In his somewhat fuzzy state of mind, Jack could only nod. “Sure. That sounds wise.” He wanted to pay for his share, but it seemed the actor was determined to take care of things. Well, he’d try and make it up to him when they had him over for a visit.
“So … I enjoyed this,” he said with a smile as they made their way outside. “I really do need to get out more.”
The air outside was a nice contrast to the inside of the bar as Juniper let out a breath and raised his arms to call a taxi for Jack. “I’d be happy to take you out drinking more in the future. Also glad I was able to help you loosen up and get out more.”
When the taxi pulled up in front of them Juniper was already flashing the man a wad of cash with instructions to take care of his new friend. “Tell your fiancee I said hello and I hope we can hang out together soon.”
“I will. And I hope we can too; I’d like really like it.” Jack wasn’t really aware of it, but as relaxed as he was from the alcohol, his stutter was completely gone. He got into the taxi – a little unsteadily – and gave the driver his address.
“I’ll call you soon.” He hesitated for a moment, then gave a playful little wave as the taxi drove away.
Waving the young artist off as the taxi disappeared from sight, Juniper hailed his own, happy to have gotten to know one of the blue men and establish a friendship. He felt like he was even doing good by it – getting someone out of their shell and offering them a precious gift.
Not that it was some sort of charity work.
Once the taxi stopped in front of him he gave the driver instructions on where to go and called someone to pick up his car, feeling quite content over the day and looking forward to more.
Tag: drinks at the red velvet
Drinks at the Red Velvet
His words and actions were contradicting themselves but Juniper wasn’t going to argue with him, smiling and standing up fluidly from the table. “Sure, we’d better hail a taxi though to avoid a DUI. Better safe than sorry.”
He dropped a bit of tip on the table, wishing to leave before anyone made a big deal they were there.
In his somewhat fuzzy state of mind, Jack could only nod. “Sure. That sounds wise.” He wanted to pay for his share, but it seemed the actor was determined to take care of things. Well, he’d try and make it up to him when they had him over for a visit.
“So … I enjoyed this,” he said with a smile as they made their way outside. “I really do need to get out more.”
The air outside was a nice contrast to the inside of the bar as Juniper let out a breath and raised his arms to call a taxi for Jack. “I’d be happy to take you out drinking more in the future. Also glad I was able to help you loosen up and get out more.”
When the taxi pulled up in front of them Juniper was already flashing the man a wad of cash with instructions to take care of his new friend. “Tell your fiancee I said hello and I hope we can hang out together soon.”
“I will. And I hope we can too; I’d like really like it.” Jack wasn’t really aware of it, but as relaxed as he was from the alcohol, his stutter was completely gone. He got into the taxi – a little unsteadily – and gave the driver his address.
“I’ll call you soon.” He hesitated for a moment, then gave a playful little wave as the taxi drove away.
Drinks at the Red Velvet
“A home cooked meal?” he wondered, finger circling around the rim of his glass in languid motions. “That actually sounds better than what we’d get at a restaurant.” It had been a long time since he had last had a real meal, usually eating out.
“I hope your missus won’t be upset with me for taking you out drinking in case you get drunk,” Juniper chuckled.
“I don’t think she’ll mind,” Jack replied with a little grin. “She’s been trying to encourage me to loosen up.” He took one more sip of his drink just to be polite, then set it down for the last time. “I ought to get back to her, though.”
His words and actions were contradicting themselves but Juniper wasn’t going to argue with him, smiling and standing up fluidly from the table. “Sure, we’d better hail a taxi though to avoid a DUI. Better safe than sorry.”
He dropped a bit of tip on the table, wishing to leave before anyone made a big deal they were there.
In his somewhat fuzzy state of mind, Jack could only nod. “Sure. That sounds wise." He wanted to pay for his share, but it seemed the actor was determined to take care of things. Well, he’d try and make it up to him when they had him over for a visit.
"So … I enjoyed this,” he said with a smile as they made their way outside. “I really do need to get out more."
Drinks at the Red Velvet
Picking up his scotch he took another small sip and held the glass up, smiling over the rim at Jack. “I’d love that. Would you prefer talking over dinner or perhaps we can invite her out for drinks with us? Whatever is more comfortable for the two of you.”
