The Cupcake Fiend

[JACOB HARLOW]

Cupcakes and cupcakes galore. Cupcakes with pink frosting, blue frosting, even some specially decorated one with character faces on them. And currently, Jake was hunched just below the register, cramming a blue frosted cupcake into his mouth. As quickly as possible.

It wasn't exactly break time, but it wasn't busy in the shop either. So taking a few minutes to sweet-talk(aka stuff into his mouth) a cupcake seemed completely reasonable.
He paused between each bite to listen for the little jingle of the door, signaling a customer. Which would only give him seconds, if not miliseconds, to swallow the cupcake and stand. And manage to look completely innocent.

Which was a little hard to do when you were a 6'2" lanky man, surrounded by cutesy, adorible sweets and breads. Then again...he was Jake. Those big blue eyes got him out of any trouble, including cupcake theivery.

He pretty much inhaled the last bit of his cupcake, and finally slowed down to lick the blue frosting off of his fingertips, before unfurling his long legs to stand up. He made way to the sink behind the counter, and washed his hands, curiously glancing at the row of cupcakes. Debating if he had enough time to cram another one down, before he got caught.

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo loved this bakery so much. It was the best place in all of New York City. It was better than any one of the pools she’d found and it was probably better than the docks, even. That was almost impossible for her to say since she loved swimming so much but it was true. Her sweet tooth was so dominant that all she could think about at this point was the cupcakes and brownies and cookies she’d be buying soon. She really hoped they had the ocean-themed cupcakes in today but it would be fine if they didn’t. Because all the other designs they had were just so darling. Pulling her jacket on more tightly (it was chillier than usual, today), Cleo hurried down the street, wishing that she’d taken a cab. Barrie University wasn’t all that close to her favorite bakery ever. Tucking a loose strand of her vibrant red hair behind her ear, she dipped her head against the cold and soldiered on. All she had to think about was how quickly she’d get to the bakery and then how much she would enjoy the sweet, sweet pastries.

It wasn’t long, actually. Pulling the door open, she stepped inside and relaxed a little. The warmth was already deicing her fingertips and the sudden scent of every pastry hitting her was overwhelming… in the best way possible. Closing her eyes, she inhaled and stood still for a moment before opening them again, scanning the area. It was empty… empty as in there wasn’t even anybody at the counter. Eyebrows rose slightly, she shrugged and hurried to the display cases. Kneeling down, she admired all the pastries and wished she had more money. She wanted to buy this place out right about now… Okay, she’d get the ones with blue frosting (it was closest to her ocean-themed favorites which she couldn’t find in the cases), a few cream cheese frosted brownies, a raspberry Danish for her mother, a chocolate croissant for her grandfather and… well, she’d leave it at that for the time being.

The sound of a sink running caught her attention and she stood, glancing back to the display cases. She visited this bakery so much that she wouldn’t be surprised if the employee recognized her so she simply said: “Hey, doll. I’m back… again.” Cleo said it all so casually; she would have been embarrassed if she didn’t know the worker. Looking up from the display cases, she realized he was taller than the other cashiers she knew and that she, well, didn’t know him. Or… did she? There was something very similar about him…

---

words; 439
notes; cream cheese frosted brownies!
and i hope i did this post alright D:
outfit; click :D

[JACOB HARLOW]

That bell interrupted his sneaky, clever thought process that was beginning to formulate in his brain, of exactly how to grab another cupcake. “Hello and welcome.” Cheesy, even cheesier was the wide, crooked grin he offered to the redhead that seemed to be all but pressing her face into the glass.

“What can I get for….you…today?” His smile faded somewhat, staring at Cleo. “You a regular here?” He asked curiously, moving from the sink to grab a pair of thin plastic gloves, opening up a small treat box, awaiting her order. His long fingers drummed idly on the counter, his bright blue eyes framed by thick dark brows seemed to be focused rather intently on Cleo.

