Title: Angels in a Cage: Chapter Sixteen, Coffee Leaves
Rating: R [language, alcohol use, violence, sexual situations]

Summary: A cup of coffee is never just a cup of coffee in Seattle. So many lives change because of it. So, so many lives.





Not a day passed when she didn’t think of him, but not necessarily because she had the choice. In the five months they had been together, officially together, Alyssa spent all of her free time with Zack. The only issue is it wasn’t entirely by choice. He couldn’t bother her at school, as he didn’t yet attended Ballard High, but otherwise they were always together. Her parents liked him well enough so when she wasn’t at work or school, he was either at her house or she was at his. She did like him; he did make her feel like the most important person in the world, but.... but she just wanted to breathe.

Because of her relationship with Zack, she was never allowed to spend time alone with her friends, especially David because her boyfriend was very suspicious of him. Even when she mentioned wanting to spend time with just the girls, he would somehow talk her out of it. It was beginning to be just too much for Alyssa. And something had to be done. She needed to stand up for herself and earn herself some breathing room, even if it was to just hang out at home with her parents and sister. And it was going to happen today, dammit. Whether Zack liked it or not.

Glancing up from her homework, she checked the clock. He would be arriving at the coffeehouse any moment. As he lived further than she, Zack normally arrived about thirty minutes after she did. That was her only break from him most days. It was changing that day. She was certain of it. Closing her biology book, she glanced around the shop to see if any of the customers needed anything before realizing she only had one customer so far that day and he had been asleep at the table since she arrived. That gave her plenty of opportunity to talk with Zack.

As if on cue, the boy strode through the doors, the bells chiming as the door swung close. He still wore his private school uniform, something she once found endearing but now just annoying. It stripped him of personality or perhaps it intensified his personality, she wasn’t certain. He smiled at her and headed directly towards the counter. Quickly glancing around for her co-workers, Zack leaned across the counter to kiss her. Alyssa turned her cheek to him.

“Aly?”

“We need to talk,” she declared, moving out from behind the counter and heading towards his table.

Before Zack could really do anything, Alyssa sat down on the opposite side of the table than normal, than he preferred. She really did not want to be within easy reach to be touched and kissed. This was a very serious conversation they needed to have. He tossed his backpack on the chair she should have been sitting in and sat down, concern and worry filling his eyes.

“Aly?”

“I need some space,” she blurted out. “I’m always with you, except when I’m at school and when I’m asleep at home, though I have a feeling if given the chance you would be there too. Even when I’m here at work, so are you. I need some space, Zack. You’re smothering me.”

“You don’t want to be with me any more?” he asked.

“No. That’s not it at all, Zack. I just need some time to myself, to spend with my friends or my family, without you. I need to be me, not just Zack’s girlfriend,” she explained.

“You don’t want to be my girlfriend any more?”

“Zack, you’re not listening to me. Of course I still want to be your girlfriend. I just need a little bit of breathing room. Time to spend with my family and friends,” Alyssa stated. “I just need some me time.”

He stared at her for a few moments, “You’re breaking up with me?”

“No! Listen to me, dammit. I just need some time without you. Like a few days here and there where I get to do things without you. I miss spending time with Judith all by myself. I miss going to movies and such with my friends, just with my friends. Just give me a couple of days a week without you, Zack. You can have all of the rest of them,” she explained. “Besides, think of it this way, if I have time away from you, I might actually miss you. And that has to be good, right?”

“I miss you all the time already,” he claimed.

She sighed, “Just give me a couple of days a week, Zack. Please.”

“I... fine. Fine,” he grabbed his backpack and got up. “You can have your days, Alyssa. You can have your days all right.”

“Zack, what are you do—”

“See you later, Alyssa,” he responded and stalked out of the coffeehouse.

Sitting where she was for a long moment, Alyssa tried to figure out what had just happened. She really didn’t think it was wrong or anything to ask what she had. And she really hadn’t expected him to react so poorly to her request. Had he just broken up with her because she asked for a bit of time apart from him? Or was he just overreacting and would be back within the hour?

Sighing she got to her feet and headed back to her station behind the counter. She pulled out her biology book once more and flipped back open to the chapter questions she had been not working on before Zack showed up. Her mind was in no position then to answer questions about cell structure any more than it had been before. How had her request fucked up her relationship? It made no sense at all.

“Where’s the boyfriend?” her co-worker asked, snapping her gum.

“He left,” Alyssa replied.

“Really? How come?”

