Early Morning Starbucks Smile

Natalie let out a groan as her phone began vibrating loudly. Seconds later, her iPod Touch began quaking. The young adult glared at the electronic devices before shutting the alarms off and sitting up. She let out a loud yawn and turned on her iHome and letting it continue picking songs at random. Natalie got off her bed and pulled out an outfit to wear to her interview. When it was picked out, she walked into her bathroom and stripped of clothing. She turned on her shower and adjusted the water so it was boiling hot before she stepped into the shower.

After a half hour of washing, Natalie stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her it. She pulled out her paddle brush and plugged in her hair dryer. She blow dried her hair straight with ends flipping in and bangs perfect. After she was done, she brushed her teeth. Natalie went back to her bedroom and slid on her underwear. She pulled on a pair of pantyhose and skirt before slipping on a pink, ruffled shirt that she tucked into the skirt. Natalie slid into a pair of black heels and nodded at her reflection in satisfaction.

Natalie put her cell phone into her purse and walked into the parking garage that her apartments had. She unlocked her Ford Fusion Hybrid and sat in the drivers’ seat. Natalie put in her Bluetooth and slid on a pair of sunglasses. She started up the car, changing the radio to a station to a soft jazz station. Natalie turned on her navigation system and drove to the exit of the garage. Natalie greeted the security guard and flashed her pass. The guard let Natalie through and she listened to her Navigation as it directed her to downtown Beverly Hills.

The traffic wasn’t bad, so Natalie made it to downtown Beverly Hills in a half hour. She parked her Ford Fusion Hybrid and her purse fell over. Grumbling, Natalie grabbed a few things that fell and shoved them into her purse. The nervous girl checked the time and saw there was enough time for her to make a quick Starbucks run, so she walked pass the large building that her interview was and next door to the coffee shop. Natalie stood in line and eyed the menu, even though she already knew exactly what she was going to order at the register. “Hello welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you?” The girl, whose name tag said Lizzie, asked.

“One Grande Mocha with nonfat milk,” Natalie ordered. Lizzie put the order in the register and called back to her fellow employees Natalie’s order.

“That’ll be five dollars, seventy-five cents,” Lizzie told her. Natalie nodded and opened up her purse. She moved some things and looked for her wallet, but she couldn’t find it. “Ma’am, is there a problem?” Natalie shook her head and continued looking for her wallet.

“Add a Grande Tazo Chai tea with ice,” the guy behind Natalie said, handing Lizzie a twenty. She glanced up at him and he gave her a full smile, locking his brown eyes with her hazel ones. Natalie recognized him immediately, but remembered to keep her cool. “Keep the change.”

“Thank you,” Natalie told him as we walked over to ‘Pick Up’ counter. “I swore my wallet was in my purse last night.”

“It’s nothing,” Nicholas assured the blond. “This happens to the best of us.” Nick looked at her outfit. “Off to work?”

“Internship interview,” the blond said, holding out her hand. “I’m Natalie.”

“Nicholas,” Nick replied, shaking her hand. Their drinks were set on the counter and Nick picked them both up. He handed Natalie her drink and gave her another smile. “I hope you get the internship.”

“Thank you, Nicholas,” Natalie replied, giving him a smile. “Have a great day.”

Nick watched Natalie exit the coffee shop and head left. He followed her out and watched her walk the building next to Starbucks. Nick walked into the building and took a look at the offices inside the building, most of them just boring companies. He noticed one magazine and Nick figured that was where Natalie was trying to get an internship. Nick peered into the lobby and saw Natalie getting onto an elevator smiling widely and, silently, he hoped God would help her get her internship. Nick walked in the opposite direction of the building and headed to the studio.

Nick wanted to work on a new song before he had to go to Hairspray rehearsal. He got the studio fairly quickly and got right to work on the song he had started the previous day. He messed around with different chords and messed a little on the drums. Nick had no idea what the lyrics were going to be, but Nick knew that this song was going to turn out good. The song was going to be slow and, no doubt, would greatly please his fans. Nick just wished he knew what the song was going to be about.