He straightened up, and shook his head, “Sorry, you’ve just got…really…really red hair.” He mumbled, and narrowed his eyes, still staring. What was it? Who did she remind him of? And why was he being a total creeper, instead of his smarmy, rather charming however, regular old self? While he waited on her decision, he grabbed a clean black apron from the hanger just beside the sink, and tugged it on over his head, tying it around his thin middle.

He had striking features: high cheekbones, naturally
sunken in cheeks, large, almost droopy eyes. A full, round, almost always pouting mouth. And appeared to be a walking stick figure. Though, that red-hair was driving him insane. “You remind me of this girl, she had like. Crazy red hair. She was totally insane though. Always going to the beach, and she had the craziest knack for finding like. Pools, and swimming holes and junk, even when it was balls ass cold outside.” He shook his head. There was no way she was Cleo. His Cleo. His best friend, and now—looking back on it, possibly his first crush. She left a long time ago, but he couldn’t recall her saying where she was headed. And there could be no way in a cold, dark, freezing hell, that his Cleo would be in New York; stranded away from any warm, bright and sunny beaches.

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo knew she knew him. But from where? This was totally going to drive her insane. Okay, it was probably a good idea to answer his questions instead of standing there, staring at him. “Er, yeah. I come in all the time, hun.” She answered him teasingly, almost surprised that he didn’t recognize her. She thought all the employees knew who she was. Who could forget her? She was fun, cute, and one of the reasons this place raked in so much cash every day. In an attempt to stop staring at him, Cleo looked back to the display cases to point out what she wanted. “Could I get a chocolate croissant and a raspberry Danish? My mom loves these Danishes. I swear, she could live off of them.” Cleo laughed and pulled a hand through her hair. Glancing back at him, she rose her eyebrows. “Thanks? I think…?” Was that a compliment? Twirling a strand around her finger, Cleo figured that it was. Everybody loved her hair. “Also, I’d like one of those cupcakes with the blue frosting. And a few cream cheese frosted brownies.” Cleo furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips, trying to decide if she wanted anything else. Looking back to the incredibly familiar employee, she debated on buying him something. He was cute and he had complimented her hair, after all.

He started to go on about some girl he knew. Crazy red hair? Cleo fluffed her own crazy red hair a bit. That wasn’t all that rare. Insane? Cleo snickered. That was nice of hi--- Always going to the beach? Okay, now this girl was starting to sound… Crazy knack for finding pools and swimming holes? Either she did know this kid or this kid knew her or--- “Ohmygod, Jaybird?!” she exclaimed (more like shrieked) suddenly, much too loud. That’s who this guy was! Or, at least, she hoped it was. Jeez, that would be embarrassing. But he was so familiar! The eyes, height, hair, cheekbones. This was so totally her Jacob Harlow. She could remember clearly the day she left and how absolutely furious she’d been at her mother and grandfather. Somewhere amidst that fury, though, she’d been absolutely heartbroken because she knew she’d had to leave her Jakey. She had to leave her best friend and the one guy she actually like, liked. Jacob hadn’t been boring and cliché and he absolutely hated the water. It was some weird opposites attract thing that had prompted her to insist that they be best friends. “You’re Jacob Harlow, right? Ohmygod, you’ve got to be him.” She really hated this counter right now; she just wanted to leap over it and hug him and never, ever let go.

---

words; 439
notes; WOOO.
outfit; click :D

[JACOB HARLOW]

“Ah, well. This is kinda like. My second day on the job, first day I was just in the back washing pans and stuff.” He explained, waving a hand, various beaded and hand-braided bracelets flailing about.

“Though I’m pretty sure I was warned about this redheaded chick that comes in all the time. But I thought she’d be more like. Monstrous looking.” He explained with a shrug. Perhaps he was a bit rude, but he had assumed that this mystery client was going to be one of those frightening women you see on Oprah or something.
As she pointed out the sweets, he carefully put them into the small white box, separating the cream cheese brownies from the others.

