Birds Of A Feather

Chapter 3

Sunday, September 29th

I quickly get up from my squatting position and adjust my leggings which were now wrinkled at the knees. I start to notice the young stranger's features: brown eyes, dark brown hair, glasses, and a bit of stubble—handsome. 

"Oh—hi... my name is Autumn." I stuttered.

"Autumn—must be one of the most beautiful names I have ever heard of. I'm not surprised that someone who looks like you would be the keeper of such a name," he says.

I look away trying to hide my flustered face and chuckle out a quick "thank you."

Wait—Ezrah? "Hey, don't you work at the Grapevine?"

"Yeah," he says. "Have we met?"

"No, we haven't—Lucy mentioned you," I explained. "I asked her about the venue for the Open Mic... She said you know where it is." God, why can't I stop looking at his eyes? This is so frustrating.

"I do, but I should tell you—the venue, it isn't for singers..." he explained.

"I know," I said. "Music isn't my thing—I like poetry."

"Well, in that case, my friends and I are meeting up at the venue this Wednesday. I could swing by to pick you up at 7:30."

Wait—did I just accidentally score a date with one of the most attractive guys I've ever met? "Sure," I said. 

"Cool, I'll see you then."

"Mhm." I nodded as he walked past me with a bowl of food for Cinnamon. Ugh, he's so pretty—I'm jealous.

Suddenly I see a shadowy figure pop its head behind a wall. The hell? "Hey!" I yelled out. Nothing... Maybe I'm just being paranoid—this is a strange city, after all—nobody could know me here.

Shaking off the chills I look up at the sky. The sun is starting to rise as it paints the sky a beautiful apricot orange. There are a few small clouds in the sky that look like waves on an ocean during surf season. Breathing in the cold air I start to walk towards the diner for some breakfast. There were rows of beautiful Yoshino cherry trees planted along the sidewalk. The blossoms were falling onto the road painting it white; it was a beautiful morning walk.

*Door jingles*

"Hey, there! Welcome to the Grapevine, I'm Lu-" She stops for a second when she notices me. "Hey! Welcome back! How was your night?" She asks me as she walks out from behind the counter.

"It was alright," I said, "I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow."

"Ha! Sounds about right—the beds at the Rabbithole are extremely comfortable. I remember the first time I went: I was getting away from the chaos of living in a small house with 6 people," she explains, "I can't even remember how long it took me to fall asleep."

"And the showers are amazing! The water pressure feels just right, it's like swimming in a pool of warm bubbles." I said and we both laughed.

"So what can I get for you today," she asked.

"I'll take a coffee and a croissant please."

"Oui oui madame," she says, "coming right up"

"Merci beaucoup" I replied. 

I sat myself down at the same table from last night and plugged my headset into my phone to listen to some music.

"It's all gonna be okay pumpkin—I promise you it will."

"Hello?"

I slowly wake up from my flashback and pop back into reality. "Huh—Oh, hi..." I said to the young, redheaded, freckled girl standing beside me.