Did Someone Ask for Joe? (Stelle)

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Isaac looked grumpier than ever as he walked into Starbucks. He hadn't been able to secure a room for the night and had ended up sleeping in the cab of his truck... which he had done plenty of times before but he had also made the mistake of parking it within hearing range of a train track that apparently got a bit of traffic during the night hours. So every time he had finally managed to fall asleep in that cramped, uncomfortable space, he would only be awaken by the blaring of the train whistle and have to start all over again.

So now he stood at the Starbucks counter, looking extremely disheveled and rubbing the back of his neck, rolling his shoulders lightly. He stared blankly at the menu posted on the wall behind the employees, who were ridiculously chipper for it being this damn early in the morning (and that only served to further annoy Isaac). His eyes scanned the menu, reading each and every item on it, and he found himself just getting more and more frustrated. "What the hell?" he swore. "Don't you people just sell normal coffee?"

[stella]

Stelle McKenna needed her morning coffee. However the only place she could find was a Starbucks, after all it wasn't like she knew the place around her motel, as usual she was just passing through. Though, she might stay if something caught her interest like when she'd breezed through New York, so much to see there. Still, there didn't seem much to do around and with Stelle's almost ADD natura it was tough to stay. She was lucky the motel allowed dogs though, it was such a hassle to deal with Ritz, she wished everyday that she's left him at home before starting this road trip.

Now Stelle was a fairly patient person but the person before her was taking ages which made her a little annoyed. He seemed to feel the need to read everything on the menu, instead of just ordering. Stelle already knew she was getting a grande London Fog but he seemed frustrated. So was Stelle but she wasn't holding up the line, she stood there, twirling a lock of vibrant red hair in her fingers.

What the hell?" he swore. "Don't you people just sell normal coffee?"

She heard him and smirked a little then muttered under her breath, "No, so go somewhere else..." however she was polite enough not to say it to him. Still she wished he'd hurry, she really wanted her tea, it wasn't coffee but the sheer warmth made her mornings livable. So she crossed her arms over her chest to wait, her emerald eyes focusing on the guy's dark hair, more specificly the back of his head, hoping the whole 'I'm being watched feeling' might hurry him up.

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Eventually Isaac was heading off to sit at a corner table, staring at the cup in his hand blankly and wondering how in the world he had ended up ordering an Arabian.. mocha... something something. He set the cup on the table and just leaned his face into his hands, sighing tiredly. This life was getting impossible, and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to stand being on the run.

The aroma of the coffee was starting to drift past his nose and he sniffed the air lightly, finding that it at least smelled nice so it might be worth a try. Isaac sat up straight in his chair and brought the cup to his lips, and as he did so he glanced up at the ordering counter and nearly choked on his coffee when he saw the petite redhead who was no placing her order. His thoughts immediately went to Erika... the size was right, the hair was right... and that was about all he could tell from the back. He found himself digging his fingernails into his palm, forcing himself to calm down. It had to be a coincidence. No way that bitch had followed him here.

Still, to be safe, he kept his narrowed gaze on her as he sipped his coffee.

[stella]

Stelle fought back a sigh as she finally reached the counter. She made quick work of ordering her special tea, and even upped the size, despite the stupid price. Starbucks... Should be called fivebucks She thought bitterly as she handed over the cash. Still it was caffine and tasty so she couldn't be to complaintative. It was simply because it was early, that was why she was grouchy. So she spoke politely and remained as kind as could be when she talked to the worker. She waited patiently at the second counter and watched her drink being prepared. Finally it was slid across to her and she grabbed it. "About time!" She grumbled, inhaling the scent of vanilla and lavender in tea.

She turned, debating whether she'd sit then felt a jolt of surprise. There was a guy sitting at a table, that wasn't what freaked her. It was the fact he was staring at her with narrowed eyes, almost as if he hated her on sight. Stelle glanced over her shoulder to make sure it was her and saw she was alone. What did I do? She thought to herself. However he wasn't scaring her away. Almost in defiance she plopped down at the table beside him. She turned in her seat so her back was to him and flipped her vibrant hair over her shoulder.

