𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑
𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐊 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘

JULIETTE had been staring at her piano for over an hour. She had no writing inspiration whatsoever and she had played one off tune piano key 20 minutes ago.

With a defeated groan, she grabbed her phone from its spot in the top of the piano and opened her messages.

i'm losing my fucking mind rn

sadies benz
noah what did you do

naur-uh
fuck you

i've been trying to write for an hour.

i'm starting to resent my piano

sadies benz
no don't be mad at pearl

i could catfish you on a fake
account and then break ur heart

that would be good inspiration

idk if that'd be good enough

naur-uh
if i was straight i wouldn't
be attracted to you

yeah no that might work

naur-uh
goooood now channel that
energy love

Juliette smiled, reading the text and thinking of a good response. She typed it, but before she could hit send, an Instagram notification that popped up on her screen caught her attention.

[Drew Starkey]
Hey, stranger :) Got a free schedule today, was wondering if you'd be up for some coffee?

Juliette's eyes went wide, quickly swiping the message away and deleting her original text to the groupchat.

guys

drew just messaged me

asked me if i wanted to grab
coffee with him

sadies benz
BITCH

GO

naur-uh
hop on it

i'm serious jules

i'll kill you

i'm gonna say yes

i wanna see him again 🤭

ill update yall later

Juliette sucked in an excited breath, clicking on the message and thinking up a response.

Hey, stranger :) Got a
free schedule today, was
wondering if you'd be up
for some coffee?

yeah, i'd love to

where are you thinking?

Have you been to Alibi?

i love alibi :)

what time should i meet
you there?

Does like 30 minutes sound
okay?

that sounds great. i'll see
you soon :)

Juliette jumped to her feet, tossing her phone on her couch behind her and rushing to her room.

What the fuck was she gonna wear?

She anxiously sifted through her closet, tossing possible tops and bottoms on the bed before spinning towards the options.

"Okay." She mumbled, beginning to try and pair different skirts, pants, and shirts together to find one that works.

It took her almost 10 minutes to settle on an outfit, quickly slipping into the black baby tee and baggy jeans with a single rip at both knees, as well as a pair of black leather loafers.

Her makeup was the easier part of the process; mascara, concealer, blush, eyebrows and lipgloss. She fluffed her hair, deciding to leave it down before rushing out to her couch to grab her phone. She had 15 minutes left to get there, which was hopefully enough time.

She ordered the Lyft, frustrated with the almost 10 min wait for the ride to get there. She paced her living room, adjusting her hair every once in a while. She was unbelievably nervous.

This is the first time she'd be hanging out with him alone, how the hell was she supposed to act?

Her phone dinged, signaling the Lyft was there, and she quickly grabbed her long leather coat and slipped her arms into it, grabbing her purse and keys and rushing out the door.

The drive wasn't long, maybe 6 minutes from her apartment, but with traffic the car pulled up to the cafe 4 minutes late. She thanked the driver, slipping out of the car and taking a deep breath.

Pulling herself together, she glanced around the gated off outdoor seating first. She didn't expect to see him outside, but there he was, sitting at a table with his phone in hand. He was wearing a black t-shirt, with a pair of light wash jeans and sneakers. Plus the staple gold chain. He was so attractive Juliette didn't know how she was going to go an undetermined amount of time alone with him.

He glanced up, doing a double take before a wide smile stretched across his face. He waved, to which Juliette waved back with a smile. She quickly slipped inside the cafe, taking an immediate left and exiting onto the patio.

"Hi!" She grinned, watching in surprise as he stood to his feet to greet her, "Hey!"

He went in for a hug, to which Juliette accidentally put out a hand to shake, "Oh—" They both laughed, Juliette correcting her self and putting her arms out at the same time Drew put out a hand to shake.

"Good lord," He laughed, settling on bending over and giving Juliette a small hug.

"Sorry." Juliette smiled, pulling out the chair across from Drew, the two of them sitting down at the same time. "I also contributed to how awkward that was, so I'm sorry too." Drew chuckled, leaning against the metal table. "Uh, sorry, I didn't know what kind of coffee you wanted, so I figured I'd wait."

Juliette shook her head reassuringly and placed her purse at her feet, "Don't even worry about it."

"What kind of coffee do you like?"

Juliette smiled with a tiny shrug, "I am an almond milk latte with honey kind of gal." Drew nodded, "I like it. I'll be right back."

"Oh, here-"

She went to pull out her wallet, but Drew scoffed as he stood and stared down at her, "Not a fucking chance, Carter." She nodded bashfully, watching as he walked inside to wait in line.

Juliette yanked out her phone, opening the groupchat.

i'm gonna jump his bones

he's so hot

and he said 'not a chance' when
i offered to buy the coffees

sadies benz
HE'S HOT AND A GENTLEMAN?

naur-uh
that's so hot

he's coming

text u later

"An almond milk latte with honey, for the lady." Drew smiled, placing the paper cup down in front of her before sitting down with his own cup in hand.