Though he almost dropped all of the boxes when she shrieked. He looked completely startled, and hugged the boxes to his chest to keep from dropping them, his blue eyes wide and terribly frightened looking. Jaybird? What th---no. Fucking. Way.

“Cleo?! Cleo Everett? Holy shit!” He yelped, pointedly putting the boxes on the table. As she continued to ramble on, “One and only!” Swiftly, he ducked through the back room, swung through the door, and slid into the receiving area of the bakery. No longer separated by a counter, his long lanky arms opened up. “How the hell did you end up in New York?!”

He held her level of excitement, minus the shrieking. He was smiling wide, his blue eyes twinkling, and his hair seemed somewhat more frazzled. The one and only, Cleo Everett was standing in the one, teensy little bakery in big huge, giant New York.

[CLEO EVERETT]

She was sooooooooooooooooo freaking out right now! She wasn’t even aware that Jacob had moved to New York! Sure, she’d called him every day when she moved. Of course, she’d sent him texts and emails and letters. She’d done all she could to keep in contact with her best friend but it wasn’t easy. They were on the complete opposite ends of the country and she was changing. Talking to him reminded her of her mother and grandfather who she’d been ignoring at the time. Then, she started at Baum and that kept her busy. Not to mention all her odd-end jobs and her constant searching for better pools. Trying to contain the excitement, Cleo focused on what he was saying. It was only his second day here. Why hadn’t he started sooner?! This encounter could have happened years ago! Cleo laughed a little. He’d been warned? Wait, monstrous? Cleo put her hands on her hips and pouted, glaring just a bit subtly at him. “Thanks, sweetheart. I see how it is.” But then she remembered that this was JACOB FREAKING HARLOW. Freaking out all over again, Cleo was absolutely giddy when he disappeared and then reappeared beside her. She practically leapt into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist and just positively melting. Ohmygod, she’d missed Jaybird’s hugs! Just closing her eyes brought back every memory of him, every day spent on the beach, every argument, every minute of Los Angeles.

“How did you end up in New York?!” she asked instead of answered, glancing up at him. “I told you I was moving here, doll! Have you forgotten already?” Cleo stuck her tongue out at him before resting her head against his chest again. She didn’t want to let go, ever, ever, because her best friend was here! This was possibly the happiest day she’d ever had in New York. As much as she wanted to continue clinging to him, Cleo stepped back after a minute or two and looked up at him. “I don’t want you to get in trouble, darling.” Just by her expression, she was not pleased to have stopped hugging him. “Jeez, I’ve missed you! When did you move to New York?! Why didn’t you try to get ahold of me?” Her questions were rapid fire and she almost felt bad but her curiosity and excitement were getting the best of her. She just couldn’t help it.

---

words; 404
notes; <3
outfit; click :D

[JACOB HARLOW]

His thin arms wrapped around her, squeezing the life out of her. Her hair seemed to have the permanent smell of sand, and salt-water in it. Or perhaps that was just his memories, flooding back all at once. “Well, excuse me, doll,” He mocked, rolling his eyes, though he couldn’t keep the bright grin off of his face. “Of course I forgot. That was like. Ages ago, and I’m old. I’m getting senile!” He protested, half tempted to make a grab at that tongue when she stuck it out at him.

“I ended up here like. Four years ago. I started going to Barrie freshman year, I’m about to graduate from there. So I decided to get off my ass and learn some street smarts.” His arms loosened when she stepped back, then he remembered he still had those crinkly plastic gloves on. He yanked them off, and flicked them over the counter. He turned his back on her, just for a moment, and sat on the counter, reaching all the way around, and grabbing the boxes he had abandoned.

He never really felt like taking the long way through things, shortcuts were his way. No matter what he had to climb over, or squeeze through. He was known to perch on the top of brick walls, squeeze through fences missing only a plank of wood. The world was his giant playground, and he was the stray who had come to claim it all.

