[okjonah]

jonah begins to copy her movements, tilting his head to the side while glancing back towards the piece in front of them. “maybe… if someone didn’t know what a foot was, or if in some foreign language foot meant something completely different…maybe if you even wave your hand in front of it,” he adds while demonstrating, smiling at how ridiculous he must look. he repositions himself before noticing the distance between them, his arm barely missing her back. and then her cheeks get red again and he can’t help but bask in the thought of how cute she looks. “i’m serious, you make me feel inspired to quit my job and go back to school,” he says only hypothetically, knowing it isn’t even a possibility. “no, but, i really am interested.” 

he nods along while she continues to speak, though he doesn’t have much of a clue of what it all means. “sure,” he responds to her question before laughing a bit, unable to contribute any more than that. before he even sits back up or answers her next question, carolina has her small hand grasping his, and he’s being pulled in a new direction. they pass up other faint images of pieces on display, though most of jonah’s attention is hurled towards the girl walking slightly in front of him. he breathes in slowly, unable to comprehend how he even ended up here in the first place, though he doesn’t have anything to complain about. 

[carolinatbh-blog]

     when they arrive towards the contemporary section, carolina slows her pace but she doesn’t let go of jonah’s hand. it’s a bold move, she thinks, and she hopes jonah doesn’t mind. all the bright colors on the wall put a smile on carolina’s face and she can’t help but squeeze the hand in hers gently. “i love it,” is all she says looking over at her companion, smile growing. “the best part about it is that you don’t even really need to know anything about art.”

     carolina continues, tucking a loose piece of hair that’s fallen from her braid behind her ear: “like, you don’t need to know anything about the history behind it, or the artist, you can just enjoy how pretty it is.”

[okjonah]

he looks over towards the laughing girl and smiles in pure admiration. he doesn’t know what to do when he’s around her, and it’s unsettling. it’s something he isn’t quite used to. he wonders if it would go a lot easier if he knew a bit more on anything, if he was competent enough in something. the only topics he could go on about would probably turn the other off, and he wasn’t all for testing it out at the moment. he just wishes he knew how to fill the silence between the two, which fills the air every so often. his heart skips a beat when the moment for him to respond comes, “yeah but if i’d admit that, he’d probably never stop. he feeds off of encouragement. if you agree with one thing he says, there’s no off button. not that i mind people talking or anything, it’s just him.”

jonah stops walking as soon as carolina walks over to sit down, taking it as his cue to follow suit. “i’m sure some of these could’ve just been doodles at one point too. maybe that one over there was originally supposed to be a foot,” he points to the one nearest to them, only somewhat joking. he listens to her explanation carefully, enjoying how passionate she was over other people’s work. one arm stretches out against the back of the bench, while he leans back to take the view in. “i gotta admit, you make it seem a lot more interesting than i thought it would be,” he pauses to rub his chin. “which is your favorite, then?” he asks, partially to hear her ramble again. 

[carolinatbh-blog]

carolina doesn’t know what to say to that, because she’s the exact same way. she wonders if people think of her like that - wonders if secretly jonah thinks that about her, and that he’s still just being nice and polite. but he seems genuinely interested in the museum, in what carolina is talking about, and in the artwork that’s posted on the walls. 

she laughs at his joke and hopes that the way she moves closer to him is subtle - although it’s probably not. carolina’s never been that good at subtlety. “probably,” she replies, squinting at the painting in question. she tilts her head. “i think if you squint and turn your head at just... the right angle, i think it still looks like a foot.” his comment makes carolina blush and she rolls her eyes playfully, “yeah, sure, whatever you say, jonah.”

and at jonah’s question, she pauses, hands in her lap as she thinks. “that’s a loaded question!” carolina states with a small laugh before humming in thought; “i love... anything in the contemporary section.” carolina fiddles with the end of her braid as she talks: “andy warhol is probably, like, one my most favorite artists in the world because i love the colors he uses - and contemporary art in general is amazing because they kind of threw traditional painting to the wind, y’know?” of course, he probably doesn’t know, but carolina still looks to him for confirmation. “i can show you, if you want -- it’ll be a walk, but it’s worth it, i promise.” with that, carolina stands up and takes jonah’s (much larger, she notices) hand in hers, pulling him down the hallway.

