Devyn part 14

I was surprised when Devyn came into the cafe. I thought he would be mad at me. "Hey, stranger," I said with a big smile as he walked up to the cash register. He smiled back, though not quite as largely as usual. "So, you guys got some good pastries?" he asked, ducking his head out of my view as he looked at the display case full of apple scones, chocolate chip cookies, and various flavors of muffins. "Definitely. I've been working pretty hard memorizing all those pastries." A little smile danced on the edge of the lips, the kind that I imagined was the thing that caught all those girls from high school off guard and lured them in like a rat to the trap. "In fact," I continued, looking to my side so as to dodge the gaze I knew I would recieve when I finished my sentence, "I've had to give up on some reading I've been doing because of this job." Cue head snap. I smiled and looked at him, "I decided to postpone my reading for a while. Don't want to lose focus on my new job." He smiled like a kid counting his candy on halloween. "Well," he said, smile still there, "I'm glad the new job's working out for you." The smile dropped as my boss stepped out. "Hey there! Come to pay my new employee a visit?" Jacob asked, gorgeous smile sparkling at Devyn with his white-despite-insane-amounts-of-sugar-every-day teeth. "Yup," Devyn said easily, though I could hear the uneasiness in his tone. The same uneasiness I had heard Erik, and every guy before him. I glared at Devyn, as if to say: my. boss. I'm. not. that. stupid. Somehow, though, my message didn't get through, because Devyn said quickly, "Well, I gotta run, but you be careful." I smiled sarcastically at him as he slipped out of the front door. Careful did not have the monotone one uses when referring to making sure you don't burn yourself on the stove. "He seems like he's pretty busy," Jacob noted as Devyn pulled out of the parking lot. I sniffed, "Oh, yea. Full time job."

"Fun."

"It is indeed." Jacob smiled that easy happy baker smile I was starting to feel accustomed to. At first it had been intimidating, this huge, warm, welcoming guy-and me standing next to him, small, nervous, my only job experience being in a cubicle. I wasn't exactly a pro at dealing with moody customers yet, either, while Jacob could just brush them off like any other buyer. "We get their money, we get their attitude. It's a package deal," Jacob had said with his half grin to me when I had asked him how he dealt with those people. I shook my head and looked away from him. "We get their money, they get our pastries," I replied, pushing a new tray of lime scones into the display. "That's the deal." Jacob's grin played with the side of his lips as he tilted his head and said, "Some people like to color outside the lines. Even if it's against the rules." He leaned toward me, "Even it upsets people." I caught myself catching my breath and turned quickly away. Nope. No way. There was no way in the world I would fall for my boss again. Especially when Devyn was so expecting of it. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Jacob's really nice," I said casually, replying to Bubba's inquiry of how my new job was going, as him, Devyn and I sat around Bubba's dining room table, eating dinner like a family. "Ah ha!" Devyn exclaimed. "Easy to work with," I hissed at Devyn in an irritated tone. "Ya, sure. Working away. All hours of the day."

"Why I oughta-"

"Now, now, kids, let's not fight," Devyn interjected as he stepped out of his kitchen holding the salad bowl. He placed it on the table. "Now, Devyn, why don't you tell us how your day went?" he asked, all parent-like. Devyn scoffed, "Horrible. Couldn't have been worse."

"What? Why? What happened?" Bubba asked, generally concerned. Devyn glared at me and pointed with his fork, "My best friend once again fell to the spell of the managing beasts!"

"GAH!" I screamed, lunging across the table for Devyn. "Kids!" Bubba screamed, his general nickname for us now sounding more like a reference to his own offspring rather than just an age difference. "Settle down," he said, glaring at us as we both slid back into our chairs, staring at him and wondering where the sudden wave of parent-like qualities had come from. "You doin' Ok, Bub?" Devyn asked after a pause. Bubba rose his eyebrows quickly, "Of course! What makes you think otherwise?" Devyn and I exchanged a glance, shrugged, and continued eating our meal, looking like two kids eating with their single dad.

© 2010

Devyn part 13

My phone rang, and I jumped, startled, and lunged for the phone. "Hello?"