He dropped the boxes carefully onto the table without ringing them up, “Totally on me. Consider it a homecoming gift. Now sit down and talk to me, if you aren’t in a rush.” He pulled out a chair from the small table, ignoring the scratching sound it made against the floor. He rolled up his long grey sleeves, and took a seat across from Cleo.

“I totally forgot you moved to New York, that’s why. Cause this does not seem like a Cleo kinda place. It’s fucking cold, there’s no beaches, and it’s a big huge concrete city. You always struck me as the…kind of chick who’d be hiding out in the Amazon, or something. I could defiantly see you staring down some piranha.”

[CLEO EVERETT]

She already missed hugging him! Cleo clasped her hands together, trying to keep from fidgeting and just throwing her arms around him again. Cleo laughed when he imitated her, “you can’t be getting old! That would mean that I’m getting old…” Her expression was one of mock horror before the smile took over again. Cleo folded her arms over her chest and peered at him as he spoke. God, she hadn’t even realized how much she missed him until he was standing here, in front of her. All of these memories were bombarding her and she was ecstatic and somehow wistful. She missed Los Angeles so much. Wait… he’d been here four years?! And he was attending Barrie U?! Un-freaking-acceptable! “Are you kidding me?!” she exclaimed as he turned away from her for whatever reason. “I’ve been going to Barrie for four years! How is it that I haven’t seen you?!” It almost made her mad; in fact, it did. It infuriated her to know that he best friend had been here so long and she was only just now running into him.

His movement distracted her and she looked as he sat on the counter and reached around to grab the boxes of her sweets. He didn’t even bother going all the around. This made her giggle; he hadn’t really changed in the aspect of his preference for shortcuts. She started to take her wallet out of the jacket pocket before he spoke. She looked up at him, her eyebrows rising ever so slightly. “Aww, really, hun? Thanks!” Part of her insisted that she pay for them; it was only his second day. But Jaybird was offering to buy her pastries for her and how could she say no to that? Joining him at the table, Cleo smiled. “I wouldn’t miss this moment for the world, Jaybird,” she told him, loving that she was able to use the childhood nickname again. She leaned forward, propping her chin onto her hand and listened as he spoke. It made her smile, the fact that he remembered her so well. She threw her head back and laughed, “Ohmygod, sweetheart, that’s amazing.” Still giggling, she returned to her position and shook her head a little. “A piranha. It’s true, too." Cleo could imagine it now, really, and it made her giggle again. “Mom and Grandpa made us move up here. I don’t even remember why, to be honest. I hated it then and I hate it now. But, you’re here now! It’s gotten significantly better. I’ve missed you, Jakey.”

---

words; 439
notes; <3
outfit; click :D

[JACOB HARLOW]

“Yeah but you’re younger, than me, aren't you, Granny?” He chirped, raising his brows at her, a sly smile spreading across his lips. He paused, and slowly turned his head towards the equally outraged woman. “You’re kidding. So we’ve been in New York together for like. Four years. Going to the same school. For four years, and we haven’t run into each other. At all?”

He seemed to settle down a bit, really mulling that thought over in his head, “What are you studying? Maybe it’s because our courses are on the other side of the campus.” He leaned back in his chair, licking his lower lip in thought, idly scratching a high, sculpted cheek.
“Gotta say, I did not miss being called Jakey.” He grinned, reaching behind his neck, and loosening the apron, letting it bunch around his waist as he relaxed in the chair. He shouldn’t get in trouble—it was slow today. “I kinda like New York. It’s far away from. You know. Water. Mostly.” There were those uncomfortable little pockets of lakes around, but it was pretty easy to avoid those when you surrounded yourself by concrete buildings. Cleo, to him, seemed like a fish out of water in a big crowded, waterless city. But Jake thrived. Alleyways, shortcuts, mystery around every corner. It was perfect to him.

“Do you ever go back to LA? And four years, you’re graduating soon then? What are you gonna do afterwards, stay here in N.Y. or go see the world. The Amazon? Eat some piranha?”

