A/N: This is my entry for the Bade AU Challenge. My prompt was Jade sitting in Beck's favorite seat. It's been a while since I've written for these two so hopefully I haven't lost my touch.
Table Meant for Two
Day 1
Beck's favorite breakfast place was the Asphalt Café. It had the best coffee and pastries he'd ever had, and he found himself dropping by every morning for breakfast.
Another reason he liked the place was because it was very low-key. There were no screaming fans there, so it was a relief to be able to eat a meal without being bombarded by fans.
The last reason was this little booth in the corner of the restaurant. It provided a nice view and Beck made a point of sitting there every day. Except today was different. Today someone new was sitting there. A stranger he'd never seen in his two years of eating here.
He felt conflicted. Maybe he could ask her to move? But then again he was not the type to argue over something as pointless as a seat. Instead he gave up and found a different seat. One day wouldn't harm him.
Day 8
Every day! Every. Single. Day. For eight days the mystery woman had been in his booth. No matter how early he came she always beat him and he always left before she did.
This had been a bad week and he just wanted some part of his routine back. The ratings of his show seemed to be getting lower and lower and he knew if they didn't get better soon it'd be cancelled. Then his mother insisted on setting him up with one of her friend's daughters. He was supposed to meet her here tomorrow and honestly he was not looking forward to it.
Feeling all the way defeated, he went over to her.
"Excuse me." She didn't bother looking up, instead she kept typing on her computer. The same one she brought with her every day.
"Excuse me." He tried again but with no luck. "Um, this is usually where I sit every day and I've noticed you've been here lately. If you don't mind I would like to have it back."
Silence.
"And I kind of have this date tomorrow and I'd feel a lot better about it if I could just have this booth back."
More silence.
"Are you listening to me?"
He eventually left, realizing he would not get an answer, but was surprised to find the booth empty the next day. Instead his mystery woman was nowhere to be seen.
Day 10
When he walked into the Asphalt Café, Beck was actually happy to see the mystery woman back in his booth. He ordered his usual and instead of finding a different seat like he's done before he sat right down in his booth with her.
Immediately she stopped typing and looked up at him, her face twisted up in anger. This had been the first time he'd seen her face fully, and it caused his stomach to dance. She was beautiful. Pale skin, dark hair, very blue eyes. It almost seemed weird to see such a beautiful person look so upset.
"I, uh, wanted to thank you for letting me have the booth yesterday." He tried sending her a reassuring smile.
"You're welcome now leave!"
"Or we could share. I won't bother you."
"Leave." She growls, but he doesn't. And after a while she gives up and goes back to typing and he gets to enjoy his favorite booth once again.
He does this the next day and the next day, and every day after that.
She warms up to him.
Day 23
Today she looks sad. He's used to her looking angry or bored, but never sad. She's made it clear that she doesn't want him talking to her but he can't help it. For some reason seeing her sad makes him feel a little sad as well.
"Did something happen? You just look really sad. Do you want to maybe talk about it?"
She ignores him and keeps typing. He eats the rest of his breakfast in silence but just when he's about to get up he says something.
"My best friend Cat is moving to be with her boyfriend." He's almost not sure she's talking to him, because when he looks up at her she's still looking at her computer screen.
"That actually sucks." He says, because he's not sure what else to say.
"Yeah she's kinda my only friend, so I'll miss her." After that he gets up to leave because he really is late for a meeting but before he leaves she gives him a small smile.
His heart beats faster.
Day 41
He kind of just wants the world to swallow him. The news hadn't been a surprise but he still felt devastated. Really he wishes that he'd just stayed in bed this morning. But he knew if he did that he'd do the same the next day and the next day and before he knew it his sadness would take over his life.
So he forces himself out of bed and to the café. He doesn't greet her like usual and he pretty sure he sulks all morning.
"Okay what's wrong? I can't work if you keep sighing every second." She's looking up at him and for a second nothing feels wrong. But he blinks and reality crashes down on him and he remembers why he was so miserable in the first place.
"My show got cancelled." Is what he offers and he looks down ashamed. He's 23 and all he has to his name are two failed shows and a handful of Indie movies. Slowly and surely Hollywood is starting to kill him.
"Yeah, that shows where you play a psycho? Totally cool in its first half, but by the second half the show became about that girl Lo. She was such a special snowflake character, it got annoying." It's the longest thing she's ever said to him and he's shocked. He didn't think she even knew who he was.
'We got a new writer and it seemed like he ruined everything. There was so much potential then he came and ruined everything."
"Well I'm sure there will be more roles for you Beck Oliver."
