1 comments/ 12775 views/ 1 favorites Whatever You Say Ch. 01 By: vanier789 Please note: This story is slow moving and developmental. It is my experimental first story and I would like it to progress as a real romance does. Please be patient. I hope you like natalie and Jake. ***** Chapter 1 Why does it have to be so cold?" Natalie wondered as she walked as quickly as she could through the slush packed streets, her portfolio under one arm. She was not feeling in very high spirits today, even though she should be celebrating the end of her first semester in University. "November is supposed to be cool and windy, not freezing and slushy!". Since leaving her parents behind in California 4 months ago, Natalie hadn't gotten used to the climate in New York. She thought she never would either. Her new boots, now soaking wet, were not really suited to the weather, but they were all she had bought before flying over to her new life in a northern climate. As a cab screeched up next to the sidewalk, Natalie was splashed with brown slush up to her thigh. The cabbie sped off with it's passenger and Natalie was left shivering as she walked to the closest Starbucks on the block. "At least there is coffee everywhere." she muttered, long brown hair whipping in the wind as she stomped off to cross the street. **** "..Oh okay. Hope you feel better soon then Jenny. Bye."Jake hung up the phone and sighed. He was supposed to be doing a six hour shift at the Starbucks but he was going to end up doing ten hours. Jenny had called and said she was sick and couldn't make it in time for her shift to start. "Was that Jennifer?" Mike asked as he produced another double latte with extra foam from the coffee machine. "Ya, she said she's got a bad cold and can't make it." He replied. Jake looked genuinely concerned. "Your too nice Jake," Mike rolled his eyes, giving his friend a mocking glance. Mike had known Jacob VanDoren for almost three years now and he was his best friend. That's how Jake had gotten the job Starbucks in the first place. They both loved coffee and it was really close to the university so it had been a good choice. Jake was a great guy, but he was a pushover when it came to girls. Mike had known him since senior year and in all that time he had never once seen his friend be anything but the nice guy. He knew it had something to do with a girl in California but Mike had never taken him to seriously the only time Jake had mentioned her. Hell, Jake hadn't even met her! Jake was the gentleman all the time and Mike felt bad for him, since women walked all over Jake once they got to know him. Jake just shrugged and went back to work. "I need three venti cappuccinos. One no foam the others regular with cinnamon."called Karolina from the cash register. "Coming right up!" Jake had started even before she had called it out. "Man, you have killer hearing." Mike shouted over the noise of the small coffee house. It was really starting to fill up and the constant drone of coffee machines and conversations was keeping the noise level pretty high. Both of them went back to making coffee in amiable silence. "Boy am I glad classes are over." Jake thought as he finished another order and handed it three giggling older women at the counter. The youngest one flashed a smile at him. "What, no sugar in your coffee Isabella?" one of the older ones asked in a slightly southern accent. "No thanks Dianna, I got all the sugar I need right here." Replied the first one. Jake rolled his eyes as they started giggling again and the first girl, Isabella, started batting her eyelashes at him. "Sorry girls, I'm working right now. Have a good day." "Okay honey, you too." They were still giggling and flipping they dyed blonde hair when they were seated at a table on the other side of the shop. Jake let out a big sigh and went back to where Mike was making café lates for some other customers. Mike wiggled his eyebrows at him as Jake approached. "Man, it must be hard on you. All those beautiful women fawning over you all the time. It must be hell, really." Jake gave him a pained smile as he looked over to the table where the three were sitting. He supposed the youngest one was somewhat attractive, in a conventional sort of way. "Mike, you can have them all if you want. I'm not biting." Mike gave him another look. "You never bite Jake. And you should, you know. Your wasting the prime of your life!" Jake just shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? They're not for me." His friend went back to the coffee machine to start another round of orders. "Well, all I'm saying is maybe you need to give up on that dream girl of yours, Jake." Jake looked horrified. "Mike, be quiet! And she's not a dream. She's real and she was