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo stuck her tongue out at him again. Okay, fine, she was younger but it was by just about a year. Darn it… could she remember his birthday? “Don’t call me Granny!” she whined, folding her arms over her chest and pouting at him. It was not reassuring at all. Cleo nodded and tried to push back her returning anger. It really was unfair. Why hadn’t she heard anybody talking about him? He was cute and funny and what if he had a girlfriend? She nearly cringed at the thought. Where had that even come from?! It’s not like it mattered, really. If… if he did, good for him. Fidgeting with her necklace, Cleo focused on answering him instead of the questions that were now threatening to spill from her lips. “At all,” she agreed. “Kind of breaks my heart, Jaybird.” She said it kind of teasingly but it did upset her. Four years…

“Psychology,” she answered simply. What was Jacob studying? She couldn’t really figure that one out, even though he was her best friend. "What about you?" Cleo laughed. “Nicknames for Jacob are easy to come up with but some just aren’t very creative. Jaybird, though, is clever. And I will maul anybody else who calls you that.” She winked, teasing again. Cleo was not the type to maul; she didn’t even swear, for goodness sake! “Ahh, still not friendly with water? I wish you two got along; we would have had so much more fun at the beach! Don’t get me wrong; it was always the best of times with you.” She smiled and reflected, again, remembering the good old days. Man, she really missed Cali. Cleo shook her head. “I haven’t been back since we moved. Mom and Grandpa never really considered it and I guess we don’t have the money. I’ve been saving up though.” Cleo was close, she just knew it. But she didn’t know if she would be ready to leave all of the friends she’d made. She especially didn’t know if she’d be able to leave now that Jacob was here. There was no way he’d be going back to California.

Cleo laughed. “No, no. Nothing extreme like the Amazon. I plan on heading back to Cali. I don’t know if I can leave my friends, though. I’m definitely unsure now that you’re here.” Cleo crinkled her nose and shook her head and added as an afterthought. “Ewww, fish. I don’t eat fish, remember, darling?”

---

words; 410
notes; yeah, i'd forgotten that cleo doesn't eat sushi.
that's, like, cannibalism. xD
outfit; click :D

[JACOB HARLOW]

“Granny.” He teased again, and pulled his knees up to his chest, still in the chair. The wonderful gift of being absurdly thin, and quite flexible. “Don’t blame me for that breakage, Fish-Girl. That’s all fate. Would it be fate? Or was it destiny that we didn’t meet until just now. Or. Meet again.” His brows furrowed in thought, and he tapped his chin, and hooked his lanky arms around his knees.

“Psychology, eh? I thought you’d be the sort to go for marine biology. And I’m studying music theory, planning on teaching the kidlets all about music. I’m going to be the classy, poised conductor of a middle-school band or something.” He straightened his spine proudly, before utterly deflating. His long, boney fingers toyed with the threaded bracelets around his wrist, “Not really, no. I still can’t swim. Imagine that, twenty-something and I still can’t swim. I still won’t go in water past my ankles. I even get a little sweat on my brow when my tub overflows.” He teased, covering up his own embarrassment; the pink seeping into his cheeks underneath the scruffy unshaven shadow on his cheeks.

“There’s a first time for everything, Cleo darling. I’d give some foreign exotic foods a go. Monkey brains, blowfish, eel. Your cooking. I’d risk it all.” He waggled his thick brows at her, offering another one of those cheesy grins. “So what the hell do you do for fun, since it’s like. Waterless.”

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo rolled her eyes and decided to drop it. If she continued to fuss over being called Granny, she knew he’d continue to tease her about it. It was one of the things she loved to hate about Jacob. She snickered; “Fish-Girl? Clever. Fate, destiny, luck. Whatever it is, I’m glad for it.” A grin tugged at the corners of her lips and she ruffled her hair before sitting up straight, leaning back in her chair. He was toying with the bracelets around his wrist and she could remember when they’d made matching ones. Well, not so much matching as hers had been all ocean-themed colors and his, well, hadn’t. Glancing to her wrist, she was suddenly upset to see that she wasn’t wearing it. What had ever happened to that bracelet? “That’s what mom said, too. I don’t know what it was about Psychology that I found so interesting.” She perked up a bit upon learning his major. “Music theory? That’s cool!” Cleo arched her brows and grinned. “Classy? I’m so sure,” she was teasing again. She had missed the easy conversation she had with him.