Her words make him feel better and it's not until he has to leave that he realizes she knows his name but he doesn't know hers.
"Jade. Jade West."
Day 66
"You really shouldn't be so mean to people." He looks in the direction that the scared waiter went off to, and he's pretty sure the poor guy is shaking.
Jade only laughs. She's beautiful when she laughs. Not that most people would know that. Since they've began talking he realized that Jade loved scaring people and that she was a bit intense. These things made her seem intimidating, but he was beginning to know better.
"Like you're so innocent 'Mr. I flirt with some girl in the coffee shop even though I have a girlfriend'." He glares at her because, well she's right.
Tori is a nice girl but she's so normal. She's nice to everyone she meets and is funny, and his parent's love her but she bores him out of his mind. He's always found normal to be boring.
"What makes you think I flirt with you?"
"You stare at my breasts at least three times a day and you buy me coffee. Where I come from that's flirting. Just know I'm no one's side girlfriend."
"So you're saying if I was single you'd want to date me?"
She throws a croissant at his head.
He breaks up with Tori.
Day 111
For five days in a row she doesn't show up and he begins to worry. He doesn't have her phone number and had no way of contacting her.
Eventually he decides to Google her name in hopes of finding her on facebook and he's amused to see pictures of her, much younger than she is right now on stage. He looks up some stuff in before long he realizes that she was in a Broadway production.
When she finally comes back he teases her for days.
Day 159
"So I have to go out of the country for filming. I'll be gone for a while." She raises an eyebrow. "Will you miss me?" She doesn't answer.
He asks for her number.
She gives it to me.
Day 171
Do you miss me yet?
I miss when you bought me coffee
Ouch, that hurts
I'll be back in 2 weeks ;)
Are you still there?
I can see you've read these
Jade
Jade
Fine then
:(
Day 213
"Where have you been? I tried texting you and you didn't answer."
He had been worried that maybe she didn't want to hang out with him anymore. The thought had made him extremely sad. But now she was back and she seemed really happy which was a good thing. Unless she was happy because she met someone. Then it wasn't a good thing that she was happy at all.
"I was shooting a tv pilot." She pulls out her phone and taps it a few times before handing it to him. He takes one look at the picture and begins to choke on his spit. This is really embarrassing, but she looks so…wow. "It's one of the outfits my characters wears. And it's one of the more conservative ones.
"Congratulations." He says albeit slightly dazed.
She smiles.
So does he.
Day 288
"We should have sex." He's sure his eyes are wide and his mouth is hanging open. She's drunk. He figured that much when she stumbled in, but her last words confirm it.
She had told him that her friend Cat was back in town a bit and that they would be going out, but he didn't think that meant she would be showing up drunk.
"Okay maybe we should get you back home." She shakes her head, and places her hand on his thigh before she starts rubbing it. He's pretty sure she thinks she's rubbing some place different but he lets it go. "Yeah come on."
He manages to get her home and into her apartment. There's bottles and food everywhere and he lets out a long whistle. "Looks like you and your friend had a fun time."
She nods, and is out a few seconds later.
Neither brings it up again.
Day 303
He's in love. He wonders if she is too. When she smiles at him like that, he knows she's in love.
Day 344
"So, it's almost been a year." She says. "Can't believe you started a fight over this booth." They both laugh.
"Hey, it's a pretty great booth." He thinks she's what makes it great.
"Yeah, but you were so pathetic that day. Telling me all about your date with your girlfriend. I figured if I let you have the seat you'd stop looking like a kicked puppy.
He hardly remembers Tori. Tori who was really nice but also just so boring.
But Jade isn't. Jade is fire, and sunlight, and everything he's not. Jade keeps him guessing, and he knows more than anyone that she's hiding such a big heart under all that anger.
He's getting closer.
Day 365
She's not there and he wonders why. He tries calling her but only gets her voicemail. He knows she doesn't have anything to film today. Was he the only person we who thought today was special.
He waits for another hour before he realizes she's not coming. With a heavy heart he pays his bill and heads out. It's not like they made plans, but he just thought she'd think of today as being important.
Later, he would deny it, but he pretty much spent the rest of the day sulking. He watches Netflix and walks around with no pants on and eats ice cream straight out of the carton. If he friends saw him they'd never let him live it down.
It's not until almost midnight that he hears a knock. He opens the door and she's on his porch with a coffee in her hands.
"Emergency filming. I didn't mean to miss today." He smiles.
Then she's pulling his face down and his lips are on her lips and it's the best he's felt in a very long time.
Hours later she'll tease him for never making a move and he'll let her.
He'll let her do anything as long as she stays.
And he wants her to stay forever.