you had just moved to new york city a couple days ago and were looking to make friends and find new places to hang out. everyone had made nyc out to be like a paradise on earth for people looking to get somewhere in life. those walking around you looked full of purpose in their suits and walked quickly to their destination as opposed to your slow aimless wandering.
you bumped shoulders with strangers searching for someplace to stop and eat, finally finding a small quiet café. central perk, it read. you pushed open the door and took a seat at the bar area as the tables were all busy.
there was a small stage, a large sofa filled with people was in front of it. a tall blonde stood up and walked over to the microphone, taking a seat on the wooden stool behind it. she wore an interesting outfit, sort of hippie-styled, you'd say. a man with a bleached blonde buzzcut who was slightly taller than the girl introduced her to the crowd. phoebe buffay was her name.
she began to sing songs she had written herself. although some of the lyrics were unusual, you found yourself feeling captivated by her energy, so much so that you didn't hear when someone began talking to you.
"miss? miss?" someone called.
you snapped out of your thoughts and turned to face the same man who had introduced phoebe. he must've been a barista, too, you figured.
"yes, sorry," you answered.
"can i take your order?" he asked.
"um, yeah. i'll have a cappuccino," you said.
with that, he left to go prepare orders. you turned your attention back to where phoebe was, but to your surprise, she was no longer there. you saw her walking up to the bar and decided to turn your head to look for the barista. phoebe took a seat two spots down from you.
"gunther," she called, peaking yet head over the counter.
"yeah," the barista answered in a monotone voice.
"can i get a coffee?" she asked.
she sat back down, waiting for her coffee. soon, gunther came back out with two coffees in his hand. he placed yours down in front of you and phoebes in front of her. you took a sip out of the cup but quickly cringed at the strong taste.
"i think this is yours," you laughed.
"yeah, i think you're right. black?" she answered, turning towards you.
"yeah. cappuccino?" you asked.
"mhm," she answered.
you swapped your coffees and took a sip. you savoured the drink, appreciating how much better it was than the strong black coffee you had tried a minute ago.
"i've never seen you here before," phoebe said.
"i'm new to the city," you said.
"how do you like it?" she asked.
"it's alright, but i don't really know anyone," you conversed.
"well, now you know me," she said.
"i'm phoebe," she introduced, sticking a hand out in front of you.
"y/n," you smiled, shaking her hand.
"so what brings you to new york, y/n?" she asked.
"i don't know, it just looked so appealing, you know?" you answered.
"yeah, but wait till you get to know it more, everyone hates it," she said rather enthusiastically, to which you laughed.
"everyone here looks so purposeful, it's kind of intimidating," you said, taking a sip of your coffee.
"yeah, that's what i thought, too, when i started exploring the city," she said.
"oh, you're not from new york?" you asked.
"oh no i am, i was just homeless," she laughed, throwing her hands up slightly and then back down onto her lap.
"oh," you muttered, not really knowing what to say.
"don't worry, i'm not anymore. now i'm a masseuse," she assured, "and a singer."
"ah, i'm really enjoying your performance," you complimented.
"thank you," she said.
gunther came back to the bar and let phoebe know she was back on in five minutes.
"so what do you do?" she asked.
"nothing yet. i'm looking for a job, though," you said, "what's it like being a masseuse?"
"well, i'm good with my fingers," she winked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"ha! very smooth," you smiled, nodding in approval.
"i should be getting back to the stage, don't wanna leave the crowd hanging. will you stick around?" she said.
"sure, phoebe," you answered happily.
she began to walk away but quickly turned back to you.
"y/n, if i were to ask you out right now, what would you say?" she asked, showing no hints of uncertainty.
"i would say yes," you said, shooting her a smile.
"okay! perfect!" she gushed.
she pulled a pen out of her breast pocket and quickly wrote her number down on your unused napkin and with that, she returned to her spot on stage. as promised, you stuck around until the end of her performance, finding that smelly cat was your favourite song of hers and then left, not without waving goodbye to each other. you walked back to your apartment, eagerly awaiting the moment in which you could call her and take her out on a date.
