Work Text:
*Click, Click, Click*
Ray paused to check out the test pictures he had just taken. This new digital camera was expensive, but it was definitely worth it.
Now, he just needed something to shoot for his portfolio in his photography 101 class.
“Rose and the Petal Pushers! Tonight at The Grind!”
That was it! Eavesdropping had usually worked out well for him, and this was no doubt one of those times.
“I bet no one else is going to get great pictures of a band,” Ray thought to himself. His class was more interested in quiet settings for shoots, but Ray always liked music, so this was the perfect chance for him.
Luckily for him, The Grind was only a block from his dorm, so he didn’t even need to catch the bus.
So, that night he headed for the concert. Rose and the Petal Pushers were some local celebrities at his college. If Ray was being honest, the lead singer, Rose, was his favorite. He thought she was pretty cute, but he would never be able to talk to her, and she would never go for someone like him anyway. From rumors and eavesdropping, it seemed her type was the complete opposite of Ray, so there was no chance.
“Next up is your favorite band, Rose and the Petal Pushers!”
Oh! That was Ray’s queue. He quickly put down his book, got out his camera, and started to shoot pictures of the band. His main focus was probably Rose, but that’s okay, right? She is the lead singer. They sang a few songs, and Ray made sure to take a load of pictures for his portfolio. His digital camera was so nice. He didn’t have to be careful about his shots. He could take a load and delete them later, and instead of having to develop them, he could print them straight off. He for sure would have the best portfolio.
After the band was done playing, Ray started to pack up his stuff. He had to get back to his dorm before the doors locked for the night.
“Hey,” Somebody said. He was eavesdropping again.
Ray continued to pack up his stuff until someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“I said, hey.”
He turned around and his eyes widened. It was Rose. From Rose and the Petal Pushers. The greatest band at the moment. The prettiest girl Ray had ever seen. She was standing in front of him. She was talking to him.
“Why were you taking pictures of me?” She asked him.
Oh no. She thinks he’s a stalker of some kind.
“It’s for my photography portfolio for school,” He quickly explained.
“Oh come on. You could have just said it was because I’m beautiful,” She said sarcastically.
“I mean… Of course you’re beautiful. I- just. I mean…” He was flustered.
“I’ll tell you what. You get those pictures developed and bring them to me Thursday night at the Orpheum. I’ll make sure you can get in. We’ll see just how good those are,” She told him.
“You… You’re performing at the Orpheum?” Ray asked. The Orpheum was a big place to perform. Her band must be getting bigger by the day.
“No, I work there. Gotta make a living somehow,” Rose explained as she laughed. “11:30. Be there.”
Then, she walked away. Ray couldn’t even tell her that his dorm doors would be closed by then. He decided that he probably wouldn’t go, but when Thursday night came, he found himself sneaking out of his dorm house, which is something he never did.
He showed up at 11:25 because he had a fear of being late to things. He didn’t really know where to go, he was kind of just wandering around aimlessly trying to find her. This place was bigger than he thought.
“You’re early,” He heard Rose’s voice say from behind him. Slowly, Ray turned around and almost dropped the folder with his pictures. “Come on, this way.” And she walked away again. Why did she keep walking away? And why does she walk so fast?
Ray tried to keep up with her, but with all the turns she took, it was hard. He was almost running, and they were almost there (he thinks).
“Oof,” Ray spluttered. He had fallen. He didn’t know what he tripped over. All he knew was that he was now on the ground, knocked out of air, and probably broke something. He heard laughing in the background. Great, he embarrassed himself in front of Rose.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing. Are you okay?” Rose said mid laugh. This sucks. Even her laugh is pretty.
When Ray could finally open his eyes, he looked and saw all of the pictures scattered on the floor around him. All of his hard work spread across the floor because of a stupid mistake. Rose reached out a hand to help him up, so he took it. Even in a time like this, he couldn’t help but only think about how soft her hands were.
She helped him up, and they started picking up his stuff while Rose tried to stop laughing, but she was pretty unsuccessful. She kept mumbling sorry, but then immediately started snickering again. His fall must have been pretty funny to see. Her laugh was so contagious that he ended up laughing too. Then, they both fell to the ground laughing.
After they finally got everything picked up, they started walking to wherever she was leading him.
This time, she linked arms with him. “Just in case you trip again.” She smiled and led them to a room labeled, “green room.” There were a couple couches and a mirror with lights around it. She led him to a couch and they both sat on it.
“From what I saw in the hallway, these pictures are pretty good,” Rose said to him, grabbing the folder and looking through them again. “You have real talent.”
Ray smiled at the ground. No one was ever really this nice to him.
“We could use a photographer to help generate buzz for us with some great pictures.”
Ray’s eyes lit up. “Me?” he asked.
“I mean, there’s no pay right now, but when we’re famous, you could get loads. Think of it more like an unpaid intern for now.”
“That’s okay. I’m still in college anyway,” He said. “I could get some experience under my belt.”
Rose smiled. “Yes! This is just what we need to take our band to the next level!”
“Rosa! These tables aren’t going to clean themselves,” A man’s voice was heard in the room. “Stop running off with your boyfriend.”
Ray blushed at that last word.
“He’s not my-” Rose started to explain, but the man was already gone. She turned to face Ray again. “But right now I’m stuck cleaning tables at night and serving coffee in the morning. Come visit me at The Grind tomorrow morning and we can talk more about it there.”
“You work at The Grind?” Ray asked her.
“Yup. It’s a hard world out there. I gotta make a living to fulfill my dreams of becoming a star. But hey, it will be a great story to tell either my children or the press. Whichever comes first,” She laughed. “See ya… Wait, I don't know your name.”
“Raymond. But my friends call me Ray.”
“Well, Ray, I’m Rose.” She reached out a hand to shake his.
