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Lauren got up and said, "What's the matter with him?" She walked after him.

"Trent?" Trent kept walking. "Where are you going? What the hell is wrong?"

"Go back inside Lauren."

"But your guitar is still in my car."

"I'll come by your work and get it tomorrow."

Lauren finally caught up to him and grabbed his shoulder, and he turned around so fast and so violently she stumbled back a bit. "What is the matter with you?"

Trent stared at her for a moment, his lips tight and his eyes narrow. Suddenly his face loosened up and he looked completely lost. "I don't know, Lauren. I'm just..." His face closed up again. "Go away. Go back inside."

"Trent." She grabbed his arm again and was hurt and surprised when he jerked his arm.

"Look, I'm just having a hard time. I don't know what else to tell you. You want me to get my guitar now? I'll get it. Let's go."

Lauren didn't move, even as Trent started walking towards her convertible.

"Come on." Trent almost shouted the words at her, but then he bit his lip and stood there, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry, Lauren. Look, you don't know me. Or my life. And trust me, you don't want to know me." Trent's face looked pleading. "Please. Just... Don't."

Lauren stared at him, confusion written on her face. "Trent... You... You seem like, you ARE a really nice, a really great guy." She said the words slowly, her accent thickening because of the knot in her throat, which she had no idea was there until she began to speak. "I'm sure you just... I want to get to know you and I don't know why... I don't know."

Trent stared at her, and his emotions all came flooding to the surface. He wanted to cry because he hated himself so much. He wanted to hate her. No one had ever seemed to want to get to know him, let alone said it, and no one had ever gotten up and gone after him when he left suddenly. "Lauren..." He said quietly. "Look. It's been a great night. This isn't going to work."

"What's 'this'?"

"This, us, whatever the hell you're trying to get us to be. Friends."

Lauren's face mirrored her disbelief. Her mouth worked but nothing came out. "Well, whatever then. Look, let me give you a ride home." When he began to argue, she held up her hand. "Look, it'll be easier. Just get in the damn car."

She walked back inside the café and grabbed her coat and purse. "I'm taking Trent home."

Felice noticed Lauren looked suddenly tired. "Are you alright, hun?"

"Yeah. Trent is just a handful."

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Zeek asked, his eyes narrowing.

"No, not at all. He's just... a jerk." She said quietly. "I'll see you all later."

"Call me, okay?" Felice said, letting go of Lauren's hand.

Lauren walked out to the car and got in. She turned the car on and sat for a minute, then clicked a button that switched the CD's in the player. 'The Last Day' by Evanescence started playing, and Lauren backed out.

"That's cool."

"What?"

"The CD changer disk thingy." Trent pointed.

"Yeah."

"Lauren, don't be mad at me."

"I'm not MAD at you, Trent, I'm just confused by you." She looked over at him. "Your open one minute then an asshole the next. I've never met anyone like you, and to tell you the truth, you're giving me a headache."

Trent stared at her. "You are the most straight forward person I have ever met. Other than Zeek that is."

Lauren rolled her eyes and hit the gas as the light turned green. "Yeah."

"Will you stop doing that?"

"Doing WHAT?"

"Rolling your eyes just about every time I say something."

"Then stop saying stupid things and I won't roll my eyes."

"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in high school again?"

"You mean you actually graduated?"

Trent started laughing. A loud, long laugh that even he didn't recognize. The minute he quieted down he was terribly embarrassed but didn't show it. "You're good."

Lauren wanted to bang Trent's head down on the dashboard. "Where the hell am I going? Where the hell do you live?"

"Just keep going straight. To Market Street."

"You live there?"

"Yeah. Something wrong with that?"

Lauren shook her head and reached over to turn the heater on full blast. "No, not at all. I just know some people down there."

"Really? You? Like who?"

"Milan. She's this really sweet lady who I buy fish from."

"I know her, too."

"Really now?"

"Yeah, I live in the loft above their business."

"Well, now that I know where you live maybe I'll just stop by once in a while."

"Yeah? And for what? You don't give up do you?"

"Not when I get so worked up and pissed off about something, no. And for coffee or something."

Trent just laughed. "Whatever."

Lauren pulled onto Market Street, which was still bright and alive with people. She pulled up to the fish market and parked. She reached down and pulled the switch that popped the trunk and then looked at him. Trent looked back at her for a moment, studying her face, then got out and closed the door. She watched him in the rearview mirror as he got his guitar case out of the trunk and then slammed it shut. She rolled down his window as he walked by. "See ya' Wednesday, Sugar."

