Chapter Seven

Larson sat in a booth, facing the door at The Ape. She was on break from school and needed to get away for a little bit. Everything seemed to be annoying her today and she couldn’t shake her funk. Eating at Mikey’s always brightened up her day. She got up, poured herself a cup of coffee and was just about to sit down when JC walked into diner. They both grinned at the sight of each other.

Larson took a sip of her coffee as she leaned against her table, “You know JC.” She said when he walked up to her, “I’m starting to think that you really ARE stalking me.” She teased and he chuckled,

“You found me out L. I’m so bored lately that I’ve taken up stalking as a hobby.”

“Hey, at least you’re cute.” She shrugged with a smirk playing on her lips. “So are you working in that studio again?”

“Yeah, I just broke for lunch and had the biggest craving for one of Mikey’s sandwiches.”

“AHH, JC, you’re back again huh?” Mikey’s robust bursted out from the kitchen as he came out wiping his hands on a towel.

JC smiled and waved to the man, “Yep, can I have what I had yesterday?”

“Sure!” He looked between the two, “Are you eating here or do you want it to go?”

JC looked back to Larson, “Are you staying for lunch?”

“Yeah.” She nodded to her table, “I’ve already got a booth.”

“Sweet.” He turned to Mikey, “I’m gonna eat with Larson.”

“Okay, you kids have a seat and I’ll have your food out in a minute.”

“Thanks Mikey.” Larson waved and sat down at her table, “Man, I miss working here.” She sighed and JC sat down across from her.

“At the diner? Really?”

Larson played with her cup of coffee in between her hands, “The pay was okay, but it was just a lot of fun, you know? It never really felt like work, even when we had a packed house here.”

JC noticed the sadness in her voice, “Is everything okay L?”

She glanced up at him and sighed heavily, “It’s been a long day, that’s all.”

“Work bogging you down?”

“Yeah, I mean I love my job, it’s just that the politics that are involved drive me crazy.”

“Politics make the world go round.” JC smirked and she smiled back,

“Yeah, I know.” She shook her head as if she was trying to rid herself of the bad thoughts, “How has your day been going?”

JC smiled at the thought of his music, “Really good, I wrote this song today that’s just, my favorite thing I’ve written.”

Larson smiled at his excitement and leaned on her one hand, “Really? You seem really excited about it. What’s it about?”

“It’s a fun upbeat song, that, it’s just fun to play and sing.” He grinned, “I wrote it in like two hours.”

“How long does it usually take for you to write a song?”

“Eh, anywhere from two hours to weeks. It depends on the mood I’m in, you know?”

“I guess, I don’t really do much song writing. So I don’t know exactly.” She shrugged and looked at her cup of coffee. She looked up at him, “I’m sorry, did you want a cup of coffee or something? I didn’t even offer.”

JC chuckled, “You act like I’m at your place.” He teased, “I can get my own coffee here.”

Larson stood up, “Don’t, I’m just used to it.” She waved her hand at him and then paused, “A sugar and two creams, right?”

He smiled warmly, “Yeah, how did you know?”

“It what you put in your coffee the last time we were here.” She said as she went over to the counter and poured him a cup of coffee. She fixed up the cup of coffee and came back to the table.

“You remembered how I take my coffee?” He asked pleasantly surprised,

“Yeah, I’m kind of observant like that.” She shrugged and sat down. “Mel teases me all the time about being like Rain man.”

“It’s nice.” JC replied, “I’ve had long term girlfriends who didn’t know how I like my coffee and I LIVED with them.”

“Well, I’m different.” She shrugged,

“In a good way.” JC smiled back at her.

“Thanks, so tell me more about the music you’re writing.”

“Oh you don’t want to hear about that. I’ll just bore you with my endless talk.”

“No you won’t. I don’t understand much about what you’re doing and I want to know more.” She explained,

“Really?”

“Yeah, of course. So, fill me in.” She said leaning in over the table slightly.

“Okay.” He smiled back and went into a discussion of the work he was doing in the studio. JC talked throughout lunch about everything he had been doing and everything he wanted to do. Larson turned out to be a great sounding board for his ideas. She didn’t know much about music, but she was just so into knowing what he was doing that it helped him work out things that he had been having difficulties with.

After they had finished and paid for lunch they walked to their cars together. Larson looked at her watch and gasped, “Oh my God, I didn’t realize that we been sitting her so long!”

“What’s the matter?”

She sighed, “I was supposed to be back at work, like an hour ago.”

JC frowned, “I didn’t get you in trouble, did I?”

Larson smiled, “I keep forgetting that I’m the boss.” She chuckled, “So really I’m in trouble with myself.”

“Do you have to go back to work?”

“It’s kind of pointless because when I get back, I will only have an hour left.”

“Wanna hang out with me?” He asked in an irresistible, boyishly way.

Larson paused for a moment to think it over, “Hmm, hang out with you and have fun or go back to work and deal with idiotic colleagues. Ooo, tough choice.” She smiled, “I think I’ll take door number one and go with you.”

“Sweet. You can just follow me.” JC peeked into the back seat of Larson’s car. There were piles of papers, books and the like. “Hey L, how do you fit in your car?” He teased her and she rolled her eyes,

“I tend to live out of my car. It’s not that bad.”

JC chuckled, “I can’t see the back seat. Your car’s supposed to have a back seat, right?”

“You’re impossible.” She shook her head and moved to her driver’s side door, “You’re not riding in it, so why do you care?”

“I’m just afraid that your car’s going to revolt and eat you alive as you’re driving.”

“Get in your car so that I can follow you.”

“Okay.” He smirked as he walked over to his car, “But if you don’t make it, I’ll-“

“Drive Jace.” She instructed and got into her car.

---

Larson and JC had just settled in for one of the movies when her phone rang. He looked at her and she shook her head,

“It’s Mel. Can you pause it for me?”

“For you, sure.” He flirted and she chuckled as she answered her phone,

“Hello my love.”

“Where are you? Are you staying late at work?”

“Ah, no, I’m hanging out at JC’s for a little bit.”

“YOU ARE SO DATING HIM!” She screamed into the phone and Larson held the phone away from her ear. JC gave her a strange look, to which she just shook her head and went back to her call,

“I am not.”

“Are too, this is like two days in a row!”

“I’ll talk to you when I get home, kay? Think you can manage till then?”

Mel laughed, “Only if you give me all the dirty details of your torrid affair with JC.” She teased and Larson rolled her eyes,

“Goodbye Mel.”

“Bye L, give JC a big huge smacking kiss for me.”

“Bye Mel.” Larson shook her head as she hung up her phone.

“Is everything alright?” JC asked and Larson laughed,

“Yeah, she’s just being a brat, like usual.” She shrugged, “You can start the movie again.”

JC smiled at her, “Kay.”

Larson spent the rest of the day with JC at his house, basically doing what they did at her house, watching movies and eating pizza. Larson realized how much she liked hanging out with JC, just chilling at his house. He reminded her of her good guy friends from college, all of which lived on the east coast. He was a down to earth guy, who was low maintenance and that was definitely a plus in her book considering that’s how she was.

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