[okjonah]

a newfound sense of patience maintains his still stature, in a room with such little background noise making him able to hear his slow breath. normally he’s one to snap at his peers when they take too long to get to a point, or refuse to acknowledge the conversation altogether. it’s time and effort that jonah simply refuses to obtain. but with her, he feels immense tolerance for the rambling girl. she seems too fragile, as if a wrong look could have her sulking for days. there’s something within him since the moment he helped her free from the guy in the bar that tells him to do anything but trample the girl’s spirits. he finds her dimples softening his expression every time she looks his way. it’s as if simply hearing her voice makes him want to grin like someone from a tacky gap commercial. any regret in coming here today washes away instantly, a permanent emotion of confidence intact. his shoulders lift into a shrug, his jacket sweaty against the clutch of his palm. “well you do, look nice.” the smaller figure allures him fully, though he pushes his attraction aside out of respect. it isn’t the time, place, or person for that matter. 

the woman huffing behind the two of them brings his gaze over, entirely surprised that there actually appears to be someone who can’t tolerate the bubbly burst of sunshine before him. if there are people immune, he wonders why the girl so easily makes him, of all people, weak. he follows the other’s footsteps carefully, not wanting to miss a turn. his eyes watch her hips sway back and forth before she mentions her contentment over his presence. it reassures him being welcomed in the rooms of the gallery, but in all truthfulness he would probably still come to see her even if he wasn’t. “i’m glad you wanted me here, this is way nicer than listening to my roommate’s theories of donald trump not being a real human,” he replies, “you’re not gonna annoy me, no matter what you say. you can be talking about your big toe and i’ll still be interested, i promise.” he assures her, and the proof is within the long chat they had prior over the phone. “by all means, lead the way, i have no idea where we’re going.” his eyes venture off to the off-white walls around them toward the hanging pieces on display. “you ever do work of your own like this?” he asks her curiously with his head turned. 

[carolinatbh-blog]

the jokes are funny, but they’re not so funny that carolina should be almost hysterically giggling. well, hysterically isn’t the right word but she feels as though she’s laughing too much, cheeks hurting from smiling. the balls of her feet are starting to ache with every step she takes and as good as carolina’s legs look in her heels, the pain is not worth it. she wishes she could take them off, but then she’d probably get in trouble by her supervisor and jonah would probably think she’s weird —- okay, focus, carolina. god, she’s nervous. she shouldn’t be this nervous to impress one guy. “i don’t think those are theories,” she says instead of rambling in her mind, “i think your roommate’s hit the nail on the head with that one.”

jonah’s reassurance calms her in some ways, but in others, it makes her more nervous. like. why does it seem like jonah isn’t as nervous as she is? he really must not be that into her. god, she shouldn’t even be trying. but she can’t help it. he’s so cute. “me?” carolina’s voice takes on a tone of surprise and she shakes her head, “oh, no… definitely not. i mean if you count, like, doodles in the margins of my notebooks then yeah i’m a real bona fide artist.” she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, stopping at a bench in front of a few paintings to sit down to rest her feet. “i’m more interested in the history behind all of it, y’know? i like to imagine the artist’s emotions, or learn about what inspired them to paint that particular piece. it’s fascinating. it’s kind of like getting to look back in time.”

[okjonah]

the partially smeared gel ink across the back of jonah’s hand marks as a reminder of how much effort it doesn’t take for him to decide to call carolina that morning, hours after coming home with a lipstick stain against his cheek. his roommate doesn’t ask many questions when he walks through his apartment door late that night, though he does take the opportunity to point the mark out and poke fun at him for finally acknowledging the existence of females again. it doesn’t take long for him to figure it out, the view of the bright color on his skin reminding him of his time spent with her while he stands in front of the bathroom mirror with a toothbrush in his mouth. he likes her, even more after talking to her over the phone before work. he decides to get a few hours in early in order to have enough time to visit her, which he’s surprised to hear she still wants him to do in the first place. 

throughout his shift, he ponders over whether going would be a good idea, if he’s alright with making a complete fool of himself just to see her again. it all seems a bit out of character, even he can admit that. there’s a constant rebuttal in his brain arguing that she must be worth it for him to overthink this much, so he refuses to let himself slink away from meeting up with her, if anything for the sake of him fulfilling a promise he has to keep. before leaving for the museum, he changes into a better shirt by his standards, hoping to not leave the impression that he looks like a bartender even when he’s outside of the bar. 

he’s a creature of habit, which makes him feel a bit out of place the moment he arrives. eyes glance up at the building’s tall front entrance. he licks his lips before heading in to find friendly figures welcoming him, his gaze searching for the one person he wants to speak to. his shoes echo against the freshly cleaned floors while he finally catches sight of carolina standing behind the main desk. “hi.” he speaks with a hushed voice while leaning over the counter. he can’t think of anything else to say because his attention pulls towards her appearance, the corners of his lips forming into a smile. “you look great,” he adds, though quite the understatement. “you don’t have anything important going on, right? if you’ve got a meeting or something, i can come back some other time.” he asks, unsure if she’s dressed up for an important occasion. 

