Coffee Shop Soundtrack

“Hello?” I asked, Ashlyn was finally calling me.

“Hey, can you meet me at Donna’s?” she asked me.

“Yeah, I can be there in ten.” I jumped in my car and drove to Donna’s Bakery, getting ready for Ashlyn to break up with me. Why else would she ask to meet up with me anyways?

I parked my car and looked for Ashlyn’s Jeep, but when I noticed she wasn’t here yet I sat at a table outside to wait.
I was messing around on my phone until I looked up and saw Makenna walking out of the Bakery. Of course she had a cinnamon roll in hand. She noticed me but she kept on walking.

I rolled my eyes. “Ken,” I said.

She stopped next to me and sighed. “Yes, John?”

“I’m just curious, is this what you’re going to do from now on?” I asked, “If you see me, you’re just going to act like I’m not there?”

“Do you have to do this right now, John?” She asked. She took a second to look around at other people sipping their coffee outside of Donna’s, making sure nobody was listening in on our conversation.

“Makenna, sit down. Please.” I said. “Let’s just talk for a few minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”

She hesitated but she sat down at the seat across from me. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to you, John.”

“That’s fine. Don’t say anything.” I felt nervous, just like I always did around her recently, but I felt the feeling slowly wearing off the more I was around her. “Makenna, I just want to be friends. I want to go back to normal, how it used to be.”

She shook her head. “That’s impossible, John.”

“What’s impossible?” I heard a voice from behind me and Ashlyn appeared, taking the seat next to me.

“Nothing, Ash,” I said, now knowing our conversation was over.

“Oh well, I didn’t know you were bringing Makenna,” Ashlyn said, smiling at her.

Makenna smiled back, “He didn’t, we just ran into eachother, I was just leaving,” she started to get up but Ashlyn stopped her.

“No, no, stay. Really, we can all catch up.” Ashlyn said.

I eyed Ashlyn, was she mad at me or not? “Ash, why’d you want to come here?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I haven’t seen you in a few days.” So she wasn’t mad.

“So,” Makenna said, “how did you guys... happen?”

“Well,” Ashlyn started, “I was in New York visiting family and I saw that the guys were playing a show, so I called Garrett and he got me in to it and John and I started talking at the show and I guess we hit it off and....”

“Ash,” I said, cutting her off. “That’s not really how it happened.”

She crossed her arms. “Then how did it happen?”

I looked at Makenna. I didn’t really want to talk about this in front of her but I didn’t really have any way out of it either. “We didn’t hit it off right away,” I started. “Ashlyn was into Kennedy, she wanted nothing to do with me. But we both got completely trashed our second night there and we hooked up.”

“John,” Ashlyn said with wide eyes, “do you really have to tell it like that?”

“What?” I asked, “I’m being honest!”

Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “Anyways, after that we hit it off and now here we are.”

“Wow,” Makenna said with a head nod, “that’s... great.” She was being sarcastic but Ashlyn didn’t catch it.

“Yeah,” Ashlyn smiled and took my hand. “I’m not going to lie, it’s nice having a boyfriend that sings about you on stage every night.”

“Really?” Makenna asked. “John’s written songs about you?”

“Yeah, sort of, right John?” Ashlyn asked me.

“Yeah, Ash.” I rolled my eyes.

“What’s your favorite?” Makenna asked, suddenly really interested.

“Everything I Ask For,” Ashlyn said. “I mean I know it’s a little cheesy but I love knowing that when he’s up there singing that song, he’s singing about me.”

I looked at Makenna and she was trying not to laugh. “Ashlyn,” I said, “You know I wrote that song like four years ago, right? I’m sorry babe, but that’s not written about you.” I looked at Makenna who had a huge smile plastered to her face. She was clearly making fun of Ashlyn in her head. Makenna thought that song was written about Ashlyn’s best friend, Melanie Cortez, which is what I told her. I hooked up with Melanie a couple of times in high school. But really, the song was written about Makenna, just nobody knew it.

“I know,” Ashlyn said, “But you think about me when you sing it now, right?”

“Right.” Wrong.

“I also really like Saving Grace,” Ashlyn said.

“Oh,” Makenna said, “I... don’t know that one.”

“You don’t?” I asked, looking at her. Makenna and I had already stopped talking by the time Black And White came out, but I didn’t think she would stop listening to our music.

“I can’t wait to hear it Saturday,” Ash said. “You’re going, right Makenna?”

“Going where?” she asked, now confused.

“We’re playing a show, Saturday. Didn’t Pat tell you?” I asked. She shook her head. “You’re more than welcome to come. I’ll put your name on the VIP list and you can get your ticket and pass at the door.”

Kenna nodded. “Oh, um, yeah, maybe.” She got up. “I should get going though. It’s good to see you guys.”

She started toward her car and I turned to Ashlyn, “Hey, one second, okay?”

She smiled and nodded. I got up and jogged to Makenna. “Hey,” I said, “What are you doing tomorrow?”

She stopped and faced me, laughing. She looked back at Ashlyn and then back at me. “Are you trying to make plans with me? Because you already know I’ll say no.”

“Makenna, I just want to finish our conversation. Please. It won’t take long.” I begged. “I’ll pick you up at four, just say okay.”

She looked at me for a second and then sighed. “Fine.”