in California. I swear! " He whispered. Agitated was not one of jake's good looks. "Jake you're never going to see her again and you know it. Just go and say hi to them. Maybe you'll forget the dream girl for awhile." Jake looked at him skeptically. "Maybe next time. We actually have work to do right now." Mike gave him a grin. "Oh yeah, work. Right." **** Rubbing gloved hands together, Natalie stepped into the Starbucks. It was a miracle that she had gotten across the street even. In New York, no one stopped for pedestrians. As she got into the considerable line, she started to look around. This was a relatively small coffee shop. But it's proximity to the university drew most of the young coffee drinking crowd. Deciding that the Holiday cinnamon latte was the best choice to warm her up, she started to reflect on her day while she waited in line. Natalie had gotten her art portfolio back with promising marks on every piece. Her professor had handed it back to her with a smile, saying that she was a talented student that, "just needs to go out and explore the real world." That had stung her a bit and she kept it in the back of her mind all day, mulling over the different meanings, like playing with a paper cut. Patience was never Natalie's best virtue and she was beginning to get bored. She looked at the counter again. Delicious looking pastries stacked under glass bells and holiday gift baskets lining that back wall. She was taking in all the different roasts on the canisters when she heard, "...Umm, excuse me? Can I help you?" Coming from a tall man behind the counter. She opened her mouth to give her order and looked up from the counter in the process. Natalie hadn't taken notice of many guys before. This one wasn't any different than most. Maybe slightly more hansom, with the long curly dark brown hair and pale skin. He had such a boyish face. It was silly really, but she couldn't figure out what colour his eyes were. Now gray-blue, changing to sea green, then green with little flecks of yellow. "Okay, maybe much more hansom than a regular guy." She thought. He looks lean and graceful, like a cat. A big cat. A kind of cat that would always want to cuddle with you. I would love to draw him. He's so familiar somehow. "But why is he looking at me like that..." Suddenly it hit her that she hadn't said anything since she had gotten to the counter. She could feel a blush come to fill up her cheeks to an even brighter pink than the cold could produce. "Miss..If you don't want anything..." He was really frowning now. It was odd how intense his look was. As if he was studying her for something. "No!" she said a little to enthusiastically, "I'll have a...Cinnamon latte, please." She trailed off into silence. Natalie couldn't believe what a fool she was making of herself. "Is that it?" He asked, a little less severe now. His face looks even better when he's not deciding whether or not I'm crazy, she thought morosely. She gave herself a mental shake and managed a weak "No, thanks," before handing him the money while looking at the counter. "He could have any girl in the world," she thought miserably, "and he probably already does." **** The shop had been closed for almost half an hour and Jake was still wiping the counters. Mike could see him through the door in the back. "I wonder what's eating him?" Karolina asked as she was heading out the door. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." he replied. She raised an eyebrow, "Okay, whatever you say Mike. I'll see you on Sunday?" "Ya, sure. Bye." As the outside door slid closed, Jake turned to look at the clock. "Uhg, is it really that late?" "Yes, it is. Would you mind telling me why you haven't noticed anything except the counters this afternoon?" Mike asked curiously. "I'm just tired Mike. Nothing to worry about see?" Jake flashed him a winning smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, which were a deep, dark green. "Uh oh." Mike frowned at Jake and took the rag he was holding out of Jake's hand. "What?" "Dude your eyes are green. Really green." "So?" Jake asked, annoyed now. "They're only green when your angry, or depressed about something. Who rubbed you the wrong way today?" Jake put his elbows down on the counter and rested his head heavily in his hands. Mike followed his line of sight out the front door and onto the street as Jake covered his hands with his face. "It was her." He whispered "What?" Mike asked incredibly. Jake dragged his hands from his face and gave Mike a look that he had never seen on his friend's face before. "It was her Mike, I swear." "It was her?" "Yes!" Jake stood and turned to face mike in one quick movement that startled Mike "Jake, maybe you should just-" "I can't relax