one of the first people to show up and nearly every seat was still available. Amy got herself a coffee and a sandwich- because no, she hadn't had the time to grab something to eat before leaving her place, and chose what was possibly the best seat in the house. Just in time, too! Almost as if it were on cue, people started piling in and soon there were no seats available. The lights dimmed, barely, but just noticeable and Martha popped up on stage, grabbing the mic. The show was about to start.
"Hi everyone! It's so good to see all of you. I can't believe the turn out, really. We are going to have to invest in more chairs." She said and all who were there let out a chuckle before she continued. "Now our first guest tonight, is no stranger.. I'm sure most of you have seen her perform, unless it's your first night. But back by popular demand, give it up for Karma Ashcroft!"
The crowd started cheering, almost as if someone had announced that One Direction was going to be up next to a bunch of prepubescent girls. Amy looked around, smiling at everyone's reaction before clapping herself. She barely had the time to take a bite out of her sandwich before the redhead made her way up on the stage, guitar in hand and as she looked up from the food and at this Karma girl, Amy was mesmerized. My god, she was beautiful. Breathtaking, even.
"Hey guys! It's been a long time, but I'm happy to be back. I only have one song for you tonight but I'm hoping I'll have a few more by next Friday. This is my take on Free Fallin' by John Mayer.. Or whoever the singer is, I don't know.." And with that, she began strumming ever so effortlessly and as she opened her mouth, Amy could've sworn she heard the voice of an angel.
Just as she was really getting into the song and the performance, Karma was singing the last lyric and before Amy knew it, the red head had disappeared off stage. But she had to find her. She had to find this girl who had her in complete awe for the past five minutes, she needed to meet her. Getting up from her table, Amy made her way to the back of the stage, which was more or less a make-shift dressing room made out of the unused part of the kitchen. Looking up from her phone, she immediately spotted the redhead.
"Hey, um.. I mean hi. You don't know me, obviously. But uh, I just wanted to tell you that that was fucking amazing, you were amazing."
"Well thank you...?" She said, offering a half hearted smile.
"Oh right, Amy. I'm Amy.. It's nice to meet you Karma." She held her hand out and Karma grabbed it, neither of them let go just yet. They locked eyes and Amy's heart was beating 100 miles per hour. Karma had the most beautiful eyes Amy had ever seen but despite the beauty in them, she could also see.. hurt? Pain? Karma looked broken.. Something she had managed to hide so well while on stage. This little moment they were sharing was quickly shattered by the rough voice of an older man.
"Karma, we're leaving. Now."
And just like that, she left, nonetheless giving Amy an apologetic look before.