Around them conversation slightly increased as more patrons entered the area, sitting in booths around them though thankfully not close enough. No one had recognized them yet thankfully.
“Dinner sounds nice.” Jack took another long drink. He’d finished only half his mojito, but he could already feel a bit of a buzz – never drinking except on special occasions would do that to you. He decided he’d better go easy for the rest of the evening. “Or if you like, you could just come by our place. It’s not very impressive, but we’re always glad to have company.” He gave a small chuckle. “If you don’t mind dogs, that is.”
“A home cooked meal?” he wondered, finger circling around the rim of his glass in languid motions. “That actually sounds better than what we’d get at a restaurant.” It had been a long time since he had last had a real meal, usually eating out.
“I hope your missus won’t be upset with me for taking you out drinking in case you get drunk,” Juniper chuckled.
“I don’t think she’ll mind,” Jack replied with a little grin. “She’s been trying to encourage me to loosen up.” He took one more sip of his drink just to be polite, then set it down for the last time. “I ought to get back to her, though."
Drinks at the Red Velvet
“Oh of course!” he agreed, realizing there was a missing third party member who needed to be involved since her part of the story would also be told. “It’s just an idea though and it would still need to be researched through interviews from the two of you, presenting the idea to a movie studio, getting approval for the idea by the higher ups so who knows if it will go into fruition but I’d love to try if your fiancee is on board. Do you think you could venture a guess how she might feel about it?”
He knew his fiancee, didn’t he? If he could get a yes based on Jack first then he could at least present the idea. People would love the story.
Jack nodded in understanding. He didn’t have much first-hand experience with the movie industry, but from what he’d heard, getting a production started was a long and tricky process.
“I think she’d probably agree,” he said. “Like I told you, she’s much more of a people-person than I am.” Sometimes too much, he couldn’t help thinking. “I’ll talk to her about it as soon as I can, and let you know. And maybe we can arrange to meet at the same time?”
Picking up his scotch he took another small sip and held the glass up, smiling over the rim at Jack. “I’d love that. Would you prefer talking over dinner or perhaps we can invite her out for drinks with us? Whatever is more comfortable for the two of you.”
Around them conversation slightly increased as more patrons entered the area, sitting in booths around them though thankfully not close enough. No one had recognized them yet thankfully.
“Dinner sounds nice.” Jack took another long drink. He’d finished only half his mojito, but he could already feel a bit of a buzz – never drinking except on special occasions would do that to you. He decided he’d better go easy for the rest of the evening. “Or if you like, you could just come by our place. It’s not very impressive, but we’re always glad to have company.” He gave a small chuckle. “If you don’t mind dogs, that is."
Drinks at the Red Velvet
“Actually if I really want to continue studying the two of you for this script idea then that sounds like a good idea,” he responded, folding his hands together on the table and getting his thoughts in order to explain to Jack. “It just popped in my head when you began mentioning your story so I want to ask permission before I go through with it.”
How he hoped Jack would say yes. “I would love to take your life story and make it a good movie – dramatic and romantic; if you’ll let allow it. Names and events will be changed to protect the two of you but I feel it could be a real blockbuster. And don’t get me wrong I mean I would love to meet your fiancee as well just because she sounds like a lovely person. What do you say?”
Jack nearly dropped his drink. His brilliant green eyes snapped open wide, and he gaped at the other blue man. “Y-y-you … you w-want to make a movie about us?!” he spluttered.
In the back of his mind, he thought with amusement, At least I know there’s an actor who looks enough like me to play the part. Mostly, though, he was just shocked. Fame was something Jack still hadn’t gotten used to. As incredibly flattering as this was, it was also very, very overwhelming, even for his impressive mind.
He needed Katelynn. She handled these kind of things better than he did. Realizing Juniper was still waiting for an answer, he said, “I’d say I need to talk to her about it first. M-maybe if the three of us could meet sometime, we could discuss it more?”