She turned to the older girl, who was only a supervisor because she had been at the coffeehouse for three weeks longer than Alyssa, “Because I asked him for some space.”

She snorted, “And he took it exceedingly well.”

“No. He stormed out.”

“Of course he did. You should dump that creepster,” she claimed.

“Zack is good to me.”

“He smothers you. You know that. That’s why you told him to back the fuck off,” she responded. “You’re missing out on all the fun things you get to do as a teenager.”

“Donna, you’re only a year older than me. Don’t make it sound like you know so much more than I do.”

The girl blinked briefly, “Still, you’re missing out on parties and all those other fun things because your boyfriend has a leash on you.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know that he’s my boyfriend any more.”

“Good,” she glanced up at the clock. “Hey, do you mind closing tonight? I’ve got a date.”

Alyssa sighed, “Fine. I’ll close again for you. But you realized next time I ask you to cover a shift, you pretty much owe me that and then some.”

“Sure, Aly. Whatever you want,” she popped her gum and walked away.

Two hours later, her co-worker was gone and the coffeehouse only had a few remaining customers. Zack hadn’t returned nor called and it was beginning to bother Alyssa. Not only because she hadn’t meant to break up with him and didn’t think she had, but because she didn’t like to leave the coffeehouse alone when she closed. The neighborhood was not all that unsafe, but leaving a dark shop in the dark was not her idea of a good time at all. Maybe she could find someone to come in while she finished up.

Snatching up the shop’s phone, she quickly dialed David’s number, hoping he was home and not out causing trouble on this Thursday night. It rang three times before he answered, making her heart leap in relief.

“Hey, David, can you come by the coffeehouse?” she asked, without even saying hello.

“Hello to you too, Aly.”

“Sorry. Hi, David, can you come to the coffeehouse?”

He chuckled, “Sure. What’s up?”

“I’m closing again for Donna tonight and I don’t want to leave alone.”

There was a brief paused, “Where’s McCreepy?”

“I told you months ago to stop calling him that.”

“But he is, Aly. Don’t tell me he’s not. He was even before you decided to date him.”

“He’s just a little needy. Anyways, he’s not here. So you’re coming right?”

“Sure, sure. I’ll be there in a few. But if McCreepy returns, I am out of there. I do not need to get beaten up for—”

“You won’t. Thanks a lot, David. See you soon.”



With all the recording done for the album, Chris probably should have been relaxing and letting it all soak in. It wouldn’t be released for sometime as it was still in post-production, maybe in April. He really should just be enjoying the fact Susan could not harass him any more to get off his ass and do something for the band.

But he wasn’t. He was sitting sullenly in his living room an empty beer can in his hand, dogs at his feet. To an outsider, it would appear like he was enjoying his brief foray into downtime, but he wasn’t. Instead all of Susan’s nitpicking, bitchy demands were running through his head. He knew his ‘Honey Do’ list had to be a mile long and it had very little to do with things around the house and other things that regular husbands did. He probably should have been out to lunch with someone, rubbing elbows with important people for the benefit of the band – or at least Susan’s pocketbook. Instead he was sitting in his shorts, in his living room, overthinking everything.

And he was pretty certain he hated his wife. The more he thought about her, the less redeeming qualities he could find. He couldn’t even add sex to the good list because... well they never had it any more. Of course he was still feeling extremely guilty from the whore’s blow job over a year before and that night... that night was likely the last time he and Susan had sex. She was never interested in him and he did not like being alone with her for that long. He wasn’t sure if it had to do with the fact she was his band’s manager or if Susan just became a harpy over time regardless. He merely hated her.

But what were his options? If he divorced her, he put the band at risk. If they fired her and then he divorced her, the band was still at risk. But how long should the band come before his own happiness? What the fuck was happiness anyways? Fuck it all. He would just drink until he was numb and that would have to suffice.

Getting to his feet and wavering slightly, he stepped over the dogs who barely even opened their eyes as he stumbled towards the kitchen. Chris deposited the empty can in Susan’s recycling bin and flung open the fridge. Standing there for a long moment, feeling the cool air ripple out of the appliance though he wasn’t particularly hot in his state of undress, his bloodshot eyes attempted to focus upon the contents of the fridge. It all blended and rolled together in his mind, which clearly indicated he was out of booze.

“Fuuuck,” he grumbled and slammed the door closed.

