*Vic's P.O.V.* (Flashback)

The sharp aroma of coffee beans and freshly baked pastries hit my nose as I stood in line, scanning the crowded place for a seat. I spotted an open couch in the back lounge and stared at it, marking the seat as mine with my eyes.

My lyric book felt heavy and awkward in my hands as I walked up to give my order. My hands fidgeted with a piece of paper sticking out of the book and I looked at the cashier, ready to say what I wanted.

Now I'm not one to believe in love at first sight, but my insides immediately got a fluttering feeling as I continued to stare at her like an idiot, my previous words forgotten.

She had this golden hair that looked soft and silky, even though it was pulled back in a pony tail. Her green-blue eyes sparkled from the early morning sunlight radiating through the windows. She bit her pink lips in what seemed to be a sign of impatience.

Her eyebrows raised a bit as she saw me studying every bit of her face.

"May I help you?" Her soft voice sounded like music to my ears.

I felt embarrassed as I realized I was standing there like a fool. "Can I have uh a coffee please?" I asked awkwardly.

She gave me a tiny smile and nodded, plugging in my order of one coffee on the register. The price flashed on a tiny screen in front of me.

"Is that all?" She asked.

I nodded, too star struck to speak.

"Ok, that will be $1.99."

I nodded again and fished a five dollar bill from my pocket. I handed her the crumpled up bill after trying to smooth it out.

"Sorry, I stole this from my brother." I rolled my eyes. Mike always had spare change and dollar bills lying around his room, so whenever I had the chance, I'd take one. He never seemed to notice.

She smiled and laughed a bit. "That's fine, at least it isn't ripped or folded into a tiny square."

"People pay like that?" I asked in shock. I was ecstatic over the fact that we were having a conversation.

"Yea, it's a pain in the you know what." She shook her head.

I smiled and she handed me back my change.

"Here you go." Her fingers lightly brushed against mine and it sent my stomach in a fit of nerves.

"Thanks." I smiled at her and stepped to the side, waiting for my coffee and letting the impatient person behind me order.

Luck seemed to be on my side today as the girl handed me my coffee. "Hope to see you around..." she trailed off.

"Vic." I smiled. "And you too..." I raised an eyebrow in a questioning way.

She smiled back and answered, "Riley."

I grinned and said, "Pretty name for a pretty girl." A light pink hit her cheeks and I waved to her before making my way to the back lounge. I felt her eyes follow me and I tried hard not to trip or do something embarrassing.

Thankfully, I made it and I nestled back into the mahogany-colored plush couch. I took a sip of my coffee before placing it on the table in front of me.

Opening my lyric book, I skimmed through the song I had started to work on the night before.

I must have spent at least a half hour staring at a half filled page. The words kept becoming a blur to me as my thoughts wandered elsewhere. For some reason I couldn't get Riley out of my head. I decided to do what I taught myself to do best in situations like this: write out my emotions.

My pen hit the paper and suddenly my hand was moving at the speed of a hundred miles per hour.

Once I felt I had written enough to be satisfied, I let out a deep breath and took a sip of my now cold coffee.

I felt the couch move with someone's weight and I looked up to see Riley sitting next to me.

"Mind if I sit here?" She asked, somewhat shy.

"Nope, not at all!" I replied back, a bit to enthusiastically.

She smiled a tiny smile and remarked, "You've been here for quite a while."

"Yea, I have. I always come here to write lyrics. It's the most comforting place for me, I guess."

Her eyes widened, "You write song lyrics?"

I felt like a nerd as I said, "Yea. That makes me sound stupid and uncool, doesn't it?"

She shook her head, "No. I think it makes you even cooler. Not many guys are willing to do that, let alone admit it to people."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess you're right. I never thought of it that way. It's just always been a way to deal with my emotions and escape from reality."

She smiled. "You need to teach me how to write lyrics sometimes. I have no clue how too."

I looked over at her, my brown eyes meeting her shining green-blue ones. "It's simple. All you need to do is write down how you feel. Just let your emotions do the talking and everything will fall into place."

She looked to be deep in thought as she replied, "I guess I'll have to try that. So I take it you perform these songs. You in a band?"

I nodded, growing nauseous at the thought of talking about my band. It wasn't that I was embarrassed or anything, it was just that I've been used countless times due to my career. This time, though, I didn't want to be used. I wanted to have a genuine friendship with Riley.

"That's really cool! I want to hear you guys sometime! My lunch break is over now, though, so back to work for me. I'm sorry for bothering you."

My insides felt disappointed as she started to walk away from me. "Riley, wait!" I called after her, taking out my cell phone and hitting the 'new contact' button. I handed her the phone and she bit her lip as she typed in her number. She handed the phone back to me and smiled a bit. "Thanks," I murmured, "I'll text you then."

She nodded and smiled before returning back to her work. I grabbed my stuff and looked at her again before making my way towards the door. She was looking at me and our eyes met. I smiled warmly at her and waved before exiting the coffee shop. I smiled to myself as I saw myself becoming good friends with her. Little did I know, I just met the girl who would change my life.

---

I felt her hand slip from my grasp as I stared at the wall. I wasn't sure what I was looking for. There was no comfort given to me from the blank wall. I felt my cheeks get sticky with my hot tears as I sank into a deep sleep, my dreams filled with sadness and regret.

Notes

Sorry for a sucky chapter. This is just the beginning filler for now.

Thoughts?
~L