“Oh of course!” he agreed, realizing there was a missing third party member who needed to be involved since her part of the story would also be told. “It’s just an idea though and it would still need to be researched through interviews from the two of you, presenting the idea to a movie studio, getting approval for the idea by the higher ups so who knows if it will go into fruition but I’d love to try if your fiancee is on board. Do you think you could venture a guess how she might feel about it?”
He knew his fiancee, didn’t he? If he could get a yes based on Jack first then he could at least present the idea. People would love the story.
Jack nodded in understanding. He didn’t have much first-hand experience with the movie industry, but from what he’d heard, getting a production started was a long and tricky process.
“I think she’d probably agree,” he said. “Like I told you, she’s much more of a people-person than I am." Sometimes too much, he couldn’t help thinking. "I’ll talk to her about it as soon as I can, and let you know. And maybe we can arrange to meet at the same time?"
Drinks at the Red Velvet
Whoa commitment to boot; Juniper’s eyes widening. That was a level of expertise he had knowledge in though his experience hadn’t been as pleasant. The revelation caused a smidgen of unease in the actor but he tried playing it off with a smile. “Well congratulations, Jack. I’m sure with how much you love her you two will be very happy?”
The fond way he spoke of his fiancee just told him the two of them were going to do all right. Jack had nothing to gain by marrying this woman since she didn’t sound famous by any means and Jack didn’t seem the type.
“I really think we will be,” Jack said, still smiling. “It hasn’t always been easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.” He remembered a line from a movie he’d seen once, and grinned at how perfectly he felt it described Katelynn.
“She makes my life an adventure.”
He took another long sip of his mojito, and turned to Juniper as an idea came to him. “Would you like to meet her sometime? She’s much better company than me,” he joked. “And … well, she sort of likes to meet all the people who are, erm … like us.” He didn’t want to come right out and say “she studies Megaminds” – that sounded too clinical, and besides, he was sure Katelynn would like to meet Juniper even if he were a normal human.
“Actually if I really want to continue studying the two of you for this script idea then that sounds like a good idea,” he responded, folding his hands together on the table and getting his thoughts in order to explain to Jack. “It just popped in my head when you began mentioning your story so I want to ask permission before I go through with it.”
How he hoped Jack would say yes. “I would love to take your life story and make it a good movie – dramatic and romantic; if you’ll let allow it. Names and events will be changed to protect the two of you but I feel it could be a real blockbuster. And don’t get me wrong I mean I would love to meet your fiancee as well just because she sounds like a lovely person. What do you say?”
Jack nearly dropped his drink. His brilliant green eyes snapped open wide, and he gaped at the other blue man. “Y-y-you … you w-want to make a movie about us?!” he spluttered.
In the back of his mind, he thought with amusement, At least I know there’s an actor who looks enough like me to play the part. Mostly, though, he was just shocked. Fame was something Jack still hadn’t gotten used to. As incredibly flattering as this was, it was also very, very overwhelming, even for his impressive mind.
He needed Katelynn. She handled these kind of things better than he did. Realizing Juniper was still waiting for an answer, he said, “I’d say I need to talk to her about it first. M-maybe if the three of us could meet sometime, we could discuss it more?"
Drinks at the Red Velvet
His own drink now sat forgotten as he listened to Jack, eyebrow quirking up at the man’s words. He couldn’t stop the chuckle that rose up from his stomach and spilled passed his lips as he tapped the tabletop once. “You sly man! You stole her from her crush hmm? Good work.”
Jack should have been able to see the increasing interest in the story as it was getting better with every word.
Shy though he was, Jack did know how to read people. He could tell how interested Juniper was, even if he couldn’t quite understand why – as wonderful as the experience had been for him, he hadn’t thought it would be that interesting to other people. “I w-wouldn’t say that. But it’s nice to think,” he said, with a nervous little chuckle. “Anyway, I did eventually tell her how I felt, and we’ve been together ever since.”
He glanced off to the side. “I proposed to her on Valentine’s Day.”
Whoa commitment to boot; Juniper’s eyes widening. That was a level of expertise he had knowledge in though his experience hadn’t been as pleasant. The revelation caused a smidgen of unease in the actor but he tried playing it off with a smile. “Well congratulations, Jack. I’m sure with how much you love her you two will be very happy?”