okay? It was her! Her hair and her eyes and her face. Everything. It was the girl. And she's here. I need to find her Mike. I need to." Mike gave his friend a studying look and then wrinkled his brow. "But you don't even know her name." "I know. But I have to try Mike." "Okay Jake. Just, go home and take a shower first, promise?" There was laughter in Mike's eyes but he didn't let it out. He knew just how serious this was to his friend now. "Okay Mike, Whatever you say." Jake pulled on his jacket and headed for the door completely absorbed. Mike sighed and pulled his own jacket on. Flicking off the light switch in the corner and locking the back door. He headed out through the night in the other direction. "Sure Jake, whatever I say." to be continued... Whatever You Say Ch. 02 Wow! Thank you for all the great votes and all the views on my first attempt at a story! Holy-Moly, I feel like a writer... Chapter 2 Natalie sat down at the kitchen table with her dinner. Dressed in an old pair of sweat pants and a tank top, she pushed her food around her plate. "I'm never this picky," she told Jingles. Jingles meowed obnoxiously and licked his lips. "Oh alright, you can have it. It's not like I was going to eat it anyways." Rolling her eyes, Natalie put the plate of chicken pie on the kitchen floor so Jingles could attack it. "You must be the only cat on earth who loves pie," she sighed as the cat jumped from the chair and started eating the pie, whipping his tail contentedly. "I should probably give Nadine call. What do you think Jingles?" She asked the cat sarcastically. The cat looked up from the pie, giving Natalie a meaningful glare before getting back to his dinner. "Oh alright I promise I'll tell her about the Starbucks guy. Are you happy now?" Natalie raised an eyebrow in Jingles' direction. The cat didn't look up from the meal but started to purr quite loudly. Natalie picked up the phone and dialed her sister's number. Once she started hearing the monotone ringing coming from the other end, she let herself drift away. When her sister picked up the phone after the sixth ring, she was quite startled, and flushed. She was thinking about that guy almost constantly now. "Hello?" Nadine asked curtly. It was a little late for anybody to be calling, and she was in the middle of brushing her teeth. Her golden brown hair hung loosely from an elastic down her back and she was wearing a men's tank top and pink pyjama bottoms. Her boyfriend Vic had one arm around her waist and was also brushing his teeth. "Hey Nadine, I'm sorry for bothering you. It's Natalie. I know it's late over there." She said in a reluctant voice. Deep down Natalie did want to confide in her older sister, but on another level she wanted to keep the guy at the Starbucks to herself. "I don't even know his name,"she thought. "Hey Nat! How are you? I haven't heard anything from mum and dad so I was assuming that you were all settled in. I have missed you though. Hey I finally convinced Vic to move in with me! I'm sorry I didn't call you before, but I've been so busy lately. I'm going to be finished my bachelors in May. Can you believe it? We are going to have a doctor in the family!.." Natalie heaved a sigh and listened to her sister's end of the conversation with sisterly affection. She always knew her sister loved to talk. It was why Natalie thought she was a born pediatrician. Working with sick kids demanded a cheerful outlook. She knew that the most burnt out doctors in their first year came from the pediatric branch. After a few more minutes of listening to her sitter chatter, Natalie thought she should get to the point. "Hey sis listen, I was just calling to let you know how everything is here. My semester went well and my professor thinks I have a lot of talent. Besides that, I've been studying hard and one of the small local galleries might buy some of my work in the summer..." "Natalie that's wonderful!" Her sister gushed. "I hope you've found someone to celebrate with," she continued suggestively. Nadine's mood was infectious, and soon she had her sister giggling until Natalie couldn't help herself and broke down. She told her all about her strange encounter with the guy at the Starbucks. After all the catching up was over, Nadine had one question. "Are you going to go see him again?" She asked. Natalie bit her lower lip. "I don't know. He was really handsome but what if he turns out to be a creep or a stalker or something even worse..." Nadine cut her off, "Don't be silly. You obviously think he's hot and from the sound of it he likes you too. Besides, you said he was about your age right? Maybe he even goes to university with you. I mean, you said he was familiar looking." "Ya, I guess you're right. I'll sleep