As she sipped her tea she saw his face in her head. He was a handsome guy, which kind of made it sting. What had she done to deserve a look like that? It was beyond her... Still she wasn't one to back down from anything, even if that meant immaturely sitting at the table next to his.

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It just figured that as soon as he saw the redhead turning around to face him, a couple of police officers happened to walk into the building and stop right in his way. Isaac realized that it would be impossible to see her right then without making it blatantly obvious that he was staring and drawing attention to himself. With a slight frown he looked back down to his coffee, using a stirring stick to make a tiny whirlpool in the dark liquid.

After a moment he could see movement out of the corner of his eye, and he glanced up to see that the redhead had taken residence at the table next to his, though her back was still to him. Isaac found it odd that she would choose that table in particular out of all the others, and the longer he sat there thinking about it, the more he convinced himself that the redhead was Erika. He couldn't take it anymore.

His chair made a loud scraping noise as he pushed it out from under the table and stood. He paused a moment, forcing himself to remain calm even though the very thought of that witch anywhere near him agitated him severely. He kept in mind the fact that, just because there were similarities in appearance, it didn't mean this girl was who he thought she was. He walked up to stand next to her chair and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Erika?"

[stella]

Estella McKenna was not one that would usually talk to strangers, she generally smiled politely or just looked away. However there was a big thing that messed that up, the fact that the guy walked up and just placed his hand on her shoulder. She blinked as he spoke to her, asking her a name. Erika was not her name but everything became clear. The look she’d received was because he thought she was this Erika girl. Whether that was something to be proud or not was not known to Stelle but she did the one thing any girl would do in her position. She moved away from his hand, turning to face him, her face a mask of confusion.

“Uh… No, Stelle,” She said slowly. She liked her name better than Erika and the simple thought of that nearly sent her into giggles. Why on earth was she thinking about names? She hadn’t a clue, so she focused on his face, her eyes not suspicious but almost curious and friendly. She brought her cup to her lips and took a slow sip.

“What did you do, lose your girlfriend? I’m sure she’s around.” She added, brushing her vibrant red bangs out of her eyes. She felt shorter than usual, with the guy standing over her like that. She still wasn’t sure who the Erika was too him but wasn’t sure that she would want to be her, this guy was pretty damn intimidating. Then again, perhaps he had no reason to be that was towards her.

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Isaac felt definite relief when the girl turned around and confirmed for him that he had wrongly identified her. She pulled away from him and he let his hand drop and for a moment he just stood there staring at her, feeling like a complete dumbass because even though it had obviously been a mistake, he still felt the need to explain himself. "Sorry. I thought you were someone else." Duh. Really, Captain Obvious? Isaac clenched his jaw and closed his eyes a moment to gather his thoughts and then looked at her again.

“What did you do, lose your girlfriend? I’m sure she’s around.”

"Ex... girlfriend," he corrected her. "So it's definitely a good thing that you aren't her." He offered her a small smile, though it didn't really reach his dark eyes. Once again he found himself feeling drawn to her physically (he always had been a sucker for redheads) but he knew better than to get involved. But hell, he was sick of being on the road all the time and never having even a phone number to show for it. What could be the harm in having coffee with a complete stranger? It's not like he'd ever see her again.

"I'm Isaac," he said, glancing to the other empty chair at her table. "Are you waiting for someone or...?"

[stella]

Stella felt the odd prickle of happiness at the word 'ex-girlfriend', what could she say? She was a girl, he was attractive and that he might be single was a perk to her. Not that she'd had a boyfriend in a while, she really didn't know how well that would work on her roadtrip. Still, she supposed having a coffee with him couldn't hurt... As long as the table didn't suddenly go up in flames. She returned his smile and shook her head to answer his question.

"I'm not waiting for anyone, go ahead," She told him and inwardly was surprised. Isaac? That was a different name, she'd never met anyone by the name of Isaac before. Not that Estella was common and once again she had to pull herself from her wandering mind. It was annoying habit to sit there and over think everything, but she couldn't really help it.