The fond way he spoke of his fiancee just told him the two of them were going to do all right. Jack had nothing to gain by marrying this woman since she didn’t sound famous by any means and Jack didn’t seem the type.
“I really think we will be,” Jack said, still smiling. “It hasn’t always been easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.” He remembered a line from a movie he’d seen once, and grinned at how perfectly he felt it described Katelynn.
“She makes my life an adventure.”
He took another long sip of his mojito, and turned to Juniper as an idea came to him. “Would you like to meet her sometime? She’s much better company than me,” he joked. “And … well, she sort of likes to meet all the people who are, erm … like us.” He didn’t want to come right out and say “she studies Megaminds” – that sounded too clinical, and besides, he was sure Katelynn would like to meet Juniper even if he were a normal human.
Drinks at the Red Velvet
“A woman helped you change?” This intrigued the nerd side of him, the shoujo manga lover, the romantic and even the actor side of him in case the story was interesting and not cheesy like some romance novel.
Still all in all Jack was an interesting fellow; shy, well mannered, polite, perhaps even humbling from what he could gather. And his story so far did seem like an interesting plot for a movie.
A faint lavender blush rose in Jack’s cheeks. “S-sort of.” He twirled the ice in his drink idly as he thought back to those early days. “Katelynn’s a photographer.” She’d held several other jobs too, but that was how he best liked to think of her – that artistic side that he loved. “I f-found her blog online. And th-then one day we happened to meet out in the park. I told her I was a fan of her work, and,” his smile grew, “we hit it off. We were just friends at first, though. She had a crush on someone else, and I was so shy, it took me so long to admit I liked her.”
His own drink now sat forgotten as he listened to Jack, eyebrow quirking up at the man’s words. He couldn’t stop the chuckle that rose up from his stomach and spilled passed his lips as he tapped the tabletop once. “You sly man! You stole her from her crush hmm? Good work.”
Jack should have been able to see the increasing interest in the story as it was getting better with every word.
Shy though he was, Jack did know how to read people. He could tell how interested Juniper was, even if he couldn’t quite understand why – as wonderful as the experience had been for him, he hadn’t thought it would be that interesting to other people. “I w-wouldn’t say that. But it’s nice to think,” he said, with a nervous little chuckle. “Anyway, I did eventually tell her how I felt, and we’ve been together ever since.”
He glanced off to the side. “I proposed to her on Valentine’s Day."
Drinks at the Red Velvet
“Tell me about it?” Juniper dared while he rested his elbows on the table, fingers laced together. “I mean if you want to – I don’t want to pry but it sounds like a good story.”
He figured they may as well share stories if they were going to become friends. Juniper had few close friends, mostly famous ones but they tended to be superficial and he doubted any of them would risk anything for him. He just wanted real friends.
“Oh, it’s all right.” Jack took another sip, smiling faintly. He didn’t mind talking about his past (the recent parts, anyway), and it was kind of flattering to be the focus of the actor’s attention. “I d-don’t know if it’ll be very interesting to someone as well-traveled as you, though.”
He told Juniper about his career as a painter, and how he’d moved to Metro City in the hope of finding new opportunities – and of forcing himself to be braver and more outgoing. “It d-didn’t work very well at first. I was still a recluse, b-barely speaking to anyone except clients.” His smile grew. “But then I met Katelynn.”
“A woman helped you change?” This intrigued the nerd side of him, the shoujo manga lover, the romantic and even the actor side of him in case the story was interesting and not cheesy like some romance novel.
Still all in all Jack was an interesting fellow; shy, well mannered, polite, perhaps even humbling from what he could gather. And his story so far did seem like an interesting plot for a movie.
A faint lavender blush rose in Jack’s cheeks. “S-sort of.” He twirled the ice in his drink idly as he thought back to those early days. “Katelynn’s a photographer.” She’d held several other jobs too, but that was how he best liked to think of her – that artistic side that he loved. “I f-found her blog online. And th-then one day we happened to meet out in the park. I told her I was a fan of her work, and,” his smile grew, “we hit it off. We were just friends at first, though. She had a crush on someone else, and I was so shy, it took me so long to admit I liked her."
Jack Maple 