Trent looked at her and gave her a queer look. "Yeah, yeah. Night."

He walked away.
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Robbie walked downstairs when he heard the door open. "How was the show?"

Lauren layed her coat down on the upholstered chair near the door and threw her purse on top of it. "It was great, and I saw the guy from the bookstore again."

"Really? Crazy. He was there?"

"No. Yes. He was the lead singer of Violent Twist, Violent Turn whatever the hell the name of his band is called."

"I take it things didn't go over too well?" Robbie crossed his arms over his chest. He was still wearing his slacks, but only his undershirt and socks.

"No. He said he didn't want what I was trying to force on him. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I mean, he got up during the middle of coffee and walked out so I went after him and he said I didn't want to get to know him and all this crazy jibberish. Then I talked him into letting me take him home, and he left this in my car." She took off the black cuff she had found on her dashboard and handed it to him. "I'm ready to do a voodoo spell on it and cast it into the fire."

Robbie laughed and then sniffed it. "Well, he smells pretty damn good. What is he, a punk?"

"No. He's like a... he sings rock-ish music, plays the guitar... He looks like a sleepy rocker. That sounds retarded."

Robbie laughed. "Well, I need to see this guy."

"You should have come with us tonight."

"I know, but the firm made me work hard on this stupid case that I'm not even close to being done with." He moved forward and enveloped Lauren in his arms. "I'm sure it was great though."

"I'm going to their next gig on Wednesday."

"Why? Not to see this jerk off again, I hope." Robbie pulled away slightly.

"No, Zeek invited me."

"Ohh, so now you know the band. That's cool." He kissed her forhead then let go and moved towards the doorway that led into the kitchen. "You want some tea?"

"Chamomile?" She asked hopefully.

"Will do." Lauren watched as Robbie got down two china cups and saucers, and then turned to the next cabinet and got down his wooden boxes of tea he kept on the third shelf. He put a tea bag in each cup, then spooned sugar into them and put hot water in. While putting a spoon into her cup, he handed it to her.

"Well?" He finally said.

"Well, what?"

"What's his name?" Robbie took a quick sip of his raspberry tea.

"Trent Grey."

"Oohh...." Robbie raised his eyebrows. "You like him."

"I do not!" She scoffed. "He's a self-centered jerk with no regard for how people are feeling."

"He noticed your accent, did he?"

"Yes, but he was nice about it..." Lauren looked down into her tea.

"See, you DO like him!" He set his cup down and sat down on a booth behind the counter. "Come on, admit it."

"Well, how can I help it? The man is absolutely stunning."

"He's into you?"

"I highly doubt it. Maybe he's more your type?"

Robbie laughed. "We'll figure that out after you tell me everything that happened."

Lauren's lips formed a tight line for a moment, and her blue eyes clouded over. "Well... he came out on stage and I knew instantly that he was the same guy from the bookstore. Afterward, Aiden took me and Felice backstage and introduced us to the band - they were awesome, by the way - and the whole time Trent stared at me and didn't really say anything. He didn't say anything the whole night, actually, except when we were alone. Anyway, I think it was Felice or Zeek that suggested we all go out for coffee but Trent piped up for once and said his car wasn't working. Which, by the way, was a shit faced lie." She took a sip of her coffee. "Anyway, I ended up giving him a ride to Starbucks... We all sat there, and he ordered at the same time I did, and ordered the same exact thing! That bugged me! After an hour, we were all having a good time and Trent just stood up and said he had to go and walked out."

Robbie raised his eyebrows again. "Problems much?"

Lauren nodded. "I got up and went after him, naturally. He told me to go away, basically. And he said he would come by my work tomorrow to get his guitar, which was in my trunk. But I stopped him because I was rather infuriated that he just stalked off from his friends. And then he started telling me how I wouldn't want to get to know him, and how I didn't know him so I needed to back off. He kept switching personalities on me. So anyway, afterword I talked him into letting me drive him home. I don't remember what else happened..."

"He likes you."

"What?"

"Well, I don't know... But he's interested. You don't come onto people obviously, Lauren, so if he was telling you to back off and that you don't want to get to know him, he probably has some emotional issues that he wants to take care of before letting you or anyone else into his life."

Lauren stared at him for a moment. "Okay, I guess."

Robbie came over and placed his hand on Lauren's shoulder. "Cheer up, babe. Things work them themselves out always. If this is something meant to happen, it'll happen." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Now, I am going upstairs and going to BED. It has been a LONG day. I love you."

"I love you, too." Lauren said. "Night." And watched Robbie walk out of the kitchen. She sat and stared into her tea.
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