Chapter 3

Arriving at the day care to pick up Abbie, I saw that she was sitting and talking with two of the young girls. It warmed my heart to see my daughter making friends, and when the woman who had been looking after her reassured me that Abbie had fit right in with the rest of the children, I knew that I'd function easier leaving her in their care.

The rest of the day flew by; it seemed, in a blur of chaos.

The boxes that remained packed up were the majority of our possessions, and it was a mission and a half to get everything laid out and sorted. Emily arrived home shortly after four thirty, Dustin in tow, and with their help I had been able to get somewhat organized, with everything but a couple of miscellaneous boxes still left unsorted.

Dinner had been a late and simple affair. The four of us decided to just order a few boxes of pizza to curb our hunger. It didn't take long for Abbie's bedtime to roll around once supper was finished, and since he had to work early, Dustin to headed home fairly early as well.

"So," Emily started as she entered the living room, having gone outside to say goodbye to Dustin as he left. "Are you heading to bed soon or are you going to stay awake for a little while?"

I had been sitting on the couch in the living room, scrolling through my phone as the television buzzed quietly in the background, but at the sound of her voice, I looked up towards her. "Umm, I can probably stay up for a while, why?" I replied after checking to see that it was only half past nine.

"I was thinking of putting a movie in," she said, "Do you want to watch anything specific?"

"Well considering most of my movies are still packed away in a box upstairs, I'd say that you can pick." I shrugged before sending her a pointed look. "Just no horror."

"Yea, I remember the last time I watched a horror movie with you," Emily snorted, heading over to the section beside the television that held her DVD's. "I'm pretty sure Greta had to come and make sure that we weren't being murdered at least five times that night - that's how bad your screams were."

"That was before Abbie was even born." I pointed out.

"And have your watched another scary movie since?" she asked, and when I simply looked down, a light and embarrassing blush covering my cheeks, she got her answer. "I rest my case."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes, standing up. "I'm going go change into some pajamas. I'll be right back."

Heading upstairs, I first peeked into Abbie's room, which for the most part had been set up and organized before she had been put to bed. Smiling softly, I saw her small pink night-light brightening up the room as she lay sleeping in her bed. Shutting the door quietly, I quietly moved to my room, picking out a pair of pajamas from my dresser before moving in the direction of the bathroom.

Five minutes later I was changed, my hair messily pulled into a topknot, and my face free of make-up as I headed back down the stairs to see my sister sliding a movie into the DVD player.

"You picked a movie then?" I asked, hovering near the bottom of the staircase.

She turned around, nodding. "Yea, it's an action romance movie from last year that I never got along to watching."

"Okay. By the way, do you have any popcorn I can make before we start the movie?"

"Second cupboard on the right at the top." she replied. "I'm going to go change while you make the popcorn."

As she hurried up the stairs, I turned towards the kitchen and after following Emily's directions, I found the popcorn rested beside an unopened box of poptarts. Grabbing a bag, I ripped the package open, plopping it face down in the microwave, setting the timer before standing back.

The popcorn spun slowly in the microwave, and as the kernels started to pop and the previews for the movie could be heard through the hallway, it felt nice to know that this was becoming my home. I'd been here for just over 24 hours and I was already getting closer to my sister, meeting new people, and most importantly, I was living my life.

The timer on the microwave went off then, shaking me out of my thoughts as I poured the popped corn into a large bowl before heading into the living room.

"So, what exactly is this movie supposed to be about?" I asked, placing the bowl on the table as I situated myself on the couch.

Emily, who was now clad in a pair of pajamas similar to my own, held the remote in her hand as she flipped the light off and came to sit beside me. "I think it's mainly about a guy in the C.I.A that's a number one agent or something before he gets partnered with a girl for a huge assignment," she explained with a shrug. "I don't know, some of my friends said it was a good movie so I went out and bought it. Plus, the guy in it is mega hot."

"Well then it must be good." I said sarcastically.

"Exactly."

Laughing quietly, I grabbed the popcorn, placing it on the couch between Emily and I as the opening scene started to play. The action started right away with a sticky situation and a fight scene, and although the man playing the C.I.A agent was moving to fast to really see his face, I could definitely see what Emily was talking about. His fighting seemed effortless, which I knew was choreographed and practiced, but his black clothes hung tight on his body, showing off his every muscle as he moved and every flawless part of his body.

"Told you." I heard Emily whisper as the screen suddenly zoomed in on his arms as he sent a knock out punch to the guy he had been fighting.

Shaking my head, I said nothing as I grabbed another handful and popped it into my mouth.

Turning my attention back to the movie, I choked on my popcorn as the actors face came into focus. My eyes latched onto his face as I slowly zoned out of the world around me. His character was speaking but I wasn't processing the words that were coming out. Those lips that spoke were familiar, and although his hair was slightly longer on screen, I was almost positive I wasn't imagining this. When I looked at his eyes however, I knew I wasn't. Those eyes were the very same ones I had seen earlier today, and even though it had only been for a brief amount of time, I knew that this was the same guy that had bumped into me in the café.