Chris really had an extreme lack of ideas as to what to do now. He clearly could not go out and get more booze in his current state. Driving his motorcycle now would be a deathwish. Plus he wasn’t wearing pants and that was usually required when being out in public – especially since Susan would skewer him alive for leaving the house like he was. Maybe... maybe he should call his friends over and ask them to bring beverages.

Or maybe he would just take a nap and sleep it off and go out once he woke up. Yes. That seemed to be the best solution available. He would sleep until he was sober enough to go buy more. If only he could find his bedroom...



Laying on her back on Zack’s bed, Alyssa smiled. He had just finished reciting a poem he wrote for his senior English class, claimed to be inspired by her. It was quite possibly the sweetest thing he had done in their months together. She still didn’t think she loved him, but he did make her feel better than anyone had before.

Setting the notebook down, he looked over at his girlfriend. Her eyes were closed but her lips curved in a smile. Her right hand rested on her stomach, ostensibly keeping the tee shirt she wore from riding up, her other hand tucked under the pillow under her head. Her bare toes wiggled slightly, drawing his attention down the line of her body, pausing at the hem of her short skirt briefly. He truly did believe she was the most beautiful thing in the world. And because she had once been baptized Catholic, his father never spoke poorly of her at all. Alyssa was just perfect for him and he never wanted to share her with anyone, though at her request he had been giving her a few days a week without him. And she had been right. Those brief periods apart seemed to make her even more attentive to him. This truly was love.

Crawling onto his bed, Zack’s hand slid over her stomach, his fingers weaving with hers as his lips touched hers. Alyssa continued to smile for a bit before parting her lips to allow the kiss to deepen. For a few moments their kissing remained fairly restrained, but soon Zack wanted more. His hand left hers to cup her breasts and he shifted even closer to her. Alyssa released the hold on her shirt to cup the back of his head, suddenly giving him the ability to slip his hands under her shirt. He did not hesitate for a moment.

His hand ran over her breasts briefly before attempting to tug the fabric of her bra down over them. As he had touched her bare breasts before, Alyssa did not protest, but wiggled her own hands under her back to release the clasp of her undergarment to aid in his actions.

“I want to kiss you,” he stated huskily.

“You have been,” Alyssa responded.

“I want to kiss your breasts.”

For a brief moment she resisted, “All right.”

A minute later Alyssa was completely topless, her shirt and bra discarded over the side of his bed. Zack’s mouth instantly began to kiss and suckle her breasts. Soft sighs of delight passed her lips, fully not expecting it to feel so good.

Without asking, his hands had wandered over her hips, seeking the bottom of her skirt. Before long, his hand slipped underneath the fabric, tracing gentle design towards her panty-covered sex. Alyssa hadn’t allowed him to touch her there yet, but with his mouth pleasuring her breasts, Zack was confident the time was now. She gasped as his hand cupped her sex, his finger pressing down in the center, causing her cotton panties to instantly dampen. He quickly left her breasts and kissed her mouth, in part to silence her protests before they even began. His tongue plundered her mouth while his fingers began to pet and touch her through her panties.

Nudging aside the wet fabric, Zack attempted to touch her ripe flesh. Alyssa instantly closed her legs around his wrist, keeping him from moving or touching her at all. He did not relent but kept kissing her, his other hand reaching down to ease her legs back open. She resisted and attempted to pull out of the kiss.

“I want to touch you,” he declared.

“Zack, I—”

“I want to touch you,” he repeated.

“I...”

Her legs relaxed slightly, enough for his fingers to wiggle between her petals.

“You want me to touch you too. I can feel it,” he stated and kissed her again. “You want me to touch you.”

“Zack, please... please stop,” she requested softly.

His fingers began to trace up and down her sex, “You want it.”

“No, Zack, stop,” Alyssa closed her legs around his wrist again. “Stop. Please stop.”

“I’m not done yet. Open your legs.”

“No, Zack, stop,” she repeated. “Stop.”

“Open your legs, Alyssa,” he demanded, far more anger in his voice than before.

“No,” her eyes hardened and she attempted to push him away. “I said stop.”

“I grow tired of you always telling me no,” he growled and quickly moved on top of her. “You’re my girlfriend. You do not tell me no.”

“Zack, stop. Please stop,” tears began to run down her cheeks. “Please stop.”

His hand slammed down over her mouth, “No more speaking. No more no.”

She instantly bit his hand. Rage flashed in his eyes and he pulled back his hand, only to slap her hard across the face. She would have cried out once more had his hand not returned to her mouth and he suddenly sat up, tilting his head to the side. Realizing his father had likely just returned home, Alyssa was filled with relief. Zack would not hurt her with his father around; his father would stop him.

