It Was The Middle Of Summer (In Texas)
Title: It Was The Middle of Summer (In Texas)
Author: Me!
Rated: G
People: Greta Salpeter and Luis Debuc two second appearences/refrences by/to Patrick Stump and Brendon Urie.
Bands: The Secret Handshake, Gold Motel (or The Hush Sound)
Paraings: Lightly Greta/Luis (however I like putting it THS/TSH :P )
A/N: Random fluffy cuteness, beta'd and made me post this enouraged by jack_is_love17 the title, and cut text comes from The Secret Handshake's Summer Of '98.
Greta’s got an insane layover in Texas, so she decides to risk missing her flight and go out and explore Dallas. It’s hotter than hell, and everything else she expects the lone-star sate to be like. A neat little café looking place in-between a book store and insurance company catches her eye so she decides to investigate it. The first thing Greta hears when she walks in is a tinkering bell of the door chimes and the sound of music she’s into. The walls have neat local art and full of local bands, artists, and job flyers. She’s immediately smitten with the whole ambiance.
It seems to be an alternative sort of shop. She scanned the menu a placed a small order, just so she could stick around. As she waited she saw a boy sitting at one of the tables, he was deeply interested on whatever was on his computer, headphones on his ears, black mop of hair going every way because of it, and dorky probably not real glasses perched on his nose.
He reminded her of someone very familiar; biting her lip she sneakily took a photo of the guy and sent it to Patrick, captions ‘your alter-ego lives in Texas!’
Two minutes later she gets a reply. ‘ha. ha.’ Greta somehow didn’t think he thought it was as amusing as she thought it was. So she sends it to Brendon and gets and all-caps response.
When she looks back at the boy, he’s looking at her. She quickly ducks her head and looks back at her cell phone. She believes that it’s just her imagination when she feels his eyes on her. Finally her order gets called and she hurries to go get it. She thanks the cashier and pays, when she turns around to leave she slams into someone, and the coffee cup is crushed in-between them spilling all over. Greta’s momentarily stunned looking at a bright pink shirt with a weird face on it before a guy’s voice snaps her out of it.
“Oh I’m sorry!” When she looks up it’s the alter-ego of Patrick Stump. “I just meant to ask the barista something- I should have made a noise!”
”It’s fine!” Greta says quickly, alter-Patrick shakes his head and grabs a good handful of napkins and gives half to her. “Thanks.” She says and tries to get quickly spreading stain of brown out of her dress.
“I am really sorry” he apologizes again “Can I- I should buy you another cup,” before she can answer he gets the girl behind the counter’s attention “Excuse me, ma’am can I get another of whatever this…lovely lady had?” the girl nods and Greta feels her cheeks warm up.
When he looks at her again he opens his mouth and she holds up a hand to silence him “Do not say you’re sorry. It was an accident.”
He smiles sheepishly, “I know. I just can’t help it though. I feel bad, your nice dress is ruined cause of me.”
Greta shakes her head “I don’t think so! I think I can get out of the stain, and besides it’ll probably turn into my favorite dress because it’ll smell.” She realized that sounded a little weird, she wrinkled her nose “I mean-”
He laughed “No, it’s okay, I know what you mean. I like the smell of coffee too; this might be my favorite shirt now as well.”
She smiles in return, her mind is a mess and a half now. Her order came up and he paid for it. She thinks she’d really like to know his name, so after he hands her the coffee she sticks out her free hand.
“I’m-” but before she can say her introduction the sounds of Perfect in My Mind filled the room “Gold Motel.”
He raises an eyebrow but took her hand “The Secret Handshake.”
She closes her eyes and tried to clear her mind “Oh gosh, no, I mean that’s me playing right now, on the…radio or speakers. I was trying to introduce myself and that …um...”
She looked at him and he was smiling “Would you like to start over?” he askes and she nods, she let go of his hand only to stick hers back out.
“I’m Greta.” She says.
He re-took her hand, and this time she can’t help but notice the intricate and simple designs tattooed on his arm “Luis. Nice to meet you, and by the way this sounds really pretty- is this just you or you said Gold Motel, like a band? ” he questions referring to the song.
“Oh just me, thank you though. I know it’s kind of silly to go under a name when you’re solo…” She drifts off.
“No, no I think it’s cool.” He tells her “Makes you unique, more than just another normal name.”
She nods and smiles “Exactly.”
Out of curiosity- and maybe wanting to talk to him a bit more, Greta then asked “So how come you introduced yourself as the Secret Handshake? Just to be funny or?”
He shakes his head “No um, that’s kind of why I think the being solo and having a band name is cool. Cause the Secret Handshake is me. I was actually on right before your song.”
“Oh, that’s you?” she askes “I have that stuck in my head now. Counting is a very efficient way of making a song catchy.”
Luis chuckles, “Thanks. To be fair, I think I’m going to have to download you now so I don’t get this stuck in my head... but I probably will” he adds
They eventually make it back to his table and talk for the longest time about music, solo life, and everything in-between. In the midst of their conversation her phone goes off. Looking at it quickly she realizes it’s the alarm she set so she could catch her next flight.
“Everything, okay?” Luis asked, and she guesses her expression shows on her face.
“Yeah” she replies sadly “I’ve got a flight to catch.”
She watches Luis’ face fall as well “Oh.”
Greta feels really bad “I’m sorry.” She says.
“It’s cool” he tells her as she gathered her things to leave “Um… will I see you around?” he asks
She pauses and thinks about it about it “Yes,” she grins “Definitely.”
Luis mirrored her “Awesome, see ya then.”
“See ya!” she waves to him as she leaves. She stepped outside and inhales deeply before beginning walking “Definitely” she echoes herself, she thinks of Luis and smiles once more. She needed a change of scenery, and Dallas wasn’t so hot.
.