forum "You marked my soul..." [REMAKE] (1x1/ closed)

Started June 02, 2023 by @maybe-broken-hearted-bear group

tune

Baxter smiled but narrowed his eyes a bit when the customer spoke, trying to understand each word correctly. Suddenly, he lifted an eyebrow. "Wait… aren't you that French dude? Gimme a second-" The young man gestured for him to "wait a second" and called out toward the kitchen, "Ayo, Brie!"

Brie hurried out of the kitchen, What the heck does he- She tried not to roll her eyes in front of the customer but from the teasing look on Baxter's face, she was definitely willing to punch her colleague in the guts later.

"I, uh…" Baxter rubbed the back of his neck, "Gotta take care of something in the kitchen." He walked past her, painfully resisting the urge to wink playfully at her. Brie sighed, brushing her left bang behind her ear, revealing her mint green eye that contrasted with her brown one. "Hey, so sorry about that… two double shot espresso large, right?"

Lucky's heart sank a bit when the barista squinted at him. That was never a good sign, and usually meant an awkward interaction was about to follow, where Lucky was likely going to have to write out his order.
Until the guy called for Brie. Lucky tried not to show his relief, but his face lit up a little anyway when she came around the corner.
She brushed her hair out of her face, and Lucky froze for a second. Her eyes caught him completely off guard. They were gorgeous, and Lucky narrowly avoided staring at them by ducking his head to look for his wallet.
"Yeah, same order, good memory." he said hurriedly, digging his wallet out to pay. "How's your Friday going, Brie?" He was on the verge of fumbling, but he knew he'd better not if he was going to get anywhere with building a friendship.

"Thanks… and it's okay so far. Yours?" After he paid, she prepared his drink as usual.
After a few moments, Brie spoke up again. "Hey, uh, this may sound rushed, but-" Her mind froze a bit before she continued. "Would you like to meet up this weekend? I'm taking Saturday and Sunday off, and I- I'd like to, y'know, get to know you better." Brie smiled a bit, trying not to spill the drink or burn herself.

"So far so good. Finished up a project with my Uncle today." Lucky smiled at her.
He was watching her make the drink, trying to work up the nerve to ask about the weekend, when she surprised him and did it for him. His eyes widened, and he nodded quickly. "It's not rushed, I was going to ask the same thing, if you wanted. We could meet up tomorrow afternoon, if you like." He took the finished drink, trying not to let a goofy smile slide onto his face. Still, he couldn't help beaming at her.
"I, uh… I was going to ask for your number so I could text you tomorrow to make plans. Does that work? Or I could give you mine?" He didn't want to push, but she'd brought it up, and that was a good sign.

"Uh, sure! Sure." Brie handed him his drink, trying her best not to drop it on him or anything.
She quickly grabbed a coffee cup sleeve and a pen and wrote down her name, "Brie Dailey" and her phone number and slid it over to him. "There, you can text me, although make sure you specify who's texting, kk?" She smiled, her marked hand barely restraining from anxiously clicking the pen. "So, uh, hope to see you tomorrow, then."

Lucky immediately pulled out his phone and texted her Lucky Devereaux, making sure she got the message. "There you go. And I will for sure see you tomorrow." He smiled and turned to go, forgetting his coffee for a moment on the counter, where he'd set it while texting her. He stopped, turned back to get it, and smiled sheepishly. "Heh. I swear I came in here for this." He turned and headed out the door.
He made it to work, and was wide awake, for multiple reasons this time. His shift that night was going to be the longest shift of his life.

"Y- yeah." Brie waved at him before noticing his coffee on the counter, "Um, hey, you forgot-" Then chuckled a bit at his remark and nodded, "Welp, see ya tomorrow." Suddenly the little bell rung and he was gone.

She let out a shuddery sigh before bursting into the kitchen. Two pairs of eyes silently looked up at her from different spots in the kitchen. Although no words were spoken out loud, questions were overflowing from the looks in their eyes.