“I know,” Ray said while reaching out his hand.
She laughed and then packed up his pictures.
“See you tomorrow, Ray. Do you need a ride?”
“No, I just gotta try and sneak back into my dorm because they lock the doors at 11.”
“That’s stupid.”
Ray shrugged. “It’s to try and keep kids from partying all night.”
“Does it work?”
“Sometimes,” Ray laughed. “Mostly during finals week when everyone spends all their time studying anyways.”
She laughed. “You can stay with me if you need to,” She offered. Ray made a shocked face. She offered him a place to stay after just knowing him for an hour or so? Weird. But then again, he felt more comfortable with her than others after just knowing them for a little bit. “You’d have to help me finish the tables, but then we could head to my apartment.”
Ray nodded. That would be better than either getting caught trying to sneak back into his building or sleeping on a bench somewhere. He followed her out to the main part of the Orpheum and helped her clean the tables. They finished around 1:30, and Rose took him back to her apartment.
“It’s kinda messy. Don’t judge,” She said, but when Ray looked around, it was way more organized than his dinky dorm with a very messy roommate. Rose grabbed a blanket from a cupboard and handed it to him. “The couch is over there,” She said as she pointed in a direction. “Make yourself at home. Need a drink of water or something?”
Ray shook his head and headed towards the couch. He set out the blanket and layed down on it. He usually wasn’t going to sleep this late (or early?), so he was able to close his eyes and fall asleep almost instantly.
When he woke up the next morning, his vision was instantly blocked by Rose standing over him.
“I was just about to wake you up. You sleep a lot,” She said as she walked towards the kitchen. “Get up. I’ve got work in an hour, and you’re supposed to meet me there, yeah?” She laughed at her own joke and went on buttering her toast.
Ray sat up and started to fold up the blanket he borrowed from her. Then, he grabbed his folder of pictures and went to the kitchen because he didn’t know where else to go since it wasn’t his house.
Rose started laughing when she saw him.
“What?” He asked.
“You better go look at your hair. Bathroom is over there,” She said, pointing to a closed door.
Ray went to look, and of course his hair was sticking straight up in a couple spots. He ran his hand under some water and tried to fix it as best he could. It wasn’t very good, but he still went back out to where Rose was sitting. She laughed again, and walked away to the bathroom. She came back seconds later with a comb, and started to fix his hair for him.
“Thanks,” He said.
“Well, I can’t be seen with someone who’s hair isn’t fixed,” Rose joked. She was always joking, luckily Ray could tell.
On the way to The Grind, it was quiet except for when Rose tried to break the silence.
“You don’t have a class today, do you?”
Ray shook his head no. That was a lie because he has an 11 am class on Fridays, but this was more important, right? Ray’s never missed a class, but maybe he could. Just today. He was graduating soon anyway, so it’s fine to miss just one class. Right?
“Good. The girls will want to meet you,” She said.
“I have a question for you,” Ray started.
“Shoot.”
“Why haven’t you performed at the Orpheum yet? I mean, working there has got to have some sort of perk of knowing the right people?”
“I’ve been trying to get Griff to let me perform, but he says I have to be bigger than I am now.”
“Griff?”
“The guy that told me to get back to work last night,” Rose started. “He’s a jerk, but I make it work. Because I have to.”
Ray nodded. He understood.
When they got to the coffee shop, Ray followed Rose in, and watched as she put on her apron and clocked in. He sat at the counter, and without warning, she brought him a coffee.
“On the house,” She said, placing it in front of him.
Ray looked up at her. “Thanks,” He said, smiling.
Rose nodded and went to take orders from people while Ray sat, drank his coffee, and looked over the pictures again. They were pretty great pictures, and Ray was excited to take some more.
When Rose finished serving customers, she came back over to where Ray was sitting.
“Alright. Let’s talk about the best place to stand to take these pictures,” She told him.
Ray nodded. “I just took these from behind the crowd.”
“Yes, and I like the pictures with some of the crowd enjoying us, but what if we had some from like either the front of the crowd or the stage? I think those could look sick,” Rose explained.
“I can get some of those. When do you play next?”
“We play every Tuesday here on the live music nights.”
“Okay. I can come and take some every week. We can figure out what works best, and choose where we want the majority taken.”
Rose nodded, and raised her hand. Ray looked at it.
“You’re supposed to slap it. It’s called a high-five?” Rose said sarcastically.
Ray mouthed and ‘oh!’ and raised his hand to complete the high-five.
“You gotta keep up, Smalls.”
“Smalls?”
“I watched The Sandlot a lot,” Rose said, shrugging.
Ray laughed and nodded his head. Just then, the bell on the door rang. Rose turned her head to see who it was.
“Jennifer!” She said, “Always the first one here.”
“I’m always the first one done with classes,” Jennifer said, shrugging.
“Jennifer, this is Ray,” Rose said, pointing to him. “He’s our new photographer.”
“Wow! How’d you pull that off?”
“I asked and he agreed. Why do you think that everything I do is manipulative?”
Jennifer changed the subject by reaching out her hand to shake Ray’s.
“I’m the drummer,” She said. “Make sure to get good closeups.”
“Rose, I’m gonna need one of those croissants this place sells. I’ve been craving one since yesterday.”
Rose rolled her eyes and walked to the back.
Jennifer sat right next to Ray at the counter.
“What did she promise you? Some sort of pay? Did she make you think she was going to do something with you?”
“N… No,” Ray answered.
“What did she tell you then? She always manipulates people into giving her what she wants. I wouldn’t trust anything she has to say.”
“She asked, and I wanted to,” Ray told her flat out. He didn’t need people thinking she was a bad person all because he was taking pictures for their band.
“Well if she promised you anything, I wouldn’t trust it. She only dates the bad boy type.”