[carolinatbh-blog]

carolina’s nervous and the secretary at the front desk can tell, side eyeing the way she continuously opens the stapler; takes the staples out; puts the staples back in and then closes the stapler back. again, and again, and again. carolina thinks joan - the secretary - is ready to kick her out from behind the desk when carolina looks up and sees jonah standing there, looking cuter than ever. she blushes at his statement, resisting the urge to cover her face with her hands or to tug at her clothes nervously. “thanks,” she almost whispers, twirling a strand of hair around her index finger.

she perks up at his question, shaking her head a littler fervently before forcing herself to calm down and adopt a nonchalant tone. “no! of course not, i just...” dressed up for you. carolina doesn’t say that though. “i don’t know, just wanted to look nice.” she notes that even in her heels she’s still a good couple inches shorter than jonah and her stomach does a flip flop. it’s kind of ridiculous how much carolina likes jonah already, but she’s sure that he doesn’t feel the same way. there’s no way he could - they were completely different and if carolina was any good at assumptions, she could tell that she definitely wasn’t jonah’s type. heck, she’s even surprised he actually showed up.

she remembers last night when she slumped down on her best friend’s bed, face red with embarrassment, telling claire all about how she invited the guy she’d just met to spend the afternoon with her at the art museum. as much as carolina loves what she does, she knows that it’s not everyone’s ideal pastime -- she isn’t even sure why she invited him. sure, she wanted to spend more time with him, but she couldn’t have invited him to her apartment to watch a movie or something? carolina’s almost one hundred percent sure that jonah just said yes because he felt bad for her or something. hopefully he won’t be bored, god, that would be even worse.

“so... um,” carolina starts with a nervous giggle stepping out from behind the desk ignoring the secretary’s eye roll and exasperated huff. “i’m glad you came.” she tries to subtly wipe her sweaty palms on the front of her skirt, looking up at jonah from underneath her eyelashes. “i’m probably going to annoy you with ramblings about art, so if you get annoyed with me just ... say something.” she finally looks up at him, smiling widely and she can just feel both her dimples popping. “d’you wanna get going, then? we just got a few new pieces in the other day and i’ve been reading all about them, and they’re absolutely beautiful, you’re going to love them.”

[carolinatbh-blog]

[carolinatbh-blog]

the morning jonah says he’s coming to see her at work, carolina makes sure to finish her homework as early as possible so she has time to fix her hair, do her make up (she’d debated between lip gloss or lipstick for almost six minutes before deciding to apply a glossy lipstick instead -- the best of both worlds) and make sure her outfit is nice and clean and pressed. she even puts on a little more perfume than usual for good measure. carolina feels a little stupid putting so much into her appearance for a guy she barely knows, but even though they’ve only met once and have talked on the phone, she already likes him a lot. 

they’re different, really really different. they’re worlds apart -- more than that, even, they’re in completely different universes. but carolina likes that aspect of their relationship (or not-so-relationship) a lot. jonah’s real and straight up. everything about him is genuine, unlike the guys carolina has gotten used to since starting school. dime a dozen, cookie cutter guys with popped collars, sperry’s and sunglasses on the backs of their heads (which doesn’t even make sense) that try to stick their hand up carolina’s skirt any chance they get. maybe carolina’s a little naïve to get so caught up in the first guy that’s shown her any real decency lately, but she likes to think it’s more than that. she has a really good feeling about jonah.

carolina smooths her slightly sweaty palms down her skirt before tucking a few errant hairs behind her ear. she’s decided to wear her hair down today and now she’s starting to regret it. and she decided to wear her manolo’s too --- they make her legs look good. carolina feels stupid. and a little self conscious. this is the most she’s dressed up for work before. she pretends not to be too obviously waiting for jonah’s arrival as she dawdles around the front desk, playing with the stapler. 