"...have I interrupted something?" I smiled at Devyn's inquisitive voice. "No, I'm just reading." He was silent for a moment. "Reading, huh?" I smiled, "Yup. Some book called Ginger Kiss. Found it in the book store." Devyn was silent for a minute. "Why are you reading my book?" he asked eventually. I was surprised by his tone. "Why not?"

"I thought you didn't really like reading."

"Well, I mean, I won't spend my Christmas money on books or anything like that, but I don't dislike reading." Devyn was quiet for another minute. "Devyn, is something wrong?"

"No...I guess not. I just didn't think you would read my books." I waited for him to say something more, but he didn't. "Did you not want me to read your books?" He cleared his throat, "Not really, no." I blinked. "Why?" I pictured him shrugging as he said, "I don't know. It's just not something... you were ever interested in. So I didn't really want you to see it."

"I don't understand."

"It's just..." he sighed, trying to find the right words. "Well, it's personal." I was surprised by the rush of hurt that filled me after he said that. "I'm you're my best friend, Devyn."

"Yea. And this is something I want to share with my... girlfriend." I was strucken speechless for a moment. "Are you saying that because we're not a couple you don't want me to read your writing? Are you saying that I would be crossing some boundary or something?"

"I'm saying..." he sighed. "You know what, just forget it. Read them, whatever. I don't care." He hung up. He hung up on me. Devyn never hung up on me, no matter how mad he was or how much of a jerk I was being or how much PMS I took out on him. I called Bubba. I spilled the whole conversation to him. And then I waited. "I see," Bubba said slowly. "You see? You see what? What do you mean, I see?"

"Calm down, Justin. I understand what he's saying."

"You do? How? What is he saying?"

"He knows that you two will happen sometime." I wanted to object, but Bubba just continued, "and he doesn't want you to read his books until you do. If you read them now, it's like you're making the possibility of you two ever happening a lost cause. You having not yet read the books was like a line of hope for him, thin but still there. You read those books, you break that line, therefore killing any hope he has left of ever winning your heart."

"Ok, now that was a warped drama queen way to look at it."

"Maybe I over exaggerated a bit. But you get the gist." I looked down at the red-covered in front of me and then glanced over at Friday Nights, resting on my bedside table. I thought of the dedication to me at the beginning of that book, and I ran a hand through my hair, noting that it needed to be washed. I looked down at my hands- my fingernails had polish on them from three weeks ago that was chipped and dented, desperately begging for a manicure, or at least a home coat. I thought of Erik, how that phone call had been an end to any hope I left kindled in my heart that we would ever be together again. How I had hoped against all odds that somehow we could fix things. How crushed I had felt when that hope was shattered. "Yea," I said finally, "I guess I do."

© 2010

Eclipse

Eclipse came out today. It was beyond words brilliant. The romance was incredible, the lines were delivered beautifully, the special effects were much better than I expected. It was amazing. I was very disappointed that Rachelle Lefevre was replaced as Victoria, but I dealt. Jackson Rathbone was incredible as Jasper and I was very happy that he got more screen time. The stars were as breathtaking as ever, and I was very happy that Robert was not given too many cheesy lines and the ones he was given were set up in the perfect scenery and delivered spectacularly. Also, I was glad that Taylor Lautner was not given another line such as, "Or things are going to get very ugly," as in New Moon, which was hilariously horrible. He was very convincing and I am excited for his performance in Breaking Dawn, as he is a big part of that story and (spoiler alert) imprints. Overall, the movie was fabulous, and I cannot wait for Breaking Dawn, whether it comes in two parts or one. Well done, guys.

© 2010

"The Early Recordings of Adam Young" WHAT?! WHERE?! I WANT

Before Owl City there was Sky Sailing...