Ray looked at the counter. He wanted to be done with this conversation. Luckily for him, Rose came back with the croissants. The bell on the door rang again, and both Rose and Jennifer greeted her with the name Tiffany. Apparently, Tiffany played the bass. They introduced Ray to her, and she said almost the exact same thing as Jennifer.
“What’d you do to make that happen?”
Rose rolled her eyes. “I didn’t do anything. Who do you guys think I am, some kind of puppet-master?”
“No, I just-,” Tiffany started to speak, but was cut off by the bell on the door ringing once again, and a loud voice carrying through the coffee shop.
“I’m here! I’m here! No fret!”
“Heather. No one cares,” Tiffany said, rolling her eyes.
Rose came around to the other side of the counter and took off her apron. “I’m taking a 10 minute break!” She yelled to whoever was in the back. “Heather, this is Ray. He’s our band photographer.”
“Cute!” Heather said, her peppy and loud voice still carrying through the shop, earning her stares from people.
“What do you mean cute?” Tiffany asked.
“I mean he’s cute! I could go for the nerdy type,” Heather explained, sending a wink Ray’s way that made him feel super uncomfortable.
“Oh please. Your type is anything that breathes,” Jennifer said, sighing loudly and rolling her eyes.
Heather gasped. “Is not!”
“Guys! I’d like to focus on our band meeting,” Rose stopped them. Everyone turned their attention towards her. “I wrote a couple new songs, so remind me to show you them when we practice tomorrow.”
“Yeah, yeah. When are we playing the Orpheum?” Tiffany asked.
“Soon. I think. Griff is breaking down, so I think it will be soon,” Rose promised.
“Great!” Heather said. “Ray over here can come take pictures of us Tuesday, can’t he?” Heather placed a hand on his shoulder when she said that, and Ray just stared at it. He felt so uncomfortable around anyone but Rose. She was the only one that was actually nice in this group of people. None of them seemed to really like each other.
“We’ve already talked about it,” Rose answered for him as she swiped Heather’s hand off of Ray’s shoulder. She could probably tell that he was uncomfortable.
“Oh! Is he already spoken for? Sorry, Rose,” Heather apologized.
“He’s not just something you can speak for!” Rose defended. “He’s a person!”
“I figured he wasn’t your type. You like the bad boys,” Jennifer said.
“That’s not the only thing I’m allowed to like,” Rose shot back.
“It’s the only thing you go after,” Tiffany added.
Rose huffed, turned to Ray, grabbed his shirt, and kissed him hard on the lips. Ray was shocked, but he didn’t pull away. It only lasted a couple seconds anyway. She called the meeting off, and walked back around the counter to serve customers. The girls complained, but eventually left.
“Sorry about that… and them,” Rose apologized to him. “I just had to show them that I can’t only like the bad guys. It’s just that they’re the only ones that come after me, ya know?”
“No, no. It’s okay. I get it. They’re mean anyways. You should’ve heard what Jennifer was saying while you got her that croissant.”
Rose sighed. “That’s Jen, always gossiping and always spreading rumors. You know, I’m the only one who really wants the band to get out there and be heard. They all just want to be famous. I want people that hear my music to feel my music. I want to connect with people.”
Ray nodded. “That makes sense.”
“I’m sorry again,” Rose said.
“You’re good,” Ray assured her. “I better get going. I have to study for a test.”
“Okay. See you Tuesday?”
“Yeah.”
Rose took out a notebook and wrote a number on it.
“Don’t be a stranger,” She said as she handed it to him. “Bye Smalls!”
Ray laughed and waved goodbye.
Back at Ray’s dorm, his roommate was pestering him about where he was the night before. Ray couldn’t just come out and say Rose’s apartment, so he refused to say anything.
“By the way, your parents have been calling for the past hour. You better call them back before they drive me crazy.”
Ray nodded, headed over to the phone, and dialed his parent’s number.
“Hello?” His mother answered.
“Hey Mom.”
“Raymond! Oh my… Why haven’t you been answering? I’ve been calling all day and you know how much these phone calls cost? I can’t keep doing this with no answer from you.”
“Sorry mom. I was out with some people.”
“Some people? Do you have friends? Oh! I knew you’d make some eventually! Jerry! Ray made some friends!”
Ray laughed through the phone. “Mom…”
“Oh! How are classes, hun? Are you finishing your degree right? Honey, I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m doing good, classes are good. I’m almost finished with my portfolio for photography. I just need to take some more pictures Tuesday.”
“What’s your portfolio of?”
“I’m taking some pictures of this band.”
“Oh! Is it fun?”
“It’s… interesting.”
Ray then proceeded to tell his mother most of what’s been going on. He left out the part with Rose and the kiss. He didn’t need his mother thinking he had a girlfriend. His mom was like that, always assuming things.
---
On Tuesday, Ray showed up earlier than he did before for the performance. Rose told him to make sure to get a spot right up front. He wasn’t a fan of large crowds, but this was an important crowd, so he told himself that it was just going to be him and his camera.
Luckily, everything turned out just fine. The crowd stayed back a little bit because Rose announced that they should before the band started playing.
“Hey Smalls!” Rose called after him before he could leave. “Let’s make this a thing. Thursday night, meet me at the Orpheum again and we can look over more of the pictures.”
Ray nodded. Rose looked like she wanted to talk more, but once she glanced at the clock, she told him to head home before he was locked out again. So, he did. He made it just in time.
On Thursday, Ray snuck out to meet Rose at the Orpheum again. He helped her finish cleaning the tables again. Rose had also mentioned that he could stay with her any time he needed to, and he would definitely need to if they kept doing this on Thursdays. So, he stayed at her apartment again, but this time he brought clothes for the next day.
When they went inside her apartment, Ray came clean and told her that he did in fact have a class Friday mornings. Rose scolded him and told him that she didn’t like it when people lied to her.