Brie rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, "We exchanged numbers. We're meeting up tomorrow. I owe you both 5 bucks each. Happy?"

A gasp was heard as her female colleague ran up and hugged her. "Omg! Brie!!! You finally got a date! I'm happy for you!"

"Shut up, Madison. It's not a date. At least romantically."

Baxter walked up to the girls, wiping his hands on a dish towel before slinging it over his shoulder, "Hey, well at least you'll get another 'accuaintance' or something, idk."

"Or even a soulmate!" Madison's high ponytail swung as she jumped up and placed her hand on Baxter's soulmark before lightly pecking him on the lips. The boyfriend chuckled, "Chill… We're at work bae…"

Brie quickly shook her head, took off her apron, and grabbed her bag from one of the hangers near the kitchen entrance. "Yeah, no. Anyway, ya'll are closing up, right?"

The rosy cheeked blondie nodded. "Yep! See you on Monday! Good luck on the date."

"Yep," she waved at her male colleague as she turned to leave, "see ya Bax."

"Later Cheddar. Remember, five bucks, okay?"

"Got it homie. Bye y'all." Brie waved back at them before walking out of the coffee shop. Once she was outside, she pulled her phone out of her bag and smiled at Lucky's text before replying, "Hey. :)" and stuffing her phone in her pocket, giggling a bit as she walked by herself.

Lucky got to work, got into his uniform, and started on his rounds. His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out hurriedly, his smile widening as he saw the text from Brie.

Hey :) Headed home? he sent back. He wasn't sure if she had meant to start a conversation, but it was only 9 pm on a Friday night in the summer. He couldn't imagine her wanting to go to sleep already or anything.

Fifteen or so minutes later, she reached her home. Setting her bags on the table, Brie pulled out her phone from her pocket. Another message from Lucky, sent a while ago. She texted him back, "Just got home. Anyway, tty tomorrow. ^^ Hope your shift goes well!" Brie smiled and set her phone down, heading off to do her nightly routine.

Next morning, Brie was already awake and ready for the day at seven o'something. She picked up her phone, and texted Lucky, "Good morning! (^-^)/" then started to prepare some tea.

Lucky checked his phone again, mildly disappointed when Brie signed off for the night. Thanks. Have a good night!
His shift went well, but as he'd thought, the night seemed so looong with all the expectation he was feeling. He wasn't even really sure why. Maybe because she had been thinking the same thing he had, but… something was making him excited for this.
"It's not a date." he had to remind himself more than once. "We're just getting to know each other."
He clocked out at 6 am, as usual, and rode home, dozing off on the ride. Sinjoro knew where he was going, and was used to Lucky sleeping in the saddle.
They pulled up to the ranch house around 6:30, and Lucky kissed Tante Sofia good morning as he trudged sleepily into the house. She was up making breakfast for his Uncle and cousins, who would be up soon.
He headed to his room, which he shared with his oldest cousin, Frankie, and plopped into bed.

He hadn't been sleeping long, when his phone dinged. Lucky tended to be a light sleeper, so he rolled over and checked it. 'Oh boy. She's an early riser…' He had to chuckle to himself a little.
Good morning. Just headed to bed. Gimme a couple of hours. I'll text you before noon, if that's ok with you.

The phone buzzed before Brie picked it up, a bit more impatiently than usual. Her eyes blankly gazed at the text for a while, then, "Sure, dw about it. Have a good rest! Text me when you wake up, kk?"
Brie sighed wistfully and stood up. She definitely had other things to do instead of wait around, run some errands, work on some compositions, study… other things, but for now she would calm her nerves a bit.
She picked her phone up, not to text, but to play some music, specifically her morning playlist. Placing it on shuffle, "Grande Valse Brillante" by Chopin played through the phone speaker. The young lady beamed and sipped her tea, This is gonna be… okay.

Lucky registered her text, and set his alarm for 11:30. He'd need more sleep than 4 hours, but Brie was clearly an early riser, and he didn't want to keep her waiting too long.
….