Cleo shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, babe. I’m like that with small spaces. Claustrophobic; that’s me.” Cleo messed with her hair again before finally just taking the tie around her wrist and tying it back. Her claustrophobia had only worsened when they moved to New York. It had been nearly nonexistent in Los Angeles but then when they moved to the city, all she could think was that the buildings were closing in on her and the crowds were suffocating and just thinking back to the first time she’d gone to the club, Down the Rabbit Hole, nearly made her hyperventilate. Focusing on the here and now, Cleo remembered that she was in her favorite, cozy bakery with her best friend and that all was well.

She stuck her tongue out. “That sounds absolutely disgusting, hun. To each his own, though, I suppose.” Cleo faked hurt and placed a hand over her heart. “My cooking? I’ve improved since then, doll! You should try my Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.” Cleo had taken to baking more once they’d moved to New York. What with the lack of beaches and sun, she’d needed new hobbies. “Well, I bake now. And I’ve found some… alright pools.” Cleo shrugged nonchalantly. “I spend a ton of time down at the docks, though. It’s my favorite place to go swimming. If I’m not there… Probably shopping.” Cleo leaned forward now, resting her forearms on the table. “How about you, darling? What do you do now that you’re more in your element?”

---

words; 440
notes; wow, she's talkative.
outfit; click :D

[JACOB HARLOW]

“Yeah, fish, you know like…” He sucked his already thin cheeks in, his full lips mimicking that of a fish, his hands moving to the sides of his head, moving back and forth, imitating the side fins of a fish, before letting his hands collapse back into his lap. “I took some Psychology courses in high school, it’s pretty interesting stuff. If I went for that, I don’t think I’d be the ones to sit in the office and listen to people mope though. I’d wanna be doing some cool, behavior experiments. I’d want to be like. The next Freud.”

He stood for a moment, and slipped into the door that led him behind the counter of the shop. “Want some hot chocolate, or some tea?” He asked to her, already pulling down two mugs.

“And it’s so not gross. I hear monkey brains are nice and slimy, a bit rubbery, however.” He teased, grabbing down a packet of hot cocoa, still awaiting her answer, after setting some milk to warm on the small tiny, two-burner stove to the back of the bakery’s open area. He leaned on the counter, his chin in his hands, looking at Cleo.

“Well then where can I stalk, I mean…meet you later to get some of these infamous muffins? And if you bake, why the hell are you not working here? Apparently you come in all the time, and even though you may eat half the stock, you could probably learn a thing or two working here.” He raised his brows, and waggled them at her suggestively, straightening up when a customer walked in.

He snapped his rubber glove, boxing up the sweet treats that the customer pointed out, moving to ring them up. “And I’m doing a lot better, Pop’s still trying to make it big. I think he tried moving a bit closer to Hollywood; like somehow that’s gonna help him.” Jake rolled his eyes at the absurd thought, ringing the customer up, and turning his attention to the little old woman. He flashed his brilliant, bright smile, “Thank you, try and be safe in this cold weather outside. Hope to see you again.” And as the little old woman turned to leave, he quickly ducked back through the door, his long legs taking him to the entrance of the bakery where he pulled the door open for the woman, smiling the entire time, even as she giggle and headed back into the cold. Once gone, he dropped back into his usual slouch and slunk back behind the counter. “I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do. There’s a lot to do in this big ole city, I just…dunno, gotta find myself in it I suppose.”