“I’m sorry!”
Rose didn’t say anything after that. She just threw the blanket at him and walked off to her room.
Great. The only person who Ray felt comfortable around already hated him. Ray slouched on the couch, and rested his head back. He was barely able to keep his eyes open before they drifted closed.
Next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake by Rose.
“You really need to learn to wake up earlier. How do you ever make it to your classes on time?” She said as she walked into the kitchen. Rose seemed to have a routine, and she was not one for messing with it. Always waking up and leaving at the same time, always doing the same job over and over. The only thing that differed was the music she performed. Almost always different songs, but the same style nonetheless.
Rose twacked him with a rolled up newspaper. Not hard, but enough to draw him attention from his thoughts.
“Get up before I leave you here and you don’t make it to your 11 o’clock class.”
Ray nodded, stood from the couch, and went to the bathroom to change his clothes. Once he had changed and brushed his teeth, he made his way to the kitchen where Rose was standing. She held out a piece of buttered toast. Ray stared at it.
“Well, you’re going to take it aren’t you? I don’t have anything to put on toast except for butter, so take it or leave it,” She still sounded mad like she was last night, but at the same time she was being nicer to him than she had before. Strange.
Ray reached out and took the piece of toast. “Thanks,” he said softly. Before he could take a bite, he thought of something else to say. “I really am sorry I lied to you.”
“I know you are. But I’m going to be grumpy about it for a while, and eventually I’ll get over it and things will be okay. It’s just the way I work. I’m trying not to hold the grudge as bad this time.”
Ray smiled at her. At least she wasn’t terribly upset. Wait…
“What do you mean by this time?”
“Last time I held a grudge because of a lie, I… Well, let’s just say it wasn’t pleasant,” She looked to the counter in front of her before looking back up at Ray. “Eat your toast before we leave. I don’t want crumbs in my car.”
He nodded and finished his toast before he hopped into her car. Before he met Rose, she looked intimidating and a little bit rude, but from the week or so that he’s known her, she’s seemed like a super nice person who just happens to look intimidating. Well, she might actually be intimidating, but far less than he had thought beforehand. She parked in her usual spot at The Grind and they both walked separate ways. Rose to her job, and Ray to his class.
“See ya, Smalls,” She called as she walked away.
Ray smiled. “Bye, Rosie.”
“What?”
Ray turned around to face her. “Rosie. You have a nickname for me, I might as well have one for you.”
“Okay, Smalls. Just anything but Rosie.”
Ray nodded, and they both turned to walk their separate ways while Ray tried to come up with a better nickname. How did she come up with one so fast? This stuff is hard. Even throughout his class, all he could think about was a nickname for her. He was thinking about her personality and what he had known of her since they had met. Then, it came to him, and after his class, he went to The Grind to show off his nickname for her.
He walked into the coffee shop with a boost of confidence convinced that he had the perfect name, and the second he saw her, he blurted it out.
“Smiles.”
Rose shot him a confused look. “What?”
“Smiles,” He repeated. “That’s your nickname.”
Rose burst out laughing. “Yeah, okay. That’s almost worse than Rosie.”
“Well. I couldn’t think of anything else. Smiles and Smalls sound good, don’t they?”
“I don’t know about you, but Smiles sounds really hard to say, and I don’t think it fits me well enough.”
Ray peered at the counter in front of him, as if searching there for a new nickname.
“What about Coach?” He asked her after a short moment.
“Why Coach?” She asked back.
“I don’t know. You’re always telling me what to do. Maybe this one will suit you better.”
Rose smiled (see she does smile a lot). “Okay, Smalls. I’ll deal with Coach.”
Ray plastered a pleased look on his face. “Alright, Coach. What’s on the agenda today?”
“Work, work, and more work.”
Ray’s face changed to an almost disgusted look. “All you do is work. Don’t you have any fun?”
“Work pays the bills,” She said to him. “And I do too have fun.”
“How?”
“I don’t know if you know this, Smalls, but I play in a band,” She said sarcastically.
Ray rolled his eyes. “Well, you need to do something fun one of these days.”
“Okay. I don’t work tomorrow night. Take me out to do something fun.”
He nodded. “I know just the thing.”
“It better not be reading a book.”
“You have such little faith in me.”
“And you have such little knowledge of what I call fun,” Rose shot back.
Ray tapped his hand on the counter. “I’ll show you,” He said while getting up from his seat. “But right now I have to finish my homework so I can actually take you to do something fun tomorrow.”
“8:30,” Rose announced as he was almost out the door.
“Alright, Coach. I’ll show you what fun is.”
That was so out of character for Ray, but the more he got comfortable with Rose, the more cocky he seemed to get. She must be rubbing off on him.
The next night at 8:30, Ray showed up to The Grind to pick up Rose. He had one camera in each hand, and he struggled to open the door. When Rose saw his struggle through the glass door, he saw her laugh before coming to open it for him.
“I just have a couple more things to do before we can go,” She told him. He nodded, and took his usual seat at the counter. When she finished, she grabbed her bag from behind the counter, and walked around to greet him. “Alright, Smalls. Show me what fun is.”
“We,” he paused, holding out one of his cameras for Rose to grab. “Are going on a photography scavenger hunt.”
“What’s that?” She questioned.
“We are going around the strip, taking pictures of these,” He pulled out a couple pieces of paper. “The first one back at your car with each of the pictures wins.”
“Wins what?” Rose asked, taking one of the papers out of his hand and reading it.
“I don’t know. They just win. I used to do this all the time with my siblings.”
“You have siblings?”
“Yeah. One sister and two brothers. I’m the oldest, though. Do you have any siblings?”
“One sister. My dad for sure wanted a boy, but that never happened,” She said with a laugh.
“That’s cool.”