“Fuck,” he muttered and scrambled off of her. “Get dressed before Father sees you. And fix your makeup.”

Quickly obeying, partially out of fear and partially out of desire to get out of there and believing this was her chance, Alyssa scrambled off his bed and pulled her bra and shirt back on. She reached for her purse and dug out her makeup, though it was futile to fix her makeup while still crying. A dark red hand print could not be covered by any amount of makeup, she knew that.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

Alyssa turned to him.

“Fuck. That won’t do. I’ll go downstairs and talk to him. You pull yourself together and come and say goodbye,” Zack instructed before leaving his bedroom.

Rather than go to the bathroom as she probably should have, Alyssa began to cry in earnest. She knew this relationship had just reached the breaking point and she had to get out before she got hurt. She didn’t love him, never would. And now she would never be able to look at him without fear. She had to get out. And she fucking didn’t care what his father thought.

Quickly looking around the room in a teary haze, Alyssa swept it for any of her belongings. Gathering up anything of hers she cared for and shoving it in her own backpack, she slung her bag on her shoulder and headed out of his bedroom. She rather hoped his father saw the mark on her face, the tears on her cheeks, and did something about it. Regardless she knew her own father would and that was enough.

She hadn’t bothered to put her Doc Marten’s back on, so her descent down the steps was not nearly as loud as it could have been. It worked in her favor because neither Zack nor his father noticed her until the front door slammed behind her. By the time her boyfriend could pursue, Alyssa was already in her car with the doors locked, backing out of the driveway. She did not even glance up for a moment in his direction. She never wanted to see him again.

Arriving home more than an hour earlier than expected, Alyssa slammed her car door and ran inside, barely remembering to lock the doors. She hurried frantically from room to room, looking for her stepmother or her father, tears staining her cheeks afresh. Both Marilyn and Howard had heard the girl return, the slamming of doors, and went to investigate. As Howard had been downstairs in his office and Marilyn upstairs with Judith, he reached Alyssa first. She ran directly into him.

“Aly, baby, what’s wrong?” he asked, feeling her tremble and clench his shirt.

“Daddy, he... he... he wouldn’t stop,” she muttered.

Warning bells instantly clamored in his head and he pulled back, tilting her face up towards his, “What did Zack do to you?”

“He t-t-tried... h-he w-was t-t-touching m-m-me and-d.... D-daddy, he wouldn’t stop,” Alyssa sobbed.

Marilyn heard enough of Alyssa’s confession as she rounded the corner to gather what was going on, “Alyssa, did he ra—”

“N-no! B-but I th-think h-he w-would h-have t-tried-d if-f his f-f-father h-hadn’t c-c-come h-h-home,” she responded, turning slightly to look at her stepmother which revealed the hand print that was beginning to darken as a bruise.

“Alyssa,” Howard spoke, barely containing his anger, “I am going to call the guys and someone is going to come and take a statement from you. We may have to have a doctor look at you as well so that it is on record. Regardless he is never going to hurt you again. He is never going to get near you again.”

Marilyn’s arms eased around the girl’s shoulders and eased her into Howard’s office behind him, “Do not feel ashamed, Aly. Never think this was your fault.”

The teenager nodded, wiping her nose with the back of her hand before Marilyn grabbed tissue from the box. Unable to halt her crying, Alyssa leaned on her stepmother as the two sat on the couch in Howard’s office, her tears soaking her stepmother’s shirt. Howard spoke quickly and softly on the phone. No one was ever going to hurt his daughter and get away with it. He would bring hell down on the boy for even thinkingof ignoring Alyssa’s request to stop. The boy hadn’t a chance in hell as far as he was concerned. Not a chance in hell.



Strolling down the street not far from where the band was rehearsing, Chris struggled to not walk into the next bar. He was really trying to remain sober now. Not because he liked it, but really in respect for his band. Maybe not respect for his band, but a forced sense of something, brought on by Susan telling him he needed to take things more seriously. So he was going to attempt that for awhile, see if it improved anything. If not, he knew exactly where to buy the best beer at the cheapest price, even if he could afford it all. This new take on life however meant no bars before or after practice. But he didn’t want to go home yet, not at all. Perhaps something along the street would tempt him. If not at least he wasted time looking for something else.