"So Isaac, what brings you to Starbucks on such a wonderful morning?" She asked him, obviously being sarcastic on the 'wonderful morning' part. It was too early for her, she was a sleep to noon girl. As she waited for a response she subconciously tightened her black hoodie around her petite form while brushing the bangs from her face.

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When invited to join her, Isaac turned the chair around backward and straddled it, folding his arms across the back and facing her. His coffee (if you could call it that) sat forgotten on his previous table but Isaac really wasn't a fan of it anyway. Unfortunately he was still rather tired and it reflected greatly in the dark circles under his eyes. Damn it sucked not having his morning caffeine. Maybe he'd make a stop at a gas station after leaving Starbucks and get a Mountain Dew or something.

"I heard the girls who hang out here are hot," he said with a quick wink to her when she asked what brought him there. It was quite obvious by her body language and the tone of her voice that she wasn't exactly enjoying the morning so far. He wondered sort of night she had been through and whether or not it was comparable to what he considered one of the worst nights of sleep he'd ever experienced.

"What about here? You live around here?" he asked.

[stella]

Stella couldn’t help but wonder why someone would pay the money for a Starbucks coffee then leave it behind? It wasn’t exactly cheap stuff… Still, maybe this guy had the dough to roll in and waste. In any case Stella would have to have her own drink pried from her dead fingers. However she eyed Isaac with curiousity, wondering why he’d be interested in talking to her, especially if he’d thought she was his ex… Still, that wasn’t really her business and she wasn’t about to complain about it either.

“I heard the girls who hang out here are hot,"

His words and wink caused a light pink tinge to tint her cheeks but other than that she tried not to respond. She wasn’t a ‘hot chick’ and she knew that. Her hair was outrageously toned, she liked her eyes but she was pale. She was thin but lacked those great curves all the hottie’s sported. Besides, who says that was a compliment.

[/color] She told herself, smiling politely. She highly doubted any of the girls he was looking for would be up this early though, maybe he was settling for her.

“Live here? Hell no,” Stelle replied in response to his question of whether she lived there. “I’m from Montana, sort of on a road trip,” She explained, then questioned herself on why she would tell him that. She mentally winced but kept smiling at him, sipping her tea. “What about you?”[/blockquote]

[Deleted]

He couldn't help but smile at her response. Apparently she didn't find this town any more pleasant than he did, and he liked the fact that she didn't make any apologies for it. He was surprised to hear that she was on a road trip as well and hoped that her reasoning for doing so had nothing to do with a curse or killing her closest friends. One of him was more than enough.

"See, we already have something in common," Isaac said. "I'm on a road trip myself. Originally I come from Boston." He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, taking in her appearance. She didn't look like the type to be overly flashy about her appearance, and he found that he liked that. There weren't big, bouncy curls in her hair or annoying too-pale pink lip gloss. She wasn't wearing a trashy low-cut top and leaning over the table on purpose so that he could see down her shirt. There was just a cool, casual sex appeal about her. She seemed comfortable in her own skin... something Isaac wished he could say the same about himself. He bet she didn't even know she was attractive.

"So are you in town for long?" he found himself asking, in spite of his subconscious mind telling him what a horrible idea it would be to spend any amount of time with her. "Maybe we could have lunch or something while we're both here."

[stella]

Stella smiled in return as Isaac said he was also on a road trip. However she wondered why he was alone, most road trips were done with friends or spouses. Of course Estella was alone, but she had her reasons, sharing a car with anyone but her dog was a little testy. She was on what her father called a rehab trip, she doubted that Isaac was doing his for the same reason. She felt her smile widening as he told her where he was from.

" I went through Boston, I like it better than here. Then again, big cities are a little annoying too," She replied, playing with a stray thread at the edge of her hoodie's sleeve. She couldn't keep her eyes from watching him as he folded his arms over his chest. The small hormone-driven-girl in her brain whined a little. Not that she could see much through clothes but it made her a little sad he covered himself up. Before he noticed she pried her eyes away and focused them on the her coffee cup.