After an hour and a half in the studio, Nick’s phone began vibrating in his pocket. Nick answered Delta’s call and told her he’d meet her for a quick lunch. The young adult sighed when he hung up the phone. He knew that lunch wasn’t going to be pleasant; especially when he told Delta he wanted to break up. Lately, Nick just didn’t feel any chemistry and his thoughts were all about Natalie. And that Starbucks smile. He just hoped that she would understand that he didn’t love her. Maybe, after a little time, the two could even become friends.

“Are you ready to order?” Lizzie asked Natalie the next morning. Natalie sighed and shook her head. “Are you going to order?”

“Yes,” Natalie told Lizzie. “I just want to see if he shows up.” Natalie pulled out wallet that had fallen underneath her seat the previous day. “Does he show up here a lot?”

“Usually he does,” Lizzie informed the blond. “He’s supposed to have rehearsals for Hairspray in the afternoon and comes here in the morning for his tea. I think his recording studio is close by.”

Natalie nodded and then smiled as Nick’s head of curls walked pass the windows and into the coffee shop. “Alright, one Grande Mocha with nonfat milk and a Grande Tazo Chai tea with ice,” Natalie ordered, handing Lizzie the twenty. Nick gave the blond a smile as he walked up to the counter. “Hi Nicholas. I hope you were planning on having the tea you had yesterday, because that’s what I ordered you.”

“You didn’t have to-” Nick started, but the young adult shook her head.

“I wanted to repay you for yesterday, Nicholas. My wallet fell out of my purse and was underneath a seat in my car,” Natalie explained, blushing slightly.

“Well, then how would you like to spend the morning with me?” Nick asked the blond.

Natalie agreed and the two got their drinks from the ‘Pick Up’ counter. The two left the coffee shop and the young blond told Nick that she was still new to California and Los Angeles. Her new friend decided this was unacceptable and told her that he was spending the morning showing her around the large city. The two began talking, both of them finding it easy to let them be themselves with each other, despite the fact that the two had only spent about twenty minutes total with the other. Natalie surprised herself with how easily she opened up.

The Illinois native told Nick all about growing up in a small town that barely made it onto maps. She told the man about her family that consisted of two nieces, a nephew, her parents, grandmas, step grandpa, brother, sister, and sister’s boyfriend. She told him all about her graduation a few weeks ago and about how, even though her class was extremely close, she only wanted to get away from the town. She wanted to escape and California was the perfect place for her. This was Natalie’s chance to become the person Natalie always knew that she really was.

The whole morning, Nick always referred to himself as Nicholas, which slightly confused the blond. She could understand why Nick would first introduce himself as Nicholas, but wondered why he never told her that he was Nick Jonas, member of the Jonas Brothers, leader of Nick Jonas and the Administration, Marius in Les Miserables at the O2 in London and currently starring as Link in the Hairspray musical at the Hollywood Bowl. Natalie didn’t ask Nick though, because she figured there was a reason that he didn’t want her to know and Natalie didn’t want to upset him by asking.

Over the next few weeks, the two found themselves meeting up for coffee and tea early each morning. Natalie had managed to get her internship and Nick was free until afternoon. A few mornings, Natalie’s parents called her while she was enjoying her mocha with Nick, but he didn’t mind when she talked to her mom and dad. Nick loved how close she was to her parents and that she told them the whole truth about everything. Sometimes Nick wasn’t the happiest in the mornings, due to his diabetes, but Natalie understood since she grew up with a diabetic father.

After nearly almost a month, Nick decided it was time to tell Natalie that he was really Nick Jonas. Nick wasn’t surprised that Natalie already knew, but surprised at her reaction. She handled it calmly and told him she didn’t care that he was famous. The blond said that Nick was a genuine person that was a really good friend to her, which was what mattered in to her. Nick knew he was developing feelings for Natalie, but didn’t let her know. He didn’t want to ruin the friendship he had and drag her into the lime light so fast.

