Coffee Shop Girl

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dear Stranger,

I watched the dark top of a boys head as he played his guitar, he looked up, and I saw it was the same boy I had seen on the tube all that time ago. We watched each other for a moment before I decided to go over and say hello, after all, everyone here I had met so far had been so very friendly. 'Hi,' I said awkwardly, with a short wave. The boy ruffled his dark fringe to the side and walked off in the other direction. The offense I took probably showed in my face because Isabelle decided to offer some form of explanation, 'That's Noah, he's not much of a people person, he keeps himself to himself, great musician though,'

'I'm not much of a people person, he needn't act like that!'

'I know, I know, but he's only seventeen,'

'I'm sixteen!'

'Well I don't know, I guess he has more teen angst...' she laughed. I did not laugh with her, I watched the boy with the guitar get ready to go on stage. 'He's another of the supporting acts?'

'Yep, he's one of Grace's as well, you're going to be seeing a lot more of him, Amelia,' she said, nudging me and giggling. I shot her an angry look.

'Oh great,' I said sarcastically, laughing along with her now.

'Alright,' Isabelle said 'I'm on soon, you should go through the audience Grace'll be out there somewhere if you...need her...' I glared at her again 'Sorry, sorry,' Isabelle continued 'patronising, I have to stop, its just...you look younger than you are and-'

'Digging yourself into a hole,' I interrupted.

'Okay, okay I'm sorry! I've got to go, wish me luck!'

'Good luck!' I said begrudgingly as she pulled me into a hug. 'You'll be great!'

'I know.' she said, joking, but with a confidence she had earlier lost to nerves in the lead up to this gig. She headed off towards wherever she was supposed to be, and I walked towards the door she had pointed me to, leading to the crowd, it was suprisingly busy, or perhaps I should not have been surprised, I should give my friends more credit, I told myself. I pushed and shoved myself through the crowd with many 'sorry's and 'excuse me's as I went, I managed to get quite near the front just as Noah began to play. Isabelle had been right, he was good. He ruffled his hair the same way he had before before he started to play, the same way he had on the underground train. His set was amazing, he played ten times as well as I could have and I wouldn't be ashamed to admit it. When Isabelle came on she seemed so small on stage, her bright blue hair glowing against the black back drop. She played one of her songs I had heard before, she had played it to me in her sitting room one night then a cover of a song that everyone knew and I was happily jostled about the crowd as people began to dance. I grinned for her, supporting acts hardly got a glance from most audiences. Noah hadn't got much more than a glance either.

At the end of the gig I headed outside to wait for Isabelle, meeting Grace on the way out. Noah was by the stage door. 'Hey,' he called cheerfully though with a rather half hearted wave, I guessed this was directed at Grace, so I did not reply. Grace walked over to him and, seeing no other option, I followed rather unwillingly behind her. 'Hi, Noah,' she said 'this is Amelia,' she gestured towards me. 'Hi,' he said politely, reaching out his hand to shake mine. I shook it, with a smile and a nod. 'So you're one of Grace's? I'll see you around then,'

'Yeah,' I replied, unable to think of anything else to say. He started talking to Grace then, about the cafe. It was a conversation I was neither included in nor excluded from, so I decided to exclude myself. I stood for the two more minutes we had to wait for Isabelle wondering why on earth everyone would say 'one of Grace's' when it makes it sound as though she runs an orphanage or has about 20 adopted children, rather than owning an art cafe with a lot of entertainment employees.