A brightly lit coffeehouse seemed an appropriate locale for his needs. It was even more seductive in the fact not many clustered in it, meaning he would not likely be harassed by fans or the like. He could just sit in a booth and sip a cup of coffee and contemplate the meaning of life – or at least how to avoid going home longer. His hand flattened on the brass plate on the door and he pushed. A soft chime sounded as the door swung open, announcing his arrival over the acoustic music playing in the coffeehouse. None of the other patrons even glanced towards the door, enraptured in their own conversations, books, or coffees. For one of the first times in his life in some time, Chris actually felt anonymous. And oh how he loved it.

His eyes went up to the black chalkboard menu behind the counter and he froze where he was. A young woman stood on a step ladder, dutifully printing the specials in the painted box. She wore dark hunter green tights with a slight leaf pattern under a black corduroy skirt. A horizontal black stripe cut through the back of her green shirt, likely from an apron tied to her front. A clip of some sort held her chocolate brown hair back from her face in a messy almost fan-like array. He could just barely see her profile as she glanced down at the sheet of paper on the nearby counter, checking to make sure she had all that was required on the board. The soft curve of her nose turning up slightly at the end lead his eyes directly down to her slightly parted and pouty lips. He hadn’t even seen her fully yet and was completely taken, a feeling that was completely foreign to Chris period. He had never even felt like this towards his own wife. Something had to be wrong. Or maybe everything had been wrong before.

She slowly descended the step ladder, folded it up, and tucked it beside one of the shiny machines. Without realizing he was doing it, Chris held his breath until she turned around. Her large brown eyes flecked with gold went to his and the entire world felt like it screeched to a halt. Those eyes... her eyes... he was absolutely lost. There was far too much space between them, far too many coffee-making contraptions. He needed to... wanted to... had to...

“Can I... can I get you something?” she spoke softly, barely breaking his silent concentration on her eyes, drawing his gaze to her slightly glossy lips.

“I... yes,” he replied in a near whisper.

“Well what would you like?” she asked, her eyes flicking to motion to the menu.

He wanted to tell her that he wanted her, but that would likely scare her. He really had no idea what he wanted to drink, not in the least. He wasn’t even sure he wanted coffee any more. But he couldn’t just stand there like a silent idiot. He had to saysomething.

“I... I have never been here. What would you recommend?” he finally muttered, self-congratulating himself for extending their interaction and taking the pressure off of himself.

“Caffeine or no?”

“No reason to limit it,” Chris responded.

“Sweet?”

“You are.”

She flushed, “You don’t even know me.”

“I can just tell.”

Her eyes left his briefly as she recovered from her blush and his compliments, “Well why don’t you take a seat and I’ll just bring you something in a few minutes.”

“All right,” he smiled, half-turning before stopping. “What’s your name, pretty girl?”

She held his gaze, “Alyssa.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Alyssa. I’m Chris.”

She smiled, “Nice to meet you too, Chris. I’ll have your coffee ready in a few minutes.”

He would have loved to stand there and watch her work, chat with her more, get to know her. But he had a feeling it might make her nervous for some strange man to hang about as she did her job. Though as pretty as she was, she probably had a lot of admirers. He wondered what he would have to do to stand out from them all. Of course he could play the celebrity card, but what if she didn’t know who Soundgarden were? Maybe it would be better if she just thought of him as just another guy who wandered into her café one Friday evening. Slowly he moved away from the counter, seeking a seat where he would not attract any attention from people walking pass the shop front.

A few minutes later, she approached the table, carrying a large white coffee cup balanced on a saucer. His eyes went to hers, causing her to stop in her tracks a bit too far to set the cup on the table. He broke into an easy, reassuring smile and she completed the last couple of steps to his table. Sliding the cup carefully in front of him, she stood there expectantly for a minute, waiting on baited breath for his reaction. Having practiced her latte art ever since she was allowed to progress from just serving and cleaning to actual drink making, Alyssa thought her leaf design in the cream of his latte was rather good. But he had yet to look down at it. His fingers reached for the white handle to pick up the cup. Barely before the cup touched his lips did Chris look down at what it contained, finally noticing the leaf.

“Did you... Alyssa that’s amazing,” he lowered the cup to get a better look at the pattern. “Can you do other shapes?”

“Of course,” she sat down in the chair across from him. “That’s how one stays employed in a coffeehouse in this town.”

“I don’t think I can drink this,” he declared.

“Why not?”

“It’s too beautiful. I cannot ruin your work of art.”

She flushed slightly once more, “It’s meant for you to drink it, silly. That would be a waste of the rest of my talent too, you know.”