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo laughed loudly at his fish imitation. “That was a pretty spot-on impression, hun.” She told him, shaking her head and resisting the urge to giggle some more. Jacob always knew how to make her laugh, even if he wasn’t intending too. It was nice, though. She’d been having a stressful few months and now that she was here with him, all her troubles seemed to be melting away. “The Psychology course I took in high school was what prompted me to study it at College.” Cleo paused and thought about his preference. Could she sit in an office and listen to people mope? Well, she had always liked helping people in their time of need. But… well, she was talkative and she wasn’t quite sure if she could handle having to listen to somebody else talk forever while she had to hold her tongue. “Oooo, experiments. Freud?” Cleo laughed, “he had some crazy ideas with that psychosexual development stuff.”

Cleo half-stood herself when he did but quickly returned to her seat at his question. She was worried that he was leaving or something. “Oh… some hot cocoa would be lovely.” She answered, pushing her embarrassment away. Wait, wait wait… embarrassment!? Too focused on the confusing feelings, Cleo completely missed Jacob’s next statement. Why was she feeling embarrassed? Cleo was never… she hadn’t ever…! At the word ‘meet,’ Cleo turned to look at Jacob and realized she had missed part of the conversation. “W-what?” she stammered quietly, trying to catch up. Something about her muffins and baking and working at the bakery. “Oh! Uhm… you could come by my dorm? At Barrie?” she suggested, though she wasn’t quite sure of her living situation as of yet. They’d be assigning new roommates now that the new school year was starting. “Work here? Really?” Cleo paused, “I’d never thought of that, surprisingly enough.” Cleo couldn’t really imagine a full-time job, though. She worked the occasional part-time jobs because she didn’t like long-term… anything.

A customer entered and Cleo quietly cleared her throat, looking to the surface of the table. As Jacob spoke, she rotated in her sit a little to face him and the counter, watching as he did his job. He seemed to know what he was doing for only working there a few days. “Hollywood… quite the place,” she said absent-mindedly as he hurriedly helped the customer out with the door. Cleo grinned a bit; Jacob never ceased to amaze her. He hadn’t changed one bit and he had somehow changed in every way possible. It was confusing her but in the best of ways. “There is an awful lot to do. I’m not surprised, really. It is New York, after all.” Cleo had kept herself from exploring the city. She was worried that if she began to like it too much, she wouldn’t ever make it back to Los Angeles.

---

words; 479
notes; oo la la.
outfit; click :D

[JACOB HARLOW]

Behind the counter, he pulled the warm milk off the stove. He carefully put the milk into a tin container, along with some cocoa powder, and sugar, and sealed the tin. He made a big show, of shaking it--much like one would for margarita mix. "Bossdude says I'm supposed to lightly stir the chocolate and powder in, one at a time. But I still think I make the best hot cocoa ever." He explained haughtily, before popping the lid off the shaker, pouring the foamy, hot chocolate milk into wide mugs.

Now normally, that was the hot cocoa, but...it lacked the Jake showmanship...or show offishness...especially now that Cleo was watching. He ducked down, grabbing the can of whip cream from the mini-fridge, and made one, large careful swirl in each mug, then slid the canister back into the fridge. But oho no, he wasn't done yet. Next came the slightest shake of cinnamon, the careful spooning of chocolate shavings ontop of the whip cream, and a carefully tucked in Pirouette cookie in the side of the drink. Then, carefully, he stepped through the door that led to the main seating area of the cafe, and set the fancy drink infront of Cleo.

He took his seat again across from her, but not sipping his cocoa just yet. He wanted to see her reaction, if she was impressed--or indifferent. Or faking it. "I think they're hiring for part-time jobs, and full time. I'm working part time, since the whole. School stuff, you know?" He shrugged, idly stirring the whip cream with the cookie, pulling it out to chomp the end of the cookie stick off. "There is a lot to do. Maybe we should go do something. Like...go see a show, or go to a club, or something." His thick brows furrowed, "Maybe not a club. Scary, frightening girls hang out there."