"Thank you, Drew." She smiled, bringing the coffee to her lips and taking a sip. It was hot, as expected, but nothing she couldn't handle. The coffee calmed her nerves, bringing to back down to the table and cradling it with ringed fingers.

"How have you been?" Drew asked, leaning his elbows against the table so he could hear her better. "I've been okay. My label is preparing a 2023 US tour for me, so I've been a little burnt out with that planning. And I have been trying to write desperately for days but it appears that I'm a lost cause for inspiration."

Drew nodded, "A tour would be fun. Where are they thinking?"

Juliette sucked in a breath, and grimaced, "I'm really sorry, I've been talking about my tour nonstop for 4 days, would you mind maybe talking about some other stuff?" Drew shook his head, "No, I wouldn't mind at all. I'm sorry. Uh—" He cleared his throat, "Where uh, where are you from?"

Juliette smiled at the thought of home, "Knoxville." Drew laughed in surprise, "I'm from Hickory. Thats crazy. My dad used to take the family to the museums in Knoxville on his week. The Titanic museum, Knoxville Museum of Art, the Dolly Parton Experience-"

Juliette gasped and leaned forward, "I love the Dolly Parton Experience. I use to make my mom take me every month. I loved it." Drew smiled, "it was my sisters favorite, too."

Juliette grinned at that, fiddling with the paper cup in her hands, "What made you want to get in to acting?"

Drew's face lit up at the mention of his work, "I always wanted to entertain. I did theatre in school and just knew it was what I wanted to do. I love the feeling of watching people in awe of something I've created. I went to college for theatre, and I knew then, being surrounded by dozens of people who wanted to do the exact same thing as me, that it was what I was born to do." Juliette watched him intently as he spoke, awed by his sheer love and adoration for his craft.

"Juliette?" Drew smiled, snapping the blonde from her trance, "Sorry, what?" She blushed, straightening her back and sipping her coffee to hide her embarrassment. "I asked what made you want to become a singer?"

Juliette grinned and leaned against the table, "When I was 6, my mom took me to the Dream Within A Dream tour by Britney, and I fell in love, with all of it. The experience, the music, the crowd. I became borderline obsessed with Hannah Montana came out, the idea of this international pop-star being just this normal girl from Tennessee. Just like me. I begged my mom for a karaoke machine and just started...singing. I'd sing in the car, before bed, when I got ready in the morning. Everywhere I could sing, I was." Juliette smiled at the memories, glancing down at her cup.

"My parents knew I had a gift, and they put me in all kinds of lessons; singing, guitar, piano, dance. Anything that had to do with performing. And then I got accepted into this performing arts high school. And I truly knew it was what I needed to do with my life. I started writing these songs, like they were just pouring out of me. And then my manager Camille reached out to me after seeing one I posted on Instagram, saying she loved the song and would love to sign me. I had to say yes."

Drew's smile slowly grew as he listened to her, completely fascinated by her life story. "You're definitely incredibly talented, Juliette. Seriously."

She smiled, glancing up at him through her lashes. His eyes were locked on hers, and she glanced back down at her JC studded ring on her finger.

"How about your brothers and your parents? Do they share the same passion for music?"

Juliette sucked in a breath and clicked her teeth, "Nah. My mom's a school teacher and my dad's a private chef. My older brother, Marcus, he's a Sleep Technician and my younger brother Alex is a massive science and tech nerd. He actually just started MIT this fall." Drew chuckled with raised eyebrows, "Jesus. Impressive family."

Juliette laughed and shrugged, nodding her head towards him, "How about you? Whats your family like?" She sipped her coffee, Drew leaning back in his seat with a shrug. "Uh, my mom's an elementary school counselor and my dad's a basketball coach at Kent State. They divorced when I was pretty young, and my mom married my stepdad Brian a few years later. My youngest sister Brooke is a photographer, my brother Logan also does acting and my sister Mackayla works for her church."

Juliette nodded, "That's awesome. Are you close with them?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm super close with them. They are honestly my anchor to the world. When you're out there at premieres with screaming fans and filming shows and movies in foreign places you start to forget what life is actually like. They tether me back." Juliette smiled, "Drew, that's beautiful. Thats amazing that you have such a good relationship with them."

Juliette and Drew both simultaneously jumped at a rumble of thunder echoing through the suddenly overcast sky, the two of them looking at each other with wide eyes before chuckling. "We should probably head inside."

Juliette nodded in agreement, grabbing her purse and standing from the table with her coffee in hand. She made sure to push in her chair, watching with a smile as Drew opened the glass door for her, allowing her to walk inside the cafe first. "Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

Juliette shook her head, "No, I was gonna use today as a writing day but I fear I'm out of juice."