Also, Nick wanted his older brothers to meet Natalie. Their opinion mattered greatly to Nick and he wanted to make sure they were okay with Nick dating the future college student. She was just a small town girl at heart and hopefully, Joe and Kevin would see what Nick saw in Natalie. Her caring personality, her bright hazel eyes, how she wrinkled her nose when she didn’t like something, her laugh that could fill a room, her blush when she was embarrassed about something she had said, how passionate she was about things and, most of all, her Starbucks smile.

“Where is she, Nick?” Joe asked after about five minutes of waiting. “Didn’t you say she was going to be here at eight?”

“She’ll be here,” Nick told his older brothers, “there’s probably just a traffic accident or something.”

“Joe, relax, it’s only been five minutes. Didn’t you say she lived closer to the center of downtown?” Kevin questioned. Nick nodded in reply. “There probably was a traffic accident or jam. Why don’t we just order something to drink while we wait for Nick’s girlfriend?”

“She isn’t my girlfriend,” Nick mumbled as she cheeks flushed. His brothers rolled their eyes.

Towards the center of Los Angeles, Natalie was running late. Her mother had called her to talk about Natalie’s college tuition and she couldn’t get out of that conversation. She and her parents were still arguing over who was going to pay. Since her parents had bought her a new car and grandparents were paying for her apartment, Natalie was determined to just student loan her way through college. If she had to, she could get a job on top of her paid internship. Her family wasn’t thrilled about that idea and continued to offer to pay for her education.

When Natalie finally got off the phone with her mother, she still had to get dressed and finish her makeup. She changed into a pair of jeans and a light, floral tank top. She applied her eyeliner and lip gloss before grabbing her purse. Natalie pulled out her phone and sent Nick an apologetic text, telling him that her mom had called and she’d be at the Starbucks soon. Nick replied that he understood and Kevin and Joe were excited to meet her. Blushing, Natalie left her apartment and headed to the garage where her Ford Fusion Hybrid was waiting.

She pulled up to where the guard was sitting and flashed him her passed. He smiled at the blond and let her through. Natalie turned out of the parking garage and drove down the road. Her iPod’s song changed to a new favorite of hers and she turned the volume up a little bit louder. A smile was stuck on her face. She couldn’t believe Nick wanted her to meet his brothers. This meant Nick trusted her and hopefully wanted to become something more with her. Natalie drove through an intersection, screaming as something huge collided with her car’s side.

Nick was confused. Natalie had said she was on her way to meet up with him and his brothers at Starbucks. He had called her numerous times and sent multiple text messages asking the blond to call him (since he didn’t want her to be texting while driving), but she never replied. Kevin and Joe had waited with Nick an hour and a half before they decided she wasn’t going to show up. Nick had no idea where Natalie lived, only that she had an apartment, so he really didn’t have any way to find out where the blond was.

The rest of the week, Nick still went to Starbucks at his and Natalie’s regular time hoping for an explanation, but she never showed. Lizzie had told Nick that she hadn’t seen any sign of Natalie and if she did, she’d tell Nick as soon as she could. He went to her work. The secretary said all they could tell them was that she wasn’t going to be in for a while and were not sure exactly when she would be able to come back to work. She did promise to let Natalie know that Nick was looking for her.

Nick was beyond worried when the weekend passed and he still hadn’t heard from the blond. He began driving around downtown Los Angles for hours, just hoping for some sign of her. There were none, though, since Los Angles was a large city with a lot of people. Nick was tempted to ask his fans if anyone had seen the blond in the past week, but thought that would be a bad idea. Considering people, sadly, lied to have any attention from celebrities and that would bring Natalie into the spot light that Nick still did not want her in.