I will make a wild guess here and say that you most likely are already aware of my love for Owl City and Adam Young. (Same thing.) So, today, when I was doing my every-five-minute checking of Adam's blog and Twitter, I saw the post "A Letter from Adam Young". I read it, of course. And in this 'letter' I found out that Adam Young is releasing on iTunes a new album...but not an Owl City album. No, the artist of this album is known as "Sky Sailing." Turns out, before Adam Young created Owl City, he had created an album that he called "An Airplane Carried Me to Bed". When he created this album, he had called himself "Sky Sailing" and had only dreamed of becoming the phenomenon that he is now. So now, for the sake of his impatient fans that are waiting for his next Owl City album to come out, (this is where a huge flashing arrow pops out of the sky and points to me,) he is releasing his amateur album for all the world to see. Or, um, hear. It can be pre-ordered now on iTunes, (links will come later for I am a faithful future-wife,) and will be officially propelled into space on July 13th (on iTunes) and will be available everywhere on July 27th. I CANNOT FRIDGING WAIT!

http://skysailingmusic.com/

http://skysailingmerch.com/

http://owlcityblog.com/

http://twitter.com/owlcity

© 2010

Devyn part 12

I walked into Barnes and Noble and headed toward the desk with the computers. "Hello," I said to the woman standing behind the counter. She smiled, "Can I help you?"

"Yes. Do you have anything by Devyn Perkins?"

"You mean Devyn Perspective?"

"Um...no..."

"Devyn Perkins is his real name, Perspective is his pen name." I raised my eyebrows, "Oh. Well, yes, then Devyn Perspective, I guess." The woman smiled and nodded, "Upstairs. Let me bring you." She stepped out from behind the desk and walked over to the escalator. I followed her and we rode up the escalator. Then, she lead me through the rows of book cases, and motioned t0 a small table labeled, "Best Sellers of 2009-2010." I looked down and the first thing I saw was a thick hardcover book with a red cover. There were words embossed that covered the entire cover. In large crimson letters over the words it said, "Ginger Kiss". At the bottom of the cover, in all caps, was the name "Devyn Perspective," written in black instead of crimson. There was a stack of this book and next to it was a stack of a slightly thinner book with a picture of a one-way street in nighttime, a single traffic light shedding brightness onto the words, "Penny Lane Knees". At the bottom of the cover, once again in all caps, "Devyn Perspective" was embossed in a dark blue print.

A whole side of the table was covered in piles of all the books Bubba had mentioned, and a few more. I noticed a small sign that said Devyn's pen name, and underneath it was a pile of the book Bubba had told me was dedicated to me. It was thick, but not nearly as thick as Ginger Kiss, Penny Lane Knees, How to Make a Victim, or Cranberry Juice. It had a picture of an "old fashion" TV, with antennae sticking out of the top. On the the top of the screen it showed static, and underneath that were the words, "Friday Nights." This one, along with Ginger Kiss and High School had the words "New York Times bestseller" written underneath "Devyn Perspective" at the bottom of the cover. The rest of the cover was cream-colored. I picked up this book and opened to the first page after the publishers and title. It said in italics, "For Justin: If you'll ever see." I swallowed. I wanted to think that he meant the book, though that made me feel guilty for never reading his work. But I could face that guilt if it meant avoiding what he truly meant by the dedication. I took a breath and turned to the first page. Underneath the chapter number and name were the first words of the book, and I read them quickly, "She called me. She had just been crying. Maybe before I met her, if someone had called me after they had just been crying, I wouldn't have known. But now, after all this time, I could hear the strain in her voice and I recognized the not-yet-even breaths. I could see her face in my mind: her eyes red and swollen, her lips parted, taking in shaky breaths, her cheeks tear-stained and red, and her hair sticking to her forehead from sweat. Even in this vision of her in her darkest time, when she was at her weakest, most vulnerable state, she was beautiful." I blinked. Devyn wasn't talking about his character. I looked down at the book and closed it. I picked up Ginger Kiss and High School, figuring I might at well read the most popular ones first, and headed down the escalator to the cash register, already unzipping my black hole of a purse to find my wallet.

© 2010

Devyn part 11

The job application didn't take me very long. Devyn helped me fill it out. Jacob wasn't kidding when he said they weren't picky about there workers. Basically, the application asked me if I knew how to cook and if I knew how to run a cash register and if I got along well with other people. I filled all of these in positively and hoped for the best, feeling that I had a large chance of getting the job. And not because I was pretty, contrary to Devyn's belief.