“Yeah,” Rose looked at her paper one more time, and suddenly bolted down the sidewalk. “Go!” She shouted at him without looking back.
Ray could hardly comprehend what was happening as he watched her pull out her polaroid camera and snap a picture. He could tell she was going to be competitive about this, so he began to do the same. He glanced down at the list he had made earlier and read it.
Someone laughing
An important sign
Someone posing silly
A unique place
People hugging
Something with lots of numbers
(All people ones have to be different people)
He didn’t make it too hard since it was getting late and he assumed Rose had never done it before, but she seemed to be enjoying it quite a lot. The way her smile brightened as she found what she needed for her picture, and the way she’d do a little dance when she got a good picture. Ray was so busy watching her that he didn’t do much of his own photos until he saw her start racing back to where her car was. That snapped Ray out of his trance, and he immediately started getting the pictures he needed.
Rose had been standing by her car for about 10 minutes when Ray finally arrived.
“I crushed you, Smalls,” She told him.
‘Yeah. You win,” Ray admitted.
“What do I win?”
“I told you. I don’t know, you just win.”
“I’ll tell you what I win. I’m going to show you what my kinda fun looks like.”
“Are you saying this wasn’t fun?” Ray asked.
“No, this was actually more fun than I thought it would be, but now’s my turn.”
Ray nodded. “Okay, where to, Coach?”
Rose held up a hand. “Nope. It’s too late for my fun. We will have to do it another time.”
“What’s your kinda fun?”
“A surprise, just like yours was.”
They laughed, and said goodnight before Rose got in her car and Ray started walking towards his dorm. He was proud of how the night went and excited because of how good of friends he and Rose were becoming. Ray’s never had a close friend, and even though he’s only known Rose a short while, he felt like they clicked almost instantly, and they were on the road to becoming really great friends. Friends. Definitely friends.
Although that was true, Ray couldn’t help but have a small crush on her. The more he got to know her, the more it grew. Well, he would just have to hide it because there’s no way she’d want anything except friendship from him, if that.
---
“I got an A! Rose I got an A!”
“On what? Rose asked, watching Ray walk into the coffee shop.
“On my portfolio. The professor complimented me on my pictures!”
“That’s great! I guess being our unpaid intern worked out for you, Smalls,” She said with a smile.
“Smalls?” Jennifer asked.
Ray had been so focused on telling Rose about his grade that he didn’t realize he was interrupting a band meeting. “Oh, sorry. I’ll let you get back to it,” He said as he took a seat at the opposite end of the shop, deciding at the last minute to eavesdrop.
“Again I ask, Smalls?”
Rose huffed. “It’s none of your business, Jennifer.”
Jennifer lowered her voice, but it wasn’t so low that Ray couldn’t hear her. “Do you like him or something? He’s not your type, but maybe he could be good for you.”
Ray could tell Rose rolled her eyes because the next thing she did was change the subject.
“I talked to Griff, and he said we can play the Orpheum if we either open for a bigger band or set up a showcase to draw in buzz for the place. I was thinking the latter.”
Just then, a watch beeped, and the voice of Tiffany could be heard. “Oh. Sorry guys, I have to go. Later?”
“Later,” Rose replied.
“Where are you going, Tiff?” Heather asked.
“No where.”
“Are you hanging out with a boy?” Heather pestered. Before anyone could answer, the ball on the door rang signaling that Tiffany had left. “Rude. But she totally is.”
“Stay out of it, Heather.” Rose said.
“Well, if she’s gone, then so am I,” Jennifer said before getting up and walking out the door, her high heels clicking against the hard floor.
“And then there were two.”
“Heather, If you want to leave, you can too.”
“Oh thank God.” Then the third Petal Pusher left The Grind.
Ray took a minute, but he made his way up to his regular place at the counter.
“Sorry about them. They never know when to stop,” Rose said to him, handing him a pastry.
“What do you mean?” Ray asked, completely lying.
“Oh please, Smalls. I know you were eavesdropping. It doesn’t help that they aren’t the quietest people on the planet.”
“Okay, I was listening. Why do you let them treat you that way?”
“What way?”
“They treat you like a horrible person, and they definitely don’t care about the band.”
“They're my only friends, and we’ve been friends since high school,” Rose said, looking to the counter.
“I’m just saying, sometimes it’s best when friends grow apart,” Ray replied, placing a comforting hand on her’s.
“I mean, they’re not
all
terrible. Heather’s okay.”
“I know you want this band thing to work out, and I do too. But when they treat you like this and don’t even care about the music, are they really the right fit?”
Rose glared at the counter for a moment. “I don’t need you to tell me who can and cannot be in my band.”
“I’m not trying to. I’m simply trying to make you see another side.”
It was silent for a minute before Rose completely burst into tears. She placed her elbows on the counter, her face in her hands, and heaved big breaths as she was crying.
Ray immediately rose from his seat and reached over the counter to hug and comfort her. It was the most awkward position to be standing in because he wasn’t quite tall enough to lean all the way over the counter, but he made an effort.
“I’ve known for a while. They aren’t pulling their weight and they really don’t care about the music, but this dream is something of mine that I’ve had since freshman year. I don’t want to throw it away just yet.”
“Rose, you’re still young. You have plenty of time to find the right band that actually cares about it just as much as you do.”
She sucked in a heavy breath, and stopped crying all together. “Okay. But, I want to keep this dream until after the Orpheum. Maybe a label will want to sign me as a solo artist.”
“There’s the Rose I know,” Ray said, lighting punching her shoulder.
She grabbed a napkin from the counter to wipe her eyes, took a deep breath, and went straight back to work as if nothing had ever happened. Ray definitely felt bad for her, but he admired how she didn’t let it slow her down.
They talked for a while, with Rose serving people in between until something random happened. When the bell on the door rang, Rose looked at it, and immediately her face sported an angry expression.