“Hello welcome to Starbucks,” Lizzie greeted the guy at her register. She looked at the bags under his eyes and how bloodshot his eyes were. “Can I recommend a Grande espresso?” Just then, Nick walked in and Lizzie gave him a sad wave.

“No,” the guy snapped. Lizzie made a face and the guy sighed. “Sorry. I’ve just had a hell of a week. I’m from this tiny town in the middle of Illinois and my baby sister had to go to school out in freaking Los Angeles by herself. Then, she gets in this awful car accident and only woke up a few hours ago. She starts yelling about needing her Starbucks from here that’s a full mile from the hospital. Her doctor dragged her into surgery and she’s going to be up in a little bit and I get sent to go get her the Starbucks she wants.” The guy rubbed his temple. “Sorry, again, I’m just worried about her. She’s my baby sis, you know?” Nick and Lizzie shared a look, eyes wide.

“Um, excuse me for asking this, but is your sister Natalie?” Nick asked from behind the guy.

“Yeah,” he said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Nick, Nick Jonas. I’ve been looking for your sister for over a week. She and I are…friends. Could I come with you back to the hospital? Please? I’ve been worried sick about her,” Nick rambled.

“That sounds really familiar,” Natalie’s brother mumbled. He then turned back to Lizzie. “Crap, I can’t remember what she wanted.”

“Don’t worry, we already know it,” Lizzie said as Nick handed her the twenty. She looked at Nick. “Could you let me know how she’s doing? You two are my favorite customers.” Nick nodded and picked the tea and mocha.

“Come on…?” Nick’s voice trailed off.

“Mark,” he introduced. “You’re in that group, with your brothers, aren’t you?”

“Yup,” Nick laughed. “So, can you tell me about the accident?” The two walked out of Starbucks. “Did you walk or drive?”

Mark explained that he had walked and Nick offered to drive them to the hospital. Once in the car, Mark explained everything that happened. Natalie had been driving just a few blocks from her apartment and was hit by a massive SUV on the passenger side. Her car had rolled over and into a truck. Natalie was unconscious at the scene from the impact and in a coma for the week. She had a few broken ribs and her arm was broke, plus had a blood transfusion and a lot of cuts and bruises. It was a miracle she was alive.

Nick explained how he and Natalie had met at Starbucks when she forgot her wallet. He continued into the story of them meeting up in the mornings and sometimes spending over two hours in the coffee shop talking or going on long walks around the blocks before her internship. Mark told Nick he was thankful that Natalie had somebody in Los Angeles, since he and his whole family had been worried about her ever since she left. He explained that Natalie always saw herself going to bigger and better places and Los Angeles was what she needed; the perfect escape.

Mark asked Nick if he had a crush on his baby sister and Nick decided not to deny the strong feelings he had. He was okay with Nick having feelings for his sister. He could see that Nick truly cared about Natalie and hoped his sister felt the same way about Nick. Nick told Mark that if he and Natalie ever ended up together, he’d take care of her and, also, if they didn’t, he’d still be there as a good friend for Natalie. Nick hoped it would let Mark be less worried about his sister being in Los Angeles.

The two arrived at the hospital and Mark lead the way up to the waiting area. Natalie’s parents and older sister came up to the duo, confused looks on their faces. “Mom, Dad, Danielle, this is Nick. He’s Natalie’s friend. I ran into him at Starbucks and he asked if he could here,” Mark introduced.
“Nick, this is Amanda and John, my parents, and Danielle, my sister.” Nick shook their hands.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Natalie talks about you a lot,” he told them. “Is there any word about how her surgery went?”

“She just got out of surgery. The doctor’s going to come out in a minute or two,” Amanda explained. “Natalie talks a lot about you.” Nick chuckled and blushed lightly. “I really wish I could’ve called you. Natalie’s phone was lost in the accident and I had no idea where to find you.”