The alarm went off at 11:30, and Lucky rolled over and picked up his phone, feeling groggy. He definitely needed to get used to less sleep. The last few months had been hard, and he'd been sleeping a lot to cope.
He rubbed his face, trying to think how to word this text, and decided he was too sleepy to be charming.

Hey again. I'm awake, sorry about that. What do you want to do? I don't know you and your hobbies well enough to know what you'd enjoy.

Brie was just getting home from the grocery store when another notification buzzed on her phone. She set her newly bought stuff on the table, "No no. Dw about it. I don't want you to mess up your health over a 'date' lol. And same here. Maybe we could meet up at the park or the coffee shop if you want to."

Brie was unsure about heading to the Honey Bear on her day off, but Madison insisted over the phone, so it couldn't be that bad. She started to put her groceries away, waiting for his reply.

Thanks. But it's not a problem. Just figured I should be awake when we meet up. Lucky shook his head as he got up to get ready. Dozing off on her wasn't an option here, if he wanted this to continue.
The park works for me, unless you really wanna go to your work on a day you're not working. He didn't figure she wanted to, but she'd suggested it, so maybe…?
He got dressed, trying not to be picky about what he put on. He couldn't help it, though.

"Lol true. I mean, yeah, but i dont think it could hurt to get a coffee or something and then go to the park. Btw, one of my colleagues, and i quote, 'insisted' that we head over there anyway. So I think im forgiven, ig.😅"

In her bedroom, Brie threw her phone on her bed, before touching up her appearance a bit. Once she liked how she looked, she texted her "date" again. "Meet you outside the Honey Bear at 12:15, kk?"

Lucky checked his phone, and shrugged to himself. Ok. Sounds good. I need to wake up more anyway ;)
He finished getting ready and headed out to saddle up Sinjoro. On the way, Tanta Sofia commented he looked nice, and he was glad to have her opinion.

I'll see you there at 12:15. Also, what did you need to be forgiven for? The more he'd thought about that last part of her text, the more confused he was.
He climbed into the saddle and headed into town.

About to head out, she took a deep breath. Calm down, dumbass… it's not a big deal. Brie pulled out her phone from her jean pocket, "Nothing, i was just joking lol." If she couldn't make any sense in text, her mind was definitely gonna be worse off in real life.
…

Already at the shop, she waited outside like she said. It felt like her heart was playing a drum solo in a metal rock band. Brie decided to plug in her earbuds to her phone and listen to one of playlists as she usually did and subconsciously fidget with the morse code bracelet on her left wrist.

Oh ok. Cya in a few
Lucky wasn't sure how else to respond. She seemed nervous, which was funny, cuz he was nervous. Brie seemed like one of those girls who was likely way out of his league, but something had pushed him to try anyway.
He rode into town and towards the coffee shop, pulling up right at 12:15. He smiled as he caught sight of Brie waiting outside, listening to something on her phone.
He slid out of the saddle and tethered Sinjoro, before smoothing down his shirt. Green checkered button up over blue jeans. Sleeves rolled up, top couple of buttons undone, over Timberlands, always Timberlands. He'd even tried with his hair, though as usual, it wasn't cooperating entirely. He'd managed that intentionally disheveled look, though, and he hoped she didn't think he was trying too hard.
Brie looked great, though, and Lucky was glad he'd tried, even if she thought he was cheesy for it.
He stayed back a bit, but made sure to step into her line of sight and gave a small wave. "Hey there."

Still waiting, Brie pulled down the left sleeve of her pastel blue blouse, letting her shoulders show and her sleeves loosely fall a bit above her elbow. She paired the blouse with slightly ripped skinny jeans and Converse shoes. To top it off, she added her matching set of earrings and choker, each bearing little quarter notes, eighth note, quarter rests, and other sheet music symbols, and added her morse code bracelet. Brie aimed for a casual, modest look, she wasn't here to seduce her date, just here to meet him.

After quickly pulling her curly-ish hair into a quick ponytail, leaving her bangs, Brie looked up. Goddamn… It took a while for her brain to actually work again.