[okjonah]

steady hands turned the steering wheel despite the constant chill threatening to make him shiver. his fingers promptly reached for the heater as he opened up the air vents in front of the both of them. “just let me know if it gets too hot,” he mentioned, quietly whistling. he briefly glanced over at the girl, a small smile appearing on his face. “what? you, skip? i didn’t peg you for the sort.” that’s because he was the one kid who’d skip classes every time he could or wanted to, and carolina definitely didn’t seem anything like him. maybe that’s why he really found interest in her. 

as soon as they passed the borders into a nicer area than before, jonah bit his bottom lip. the further they got, the fancier the homes appeared to be, and admittedly he was in awe. he had never even stepped foot in a neighborhood like this, not even during his pizza delivery phase. when they reached their destination within the gated community, he stopped the car halfway up her driveway. without thinking, he immediately got himself out of his seat and walked over to the other side, helping her open the door. “nice place,” he commented, unsure of what to talk about while slamming the door back shut. clearly his previous assumptions were dead on, and he really was garbage compared to anything deemed normal in her life. he was just some guy at a bar who offered to drive her home, nothing more. he walked her to the front door with his hands in his pockets, his eyes looking at nothing else but the ground. 

[carolinatbh-blog]

“i skip all the time,” it’s a lie, and carolina really is the worst liar. she always feels bad about omitting the truth so it’s no surprised that next she says, arms crossed over her chest almost petulantly, “okay, not all the time. but i have a 4.0 gpa, so i think i can skip a class or two sometimes. it won’t kill my grade.” truth is, if her parents knew that she was skipping class at all, they’d come down on her with an iron fist. 

when they arrive to her neighborhood, carolina rests the side of her head against the window, not wanting the night to be over. she doesn’t know if jonah is interested in her the way she’s interested in him, so she can only hope that he’ll try and make contact with her soon. she hopes he wants to see her again. when carolina gets out of the car she shivers a little bit, pulling her jacket tighter over her body. “thanks,” she says with a small smile, “i told my parents i’d be fine with living in the dorms, but they refused. so... here i am. i suppose i can’t complain, though.” carolina’s maybe walking closer to jonah than need be, but she can’t help it - he’s warm.

 when they reach her door, she sighs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before pulling her keys out of her purse. “thank you,” carolina says as the key slides into the lock, “for going out of your way. you didn’t have to do what you did earlier, and you definitely didn’t have to take me home. but i’m glad you did.” carolina stands a bit taller on her tip toes, reaching to circle her arms around jonah’s neck in a tight hug. and then she presses a small kiss to his cheek, lingering for just a second. “you’re very sweet.” she has to bite her lip to keep from smiling when she notices the imprint her lips left behind on his skin -- and she decides she’s not going to tell him that it’s there.

[okjonah]

there were moments while cleaning up the bar when he caught himself smiling at the previous conversation he had, he even found his eyes looking back every so often to see if the girl had decided to come to her senses and leave without him, which left him oddly surprised to see her still patiently waiting. she looked a bit tired, though he couldn’t blame her if she had an early morning class the next day. carolina was too nice, someone he couldn’t possibly see genuinely tolerating him, and part of him wondered if the bartender in the stench filled bar was being pitied by the smiling ray of sunshine. he had finished his duties before telling the other person on his shift that he was heading out. he threw on his coat before reaching in his pocket for his keys, tilting his head towards the door to gesture to her that he was ready to go. 

he walked toward his car with a sigh, turning his head toward carolina. “don’t mind this piece of junk, i’m borrowing it for a bit from a friend” he stated the fib while opening the passenger door for her to get inside. he then walked over to the other side, shortly after getting in and listening to the engine come to life as he turned his keys. “sorry that you had to wait that long, these idiots don’t clean up after themselves,” he said before turning his car around and heading down the street. “so, where to?” 

[carolinatbh-blog]

the whole time jonah’s closing up, carolina can’t help but watch him. anyone looking at her would probably be able to tell that she’s completely infatuated already. she’s definitely glad that they’re closed and that no one can see the way she keeps twirling her hair around her finger, making doe eyes at jonah every time he looks back at her. 

when she stands up, it hits her that he’s tall, too, almost twice her height even though she’s wearing heeled boots, and carolina’s smiling before she can stop her. and when jonah opens the car door for her, she almost dies but contains herself and says a simple thank you instead. the car is definitely not anything she’s used to - carolina’s spent her life in mercedes benz’s, audi’s and things of the like. but carolina doesn’t care, it doesn’t bother her -- “it’s fine,” she says, a yawn cutting into her words. “i might just skip my 8 am tomorrow anyway... just thinking about going to class is giving me a headache.” carolina watches jonah out of the corner of her eye as she gives him directions and she hates that they’re almost there already because she doesn’t want them to part ways.

