said. "My treat."
"Oh, so he's old fashioned," Jessie joked.
"Unfortunately."
"Why is it unfortunate? Girls like guys who buy them dinner." She winked and I felt a flush rising in my cheeks like I was a sixteen year old boy.
"Girls like the bad guys. There's not much call for putting jackets over puddles these days."
"Well, you've obviously been hanging around the wrong women then," she said, flipping open her menu. "Now, for the full American experience, you need cheesy fries. It's compulsory."
Thankful she'd changed the subject, we put together the fattest, greasiest meal we could manage, which wasn't hard, and the waitress took our order with a raised eyebrow. A few minutes later we had two strawberry milkshakes in front of us, complete with whipped cream and cherries on top. Jessie's eyes were bright like she was having the time of her life. It was so low key and silly, I instantly relaxed.
"So, have you been here before?"
"America? No, first time."
"How do you like it?" she asked dipping her finger into the cream and popping it into her mouth. Damn.
"It's okay. It's good to be someplace different."
"Have you been anywhere else?" Her finger slid over her lips and back to the cream.
"I've never really travelled," I said, trying to keep focus. "I mean, I wanted to, but I had to sacrifice a lot of things to get to where I am now with the band and everything."
"I know what you mean," she sighed and leaned forward putting her elbows on the table, affording me a bird's eye view right down her top.
"You mean, interning?" I asked, looking away before she noticed me staring at her breasts.
"Yeah. It's unpaid, so I have to work elsewhere to pay the bills."
"What kind of work?"
"Waitressing. I'm pretty lucky my boss understands. He's met Georgie, so he cuts me some slack," she laughed, shaking her head.
"How do you do it?" She looked at me confused, so I said, "Put up with her?"
"Georgie might be… you know, but she's good at her job. I can learn a lot from her and I have."
"By doing her washing?"
"There's worse things than washing Georgie's dirty panties," she said, making a face.
That's when the waitress decided to come back and place our order in front of us, her expression reading, what the fuck . I stifled a laugh and thanked her.
"What's Australia like?" Jessie asked, grabbing one of the cheesy fries.
"Compared to here? Well, it's not as fast. Everyone says hello when you walk into a shop. People ask how you are, even if they don't care. We drive on the opposite side of the road…"
"So, it's like living in a mirror."
I got her meaning and smiled.
"Where do you want to travel?"
"Everywhere," I replied, not put off by her constant questions. "I guess I'm lucky to come here on Galaxy's tab, and hopefully I'll get to do a lot more touring with the band…"
"That would be amazing," she sighed. "Touring Europe in summer."
"Have you been? Do you want to go?"
"I've never been, but I'd love to go. Paris in summer. Berlin… oh, imagine the music scene in London. They have amazing festivals over there."
"So, you'd go for the music?"
"I like to visit museums and stuff, but the music scene is where you really get to know a place, you know? Like it's different in LA to Seattle to New York. They all have their different genres and fashion and people. It's amazing."
"That's true," I said thinking about Australia vs. the US.
"Did you like playing here? The gig last night was brilliant."
"Thanks," I shrugged.
"What? Didn't live up to your expectations?" she frowned.
"I dunno, I guess I feel more separated here."
"Why's that?"
"Back home you can go out into the crowd and meet people. They don't want to mooch off of you for drugs and alcohol. People want to talk to you , not the thing you're meant to be." I looked up from my burger and right into her confused face. Her beautiful confused face. "Why are you looking at me like I've got two heads?"
"Everyone who comes to make it big in LA wants those
"Oh, so he's old fashioned," Jessie joked.
"Unfortunately."
"Why is it unfortunate? Girls like guys who buy them dinner." She winked and I felt a flush rising in my cheeks like I was a sixteen year old boy.
"Girls like the bad guys. There's not much call for putting jackets over puddles these days."
"Well, you've obviously been hanging around the wrong women then," she said, flipping open her menu. "Now, for the full American experience, you need cheesy fries. It's compulsory."
Thankful she'd changed the subject, we put together the fattest, greasiest meal we could manage, which wasn't hard, and the waitress took our order with a raised eyebrow. A few minutes later we had two strawberry milkshakes in front of us, complete with whipped cream and cherries on top. Jessie's eyes were bright like she was having the time of her life. It was so low key and silly, I instantly relaxed.
"So, have you been here before?"
"America? No, first time."
"How do you like it?" she asked dipping her finger into the cream and popping it into her mouth. Damn.
"It's okay. It's good to be someplace different."
"Have you been anywhere else?" Her finger slid over her lips and back to the cream.
"I've never really travelled," I said, trying to keep focus. "I mean, I wanted to, but I had to sacrifice a lot of things to get to where I am now with the band and everything."
"I know what you mean," she sighed and leaned forward putting her elbows on the table, affording me a bird's eye view right down her top.
"You mean, interning?" I asked, looking away before she noticed me staring at her breasts.
"Yeah. It's unpaid, so I have to work elsewhere to pay the bills."
"What kind of work?"
"Waitressing. I'm pretty lucky my boss understands. He's met Georgie, so he cuts me some slack," she laughed, shaking her head.
"How do you do it?" She looked at me confused, so I said, "Put up with her?"
"Georgie might be… you know, but she's good at her job. I can learn a lot from her and I have."
"By doing her washing?"
"There's worse things than washing Georgie's dirty panties," she said, making a face.
That's when the waitress decided to come back and place our order in front of us, her expression reading, what the fuck . I stifled a laugh and thanked her.
"What's Australia like?" Jessie asked, grabbing one of the cheesy fries.
"Compared to here? Well, it's not as fast. Everyone says hello when you walk into a shop. People ask how you are, even if they don't care. We drive on the opposite side of the road…"
"So, it's like living in a mirror."
I got her meaning and smiled.
"Where do you want to travel?"
"Everywhere," I replied, not put off by her constant questions. "I guess I'm lucky to come here on Galaxy's tab, and hopefully I'll get to do a lot more touring with the band…"
"That would be amazing," she sighed. "Touring Europe in summer."
"Have you been? Do you want to go?"
"I've never been, but I'd love to go. Paris in summer. Berlin… oh, imagine the music scene in London. They have amazing festivals over there."
"So, you'd go for the music?"
"I like to visit museums and stuff, but the music scene is where you really get to know a place, you know? Like it's different in LA to Seattle to New York. They all have their different genres and fashion and people. It's amazing."
"That's true," I said thinking about Australia vs. the US.
"Did you like playing here? The gig last night was brilliant."
"Thanks," I shrugged.
"What? Didn't live up to your expectations?" she frowned.
"I dunno, I guess I feel more separated here."
"Why's that?"
"Back home you can go out into the crowd and meet people. They don't want to mooch off of you for drugs and alcohol. People want to talk to you , not the thing you're meant to be." I looked up from my burger and right into her confused face. Her beautiful confused face. "Why are you looking at me like I've got two heads?"
"Everyone who comes to make it big in LA wants those
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