International

Chapter 1

"I can help whoever is next." I called out as per routine as a barista.
I kept my eye on the cash register and looked up as I was about to enter a new order.
I saw an attractive man standing in front of me. This wasn't very uncommon since I work in Los Angeles. Male models and actors and just normal people walk in and out everyday but this one was different. I was interested in this one and I knew exactly who he was.
"Hi what can I get you?" I said again part of the routine.
He appeared a little shorter than the type of guy I usually went for but his defined cheeks and sparkly eyes made me ignore that fact.
He pushed his light brown hair back as he began to speak. I could see him looking at me.
"Yes I'll have a grande caramel latte please." As he spoke I picked up his Brittish accent and melted a little.
It wasn't the first time I heard him speak though.
"Ok anything else?" I asked while tapping in his order.
"Um your phone number?" He said dead serious while looking into my eyes.
To give you a quick description of myself, I have pale skin and brown mid length hair, bold, dark eyebrows, green eyes and a body that I thank my palates instructor for. When I was younger I was always insecure about how I looked but after moving to LA something inside me changed and I began to love how I was.
I snapped back to reality and the gorgeous guy standing in front of me.
"Ok coming right up. Can I get your name?" I asked him as I picked up a grande cup to write his name. I didn't have to ask but I did to not seem weird.
He responded "Joe Sugg."
ThatcherJoe on YouTube. I had been subscribed to him for about a year now and watched any of his videos that popped up on my subscription list. I always thought he was really funny. However I never thought he would end up here since I understand that he lives in London.
Two minutes later his coffee was ready and the cup read 'Rachel (818)-my number' and I underneath that I wrote 'btw love your videos'.
I picked up the cup "caramel latte for Joe." He walked over to me and took his drink. He quickly read the cup and smiled at me.
"I'll call you." He said kind of quietly.
And just like that he was gone almost as fast as he came.
I continued through out my day of work smiling to myself because Joe Sugg was going to call me.
I finished up my shift and headed to my second job. The thing about living in California is that it's expensive. Technically I have three jobs.
Primarily I work in a Hollywood film studio as a paid intern. However being and intern doesn't pay enough for LA so I work in the coffee shop around filming and I teach a beginners yoga class three times a week. It's a lot but I manage. However that leaves my only friends to be my roommates.
I walked into the studio and immediately was whisked into a meeting about our next project.
It was a romantic comedy. We had just finalized the script. We now needed the leads.
After a long meeting we came up with a list of possible male and female leads.
At 7 I finally got to go home.
I arrived to my 3 bedroom apartment ready to crash after a long day.
I found Mila on the couch watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
"Hey what's up." She said as I walked in the door.
"Hey is Juniper home?" I asked while setting my bag down on the kitchen counter.
"Yah she's in her room."
Mila and Juniper are easily my best friends in the whole world and vice versa. Mila is African American with mocha skin and short black hair with tight curls that made it really bouncy and large. Juniper is as pale white as they come with long blond hair. We all shared the same bohemian style that made our apartment easy to decorate. White walls with little colorful things here and there and plants everywhere. However each of our rooms reflected our own style.
Mila owns the yoga/Pilates studio that I teach at which I always though was amazing since she was only 22. Juniper models for magazines and occasionally acts in things like short films or music videos. She had been trying to make it into larger motion pictures for a long time.
"You want to order some food?" I asked Mila as she was intently listening to the latest Kardashian episode she recorded last night.
"Yah sure I'll grab the menus and you grab June. But let's grab something she wants cause she didn't get a call back for the Ashton Kutcher movie she wanted." Mila said while getting up from the sofa and walking into the kitchen where I was standing.
"Aw man she really wanted that one." I said. I walked into her room where she was wrapped up in her covers most likely blogging on her phone.
"Hey we're ordering some food. Your choice." I said with my head poking in the door.
She started to stir and peeled herself of the bed and followed me into the kitchen where Mila laid out the menus for June's favorite three restaurants.
She picked and Italian restaurant and the food was here in an hour.
I could tell it cheered her up. We sat around the coffee table which was tradition whenever one of us was upset.
"So guess who I met today." I said after swallowing a huge bite of pasta.
"Who?" June asked.
"Do you know thatcherjoe on YouTube?" I asked as I twirled some more food on my fork.
"The skinny British one?" Mila asked.
"Yah that one." I said.
"Ok you meet famous people all the time what's special about this one?" June asked me. She was right. Since I work at a film studio I meet people much more famous than Joe everyday. I have even taught a yoga class with celebrities in it before, that just happens when you live in LA.
"He asked for my number." I responded to her question. Mila and and Juniper's eyebrows both raised.
"Ooooo. What's mr. London doing LA?" Mila asked.
"I really don't know. Probably cochella or something." I responded.
"We need to go to that next year." June said.
"Ha okay we'll start saving for the tickets now." Mila said with a little laugh.
As she said it my phone starting ring and the MisterWives song that I set as my ringtone started blaring through the speakers.
June and Mila started humming along to the ringtone while I read the screen.
It was an unrecognized number that I guessed was Joe.
"Hello?" I said as I put the phone up to my ear.
"Hey it's Joe." I heard through the phone.
"Hey what's up?" I asked.
"I just got back from cochella but I am staying in LA for another week and I was wondering if I could take you out on a date."
"Sure that'd be great." I smiled through the phone.
"Alright cool. How about dinner tomorrow night?" He asked.
I mentally checked my schedule. I had no shifts at the cafe, I was at the film studio until 4 and a yoga class to teach at 5.
"Yah I can do dinner at 7 if that works for you." I said. Mila and June were staring at me trying to hear his end of the conversation through the phone.
"Sounds fantastic."
We finished the conversation and I hung up with four eyes on me.
"Looks like noncommittal Nellie is finally going on a proper date!" Juniper said as she shifted her sitting position at the coffee table.
She was right. I was never too notorious for having lasting relationships. All I ever did was hang out with guys and hook up with them casually. The longest I had ever had a relationship was 3 months with Christian Benson in the 9th grade back when I lived in Georgia.
"Yah yah ok." I waved my hand nonchalantly in her direction.
We separated into our own rooms at 11 after Juniper said she was feeling a lot better. She is a great actress and I know eventually she'd be able to break it.
I went to bed for the first time in my life, excited for a date.