[okjonah]

there were moments while cleaning up the bar when he caught himself smiling at the previous conversation he had, he even found his eyes looking back every so often to see if the girl had decided to come to her senses and leave without him, which left him oddly surprised to see her still patiently waiting. she looked a bit tired, though he couldn’t blame her if she had an early morning class the next day. carolina was too nice, someone he couldn’t possibly see genuinely tolerating him, and part of him wondered if the bartender in the stench filled bar was being pitied by the smiling ray of sunshine. he had finished his duties before telling the other person on his shift that he was heading out. he threw on his coat before reaching in his pocket for his keys, tilting his head towards the door to gesture to her that he was ready to go. 

he walked toward his car with a sigh, turning his head toward carolina. “don’t mind this piece of junk, i’m borrowing it for a bit from a friend” he stated the fib while opening the passenger door for her to get inside. he then walked over to the other side, shortly after getting in and listening to the engine come to life as he turned his keys. “sorry that you had to wait that long, these idiots don’t clean up after themselves,” he said before turning his car around and heading down the street. “so, where to?” 

[carolinatbh-blog]

the whole time jonah’s closing up, carolina can’t help but watch him. anyone looking at her would probably be able to tell that she’s completely infatuated already. she’s definitely glad that they’re closed and that no one can see the way she keeps twirling her hair around her finger, making doe eyes at jonah every time he looks back at her. 

when she stands up, it hits her that he’s tall, too, almost twice her height even though she’s wearing heeled boots, and carolina’s smiling before she can stop her. and when jonah opens the car door for her, she almost dies but contains herself and says a simple thank you instead. the car is definitely not anything she’s used to - carolina’s spent her life in mercedes benz’s, audi’s and things of the like. but carolina doesn’t care, it doesn’t bother her -- “it’s fine,” she says, a yawn cutting into her words. “i might just skip my 8 am tomorrow anyway... just thinking about going to class is giving me a headache.” carolina watches jonah out of the corner of her eye as she gives him directions and she hates that they’re almost there already because she doesn’t want them to part ways.

[okjonah]

the sassy comment from the girl gave jonah a minuscule glance at what carolina’s actual life most likely consisted of. nice smelling, good things that didn’t smell like death. the environment they were sitting in was trash to her, and in a way that must’ve made him garbage by association. if put in any other situation he figured that he’d never get the chance to speak to the lively companion, no matter how friendly she was. he didn’t know why he cared so much about it, but it bothered him nonetheless. “it’s definitely not one of the best places i’ve ever been, but it’s the most frequent. i guess it pays enough for me to be content so i can’t really complain.” 

his attention is placed on the twirling of her hair before he heard her talk about having to go. slightly disappointed, he glanced out the front windows to see nothing but darkness. he impulsively decided to speak up, “i can always give you a ride, if you want. it’s pretty dark out, don’t know how many creeps are out there. i’d just have to take a few to close up, if you feel like waiting.” he offered with a smile, wanting a chance to speak to her for a little while longer, though a part of him figured she’d simply decline. 

[carolinatbh-blog]

carolina can’t lie to herself and say she didn’t want him to escort her home, but she’s still surprised he actually did it. “really?” she asks, a smile lighting up her face. it’s probably stupid, how much carolina likes jonah already even though they’ve only known each other for a couple hours. and it’s clear they’re both completely different, the tattoos adorning his left arm and the fact that he works in a bar are evident to that fact. carolina’s parents would throw a fit if they knew she was interested in someone other than the carbon copy, cookie cutter Ivy Leaguers they’ve set up for her in the past. but then again, jonah is kind and he’s funny and he’s got pretty eyes, so it couldn’t be that bad, right? 

“i’d like that a lot,” carolina says, biting her bottom lip to keep the stupid grin off her face and mentally berating herself for thinking so far ahead of things. “and yeah, i’ll wait. don’t be surprised if i fall asleep though, i’m lame and i usually don’t stay up this late.”