With that in mind, he raised the cup as if toasting her and took a sip. The hot liquid briefly danced on his tongue, enough so that he could taste a slight flavor of caramel mixed with the coffee and cream. Slowly he lowered the cup down and returned it to the saucer. His eyes glanced down, sadness touching his thoughts at the fact her beautiful leaf was in fact ruined. Her soft giggle drew his eyes back up to her. Before he could ask what she was giggling about, Alyssa reached across the table and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. His hand covered hers, grasping the napkin as she pulled away.

“What’s your favorite color?” Chris asked.

She smiled crookedly, “Purple. What’s yours?”

“Blue,” he responded. “Favorite animal?”

“Do butterflies count?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Then butterflies. You?”

Chris thought about it for a moment, taking another sip of the coffee, “A wolf, I think.”

“What’s your favorite—”

She abruptly stopped and sat up straighter, her eyes darting towards the counter as a customer approached it. Having not seen anyone else working in the shop, Chris was certain he was about to lose her to her job. His assumption was correct and she excused herself, promising to return as soon as she could. He hoped no one else would enter the shop until she had to lock the doors.

Two hours and two more coffees later, Chris watched as the last of the customers left the shop and Alyssa returned to his side. They had chatted and flirted all through the evening, only interrupted by customers needing her every few minutes. He was dying to ask for her number, to see her when she wasn’t working, to get to know her even better. Every little thing she told him, which admittedly wasn’t much, made him want to know more, know it all. His venture into the unexpected had paid off in big dividends and he wasn’t going to let it go at all.

“Chris, I need to close up shop,” she stated, standing near his table.

“Oh. I’ll be go—”

“No no. I’ll just lock the door and pull the shade. I often have friends stay with me when I work late like this,” she stated. “And I... would you at least stay to walk me to my car?”

Noticing a brief glimpse of fear in her eyes, he instantly responded, “Of course I will.”

“Thank you. I’ll just lock up and get to cleaning and then we can get out of here.”

Without her asking, though he suspected she wouldn’t, Chris got to his feet and took his cup and saucer back to where she had placed the others waiting to be washed. He didn’t want her to get in trouble for him doing her dishes, despite the fact he had done that many times in restaurants before, so he quickly hurried out from behind the counter. Eyes darting to the door as she pulled the shade down, he scooped the rag out of the bucket of disinfectant and set to wiping down the tables and chairs. He was about a quarter of the way through the café when she stopped next to him.

“What are you doing?”

“Helping,” he responded.

“You don’t have to do that, Chris,” she held out her hand for the wet cloth.

“I want to. It’s no big thing at all. I’ll wipe down the tables and stack the chairs while you do the dishes. It will speed things up,” Chris stated.

“I... okay, fine. We’ll do it your way, this time. But we’re also going to have to listen to my music,” she declared and headed away from him.

Her last statement piqued his interest and he watched as she pulled the step ladder out again to reach the stereo. He truly thought someone’s musical choices told a lot about them and could give insight into the particular circumstances they found themselves in. So he continued to wipe down tables and chairs as she inserted a CD into the stereo. Midway through wiping a table down, Chris froze. He knew the music from the first couple of notes. He wrote that music. Did Alyssa know who he was? Was that why she had been so nice to him all night? Was she just a fan who had somehow – no, he could not think their interactions had been disingenuous, had been fake. She did not seem like that at all. But she must have chosen this CD for a reason; to let him know she knew who he was?

“Chris?” her soft voice interrupted his thoughts, her presence much closer than he expected.

He looked up into her soulful eyes, “I...”

“Is this okay? I can change it if it’s not.”

“Alyssa, that’s me singing,” he stated.

“I know.”

He stared at her, unable to respond or even to blink.

“I knew who you were the minute you walked into the coffeehouse, Chris,” she explained. “But I don’t care about that. I wouldn’t have spent the past few hours entertaining you just because you are a very talented musician. I mean, I know it’s a part of who you are, but tonight I got to see the other side of you, the real Chris, I think. And I think that you, the real you, is far more amazing than I even hoped you would be. I’m sorry if this weirds you out, but I couldn’t pretend I don’t know who you are.”

“I...”

“I understand if you don’t want to see me again or anything like that. And I’ll turn the music to something else if this bothers you. I only ask that you keep your word and walk me to my car,” Alyssa stated.

Her insistence at the last bothered him, suddenly trumping the fact she knew who he was, “Why are you afraid to go to your car alone?”