“Jack,” She said, unamused.
“Sarah!” The man said, looking much happier than Rose at that moment.
“It’s Rose.”
“I knew that.”
Rose hummed. “Sure you did.”
“I really did! How could I forget you, Rose. Rosie. Rosalina.”
“What do you want?”
Jack held up a bouquet of sunflowers. “I want to ask you on a date. Because you’re my sunflower.”
“No.”
“But-”
“I said no, Jack,” Rose said, getting visibly upset.
“Well, at least take these, Ms. playing-hard-to-get.” Jack said as he winked, placed the bouquet on the counter, and walked out.
When he was gone, Rose immediately threw the flowers in the garbage.
“Not a fan of sunflowers?” Ray questioned.
“Nah. I love dahlias, though.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. they stand for love, and I’ve always tried to love everyone who came my way.”
“You don’t seem to love Jack,” Ray commented sarcastically.
Rose laughed. “Your sarcastic comments are getting better every day. I’m proud of you, Smalls.”
It was Ray’s turn to laugh. “Well, I better get going before I don’t end up doing my assignments.”
“Bye Ray,” She said, waving at him as we walked out the door.
Ray started to walk back to his dorm when he remembered something.
“Forget something?” Rose questioned when he walked back into the coffee shop.
“Um. I forgot to tell you that I’m visiting my mom over spring break. Just in case you worry about me or something.”
“Where does your mom live?”
“San Francisco.”
“You came all the way to LA for school?”
“I got a really good scholarship,” Ray shrugged.
“Well, remind me when you get back and I’ll take you to do that fun thing.”
Ray nodded, paused as if he was going to say something more, but decided against it. He then made his way out of the coffee shop and down the sidewalk towards his dorm.
---
“Honey, do you want to go to the antiques store with me?”
“Mom, I really don’t-”
“I know I asked, but I really wasn’t asking. Come with me.”
“Mom…”
“Raymond. Come to the antiques store with me. Your father stopped going with me, and I need someone to keep me company.”
Ray rolled his eyes but came anyway. As his mom was walking through the old plates and china sets, something caught the corner of Ray’s eye, and he was instantly drawn to it.
“What’s that?” His mother questioned him when she realized he was not dragging his feet behind her anymore.
“It’s a dahlia pin.”
“Wanna tell me why you’re mesmerized by it?”
Ray sighed. He’d have to tell her at some point. But before he could say anything, his mom guessed it.
“You like a girl?”
“No. No. Well, yes, but we’re just friends.”
“Ray! You like her!”
Before he could say anything else, his mother grabbed the dahlia pin and started walking towards the front.
“What are you doing?” He asked.
“I’m helping you buy it for her.”
“No, you don’t have-”
His mother held up a hand to cut him off. “Were you going to buy it for her?” Ray nodded. “As a college student, do you have the money?” Ray shook his head. “Then I’m going to help you buy it. But, when you’ve got a job and some money, you will pay me back for it.”
Ray smiled and nodded. He would no doubt get a job with the portfolio he’s been building taking pictures of Rose and The Petal Pushers. Then it would really be like he bought it for her.
---
“Smalls! You’re back. I missed my favorite intern.”
“You missed me?” Ray asked her, walking over to the spot known as his at the counter.
“Well, let’s be honest. You’re a break from the drama filled girls that have been here almost every day complaining about each other.”
Ray chuckled. “That bad, huh?”
Rose nodded.
“Well, I hope it was worth it because I got you something.”
“What do you mean you got me something?”
Instead of answering, Ray just pulled out a little box and opened it so that she could see its contents.
Rose gasped. “What is this?” She questioned.
“It’s a dahlia pin. I found it at an antique store in San Francisco and thought of you, so I just had to get it for you.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. I only told you I like dahlias, it doesn’t mean you have to do anything with that information,” She pushed his shoulder back.
“I figure that way you’d never forget your intern.”
“What do you mean, forget?”
“I graduate in a couple weeks. I don’t have a job down here yet, so I have to go back and live with my parents until I do.”
“No you don’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have a spare bedroom. You can stay in that until you find a job. Just make sure to pay rent too,” she laughed.
Ray paused with what he was sure was a surprised look on his face. “You have a spare bedroom and you’ve made me sleep on the couch?”
“Of course that’s the detail you’re focusing on.”
“It’s a good detail to circle back to later, but I would love to come stay with you.”
“Good, because I have a date set for Rose and The Petal Pushers’ showcase at the Orpheum, and I need my intern photographer to take pictures at it.”
“When? I’m so proud of you! And mad at Griff for making you wait this long. You’re ready, and I know it.”
“May 23rd,” Rose said proudly.
“Hey, that's only a couple of days after my graduation. You’ll come, won’t you? It’s on the 20th. I can save you a ticket.”
Rose smiled and nodded towards him. “Of course, Smalls. I got you.”
Ray nodded and stuck the box in his hand out in front of her even more. “Take it before I lose it,” he laughed.
“Rose nodded, took the pin out of the box, and pinned it right on her shirt. Just then the bell on the door rang, signaling that a customer had just walked in. Rose nodded towards him, and went to take the man’s order. He would never admit that he blushed when the customer complimented her pin.
“Thanks. My… Best friend got it for me,” Rose told him.
That’s right. They had never really established that they were even friends, but I guess Rose thinks of him as a best friend. That’s a step in the right direction to being even more, right? Ray would hope so. They’ve known each other for almost 4 months, and they have been hanging out most of those days. Ray has warmed up to her, and she has taken him under her wing.
---
“Smalls! You didn’t tell me you were top of your photography class?”
Ray shrugged. It wasn’t that big of a deal, except that it was.
“Smalls? His name is Raymond, honey.”
That was Ray’s mother. She probably embarrassed him the entire ceremony.