I skipped down Devyn's upstairs hallway a couple days later, giddy with excitement. "I got the job!" Devyn peaked around the corner of his office door. "Well, don't you look pretty today," he said with a smirk. I stuck out my tongue at him, "For your information, Jacob said that I have a friendly demeanor that will make customers feel welcome."

"Aka, 'gosh, you're pretty, wanna stand in a close confined space with me for a long time everyday?'" I frowned at Devyn, "This is where you say, 'Golly gee, I'm proud of you!'"

"Golly gee, you've got lucky genes!" Devyn smiled widely at me and turned back to his computer, continuing to work. "What book are you working on?" I asked as I leaned on the back of his chair. "Jet Planes and Steam Ships," he replied. "What's that one about?"

"Jet planes... and steam ships."

"Well, thanks, now I get it."

"No problem." Sighing, I looked over Devyn's shoulder at the words on the screen and read a bit. "A thick fog had rolled over the bay like a blanket over a child. The only thing I could see clearly was the top of the lighthouse as it cast it's rays over the ocean. I tightened my grip on the wrist of the man and pulled him forward, hoping that, despite my current lack of vision, I would be able to bring him to the Corpse and prove to them that I was as innocent as the child who had started this all." I pulled up another chair and sat behind Devyn, reading more, "'It's chilly, bloke, won't you give me the kindness of a jacket?'

'If I should withdraw my grip on your wrist, I have not the slightest doubt in my mind that you should attempt another escape.'

'Have a little faith in a man, won't ya?'

'You tried it once before, you will try it again.'

'Not when I know what you'll do to me if I'm caught.'

'That's just the thing, bloke,' I responded calmly, looking out at the land in front of me as I saw Kenneth emerging from the fog, an oil lantern in his left hand, 'we all believe we'll escape, every time we try, not matter how many times we fail. The only time a bloke doesn't believe he'll escape is when he's not tryin'.'" I leaned away from the computer and looked at Devyn, "This is really good," I told him. He chuckled, "Well, thanks, I guess. I should hope so, considering I'm a published author."

"A best seller!" Annie called from her room next door. Devyn chuckled and continued to type.

"Why have I never read anything you've written?" I asked abruptly. He turned, raising an eyebrow at me, "I don't know. Why haven't you?" For some reason I blushed, and he turned back to his screen and continued to type.

"Bubba, have you ever read something Devyn's written?"

"What? Of course! Every book, some more than once! And I get the behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at the unfinished books too!" Bubba said with a wide smile as he made a drink for a short red-head woman in a trench coat and large wire-rim glasses. Bubba's club might be a downer, but it was always a great place for people-watching. I frowned, "So why have I never read anything of his?"

"What?!" Bubba screeched, turning quickly to face me. I jumped back, "What?"

"You've never read Ginger Kiss?" I frowned, "That sounds like a romance."

"It's not. It's a murder mystery."

"Oh."

"What about Penny Lane Knees?" I frowned deeper, "That's a book?"

"That's Devyn's book. You've really never read anything of his? Good Evenings? How To Make a Victim?" My eyebrows shot up, "These titles are diverse."

"What about High School? That one is my favorite." I whistled, "Wow, I'm behind."

"Well, yea! He's only been an author his whole life! There's even one dedicated to you." He put his hand over his heart, "It is the most romantically depressing book in the history of romantically depressing books." I rose an eyebrow, "A romance?" He put up a finger, "A romantic tragedy. Like Shakespeare." I laughed, "What's it called?"

"Friday Nights. I have all his books, you can borrow it if you want." I shook my head, glancing at my watch to see how much time I had left until my evening shift started, "I prefer to own books I read." I waved bye to him as I stood up to leave, "I'll see you later, Bubba. Looks like I've got a little book shopping to do." Bubba smiled widely and waved.

© 2010

Devyn part 10

"I know that," I started slowly. "Then why did you do it?" Devyn looked frustrated. "I...I mean, what was I... he would have fired me! For being his ex!" Devyn frowned at me, "He never said he was going to fire you."

"It was kind of implied." Devyn sighed, running a hand through his hair. I watched as his hair turned white from flour. "So what are you going to do now?" he asked me. I looked at him. "I don't know. Get a new job." He scrunched his eyebrows, and I saw the Devyn I loved coming back. "What kind of job?"

