Coffee Shop Soundtrack

"I can't believe you have to leave in a week" Hannah sighed, resting her head on Jack's shoulder.

"I know, the Summer just flew by" he replied.

"Hey, I have an idea" he said, jumping up from the sofa, causing Hannah to tumble to the floor.

She could have gotten mad at him, but when she looked up he had such excitement in his face, like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Okay, what's your big idea?" she laughed, picking herself up from the floor and sitting back on the sofa.

"You could come to Europe with us" he said with a huge grin.

She rolled her eyes, "You know I can't do that Jack, as much as I would like to"

"Why not? You have a passport, right?"

She laughed and shook her head, "Of course I have a passport. I also have a job that I need to keep so I can pay for college"

"Awh, but Europe will be so much more fun" he pouted.

"Believe me, if I could go I would. I just can't right now. I'm sorry"

He sat down next to her, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

"Next time then" he said softly.

"Promise" she smiled.

*

Hannah was having a particularly hard day at work. When she arrived this morning, the manager was in for his monthly visit. He scrutinized her all morning, making sure she was polite to customers, testing her coffee to make sure it was well prepared and running his fingers across every surface in the place to make sure it was spotless.

Her day got better when she spotted Jack entering the shop. The manager was in the back checking the books, so she made them both coffees and took a seat at a table.

"You look stressed" Jack said as he sat down.

"Manager's in today, it's his time of the month" she sighed.

Jack let out a soft chuckle. Hannah stared at him in confusion before realizing what she had said.

"I thought you were twenty three, not thirteen" she laughed.

"You have met me, right?" he said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her drink.

"So what did you get up to today?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Just band stuff, gotta get ready for tour"

She was about to ask more about it when the manager appeared behind the counter, calling her over.

"Back in a sec" she whispered to Jack, getting up and walking towards the man.

She glanced around the shop, it was empty. There was no way she could get in trouble for sitting down for a coffee when there was no customers to attend to. He probably just had something else to complain about, she thought to herself.

"Is there something I can do for you" she said with a smile.

He held up a black notebook, waving it in her face.

"I'm not happy with this" he said.

Hannah looked at him with confusion. She recognized it as the book where they keep track of finances, but she had no idea what it had to do with her. Laura was the one who looked after that stuff.

"I don't understand" she said.

"Well let me show you then" he said, opening the book and flicking through pages, making comments on each one. Hannah was even more confused.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean" she said.

He rolled his eyes, "You can drop the act. Don't take me for a fool young girl. I know what you've been up to. Thought you could get away with it, did you?" he sneered.

"Think you can steal money from me and get away with it"

Hannah's face dropped. This must be some sick joke. She would never dream of stealing.

"Y-you're wrong. I-I would never do that" she stuttered.

"Save it, there's no point in lying. The proof's right here" he said, tapping the notebook.

"Now get out, you're fired. Think yourself lucky I don't call the cops"

She tried to follow him to plead her case, but he slammed the door in her face.

She stood behind the counter, a mixture of emotions running through her body. She was shocked that she could be accused of such a thing. Irritated because he never even gave her a chance to defend herself. Worried because she was now jobless, and without a job she couldn't afford college. But the strongest emotion she felt was anger. It was obvious that Laura had set her up. She was the real thief. Though they weren't friends, she didn't realize Laura could dislike her so much to set her up like this. It didn't make any sense.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

She looked up to see Jack standing in front of her, a worried expression on his face.

"I, I've just been fired"

*

"You sure you don't want to come? It's not too late to change your mind. It might take your mind off things for a while" Jack asked hopefully.

The couple were picking up coffee, going the extra distance to the Starbucks down the street, on the way to the airport. Jack was leaving for Europe today, he would be gone for two weeks.

Since the incident at her now ex-workplace, Jack had been begging Hannah to join him overseas. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to back her bags and escape. Leave all her problems behind. But she couldn't do that, as much as she wished she could. She hated seeing the disappointment in his face every time she refused, but she needed to stay and face her problems head on. College was starting soon, leaving her with a short amount of time to fix the mess she found herself in.

"I really can't Jack" she sighed, leaning her arm on the counter as they waited for their drinks.

"As tempting as it is right now, I really need to stay and find another job. College starts in three weeks"

He admitted defeat, wrapping his arms around her waist for a hug.

"Don't worry, everything will be okay. You'll find something" he whispered in her ear.

She desperately wanted to believe him, but she found it difficult. It was going to be hard enough finding another job, without the fact that she had no reference from the only place she had ever worked. She could only hope that the manager hadn't spread the lies to any other business's in town.

The waitress handed them their drinks and they paid and left.

It took an hour to get to the airport, Hannah's wishes for road works or a traffic jam left unanswered. She was going to miss Jack when he was gone. A lot more than she cared to admit. They saw each other practically every day, since the first day they met. It was going to be weird not having him around.

Jack pulled into a parking spot, killing the engine and twirling the keys in his fingers.

"Be careful with her, okay" he said, reluctantly passing her the car keys.

Since Hannah's car was a piece of junk that kept breaking down at the most inconvenient times, Jack had agreed to let her use his while he was away.

She took the keys and smirked, "Well I was thinking of taking her for a joyride through the city later, testing out my drifting skills"

His eyes widened, "HaHa, you're such a comedian"

"Relax, I'll take good care of her while you're gone"

He nodded, getting out of the car and pulling his bags from the back.

They entered the airport, immediately spotting the rest of the group. Jack ran to them, jumping excitedly as Hannah looked on.

"Hey Hannah" the three boys greeted her when she caught up.

"Hey, have fun on your travels" she smiled, giving them a small wave.

"We'll let you two say goodbye" Rian winked, dragging the two other boys to the check-in desk.

"I guess this is goodbye" Hannah said, pressing her forehead into his chest.

He tilted her head up to face him, "It's not goodbye, it's see ya soon" he smiled.

She let out a low chuckle, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly.

"It's only two weeks, I'll call you everyday" he promised.

She looked up to him and smiled, "I'm gonna miss you"

"I'm gonna miss you too" he leaned down, kissing the top of her head.

They heard someone call in the distance. Jack turned to see his tour manager waving him over.

"Gotta go" he sighed.

She released her grip, waving him off as he walked to thee group.

She turned on her heel, taking a few steps towards the exit, when she felt a hand on her shoulder, spinning her around.

"I need to tell you something before I go" Jack said.

She looked up at him, their eyes locking.

"I love you, Hannah"

He leaned down, kissing her passionately, his hands running messily through her hair as she felt butterflies erupting in her stomach.

The broke apart when the need for oxygen became essential.

"I love you too, Jack" she smiled, placing a quick kiss on his lips.

"Now go, you're gonna miss your flight" she laughed.

He gave her one last hug before running to rejoin the group.

Hannah walked out of the airport, unable to contain the huge grin spread across her face. Yes, she loved Jack. She realized this on the day he took her up to the Hollywood sign, though she had been scared to admit it. In the two short months they had known each other, he had achieved what she thought was impossible. He showed her that real love does exist, and it feels pretty damn great.