“It’s okay,” Nick said. “I knew someone had heard from her since her work said they had heard from her, since they knew it’d be a while before she could return. That was a little calming, but I still was worried.” A doctor in a white lab coat walked over to the group of people and they all turned to him.

“She’s going to be fine,” he assured him. “Though, she keeps complaining about wanting some Starbucks and asking for a Nick.” All eyes went on Nick, flickering from his face to the coffee in his hand. “I’m assuming that’s her regular?” Nick nodded and the doctor laughed.

“Nick, why don’t you go visit Natalie while we stay here and?” John suggested. “We’ll be there in a little bit.”

“Thank you, sir,” Nick told Johnny. The doctor told Nick where Natalie’s room was and Nick walked down the hallway. He arrived at room 625 and Nick chuckled slightly at the number.

“Why can’t someone please run to Starbucks and have Lizzie make my damn coffee?” Natalie complained. “There’re plenty of people just standing around, I think one can go and get me-”

“One Grande nonfat Mocha?” Nick asked with a chuckle, walking into the room.

“Nick!” Natalie squealed and then winced slightly.

“Take it easy, Nat,” Nick said. He handed her, her drink and sat in the chair next to her bed. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” she replied. Nick glanced at her bruised face and casted arm. “Alright, so there’s some pain. But, I’m not that bad. I’m going to have to learn to adjust to this for a few weeks,” she lifted her casted left arm, “but honestly, all I needed was my Starbucks and Nick.”

“I was really worried about you,” Nick sighed. “I didn’t find out about the accident until about a half hour ago. I ran into Mark at Starbucks.”

“Sorry. I’ll remember to give Mom your number,” Natalie said. “Would you mind putting this on the table?” Nick nodded and took the cup from her. He set it on the small table and Natalie reached for Nick’s hand. He laced their hands together and looked at Natalie. “This may sound cheesy, but I don’t care. When I woke up, you were the first thing I was thinking about.”

“It’s not cheesy,” Nick told her. She smiled sheepishly and Nick moved to the edge of her bed. “All I’ve been thinking about since your accident is where you were and how much I missed seeing your smile….your Starbucks smile.”

Natalie blushed and Nick cupped her face. He leaned down and brushed his lips against Natalie’s softly. Natalie put her good hand on the back of Nick’s neck and slowly moved it into his curly hair. Nick put a hand on her waist, gently holding it. Their lips moved against each other’s slowly, breaking away every few moments. Both of them felt something, more than just electricity and fireworks. The only real word that could what the young adults felt was true love. And they both knew that there was no way they could deny the chemistry between them.

“Please tell me you’ll be my girlfriend,” Nick mumbled.

“As long as you’ll be my boyfriend,” Natalie giggled, leaning up for another kiss.

A week later, Nick pulled into a parking spot at LAX and shut off his Escalade. While Natalie’s older siblings and parents got out of the back, she waited for Nick to come around to her side and open her door for her. He wrapped a waist around his girlfriend and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She blushed and leaned into her boyfriend’s side. Nick asked if John or Mark needed help with the luggage, but they told him they had it. Natalie’s mom and sister giggled at her and she stuck her tongue out at them, sliding her arm under Nick’s and around his waist.

Natalie felt a little guilty that she had to walk a little slow, but everyone assured her it was fine and they were just glad she was fine. Nick squeezed her gently, making a smile appear on her face. He grinned at her and led the way to the terminal. He double checked with John that he had the tickets, which John did. When they arrived at the terminal, Natalie turned and gave her family long, one-armed hugs while Nick shook John and Mark’s hands and gave Amanda and Danielle hugs, promising to take care of their daughter and sister.

“I’m going to miss them,” Natalie mumbled to her boyfriend as they watched the four adults walk through the terminal.

“I know what’ll make you feel better,” Nick said, sliding an arm around his girlfriend’s waist.

“What?” She questioned, though she already knew the answer.

“Let’s go to Starbucks.”