The doors of the Starbucks swing open, and Adam gracefully waltz's in. He walks over to the counter and sees a man standing there, smiling at him.
"Can I get you something?" He asks.
"Yeah, is Brielle here?" Adam asks.
"I'm sorry?" The man asks, confused.
"Brielle?" Adam repeats.
"I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking about... Maybe you were at another Starbucks? I don't think we've ever hired a Brielle." He says.
"No, I was at this one. Weird." Adam says, scratching his head. The room started to spin.
"Thank you anyway." He says backing up. He bumps into someone behind him.
"Oh, I'm sorry sir." Adam says grabbing his head.
"Sir, are you okay?" The man asks Adam, grabbing his shoulders.
"Sir? Wake up." He says. Adam shakes his head, but the spinning continues.
"Wake up! Wake up Adam!" A voice says.
"Adam wake up!" His mother says standing over him. His eyes shoot open and he sits up.
"You okay? You're all sweaty and panting, honey." She says. He lifts his hand to his head and feels cool beads.
"Bad dream." He says getting out of his chair in his studio.
"Anyway honey, there's a girl on your phone waiting for you. Brielle?" She says. He runs up the stairs and gets his phone.
"Hello?" He says into the phone.
"Hey Adam! It's Brielle. Did I wake you up?" She says.
"No, you're all good. I was having a bad dream anyway." He says.
"Aw, I'm sorry." She says. They have a silent moment.
"Sorry I haven't called in a few weeks, I've just been super busy."
"Oh, it's fine Brielle. I have been too." He lies.
"Oh really!? With what?" She asks curiously. Adam could feel her smiling through the phone.
"Oh you know... Erm.. Writing music and stuff." He says getting red in the face. He always feels like people think he's crazy when he says that.
"You make music!? That's awesome! So do I!" She says.
"Do you really?" He asks smiling.
"Yeah! Totally! I play guitar. You?"
"Same. And piano."
"This is awesome Adam. We totally have to jam sometime!" She says really excited.
"Well, um, how about today?" Adam asks, shaking.
"Sure! I'll be over in a half hour, sound good?" She asks.
"Sure! I'll um, see you then." Adam says, hanging up the phone. He looks at his clock that says its 10:00 AM. He gets changed and before he knows it, Brielle is at the door.
"Hi Adam!" She says.
"Hey Brielle!" He says. She leans in for a hug. He wraps his arms around her waist, and notices her big guitar strapped to her shoulders. He steps back so she can come inside and escape from the cold Minnesota air.
"So, thanks for having me over!" She says, taking her shoes off.
"Yeah no problem. We haven't seen each other in a while, so why not?" He replies smiling. She smiles back. He gives her a tour of his home, and they go down to his studio.
"So, show me your stuff, Adam! I wanna hear it." She says.
"Oh yeah, sure! I'd love to." He says grabbing a chair and his guitar. His hands shake as he places them on the neck of the guitar.
"Oh Adam, you're shaking. You nervous?" She asks taking hers out of her case.
"Yeah, erm, just a little..." He says laughing in a shaky voice.
"Well, I'll go first then." She says smiling. She slowly starts to strum the strings that make a beautiful melody. She goes up and down the neck and strums the body. She stops and looks at Adam. He smiles.
"That was beautiful!" He says smiling.
"Thank you! Now your turn." She says.
"Okay okay." He says getting his hands in place. He looks up at her with puppy eyes.
"Sorry if its not that good." He shyly says.
"Oh nonsense! Just go. I'm sure it'll be lovely." She says with a smile.
"Okay. It's called Alaska." He says. His fingers press the strings down and lock in place. He starts to strum a quick melody. His hand glides up and down over the strings on the body. He takes a deep breath and begins:
"I was on the road, despite the holiday
A winter green daydream, softly collided
And took all my headaches away
When did I arrive? I don't recall ever leaving Alaska
Why do I hate the dark when I'm alone?
I was on my way to a brighter day, I'm still chasing around
But somehow I believe that this is home
It's so good to be home
I was on the ground, when I recall the day,
That my discomposure left me forever
And swept all my troubles away
When did I arrive? I don't recall ever leaving Alaska
Why do I hate the dark when I'm alone?
I was on my way, to a brighter day I'm still chasing around
But somehow I believe that this is home
It's so good to be home!"
He puts his hand up in the air, saying he's finished. Her jaw is stretched very far, and her mouth is on the floor.
"That was so beautiful Adam!" She says smiling and clapping.
"Thank you! That means so much."
"You should go to coffee shops and play for people! You'd be a huge hit!" She says getting excited.
"Oh, err, I don't know about that..." He says, nervously rubbing the back of his head.
"Why not?" She asks.
"Well, I'm just um.. I'm deathly shy. That's all." He says, embarrassed.
"Oh Adam. That's nothing to be embarrassed about! That's normal." She says with sympathy.
"Yeah." He says feeling even more pathetic than before. His stomach makes a gurgling noise.
"Hey, wanna talk about this over some lunch?" She asks.
"Sure! I'm starving."
