"Looking for that Nevada girl again?" Macy asked a week later, raising an eyebrow at Joey when he looked at her.

"Whaaaat?" he questioned, holding the word out for far too long while his voice rose an octave at the end of it. "I'm not looking for Nevada."

"Psh, yeah right. Everytime someone comes in, your head darts in the direction of the door and then drops when you realize it's not her."

Opening his mouth to refute her, Macy covered it with her coffee scented hand.

"And don't even bother denying it," she scolded. "I saw the way you were smiling while talking to her last week. If you were a dog, your tail would have been wagging."

"Whatever," Joey said, rolling his eyes at his friend.

He and Macy always had the same shifts, so they'd gotten along quite well. She was about four years younger than him, but somehow their relationship seemed like she was his older sister. He was grateful, however, that he got to spend his hours accompanied by someone he actually liked as opposed to someone he couldn't stand.

When the bell chimed, Joey hadn't bothered to look, knowing for sure who it wasn't considering the time of day. Open-mic wouldn't start for another two hours, and Nevada seemed to only show up when it was time for that to start.

That's why he was surprised when Macy wiggled her eyebrows at him and whispered, "Your favorite act just arrived. Or should I say favorite state?"

Taking a second to process what she said, Joey whipped his head around, his hazel eyes widening when he was met by a pair of dark brown ones. And this pair belonged to Nevada Jones, who was looking right at him.

Trying to recover from what was probably anything but suave, Joey stood up straight and ran a nervous hand through his brunette hair.

"Welcome to Just Add Cream, what can I get for you?"

"A black coffee, two sugars," she ordered, getting what seemed to be her usual drink by now.

"More liquid courage for the girl that has nothing to be afraid of?" he teased, hoping to get another smile out of her.

"Yes, because this girl has a lot to be afraid of," she answered, her voice falling flat.

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Nevada was fidgeting, her fingers tapping on her forearm as her foot tapped to the same rhythm. Her mind was clearly elsewhere, but if he was lucky, Joey hoped she might let him in.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he brought her her coffee.

Looking at him, she shook her head before saying, "Nothing. I don't want to dish out my insecurities on you."

"No, no, dish away," Joey insisted with his boyish charm. "I may be a barista, but I like to think I've learned a thing or two from the many episodes of Dr. Phil I've watched."

The hint of an amused smiled showed on her lips as she nodded. But, seeing as there was another customer behind her, she stepped to the side.

"Maybe later," she said before walking to take a seat at one of the empty booths.

After handling the next two customers, Joey called for Macy to take over as he made his way over to Nevada, who was busy strumming lightly on her ukulele.

"Alright, girl," he said in his best Valley Girl impression. "Spill the deets."

With widened eyes, Nevada stared at him, her hands now frozen on the strings of her instruments.

"Uhhh," Joey drawled, feeling awkward.

"Oh God, never do that again," she insisted, but hidden in her eyes he could see she was humored.

Agreeing to be cool, Joey pressed for her to explain her nerves.

"Well, after my performance last week, I never heard back from Ethan Rhodes. I thought he liked what I did, but maybe he didn't," she shared, looking out the window to the busy street outside the cafe.

"The only reason he wouldn't want to sign you is if he hates making money, because you're a guaranteed success," he stated with confidence.

"Really?"

"Nevada, you've got the voice, the style, and you're gorgeous. You've got everything going for you."

"Thanks," she said, her lips playing at a smile. "So...you think I'm gorgeous?"

Not at all ashamed of the blush on his cheeks, Joey leaned forward, onto the table. His arms were crossed as he stared at her, not interested in playing the games he used to play when he was a teenager. He was twenty-four years old, and he knew what he wanted.

"I know you are," he flirted. "And I'm pretty sure you know it, too."

Leaning back in her seat, Nevada seemed to be enjoying his company, which certainly made Joey feel good.

"I'm pretty sure you know you are, too," she returned, winking as she got up from her seat to leave.

Thrilled by her reciprocated flirtation, Joey didn't want to have to go another week without seeing her.

"Wait," he said, standing up beside her.

When she turned to face him, her long hair swaying behind her, he felt no hesitation to ask...

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"