"I don't know. Waitress. Chef. Astronaut. Movie star." Devyn shook his head with a small grin, "I'm serious, Justin. What are you going to do?" I looked into the kitchen, where the smell of freshly baked cookies was pouring out. "Right now, I'm going to eat a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie made by two of my favorite people in the whole world." I smiled at Devyn and walked into the kitchen.

"You could work with Bubba," Devyn said as we sat in a circle around my dining table later that evening. "Uh uh. Not the way she scares away my customers. No way." I laughed, "Yea, Dev, he's right. I'm not capable of swindling people out of there money." Bubba scoffed and reached over me to the tray of no-longer-fresh chocolate chip cookies I had brought home from Devyn's. "I guess the night club is out of the picture too," Devyn said sarcastically. I laughed outright, "That's for sure. Not in my lifetime."

"Maybe you could be a waitress," Bubba said, putting emphasis on the could. Devyn looked at him and I glared at him. "What! I'm just saying, you know, until you figure out your options. You can't just sit around and wait for a good job to show up. You've got bills to pay." I sighed, "Yea, I guess you're right. Well, who's hiring?"

"There's this little cafe right down the street from my club that's hiring. Jacob's, it's called." I sighed, "Ok. I guess I'll get a job application." Devyn patted me on the back, "It's call gonna be all right." I glared at him, "Oh, now you say it."

The cafe was really adorable. When I walked in, I was welcomed by the warmth of ovens and the smell of freshly baked pastries. Cinnamon, vanilla, gingerbread, and powdered sugar wafted over to me like waves drift onto the sand. Along with all the smells of the kitchen and winter was an abrupt, interrupting smell of pine needles. "Wow," I said in awe as I walked up to the counter, taking in the sweet smells and staring at the endless variations of pastries. "I know," a man behind the counter said with a wide smile. He pointed at my face and added with a look of satisfaction, "I work hard for that reaction." I nodded, my eyes wide, "You do it well." He smiled and asked, "Can I help?" I took in his appearance: tall, almost 6 and a half feet, I would guess, warm brown eyes that matched the cafe in every way possible, thin lips that, as he looked down at the cash register for a moment and his smile faded into a solemn look, seemed to have a little extra skin near the edges rather than being shaped in a perfect half moon, almost like they were formed specifically for smiling. His hair looked like it would normally reach down to his shoulders, but right now it was pulled up in a ponytail with a brown leather band. He had broad shoulders and big hands, and as I noticed the scraps of dough and powdered sugar on his fingers, I wondered how he managed to so elegantly create his treats when his fingers were so big. Everything about him seemed molded to fit right in with the cafe. "I'd like to apply for a job," I said. He looked up at me and blinked, "Oh." He seemed to be caught off guard. "Ok...um..." he turned away from us, hurriedly searching around for something. Finally, he pulled out a stack of papers. "Here's the job application." He shrugged, "Just fill it out. We're not that picky about our workers, at least not until they actually work here." He smiled at me, "You look right for the job. I'm Jacob, by the way. And you are?"

"Justin."

"Justin. Nice to meet you." He smiled and continued, "Well, Justin, have that back here as soon as possible. I should probably..." he motioned slightly towards the customers behind me and I said, "Oh, right, of course. Thank you so much." He smiled, "No problem. See you soon." Devyn and I left the cafe and went back out to his car. "He seems very nice," I said, looking down at the paper in my lap. Devyn closed his car door and pulled on his seatbelt, "He likes you."

"Please. You sounds like my dad."

"No, I'm serious. He'll probably give you the job just because he thinks you're pretty." I grunted rudely, "Well, I won't be making the mistake of dating my boss again, you can count on that." Devyn glanced at me before looking behind him to pull out of the small parking lot. "Uh huh," he replied sarcastically, obviously not believing it. I rolled my eyes, "Devyn, I am offended by how little faith you have in me."

"In some areas, I would trust you with my life. In this particular area, I'd put my money on Tiger Woods getting his wife back before I bet that you won't end up dating that guy." I rolled my eyes, "You're a jerk."

"An honest jerk."

© 2010