on it. If I do go back I promise to call you about it okay?" She said with a small yawn. "Of course. You need your sleep though. Rest up and I'll catch you later. Good night sis." "Good night Nadine." ***** Jacob stepped out of the shower in the tiny bathroom completely naked, soaking wet, and frustrated. He had forgotten that his towels were in the dryer on the main floor of the dorm. "No doubt they are festooning the walls of the lounge by now," He rolled his eyes as her took a hand towel from the counter and started drying his hair. "I just can't seem to focus on anything but that girl though." He sighed as he draped the towel beside the sink to dry. He looked at himself in the mirror. Longish brown hair curled at his ears and the nape of his neck. Pale skin reflected brightly in the fluorescent lighting of the bathroom. He looked into his own pale green eyes in the mirror, then took in the rest of his face. Angular cheek bones and jaw were a gift from his mother, along with the light dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose. The nose itself was his father's though, straight and chiseled with a slightly rounded tip. He appraised rest of his body with distaste. Always thin and slightly gangly all through his teenage years, Jacob had never really fit any description. Now that he was twenty-two and had filled out a little, he was merely lean, and very tall. "I'm so... I'm so, ordinary," Jacob scrunched his nose at himself in the mirror. "She would never even be able to pick me out of a room," He thought glumly. Turning to walk into his small bedroom, he noticed the hall clock reading one thirty A.M. "If only I didn't have to work again tomorrow." Jacob gave an exasperated sigh and turned off the light in his room. "Then maybe I could start looking for her." He thought as he felt his way to the bed. Half dry, Jacob sunk down onto the mattress and pulled the covers over his head. As he was drifting off to sleep, he heard a voice far away in the back of his head saying, "Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe she will come in again tomorrow." "Ya right" he mumbled sarcastically. But that night he had dreams of meeting her again. Talking to her and then charming her and whisking her away with him. It was a nice dream, while it lasted. ***** Natalie was biting her lip again. Wearing cowboy boots, black tights under a jean mini skirt and a red cardigan, she was feeling very foolish indeed. "I'm just going to order coffee. Why did I dress myself up like this." She thought miserably. The wind was biting at her thighs and she longed to be inside the coffee shop. "I hope he works at 4:30," she thought then reminded herself that she was just going to get some good coffee. "I must be crazy." She sighed as she crossed the same street for a second time in 24 hours. ***** "Earth to Jacob. Hello? Is there anyone in there?" Karolina teased as she knocked on his head playfully. "What? Were you saying something?" He asked with a blank stare on his face. He hadn't taken a brake in at least six hours, and Karolina was worried about him. "No, of course not. I was just wondering if you had been abducted by aliens yesterday while we weren't looking. That's all." She raised one eyebrow to stare at Jacob. "Oh...okay." Jake turned back to the coffee machine and started pressing another batch of Columbian roast. Karolina rolled her eyes and turned to walk back to the cash. Mike eyed her from across the blender with an "I told you so" expression on his face. Karolina just shrugged and mouthed "I tried." Barely visible, Jake's shoulders slumped a little more. The bell above the door jingled again for what felt like the millionth time that day. Jacob didn't even look up now. After the first few hours of hopeful watching, he had given himself a firm scolding and just gotten on with his job. Mike was there again today so he should have talked to him, but somehow he felt he couldn't share his disappointment with Mike. Jake didn't have the closing shift today so he decided that he would just take his break off at the end of his shift and leave a little early. Jake looked at the clock. It read 4:25 on the nose. "Well, I guess I'm just going to leave a bit early instead of taking my break. Okay guys?" It wasn't really a question as Jake headed into the back and started taking off his apron and putting on his coat. Just as he was turning the knob on the back door, he heard Mike call him back. "Probably wants to go for a drink after work." Jacob grumbled as he closed the door and put his head down against the wind. ***** Natalie was furious with herself. Furious looking so stupid just for some guy that wasn't even there, and even more so because she was so disappointed. She walked up