[okjonah]

the laughter escaping the girl is oddly intoxicating; it’s a pleasant sound jonah wouldn’t mind listening to over long periods of time. she didn’t seem to stop either, it was rather cute. he smiles, understanding completely. if he had a choice and if he had any luck being hired anywhere else, odds are he would’ve given it a go by now. being in a bar almost daily surely grew to be a dull experience for him, but that’s how life just so happened to deal out his cards and he was going to embrace it. not his fault that he didn’t have a family legacy of college students. “oh i love it, the aroma of sweat and unhygienic men. very good for the soul… and good, i don’t think i’d want to be there if you weren’t.” he gets the feeling that she’s the only person who’d be able to make a museum sound interesting. 

he stares intently, watching carolina avert her attention towards the items in her bag. he doesn’t know what she was looking for until she pulls out a purple pen, smiling at the sound of her accomplishment. “maybe i can get someone to cover a bit of my shift for me, these guys won’t miss me.” he points to the half-asleep customers sitting in their stools before placing his chin in his hand. he tilts his head the moment she grabs his hand, finding tremendously girly penmanship across his skin. he realizes it’s her phone number, and he blows on his hand a bit to dry the ink, an attempt to prevent it from smudging. “okay, yeah sure i’ll text you.” he nods. everything about her bursted with rays of happiness, quite the contrast to himself. 

[carolinatbh-blog]

carolina wants to scream over how cute and funny and nice this guy is. but she’s containing herself. barely. “i wanna’ say you’ve probably gotten used to the smell, but honestly, i don’t think it’s possible.” she can feel her face flush at his next comment and she hates herself because she can’t stop blushing in front of him. she thinks she must look like a complete idiot.

when he blows at the ink on his hand to dry it, carolina smiles, reaching up to twirl a lock of hair around her finger. “i hope so,” she replies, and maybe she’s flirting a little bit but can anyone really blame her? just then, her phone begins beeping  - the signaling of a text - and carolina lets out a quiet “oh, shoot” when she sees the time on her phone. “i have an eight am class tomorrow,” she says to jonah, bottom lip jutted out in a tiny pout, “i should probably get going soon.”

[okjonah]

his nose crinkled at the thought. “not even a smidge? not even, a few thousand? even if he’d pay you to go on the next date, you wouldn’t?” her hypothetical comment makes her humble in his book, he’ll give her that. if it had been him, he would be all over the person, willingly faking any sign of affection for an extra side of cash. how easily he had previously faked being in a relationship with the girl he just met proved enough. on second thought, maybe he just had a knack for acting. a leech or a talented being, to him there really wasn’t a difference in his case. “and i think taking care of the dog would be less of a pain in the ass than dating. maybe you got a good idea going.” he rubs his face, releasing a quiet laugh into his palm.

he pauses at the sound of her invitation, not knowing how to respond at first. he gives her a shrug, then subtly smiles while she continues to ramble off. she could’ve talked about virtually anything, and the nervous smile intact on her face as well as the rosy tint spreading across her cheeks would make even the most disinterested person intrigued. “sure, i mean,” he puts his arms back on the counter, leaning close towards her. “hopefully you’ll be there and i won’t end up looking like a fish out of water– you say that, but i’m also the type of person to stay in a bar willingly for a day, so you never know.” he finds it extremely difficult to say no to her hopeful face, so instead of properly declining he’s now knee deep in a promise that he feels bindingly obligated to keep. “what time are you there?” he asks, genuinely curious. 

[carolinatbh-blog]

carolina’s trying her hardest to keep her nervous giggling contained but so far it’s failing. and it gets even worse the closer he gets. carolina hopes that her breath doesn’t, like, smell or anything. “of course i’ll be there,” she says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, and her cheeks are beginning to ache from all the smiling. “the bar isn’t that bad... if you like dark, decrepit places that smell. kidding... kind of.” and there goes that nervous giggling again.

she can’t help the way her face lights up at his question and she straightens before digging in her bag to find a pen. “i’m always there,” she says truthfully as she searches, tongue poking out, brows scrunched in concentration. “like, seriously, that place is my second home. if you want to come tomorrow, i’m there at two thirty till, like... maybe seven thirty or eight? or...” carolina trails off as she finally finds what she’s looking for, letting out a small “aha!” as she brandishes it, a proud smile on her face. it’s the purple sparkle gel pen that she uses to take notes and without any hesitation, she takes jonah’s hand in hers, writing her number on the back of it. she adds a smiley face for good measure. “any other time of the week, i’m there after four, but... if you wanna’ know specifics, you can just text me or something.”