"Uh, hey… you look-" She used every ounce of her willpower to not say the word 'cute'. "Frickin' awesome, man. Heck, I'm a bit jealous." Brie managed to smile, although she was on the verge of losing all composure.

Lucky was working very hard not to stare. It wasn't till he'd gotten a little closer that he'd been able to note all the little details of Brie's outift, and he had to revise his assessment. She didn't look great, she looked fantastic. Attractive, certainly, but beyond that, she just looked nice, in a way that said she wasn't trying too hard. There was a casual sense to the whole look, but she was definitely making Lucky feel self-conscious about how plain he looked by comparison.
Still, she smiled and complimented him, and Lucky got the sense she was trying to be nice. Or something. He'd have to make sure he tried harder next time.
"Thanks, but you look better, so. Don't be jealous." He smiled back at her, doing his best to not be awkward. "So, music, huh? Wanna talk about that over some coffee? I'll buy, if you'll let me use your employee discount." He wasn't even sure that was a thing, but it made for a bit of a joke either way.
He headed towards the door and waited, holding it open for her.

She chuckled a bit and nodded, "Um, sure. Let's, but I'm paying." Brie walked through the door Lucky held open for her, and shyly almost whispered a "Thanks." The place was pretty chill for a Saturday noon, a bit full, but chill, nonetheless. However, she made eye contact with one of the baristas working behind the counter, the one that she was sort of dreading but expecting to see.

A long-haired blondie behind the counter silently gasped and brought her hands to her mouth in pure excitement and whispered something to another girl working beside her, then turned to Brie and Lucky. Brie sighed and whispered under her breath, "Here it comes…" before looking up at her usual colleague.

"Oh my god. Brie. You didn't tell me you were gonna look this gorgeous!"

Brie shrugged and smiled, "Hey, Maddie."

Madison glanced at Brie's companion then whispered to Brie, "He's cute, and he's French?! Girl, you're so lucky…"

Brie's eyes widened a bit in slight embarrassment, "Maddie not now. You're gonna get in trouble-"

"I'll be fine… but he is though." The barista straightened, and quickly turned to Lucky, "Sorry about that, so…" She faced them both with a pretty smile, "What would you both like to order?"

Lucky smiled at her, though he still really felt like he should be paying. "We could go dutch if you're really uncomfortable with me paying."

He stepped up next to her, and glanced at his shoes as the girls tittered behind the counter. He wasn't unused to the attention, but it never ceased to make him slightly uncomfortable that because he was French, he was expected to be some suave, charming love machine, or something.

He could agree with one thing, though. "She didn't tell me she was gonna look so good either…" he said quietly, smiling at Brie.

He wasn't really sure what to order. "I don't have any idea. What's good?"

(Hey, sorry I haven't answered in forever, I was at summer camp.)
_ _ _

Brie chuckled and teasingly rolled her eyes at Lucky's remark, matching his tone, "She is cute but crazy as hell…" She shook her head in playful annoyance.

Answering his other question, she glanced at the signs on the wall behind the baristas, "Uh… drink-wise, I usually get a chai latte or a vanilla oat-milk latte, iced or hot. Pastry-wise…" Her eyes scanned the pastry area beside the counter, "Well, Maddie and I agree that the fruit tarts are our favorite so far."

Madison nodded, "Yep, and they're always made fresh! We also have the signature Honey-Roll, basically a cinnamon roll but with a honey glaze."

Lucky glanced at Brie, a bit confused, before clarifying quietly. "I meant you. You look great."

He turned back to the counter, nodding slowly as he thought over her responses. "hmm… alright. I'll try that chai latte. And a Honey-Roll. Why not?" He smiled at Brie. "I'll be in here enough to try other things, I'm sure."
He paused for a moment, waiting, before saying quietly. "You sure you won't let me pay for us? I'd really be happy to…" He wasn't trying to push, but his sense of manners was telling him he ought to at least offer again.