"Zoe. Zoe. Zoe."

I was suddenly brought out of my shock as Emily held my arm, trying to get my attention. "Sorry, what?" I asked, coughing slightly as I tried to dislodge small pieces of popcorn that had gotten stuck my throat.

"My god Zoe, I was asking if you were okay after you choked, but it was as if you drifted off into your own world." she said worriedly, looking at me strangely.

"Oh yea, sorry." I said softly, looking back at the television to see his face again. "Umm... Emily, do you know who that is?"

As I pointed at the screen, Emily scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. "It's Ryan Adams why?" she asked.

"I think I've seen him before."

"You probably have," she shrugged. "He was in a couple of big movies this year. I think this one was actually one of the first ones he was in..."

She trailed off as I shook my head. "You're not understanding," I stated softly, taking a breath before speaking. "I saw him today when I was in town."

I could see my words processing in her mind, the cogs turning as she stayed silent for a few seconds. "Wait really?" she asked, and when I nodded her excitement grew tenfold. "Oh my god Zoe! You met Ryan Adams? When was this? What was he like? Was he as good looking in person?"

Laughing at her, I cut off her spew of questions with some answers. "It wasn't like I knew it was him at the time, actually, I've never really heard of him before."

"Where have you been living the past year? Under a rock?" she said, cutting me off. When I sent her a look, referring to the fact that yes, I'd basically been living in seclusion at our parent's house; she turned sheepish. "Oh, right."

"Anyways, I was talking to the barista at this place called Corner Café about getting a part-time job there," I started to explain, continuing on while ignoring the look that Emily sent me at the mention of a job, "And when I went to leave I bumped into him, dropping my purse in the process."

I went on to explain how our short meeting progressed, and although I didn't find anything about it that intriguing, my sister obviously did. She stayed relatively silent as I spoke, but as soon as I was done, she released a squeal of excitement.

"He was totally flirting with you Zoe! Oh my god this is so exciting!"

"He was not flirting with me." I replied adamantly, and although there was a small part of my brain that disagreed with my statement, I shook my head. "He's famous, he probably talks like that to everyone he meets. I mean, he has to keep up his public image right?"

"But you said he was in disguise Zoe. That means he wasn't trying to be seen in public," she stated.

"A hat and a pair of sunglasses isn't much of a disguise."

"Trust me, in LA, where there's a bunch of people around you at all time, a hat and a pair of sunglasses would be enough."

"Whatever," I said, "Let's just drop it. It's not like I'm going to be bumping into him again any time soon."

"You never know Zoe," Emily said with a smile, her excitement now considerably reserved. "Stranger things have happened."

Rolling my eyes, I chose not to reply as I focused my attention back to the movie. It felt strange to know that the guy I had been attracted to, even for a brief moment, was famous. As I watched Ryan Adam's character play a world-class spy, I was intrigued, but I honestly had no idea what I would do if I ever ran into him again.

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That week passed in a blink of an eye, and before I knew it August turned into September and I was getting ready to begin my last year of university. Three years ago I had decided to pursue an English degree, but when first year was over, although I still loved English, I transferred into my local journalism program. Most of my credits had transferred over, but now, as I entered my last year at a new university, I knew that I had to work hard if I wanted to earn my degree by the end of the year.

Writing was something I had always been passionate about. I was the girl in high school that almost always had her head stuck in a book, was editor of the school newspaper, and didn't bother to care what anybody thought of me when I was simply being true to myself. Now, as I was on the verge of entering a career that I had only dreamed of, I wanted everything to be as smooth as possible.

Dropping Abbie off at daycare the first morning was certainly hard, as I was so used to just leaving her in Greta's care. It was a little unsettling leaving her with people I had only met once, but with a bit of reassurance I passed Abbie her princess lunch box, kissed her on the forehead, and promised to be back that afternoon.

When I transferred my credits over to UCLA I had endless conversations with a career advisor, and now I had an appointment with her before my first lecture, just to make sure everything was set for me to walk across the stage at the end of the year.

Arriving on campus minutes later, I immediately noticed that it was a lot nicer than my last school, but it was also quite a lot bigger. Even with a map it took me a while to find the administration office, which was where I was told to meet my career advisor. When I finally located the building, I walked in only to be greeted by receptionist.

"Hi, can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"Umm, yea..." I trailed, pulling my bag's strap higher on my shoulder as I walked up to the desk. "I'm supposed to be meeting with Tentley Penrose at 8:30."

The receptionist nodded, typing something into the computer. "I'll just tell her you're here, you can take a seat while you wait." she said, gesturing to the seats behind me as she picked up the phone.

Taking one of the empty seats, I reached into my bag to pick up my phone, only to see that I had a message from Emily.

[Good luck today! Hope it's not too stressful :)]

Smiling, I texted her back quickly before I heard my name. "Zoe Hamilton?"