Rose looked at him. “I thought it was Ray?”
“Ray for short,” He told her.
“Raymond honey, why don’t you stand next to your girlfriend and we’ll take some pictures.”
“Mom, she’s not my girlfriend.”
“But she’s wearing the pin,” his mother had pointed out, and she was right. Rose had worn it every day for the past few weeks.
“That doesn’t mean she’s my girlfriend.”
“But you said-”
“What he means is I haven’t answered his question yet, but now I am. Yes, Smalls, I’ll be your girlfriend,” Rose said quickly, covering for him before his mother pestered anymore.
“Ah. See? Now get in close with her, and I’ll take your picture,” his mother told them.
Rose got close to him and his mother snapped two pictures and handed one polaroid to each of them.
“Well, Ray, we better get going to pack your stuff before we have to leave. You know how much I hate driving at night,” His mother told him, grabbing him by the arm. “Rosalina, you can come help if you want.” If Rose wanted to correct her, she decided against it.
“Oh, actually Mom, I’m not coming back to San Francisco.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m staying with Rose. My stuff is already packed and at her house,” Ray simply explained.
“You can’t stay with your girlfriend if you’re not married,” his mother said sternly.
“It’s separate rooms,” Ray said, rolling his eyes. He could tell Rose was beginning to get uncomfortable with the argument, so he tried to end it. “Thanks for coming to support me, Mom. I’ll see you soon.”
His mother sighed. “Your father and I brought you your car, it’s in the parking lot,” She handed him a set of keys, kissed his cheek, and made her way out the building, muttering an ‘I love you’ somewhere in between.
“Sorry you had to see that. And pretend that you’re my girlfriend.”
“What do you mean? I was being honest. You wanted to ask me, didn’t you?” She questioned him, linking an arm with his as they walked out of the building.
Ray blushed a bit. “How’d you know?”
“Come on, we’ve had a connection since we first met. I was just seeing how long it would take you to ask me out.”
Ray laughed. “Alright, Coach,” He started, bumping his shoulder to her’s, “What are we doing now?”
“Well, let’s go back to my apartment to change, and then we’re going to do my fun thing.”
“Oh you mean we can actually do that now?”
“I had to finalize the details. Get your car and meet me at the apartment.”
Ray nodded, kissed her cheek, and walked away to his car. It felt good to do that now. Ever since she had kissed him that one day in the coffee shop, he had never stopped thinking about it, and about how he wanted to do it again, but he didn’t want her to feel awkward or anything so he didn’t say anything.
They both went back to the apartment, got changed, and loaded into Rose’s car. She drove to a high school.
“What are we doing here?” Ray asked.
“We are helping the after school music club,” Rose told him as she parked the car.
“This is what you do for fun?” Ray questioned lightheartedly. “Sounds like fun. Except I can’t play instruments worth anything.”
“Exactly, they’re teaching you. It’s one of their assignments, and you’re helping them achieve it.”
“I don’t promise anything to be good.”
Rose pushed his shoulder back. “That’s normal. It’s your first lesson.”
“Okay,” Ray nodded as he opened the front door to the school. Rose led him down a hallway, and into a room labeled ‘music’ with instruments all over the walls, and a group of students sat in a circle of chairs in the middle of that room.
“Hey guys!” Rose greeted them. They all greeted her the same, and Rose motioned a hand towards Ray. “This is Ray, he’s the one you’ll be teaching today.”
“He’s going to be hard to teach,” One student spoke up.
“You don’t know that, maybe I’ll be the easiest one to teach,” Ray defended himself.
“Smalls, don’t lie to them,” Rose laughed.
“Smalls?” another student asked.
“Why does everybody question that nickname?” Rose asked.
“Nevermind,” The student said. “Come on, Smalls , let's pick out an instrument,” he mocked.
“Hey! You all have to call him Ray, or I’ll tell Miss Brown that you don’t get your points for it.”
“Rude,” Another student rolled her eyes as she said.
“Brutal,” Ray whispered to Rose and she giggled.
They spent the next couple hours trying and failing to get Ray to even make a note on any instrument. They only stopped because the school was closing and the club’s students had to go home. On their way home, Rose laughed at him for being so horrible.
“Okay, I get it, but I told you I would be terrible,” Ray laughed too.
“I know, but you couldn’t even make a single note.”
Ray changed the subject. “You like helping those kids?” He asked her.
“Yeah. I helped their teacher teach them to play, and I really enjoyed it. The kids appointed me their assistant advisor for their club where they learn songs and sometimes teach others how to play. It’s one of the most fun things I get to do.”
“Well, it really seemed like you were enjoying it.” It was silent for a moment. “Hey did I tell you that a really awesome photography studio wants me to come and work for them?”
“No. When was this?”
“My professor stopped me after the ceremony today. He said that since I was the top of my class, they wanted to see a portfolio of my works and they’d consider hiring me.”
“Ray! You say that like it’s no big deal! This is huge!”
“It means I won’t have much time for taking your pictures anymore.”
“I am totally fine with that. I told you, you're an unpaid intern to fill your portfolio, and coming to Tuesday night gigs and any others has done that. So, get your dream job at this photography place.”
“How’d you know it was my dream job?”
“I listen when you talk, Smalls,” She assured him.
Just then, they walked into the apartment, and Ray tripped over one of his boxes.
“I told you to put those away right then,” Rose laughed.
“You were rushing me,” Ray defended.
“C’mon, let’s get everything put in a place,” Rose said, grabbing a box and walking towards Ray’s new room, so Ray followed.
After a few hours they had everything in a place and there were no more boxes to trip over.
“It’s only 8,” Ray said, looking at his watch. “What are we supposed to do for the rest of the night? I know you took the whole day off.”
