make-believe | jason newsted

xv

chapter fifteen: just the girl i'm looking for

It felt like Jason was standing there talking to her for hours. She was so kind, and sweet, and showed genuine interest in Jason. His heart melted with every word she spoke.

"So, do you live in the area?" Jason asked, continuing to make the most of the time he had with her. He hoped James and Kirk would take longer so he could stay with her longer.

She nods as she returns to restocking the records. "Yeah, I don't live very far. I work here during the day and attend a random concert once in a while." She replied.

That would explain why she managed to see them but couldn't find her so easily. If only he had known to enter this local record shop earlier, all of this could've happened much sooner.

"You know," Valencia bit her bottom lip for a second, wondering if she should tell him what she was thinking. "For a long time, I was trying to figure out what happened to you after that night."

Jason was a bit surprised to hear that. He didn't know what he was doing to impress this girl, but whatever it was, it was working. "Seriously?" He asked.

She had a soft smile on her face, shying away from the boldness she was showing before. "Yeah. I mean, I thought you were really cute, and I saw the way you were looking at me. I thought that maybe--"

Their conversation was interrupted when another customer approached Valencia asking for some help finding a specific record. Jason didn't say anything, letting her do her job. 

"I'll be right back." She said to him before running off to the back of the store. Jason couldn't help but watch with so much love in his eyes, mesmerized by her beauty and playfulness. 

While he waited for her to return, Jason decided to head back to where the guys were. It looked like they were just about to pay, perfect timing. 

"You guys wouldn't believe who I bumped into." He said almost immediately, having to break the news to them. He couldn't wait to see their reactions when they realized.

Kirk and James put the records they were going to buy onto the counter, waiting for the cashier to come up. "Who'd you see?" Kirk asked as he turned to Jason.

Jason had an ego-filled smirk as he prepared for the big reveal. "I met the girl that I was looking for last year."

The three of them groaned in unison, not wanting to deal with this again. Just like all the other times before, they didn't believe a word that he said.

"Yeah right," James responded. "You probably saw someone who looked like her, that's it. Besides, would she remember who you are?" James asked.

Valencia came up to the register and smiled. "Are you guys ready to pay?" She asked, her eyes glancing towards Jason. 

Kirk and James nodded, getting ready to pay. They weren't thinking anything of the girl standing in front of them until they started looking at how the two of them were acting.

Valencia kept lifting her head to steal a glance at Jason. With the guys standing right there, it didn't take long for them to pick up that something was going on between Jason and Valencia.

"Holy shit," Kirk muttered under his breath, looking between the two of them and noticing their expressions. "I think it's actually her." Kirk said in disbelief.

Lars raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" Lars didn't see what Kirk was seeing until he also started to look at the tension between them.

Jason didn't say a word, and Valencia simply kept her focus back on ringing up the price of their records. But everyone knew what was going on.

"What the fuck?" James said once he caught on. "Be honest, how much is he paying you to lie and say that you're the girl he's been looking for?" He asked Valencia as she looked back at them.

She raised an eyebrow. "Uh...Nothing?" She replied. "I think he's really cute." She explained, looking over at Jason with a smile.

Kirk, Lars, and James were confused and shocked that something like this had even managed to happen. Jason managed to prove all of them wrong and snatch a pretty girl in the process.

"Well, would you look at that? Jason was right about his girlfriend after all." Lars said, still shocked to know that this was even happening right now. 

Valencia giggled a bit as she told Kirk and James how much they had to pay for the records. The two of them paid what they owed her and took their things.

"You know, when I saw you guys, I thought you were really good. I think it would be cool if you guys could come and perform in here." Valencia mentioned before they could walk out.

James turned to her. "Really? You would let us do that?" He asked, seemingly interested in the idea.

"Yeah, definitely," She nodded her head in response. "I'd have to talk to my manager first, but it shouldn't be a problem."

The band thought about it for a moment. It didn't seem like a bad idea, especially with the album coming out soon. "I think we should do it guys." Jason spoke up, a wide smile on his face.

"Of course, you would agree," James laughed before turning to Valencia. "Talk to your manager and let us know. We'd be happy to." He replied.

"Yay! I'll see you guys soon, then," Valencia smiled and cheered happily. She looked over at Jason and gave him a wave. "Bye Jason."

He almost melted at the way she said goodbye, but he kept his composure. With a crooked grin, he waved goodbye. "Bye Valencia."

As the band left the record shop, Jason looked back to take one last look at Valencia, looking forward to the next time he would get to see her.