[okjonah]

suspicion rose within him once she stated her age, her delicate features looked too young for her to be out of her late teens. he decided a moment later to just take her word for it, the innocence seeming trustworthy enough to assume that there was a hidden ploy of any sort. “happy… belated, then.” a small smile appeared onto his face, he wasn’t used to having this long of a conversation with the customers. he normally kept to himself, the only thing important being the paycheck he’d receive. he listened to her anecdote intently, finding the mild variation of sass from her quite amusing. “i don’t think she’s right this time, seeing that we’re about a couple hours away from closing up. who knows though, maybe he won the lottery before heading over here. you might not wanna give up on him too quick if that’s the case, money can get you places.” he pointed to her half jokingly. “no that’s pretty cool, not lame. see, i know nothing about art whatsoever, but if i had the same opportunity as you to go to some college and study whatever the hell i wanted, it would be something like that. something meaningful, not some boring topic like physics, or whatever. my roommate, he’s a big science fanatic. i doze off every time he goes off about it.” her passion for her work was a sight to witness. “is it? i’ve never been, actually. i don’t really do much around here.” 

[carolinatbh-blog]

she likes listening to jonah talk, she decides, but it’s clear he doesn’t do a lot of it. well, not here, that is. and now she’s completely entranced with the conversation, textbook and missing date forgotten. carolina’s leaned forward now, chin resting in both hands, a smile on her lips as she watches jonah all the while. “i don’t think any amount of money would make me consider giving that asshole a second chance,” she sniffs, raising both brows. “i’m honestly just considering giving up dating and getting a dog instead.” 

carolina can’t help but feel validated at his words, pride making the smile on her face grow even wider. “yeah, it’s really great,” she responds wholeheartedly, thumb tapping against her lower lip, “never a boring day at work. you should come by some time!” a blush spreads over carolina’s cheeks as she tries to rein in her excitement, “i mean, y’know, if you want to. but i would completely understand if you wouldn’t want to because, like, who would want to spend all day in an art gallery, right?” okay, shut up now.

[okjonah]

a look of fake shock masks jonah’s appearance at the fact that she had to have been no older than twenty. “so, how old are you then? normally we’re allowed to let underage people come in as long as they don’t try ordering any drinks. you’d be surprised how many times some thought fake ids could work.” he rambles off while wiping down the last corner of the counter. “oh boy, do we have a rebellious one right here. once, huh?” he briefly looks around to see if anyone needs him, but realizes that there are not a lot of people anymore. he wonders what time it actually is, then brings his attention back to the girl. “i wouldn’t worry about not knowing much about alcohol, that has to mean you don’t have a reason to drown your sorrows.” he laughs a little, trying to make her situation a little better.

the innocence in carolina’s tone bewilders him. he nods to her request, placing a tall glass directly in front of her. “this is why i don’t go on blind dates. though i’d be more worried about getting stuck with someone extremely scary looking. i don’t trust my friends enough to hook me up with someone nice.” he rubs his temples at the thought of his obnoxious peers. he also decides to not mention how terrible his last relationships have been, seeing that he’s just met her and all. he leans against the counter, eyeing the book in her hands. “what you studying then?” 

[carolinatbh-blog]

carolina puts all of her attention into the conversation now, marking her page in her textbook and closing it gingerly before cradling her chin in her hands, a wide smile on her face. “i turned twenty last month,” she says very matter-of-factly although she knows it’s not the biggest milestone age-wise, she’s still happy she can proudly say she’s now past her teen years. 

she play pouts, a small "aw” leaving her lips at his words. “yeah, this is the last time i leave my best friend in charge of setting me up. she’s been doing this for a while and it always turns out ugly. she promised me this one would be better, but whatever,” carolina rolls her eyes as she trails off. when he mentions her textbook, her face visibly lights up with an excited grin. “it’s art history,” she says before huffing out a small laugh, “i know it’s lame and all, but i love it. i’m definitely a history nerd. i got a job at the art museum a couple blocks over and it’s absolutely amazing.”

[okjonah]

it wasn’t hard to notice how easy carolina’s cheeks turn red. “you’re right, how would i know,” his tongue presses against his cheek to prevent a chuckle from slipping. “well, if i were to be honest with you, i’d tell you that i’ve been working here long enough to know exactly what demographic comes through these doors, but of course you could just be an outlier.” he notices her eye the counter in front of them, causing him to grab a wet rag and wipe the area down. the repetition in her speech almost proves what jonah had suspected all along, that she was a newcomer. “do you even drink alcohol?” he finds amusement in the girl, knowing that meeting someone like her had to have been the highlight of his night. 

a quick look down at what he was wearing makes him shrug, “can’t blame the t-shirt when every so often there are people who drink a little more than they can handle and, you know, upchuck.” the excuse seems logical, though really all of his clothes seemed to be as plain as the shirt he was wearing. he wants to have sympathy for the girl, who currently has no idea where her date could be, but he doesn’t know what she’d expect the guy would be like if she had been invited to meet up here. “and you brought homework to a date,” he finds it so peculiar that she seems too pure and naive for the environment that they were in. he shakes his head, “dude’s probably a jackass anyway. you could have a drink on the house if it’ll make you feel better– or water, if you don’t drink alcohol. a drink to celebrate not going home with a dickweed tonight.” 