Rose took his hand. “I know just what to do,” She said, leading him to the couch in the living room. The second they sat down, her eyes darted to his lips, and then her lips came crashing onto his.
---
“Rose, I got you this,” Ray said, holding out his hand.
Rose took the object and examined it, flipping it over and reading every inch.
“Why did you get this?” She asked. “You get in free since you’re the photographer.”
“I know, but I figured you’d want to remember your Orpheum showcase, so I bought a ticket.”
“Aw. Thanks, Smalls,” Rose said, smiling and hugging him. She turned back around to face the stage and laughed.
“What?” Ray asked, coming up behind her.
“Just thinking about the amount of times I’ve swept that stage, and now I’m going to be performing on it.”
“Well, I’m proud of you. This is your hard work that got you this opportunity.” He turned his head to kiss her temple.
“Alright, girls! This is it. The moment we show everyone that we can be rock stars!” Rose exclaimed towards her band that had been gossiping in a booth in the corner of the room.
“Let’s do this!” Heather said, excitedly.
“We’re gonna be famous!” Tiffany said, with Jennifer agreeing.
“Oh, come on, Tiff, don’t you even care a little bit about the music?” Rose asked.
“Yeah. As long as the music can get me famous. That’s the whole reason I learned to play bass,” Tiffany replied.
“Low.”
“Well, I for one am excited about the boys!” Heather exclaimed, her overly perky voice echoing through the empty building.
“Boys, boys, boys. Nothing else matters to you,” Jennifer complained.
“At least I’m not conceited like you, Jen.”
“Is it so wrong to love myself?” Jennifer asked.
“No, but it’s so wrong that you put others down because of it.”
“Well, at least you’re not Rose. She is only ever worried about the music, never her looks. Never how she manipulates everyone. Never how she doesn’t want to do anything with us because she’s always working,” Tiffany ranted.
“Exactly. All she ever wants to do with us anymore is have band meetings and practices. She never comes to the mall with us,” Jennifer joined in.
“At least I actually care about the band, unlike any of you,” Rose countered.
“The band doesn’t matter, Rose. It’s the fame.”
“Boys.”
“Look.”
“Ugh! You guys never agree with anything I say!” Tiffany yelled.
“This band needs to re-evaluate the direction,” Heather offered.
“I quit!” Jennifer announced.
“Me too!” Tiffany said, right after her.
“Wow, Jen. First to show up to band meetings, first to quit,” Rose said, angrily, but tears seemed to be filling her eyes.
“This band is over, and I think we all knew it was coming,” Tiffany stood up, grabbed her bag, and started for the door with Jennifer on her heels.
“Always together, never separated,” Heather hissed towards them “God, Jen, do you ever think for yourself?”
Jennifer ignored her, and continued to follow Tiffany out of the building.
Rose lost it. She turned and placed her head in Ray’s chest, sobbing as Heather stood from the corner and watched. Ray wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. The band that she had worked so hard for just crumbled to nothing in less than 10 minutes.
“We were so close.” She cried.
“I wish it didn’t end like this,” Ray told her, stroking her hair in what he hoped was a comforting way.
“Rose, I never meant for this,'' Heather pleaded from the other side of the room.
Rose sniffled and pulled herself off of Ray’s chest, facing Heather. “It’s not your fault. I knew this was coming eventually. I just hoped that we could perform tonight and things could work out for everybody.”
Heather crossed the distance and ran into Rose’s arms. Together, they cried for a few minutes. It was undoubtedly awkwards for Ray, but he didn’t know what to do, so he just stood there.
“Griff is going to be so mad,” Rose finally said, pulling away from Heather and wiping her eyes.
“Don’t worry about him,” Ray answered.
“What are you going to do, Smalls?” Rose said, pushing his shoulder lightly. Even sad, she was still her joking and sarcastic self.
“I’m just saying, worry about yourself for once. You deserve to be taken care of.”
“He’s right ya know. You’re always worrying about everyone else besides you,” Heather added.
Rose nodded.
“What’s the plan now, Coach?”
“Coach? You two really are made for each other,” Heather said, rolling her eyes and laughing.
“Give it a rest, Heather,” Rose started, turning to face Ray. “I think I better go tell Griff that we can’t perform.” Rose sighed, and started off in a direct, leaving Heather and Ray alone.
“How did you two even get together? Last I knew you just had the hots for each other,” Heather asked.
Ray shrugged. “We didn’t really talk about it or anything. It just happened.”
“How does that just happen?”
“I really don’t know.”
“Well, I can say that your confidence has really boosted being around her, Smalls,” Heather complimented.
“Only Rose can call me that,” Ray started. “And thank you. She’s really helped me find myself these past few months.”
“That’s good.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Ray asked.
“Go ahead.”
“Why are you still here? I mean… you didn’t care about the band either.”
Heather sighed. “It’s not the band that I care about. It’s Rose. Her friendship means everything to me.”
Ray nodded. “That’s good. She needs more friends like you.”
Heather nodded just as Rose was coming back to them.
“Well?” Ray asked.
“He told me we had already almost sold out, so because I have to cancel, I’m fired.”
“I’m gonna-” Heather started, only to be cut off by Rose.
“Nope. It’s okay, I wouldn’t want to work here after failing to perform here. It would just remind me. Now I just need to find a new job to pay rent.”
“Expect that you don’t. Well, unless you still want to work two jobs and work until ungodly hours,” Ray explained.
“What do you mean?”
“I went to the job interview today, and they liked my portfolio so much that they hired me on the spot! It makes pretty great pay, so you don’t really have to work two jobs unless you want to.”
“That’s great Smalls! I’m proud of you.”
Ray watched her happy expression that he knew was fake start to slide off her face. She was happy for him, but now was his turn to take care of her. She needed to take care of herself as well. He reached out and grabbed her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.
“Let’s go home, yeah?”
She nodded, and they did.