Drew nodded, tossing his empty cup in the trash behind him before sticking his hands in his front pockets, "Would you wanna keep hanging out? I understand if not, I was just—"

Juliette nodded, maybe too eagerly, "Yeah, I'd love to. What would you wanna do? I live pretty close by, we could have lunch? I got a Lyft here, but it's like a 15 minute walk." Drew laughed and nodded, "I'd love some lunch. I drove, so I could drive us there?"

She nodded, tossing her now empty coffee in the trash and allowing the man to open the cafe door for her once again.

Juliette Carters apartment was filled with laughter, her and Drew sitting on her sofa exchanging stories with music playing in the background. "And then Noah climbed to the top of this stupid fucking pool house after Sadie and I told him not to, and as he jumped, his feet went straight through the wood and he was just laying there on top of the pool house, stuck in the roof from the knees down like a '90s cartoon."

Drew's laughter drowned out Juliette's Frank Ocean vinyl, Juliette pushing down her own laughter to finish the story. "We had to get him down by putting someone on a ladder to help him sit up and someone under the hole to catch him if he slipped the rest of the way through. He had to get 5 stitches in his leg from where the wood sliced him open. He didn't even feel the wound until he was off the ladder and bleeding all over our friend Reenas grass."

"God, I wish I could've been there for that party." Drew's laughter finally died down, the man leaning his arm against the back of the green couch, bringing a bent leg up so he could face Juliette.

At this position, the two were much closer than before, and Juliette decided to do what Sadie always told her to do; jump. "Stick around and you'll be there for the next one." Drew looked over at her in surprise, before his features fell soft, eyes looking over her face and taking in as much of her features as he could. "Yeah?"

Juliette nodded with a small smile, lip between her teeth as she blushed, "Mhm."

"I really like you, Juliette." Drew whispered, body making closer at a snails pace. "I like you, too." Juliette matched his speed in moving closer, drunk off the energy on the room.

The two jumped, eyes wide as Juliette's phone began ringing, vibrations on the coffee table causing the water in her cup to move.

Juliette cleared her throat, the two leaning away from each other awkwardly as she grabbed her phone, rolling her eyes and preparing to give Sadie a good smack on the ass for interrupting.

She answered the call, bringing the device to her ear, "Sadie, I told you I was-"

"Fucking DeuxMoi got a picture of you guys! The comments are fucking violating. Noah's been on hold with Instagram customer service for 15 minutes trying to get the post removed."

Juliette's eyes went wide, "I'll call you back."

"Everything okay?" Drew mumbled, sitting forward on the couch in concern. "Uh, I'm actually not too sure, to be honest." Her fingers shakily clicked Instagram and searched up the gossip channels account, face dropping at the photo. "Fuck me."

Drew leaned towards her curiously, face also falling at the post. He watched Juliette click the comments, which were so mean Drew had to look away for a moment. "Okay," He reached over to grab the device as she started doomscrolling through the comments, "You can't read those, Juliette." The blonde girl sighed, watching as he turned her screen off and put her phone back on the coffee table. "Are you okay?"

"Last year, I dated this guy, Griffin. He was good at first, I swear. And then he got handsy with other girls, and then it evolved into something worse. And our breakup was published on deuxmoi for everyone to see and criticize." Juliette chuckled dryly, Drew furrowing his brows as he listened to her story. "After the breakup, my team and I had to do damage control on an old situation of his that came out, that wasn't even my fault. He fucking ruined me and then his racism and bigotry got me in trouble with the media and fans."

"Juliette-"

"What I'm trying to say is that I really, really like you Drew. You're so amazing. But I can't jump in to anything right now. I need slow. I understand if you don't want to—" Drew smiled at her, reaching both of his hands out to envelope one of hers. She looked down at their hands, realizing the way his thumb rubbed over her hand was slowly calming her. "I can do slow, Juliette."

"The things they've said about me—"

"I'm almost 30 years old, I am not letting some shitty gossip account change my opinion on you. You're amazing, you're smart, funny, talented. I like you and I can do slow." Juliette smiled, looking up at him with a small nod,

"Okay."

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deuxmoi DEUXMOI EXCLUSIVE...Juliette Carter and Drew Starkey seen leaving The Alibi LA together weeks after flirtatious Do Revenge red carpet photos 📸 backgrid_usa
September 27th, 2022

user i cannot fucking stand this chick. first she ruins griffins reputation and now she's clinging to drew.

user this is worse than odessa istg
-user god at least odessa is talented

user sexiest couple of the year 🤞🏻

user this is gonna be another elaine situation i just know it. this bitch needs to go

user there's definitely a reason griffin cheated on her
-user i've been saying that. she started dating griffin literally the day after he apparently broke up with his ex girlfriend. they had to have been 2gether b4 that. she's a pos homewrecker

user i've been waiting for this one 😍🥳

user bring back odessa i dnt like this 1

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Happy Birthday Rina 💋🤭💋🤭
this 1 was for you