“Because it’s dark and who knows who is out there right now,” her eyes flicked to the window. “So please just stick around for that. I’ll turn the music off.”

“No no. Leave it on if you like it,” he smiled slightly. “And I’ll stay. I said I would and... actually this is good.”

“Hmmm?”

“All night I was wondering what would happen if I explained to you who I was, if it would break... the magic. But you already know, so... I guess I don’t need to worry about that any more,” Chris stated. “So now that we both know you know... it means none of this was contrived.”

“Not in the least,” she instantly responded. “I haven’t felt so at ease with a stranger in some time now.”

His brows furrowed, “Did something happen to make you distrust strangers?”

“No,” Alyssa sharply said, tilting her head slightly. “Oh it’s ‘Reach Down.’ If I’m good I can have all of the dishes and machines cleaned by the end of ‘Pushin’ Forward Back.’ And with your help, we’ll be out of here in no time.”

He wanted to question her further, but she skipped away. Turning back to his task, Chris mused over their recent conversation. She had known all along and yet they had a far more rich interaction than he had with anyone in some time. He could not deny the strong magnetic pull she had on him. And it was a relief to know that she knew. It was even a relief to know that she liked his music; she would understand some of the troubles of his world then. It was not a bad thing. She wasn’t a fan just trying to score some band points, that much he was sure of. She had even indicated it was completely up to him whether or not they would see each other again, speak again.

And he knew right then and there, he wanted to see her again. And again. And again.

As Alyssa had predicted, she finished the dishes and whatever else she needed to do by the end of “Pushin’ Forward Back.” Long finished with his task, to which he had even added sweeping and quick mopping, Chris leaned around the counter to check on her progress. Just as he did, Alyssa pulled out the step ladder to eject her CD from the stereo. She hadn’t secured the ladder flush though and it began to rock under her weight. Chris instantly bolted forward, his arms open to catch her. The young woman tumbled backwards, CD in hand, right into his arms. For a moment they remained just as they were, Chris not wanting to release her any more than Alyssa wanted to be released. But she eventually squeaked a “thank you” and pushed out of his arms, setting the CD down. She immediately attempted to right the ladder so she could close the stereo but Chris intervened and did it himself instead. He folded and returned the step ladder to where he saw her store it earlier before turning to her.

“Alyssa,” he breathed, “I... I know this is probably strange, but I would like to see you again.”

Her eyes wavered slightly, “Even though I know you front Soundgarden?”

“Despite the fact you know I front Soundgarden.”

Her eyes flicked to the large clock beside the chalkboard, “You see me now and I don’t have to be home for another two hours.”

He wanted to ask why she would have a curfew anyways, but then remembered she had mentioned school at one point, so maybe her dorm had a curfew for students. He would take those two hours and hope to convince her into allowing him more, maybe not that night, but soon.

“All right. Is there anything else you need to do here?”

Alyssa glanced around, “Turn out the lights and we’re good.”

Motioning him to follow, she headed into the back area of the shop. She paused briefly to grab a sweater off a hook and replace it with her apron and then scooped a purse off the nearby desk. Reaching briefly around Chris, she flicked two switches: one turned off the lights in the shop, the other turned the lights on in the small room they were in. Her fingers quickly dug through her purse for keys before she reached around Chris again. Silently she reached for his hand and lead him through the dark back room to the employee entrance. He heard keys jingle and thought it a bit weird she would need keys in order to leave, but said nothing. His eyes had nearly adjusted to the darkness when she pulled the door open and lead him out into the alley. Glancing at the interior of the door they just exited, he noticed there was no place for keys and was even more confused. She pushed the door closed, inserted a key in the deadbolt and turned it. Quickly flipping through her keys, she inserted a smaller one just to the right of the door and held it until a soft beep sounded.

“Once I didn’t have my keys ready when I left and the alarm went off because I couldn’t arm it from out here,” she explained as she headed down the alleyway. “I’ve tried to get them to upgrade the system to one with a keypad or something, but they’re set on keys for some reason. It’s ridiculous.”

“Where are you parked?” Chris asked.

Alyssa stopped for a brief moment, “Today is Friday?”

“It is.”

“An even or odd numbered Friday?”

“The twenty-sixth. Why?”

“That determines where I parked my car,” she replied, heading back down the alley.