"I'm in town for however long I choose," She told him, mentally trying to find a good way to resond to the second thing he said. "Lunch with you? Sure, that would be cool, as long as you don't have other plans," She told him, turning her emerald gaze up to his face. She hoped her smile didn't look as giddy as she felt. She hadn't been on dates or hung out for a long while, the prospect of doing so with a handsome guy like Isaac sent her pulse a little quicker. She sipped her tea as she raised her hand to brush her bangs out of her face then dropped the hand, her gaze following the small bat tattoo on her finger.

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Isaac grinned at her. "Yeah I just asked you out to lunch even though I have something else to do," he teased, winking at her. He dug into his pocket and handed Stelle his phone. "Here, put your number in and I'll give ya a call." He considered suggesting that they just hang out together until lunch time today but he didn't want to encourage anything that shouldn't be encouraged. He already was interested in getting to know her, which was a horrible idea in every sense of the word. He really didn't need to encourage either one of them, but here he was anyway, refusing to make excuses to leave.

"So what do you do, Stelle?" he asked, crossing his arms on the table and looking at her thoughtfully. Stelle was such an old-fashioned name but it was intelligent and classy. He wondered if she would fit the idea he had of her name much like every Brittany he had ever met seemed the bubbly cheerleader type. "I'm a musician myself. Used to have a band back home but I'm kind of travelling around now... seeing what sort of trouble I can get into," he said, forcing a smile that he hoped she wouldn't be able to see right through. It was difficult for him to refer to his old bandmates as though nothing was wrong.

[stella]

Stella took his phone with a smile, inwardly snickering at his teasing. Of course he wouldn't have asked her to lunch if he was doing something... Stelle made a mental note to think before she spoke to be wary of more stupid comments. Still, he seemed to be amused, so maybe it wasn't a bad thing? "What do I do? Well, I still live at home with my Dad and brother though I've been on the road forever," She spoke as she typed her number into his cell. His face seemed to go almost plastic as he mentioned his band. It was as though he was trying to lie about something though not outright lying. It made Stelle curious but she answered as though not noticing.

"I listen to music, play video games (yeah, geeky...), play with my dog, read and jazz like that. The usual type of stuff." She paused with a smile "My brother used to be in a band, he played guitar. His singing was ear splitting but he was pretty amazing with a guitar. He started to teach me when I was younger but I found my calling in the drums... Dad says I just like to make a lot of noise. I think even my brother was happy when Dad sent me away so he didn't have to listen to me," She said then stopped as she realized she was rambling. She slid the phone across the table towards him with a shy smile.

"You know," She piped up, trying to change the subject of her family. She really didn't want to tell this guy about her family life, it was hard to believe and he'd think she was nuts or something. "I'm not doing anything right now, so... You know if you weren't busy we could just hang out now if you want," She stopped, blushing and losing her confidence. "Well I mean not to impose or anything, I'm just saying..."

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Isaac's face lit up when she mentioned that she liked to play the drums. He found himself wondering if she was any good. She seemed to brush it off but for all he knew it could just be that she was modest about it. She seemed the type. For the first time since the incident with his brother and friends he thought about being in a band again. If Stelle turned out to be worth something on a drum kit, would it be disrespectful for him to try to start something up with her musically?

"I'm not doing anything right now, so... You know if you weren't busy we could just hang out now if you want," She stopped, blushing and losing her confidence. "Well I mean not to impose or anything, I'm just saying..."

A slow smile spread across his face at her invitation. He could tell that she was nervous in speaking up and he thought it was charmingly cute. Again it crossed his mind that it might not be a good idea to spend too much time with her. He was already finding himself rather fond of her company and had a feeling that it would be too easy to grow attached. But he just reminded himself that in a few days, the both of them would go their own separate ways... no harm done. "Yeah I'm not doing anything. What are you up for?"