Looking up I saw a woman smiling at me. "Yes," I said, standing up.

"Follow me, we can talk in my office."

Although she only looked to be ten years older than me, as I followed her I couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by her confidence and the way she presented herself so professionally.

"So, how are you adjusting to living in Los Angeles so far?" she asked as I sat down across for her, her desk the only thing separating the two of us.

I sighed, glad that she appeared to be as nice as she seemed to be through the phone. "I guess I'm doing pretty good." I replied. "I'm all unpacked and I found my daughter Abbie a daycare that she seems to like, so hopefully everything else will work out."

"That's good," she smiled, before pulling up something on her computer. "So you're here today because you need to fit a few more classes into your year, correct?"

I nodded. "Yes, I only switched into journalism my second year, so although I'm mostly caught up, I still need a bit of help to make sure I fulfill all the requirements for my degree by the end of the year."

"Well by the looks of your transcripts, your grades clearly show that you know how to work hard, so I don't think you'll have a problem with an extra course or two. You'll also be required to complete an eight week placement next semester to receive your degree."

Nodding, I listened and offered suggestions as she, very kindly, helped me prepare for my last year. She went over the general layout of the campus, where and when my most important classes were, and gave me a few suggestions about who to contact now in regards to the placement I had to complete by the end of the year.

It was approaching nine 'o'clock when I finished in her office, and after thanking her, I headed back out to class, hoping to find the building where my nine thirty lecture was without much trouble.

The day passed relatively quickly, most of my lectures consisting of a short introduction about the course, what was expected of us, and the timeline that the semester would follow. My journalism lab started off with an assignment right away, as I had to write a one page piece about an event that had happen in my life over the past year, which for me was an easy choice: moving out to LA.

It was clear, even after my first day, that my schedule for the next couple of months would be quite hectic, but I knew that there was a future at the end of it all; one that I desperately wanted.

Walking towards the front of campus after my last lecture of the day, I felt my phone go off in my pocket only to see that an unknown number was calling me. Thinking it was a telemarketer, I answered it to tell them to take me off their call list, but instead, I was met with a semi-familiar voice.

"Hello? Zoe?"

"Yes, who is this?" I asked confusedly.

"It's Colette, from Corner Café."

"Oh, hi Colette."

"Hey, I was calling to ask if you had any free time this afternoon to come in and pick up some paper work and stuff?" she asked.

"Paper work?"

"Yea, and you'll need to pick up your apron before your first day."

"Wait," I said, halting my steps as I reached the edge of campus, "You're saying I got the job?"

"Of course you did," she replied happily. "I told you that not many other people had applied, didn't I? Plus, I put in a good word with my parents and they didn't see any reason why we shouldn't hire you."

"Wow, thank you." I replied gratefully, pulling my phone away from my ear for a second, checking the time to see that it was only a bit after 3:00. "And actually, I have almost an hour before I have to pick up Abbie. Do you think I can drop by now?"

"Yea that should be fine. It doesn't get too busy until four or five, so I should have a bit of time to talk to you."

"Okay, I'll head over there now." I said, crossing the street as the sign signaled for me to walk. "Thanks Colette."

"No problem," she replied, "I'll see you soon."

It didn't take as long as I thought to get to Corner Café, a fifteen minute walk at most, and when I pulled open the door, the bell sounding above me, I saw Colette behind the counter as she finished serving the only person in line.

"Hey," I greeted as I walked up to the counter.

Colette smiled at me. "Hey Zoe," she said before pulling out a few forms from underneath the counter. "My parents just wanted you to pick these up before the end of the week." she explained, passing me what seemed like five or six forms held together with a paperclip. "Your schedule for next week is in there, but it starts on Saturday and goes until next Friday. I think there's a few safety forms that you'll have to fill out, then there's just an information page that says that you have to bring a void check in so that my parents can directly deposit your pay checks into your bank account, and a couple of other things that you can read over later."

"Okay," I nodded, "That sounds easy enough."

"They actually wanted to meet you today, but they aren't going to be back for an hour or so when it starts to get a bit busier."

"I'm sure I'll meet them when I start working."

Colette nodded. "Yea, I think your first shift is sometime Saturday morning according to your schedule, and they'll definitely be around at that time."

"Sounds good," I said with a smile. "I guess I'll see you Saturday then."

Just as I was about to turn and leave, Colette called me back. "Wait, you're probably going to want this," she said, tossing me a small brown paper bag.

Opening it up curiously, I realized that it was a black apron with the café's logo printed on the front, along with a small metallic nametag.

"Welcome to Corner Café."

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Sorry that there wasn't all that much going on in this chapter, but it was kind of filler for what's to come. Trust me, starting next chapter everything is going to start happening and you'll definitely want to stick around.

A huge thank you to everyone whose been reading and supporting this book, and I'd really love to hear what you all think so far, so just drop a comment below :) xx