He wanted to ask why it made a difference but then she halted at the end of the alley. His eyes remained focused on her as she looked out, clearly looking for something, for someone. He didn’t need to ask any more. He knew in his soul that someone had frightened her at some point. And to be honest, he was already bristling at the fact anyone would scare her. Without speaking, he reached out, his fingertips grazing her hand in an offer. Her hand quickly enfolded his. Only then did she step out of the alley, leading him to wherever her car was parked.

“Oh I should have asked if you drove,” Alyssa said after they had walked three blocks. “I wouldn’t want you to have—”

“I didn’t. We were practicing nearby and I rode with Kim earlier,” Chris explained.

“Oh. Well I can give you a ride home then. I mean unless you don’t want me to know where you live,” she offered.

“I would like that,” he smiled. “Thank you.”

“I’m parked across the street,” she declared. “The black one is me.”

He glanced across to the single black car, a bit surprised that she drove such a nondescript vehicle. But then again he had not really expected her to drive something flashy either. She lead him between the two cars parked next to the sidewalk they were on, her eyes darting up and down the street checking for traffic. Wordlessly she sprinted out, pulling him along between a break in the traffic. Releasing his hand when they reached her car, she quickly unlocked the passenger side door before heading to let herself in. Opening his door, Chris climbed in and reached across the car to unlock her door a moment before she inserted her key. Alyssa opened the door, climbed in and instantly locked the doors once more, something that was not missed by Chris.

“So what do you want to do?” Alyssa asked as she buckled her seatbelt and reached to start the car.

He really wanted to know why she was so spooked, but he figured this wasn’t the place nor time to ask. While he wouldn’t mind just taking her back to his place, whether or not his wife was there, he thought that might make her uncomfortable, like he was trying to take advantage of her. It had to be some place safe and yet not crowded and public so they wouldn’t get harassed or drowned out by loud music.

He glanced at the clock as she ejected the CD, aware it was Superunknown, “It’s just after ten thirty. We could go ride the ferry.”

Alyssa smiled at him briefly before turning around to maneuver out of her parking spot, “I’ve never been on the ferry.”

“And I’ve never been on it with a pretty girl, so it will be a first for both of us,” he responded, causing her to flush again.

As the café was not far from downtown, it took very little time to reach the ferry. Chris noticed as they neared she became more nervous and suggested she find some place to park and they would merely walk on, not drive on. Alyssa visibly relaxed at that and easily parked not far from the ferry. As they reached the box office, he nudged her aside while she was fumbling with her purse to pay both of their fares and then lead her up the plank before she could argue. After their tickets were torn, Chris quickly decided to lead her to the very front of the ferry, despite the fact it was a bit chilly outside. The view was the best there and he wanted her to associate good ferry rides with him, as silly as that seemed.

Sitting on a bench facing out to the Sound, Chris reached for her hand again. Alyssa did not hesitate to intertwine her fingers with him. Had anyone asked her if she ever thought she would be sitting on a ferry with Chris Cornell she would ask what kind of drugs they were on. Yet as she sat there in that moment, it seemed very much real, very natural, like it was meant to be. He wasn’t even Chris Cornell, heartthrob of Soundgarden, in that moment. He was just Chris. And she hadn’t felt so at ease for a couple of weeks.

“Alyssa? Can I ask you something?”

Her eyes turned to his, “You can ask me anything.”

“Will you explain to me why you are so cautious leaving work? Did something happen?”

She looked away briefly, “I had... I had a boyfriend who is... not supposed to be anywhere near me. And despite the restraining order against him, I’m still wary. Legally he can’t do anything but that doesn’t mean he won’t try.”

Chris frowned, “How long ago was it?”

“Little over a month ago. Usually I’ll call friends when I’m getting close to the end of my shift if I close by myself, but with you around tonight, I lost track of time. They probably thought that Donna stayed for her full shift for once,” she explained. “I don’t mean to trouble you with my problems, Chris. You don’t need to look so worri—”

“Do you work tomorrow?” he interjected.

“I do.”

“So do I. I’ll come by afterwards so you won’t have to worry about anything,” he offered.

“Chris, you don’t have to—”

“You’re right. I don’t have to. But I want to get to know you better. And I want you to feel safe. This seems like a good solution to both of those,” he claimed.

“I... wait, you want to get to know me better?”

Chris smiled, “Yes. Yes I do.”

“Why?”

“Because in the few hours I’ve been with you today, I have felt more normal and more alive than I have in ... years. It’s probably silly. I don’t know. All I know is that I want to see what this is,” he explained. “So tomorrow evening, same time?”

Alyssa nodded, “Tomorrow evening, same time.”