to the counter anyways and ordered a double chocolate biscotti and a hot chocolate with whipped cream. "Might as well be comfortable in my misery," she thought wryly. It was a little busy in the shop, it being a Saturday, so Natalie went and sat down at a table to wait for her order to be called. She was well on her way to misery when a guy sat down at her table with her order and a strong looking cup of black coffee. Natalie gave Mike a confused look, but accepted the offering and gave a timid nod of the head. "Thanks, but you really didn't need to bring this to my table. I could have gotten it myself." she finished. She was trying not to lapse into complete misery and embarrassment. Having another person around was not helping matters much. "I remember you from yesterday." he said simply. He was giving her an expression that she couldn't read. She was about to reply when he said, "I'm Mike. I work here at the Starbucks with Jake." He extended a hand. Natalie bit her lip slightly and shook it softly. "Who's Jake?" She asked, but she had a feeling she already knew. "Jake is the guy that...served you yesterday. Don't you remember?" "Of course I remember! I can't stop remembering!" Was what came to her mind, but she simply said "Yes, I think so," as she picked up her biscotti and dipped it in the whipped cream. There was an awkward pause an awkward pause as Mike figured out what to say. "Well I just wanted to come over and say hi on Jake's behalf." He paused and looked at her. She was looking at her hot chocolate but she also looked a little confused. "He saw you yesterday and asked if you came back and he wasn't here, I should introduce myself on his behalf." Natalie raised her head and glanced at him skeptically. Mike continued a little faster. "It's just that...He would really like to meet you but he's..Shy. And so being the friend I am," He flashed a wide grin and Natalie produced her own small smile, "I have volunteered to introduce myself and eventually introduce him. But he seems to have left already-" The door of the coffee shop swung open and suddenly, there he was. Jake was breathing hard, flushed from the cold, and standing right in front of the table. The shop was suddenly silent. Everyone turned their heads to look at the figure of Jake, his eyes on Natalie. Mike raised his eyebrows but Jacob seemed not to have noticed. He stood there looking just as shocked as Natalie was feeling. Abruptly he bent over and took Natalie's hand in his. "Hello," He paused uncertainly. Her hand was so small and warm inside of his. He almost groaned out loud. It was so soft. He shook his head and looked back into her eyes. They were a warm, rich brown. The color of dark honey. "I just came to introduce myself before I left. I'm Jacob. You can call me Jake if you like." His stare was so intense when he had flicked his eyes up from her hand that she forgot to breathe. Her heart was doing insane things as she noticed how smooth and cool his hands were. His eyes were a bright, vivid blue-green that had her wondering if he was human. She opened her mouth to say hello but she closed it again, afraid that it might come out as a groan. Instead, she nodded her head slowly once. She was beginning to blush. "I'm Natalie," she said very softly. She took her hand away from his reluctantly and it was like a spell was broken. Her hand dropped out of his onto her lap. Jake was about to cry out in triumph when he realized where he was and what he was doing. He blushed slightly and unbent himself. Putting his hand at his side and he said abruptly, "I really have to go. But it was nice meeting you. Goodbye." Jacob turned on his heel and fled the shop. All of a sudden the noise volume tripled as all the customers were now talking excitedly. Natalie was too stunned to move. She let her hands rest on her lap and then looked up at Mike. It looked like he had been holding back laughter for a long time. "Well it was nice meeting you Mike. I have to go now too unfortunately. I'll see you around." "Of course. See you soon Natalie." He watched her as she got slowly from her chair and put her scarf and coat on. As she was walking out the door Mike saw her come out of her stunned state. She blushed deep pink and almost ran across the street. He chuckled to himself as he picked up the full mug of hot chocolate and brought it back to the counter. Karolina walked up to the counter fanning herself with her hand. "Oh boy. Any more intense than that and I think our lover boy will heat this place for a month. No wonder he was so down before." Mike rolled his eyes and replied, "This is going to be one interesting year." Karolina smiled and feigned a southern accent as she winked at him. "Amen to that!" To be continued....