[carolinatbh-blog]

it would be easy enough to lie to him - jonah - and tell him that she definitely one hundred percent does drink alcohol, but then again she’s never been the best liar. “well,” she starts, pulling at a strand of hair that’s come loose from the braid over her shoulder, “i’m not really... y’know, legal.” carolina smiles nervously, hoping that he doesn’t, like, kick her out or something but then again it wasn’t like she’d done anything wrong... yet. “i have had a beer, though! once.” she doesn’t mention that the mere taste of it made her throw up.

carolina flounders at his words, pulling the textbook even closer to her as if protecting it from jonah’s seemingly condescending tone. “i came here straight from my last class,” she explains, picking at her thumb nail, “i have an exam in a couple days, so i’m trying to study as much as possible. and since this guy, whoever he is, is about forty five minutes late, i figured why not! it’s a good way to pass the time, i guess, and i figured no one would bother me but clearly, um. clearly i was wrong.” carolina shuts up before she goes into full ramble mode, because it’s not like she’s already embarrassed herself beyond belief. the name makes her laugh and she presses her hand over her mouth before nodding. “can i have water, please?”

[okjonah]

a hint of a smile creeps onto jonah’s face at the thought of doing a good deed for once, often times his actions being too selfish to reminisce about. though expecting a shiner by the male probably too intoxicated to have any morals, his muscles relax at the sight of him walking away from the situation entirely. “for what?” he gets up from his chair, questioning the girl’s gratitude. “i’m sure if i had done nothing and instead let him be an asshole towards you, you’d probably be physically hurt right now. or worse, kidnapped. don’t wanna see that while i’m on shift.” he quipped, turning back to his work. 

though he expected the conversation to end there, she continues to speak up about how what he did wasn’t needed. “look at you, sweetheart. you’re the type of person who wouldn’t last a second in a place like this, that guy back there proved that.” he watches the girl stutter her way through a reply, which softens the features on his face. “the name’s jonah.” he shakes her hand gently, as if he went any harder he’d break her delicate self. he looks behind her at her textbooks laid out on the table. “there are far more calm places to study, you know. take the library, for example. you waiting for someone or does the sound of drunk people help you focus?” 

[carolinatbh-blog]

if she wasn’t blushing before, she definitely is now, the false saccharine sweetness of the nickname coupled with what was most likely an insult turning her face even redder. “how would you know?” she retorts, though her tone lacks any anger because, well... he’s kind of right. “i spend lots of time in bars, they’re practically, like, my second home. i love bars. absolutely love them.” even though the counter is sticky and the stench of sweaty bodies and alcohol mixed together kind of makes her want to puke. she can do this. maybe. probably not.

“anyway, it’s nice to meet you, jonah, my knight in shining... black tee shirt.” the joke falls flat but carolina laughs anyway because she thinks she’s funny. her small hands pull the textbook closer when he mentions it and she shrugs, chewing the inside of her cheek. “yeah, i’m supposed to be meeting someone. a blind date, or something but...” carolina turns to scan the crowd behind her and tries not to sigh; “it seems like he’s not coming.” geez, how pathetic does she look right now?

[carolinatbh-blog]

she’s not sure how to string together a sentence that will properly and efficiently voice her gratitude. “uh.... thanks.” hey, she tried. “for that,” carolina continues with an awkward clearing of her throat watching the back of whatever his name was retreat and disappear into the crowd. she turns to look at her savior, pulling away from them so they’re not all up in each other’s personal bubbles. 

“you didn’t have to do that.” carolina winces at how ungrateful she sounds and begins twirling a tendril of hair around her index finger. “i mean - i mean, i’m glad you did, don’t get me wrong because i wasn’t sure when that guy was gonna’ take a hint, but i just mean -- you didn’t have to go out of your way... or anything.” well now she sounds like a complete idiot. trying not to let her face turn the shade of a tomato, she sticks her hand out towards him apropos of nothing, a wide smile on her lips. “i’m carolina.”