Second Cup of Coffee

[Beau LaRoux]

The weather had warmed up recently. It wasn't really warm weather, but it had certainly climbed slowly and painfully from "freezing" to "you're comfortable if you bundle up well." It had gotten warm enough that you didn't actually need to wear gloves whenever you stepped outside which, for one Beauregard Luke LaRoux, was enough to start playing outside again. Call it the whole Louisiana upbringing, call it his personality, call it Fate deciding that at least one character needed to like the outdoors, but Beau seemed to enjoy performing in public. Sometimes he'd have his guitar case open, but not usually while he was still on campus. These, these he did for entertainment.

His hand strummed the old guitar, giving his voice the necessary accompaniment. Little puffs of steam could be seen issuing from his mouth, but other than that, Beau showed no signs of the chill. He just had the same "I'm super into the music" look that he had so often when he performed.

"Baby you a song
You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise
Down a back road blowin’ stop signs through the middle
Every little farm town with you
In this brand new Chevy with a lift kit
It’d look a hell lot better with you up in it
So baby you a song
You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise,"

It was a little inane, and kinda stupid, but Beau thought it had a decent enough beat. He hadn't written it, no, he definitely hadn't. Didn't matter really, he was just sort of playing for fun and entertainment, and to wile away the next few minutes. A pair of coffee cups sat to the side, each with their own little curl of steam rising off. It wasn't an official date, not in the strictest sense, but Beau was definitely expecting somebody. He'd sent the text reminding her a while ago, teasing his "manager." For now, he'd just settle for playing the stupid song and enjoying the clear air.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Tucking her hands into her coat pockets, Carleigh made her way down to the courtyard. She hummed under her breath, speed walking as she was late, as usual. She had been debating on what to wear, as the the temperature was finally warming up. Finally. It had taken long enough.

She checked her phone one last time to double check the meeting place, a smile on her face. Carleigh could still remember when the two had first met, the joke about her being Beau's manager carrying over still after years. Now that the weather was nice, Carleigh expected to see her friend outside, taking her advice and performing outside. His shows had to be doing well. Carleigh had been to a couple of them, but still wasn't huge on country music. She could appreciate his talent, though.

Approaching the bench, a smile appeared on Carleigh's face. She could hear him singing his heart out. Beau was so passionate about his music. She didn't say anything, simply sitting down next to him and listening to him play the rest of the song. Carleigh thought she recognized the lyrics, but didn't know. Maybe something he played before. When Beau finished playing, Carleigh began clapping with a giggle. "Sorry I'm late." she apologized.

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau noticed Carleigh, nodding and smiling at the pretty Californian as he played. He kept going, knowing that Carleigh wouldn't have minded if he finished the song. A few people recognized it, some of them even recognizing Beau himself. He'd been doing this off and on for years, after all, as his "manager" had suggested. Wasn't like Hammel or Pilot Ridge was all that big either; you had a tendency to at least know of other people, if nothing else. But Beau kept playing, strumming and slapping the guitar, singing along till things ended.

Then he turned to Carleigh as he finished, grinning up at her. "Ain't late 'cuz things ain't started till everyone shows up," he said, repeating an old LaRoux family phrase. He nodded to the coffee. "Went ahead an' picked one up for ya too. Ain't exactly California out here yet, Louisiana neither," Beau chuckled and reached over to pick up his own cup. The warm liquid was pleasing on his throat, particularly after a song, and what young person didn't appreciate getting a shot of energy on the quick?

After Beau drank, he rose, slinging the guitar around to hang off his back. He'd done that so many times that the motion was just natural. He saluted Carleigh with the drink and motioned, offering to walk if she wanted. She'd know well enough that Beau would go right along with whatever Carleigh wanted to do: sit, walk, whatever. Easy going Southern gentleman to the core, our Beau.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh sat and listened, tapping her foot along to the song. She had watched him over the past three years grow as a person and musician. Not to sound sappy or sentimental. He was always a southern gentleman, and Carleigh genuinely enjoyed his company and friendship. "How's my showstopper doing?" she teased with a laugh, crossing her ankles.

Beau always had good little one liners. "I like your way of thinking." Really, people always got on her for being tardy. "At least it's warmer so you weren't miserable waiting out here for me." She laughed, running a hand through her hair with a smile. Ahhh, coffee. "You know the way straight to my heart." She winked with a hand on her chest, joking around. "Thanks though!" Carleigh took a long sip, thankfully not burning her tongue in the process. She could always use the caffeine pickup. Plus, last night she hadn't slept well. Too busy thinking about life. "If the weather was like California or Louisiana then we would have fared better all these years here."

Shrugging, Carleigh stood up with a smile. Might as well walk around and try to keep warm. She took another sip of her coffee and looked around campus. It was a fairly quiet day, a few people here and there. "Life treating you well?"

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau grinned at showstopper; as if that weren't sign enough of how he was doing, mixed with the song of course. There were plenty of things lining up nicely for Beau now, probably a nice as they had been in the years since he'd arrived at Hammel, surly and wanting nothing so much as to head home as quickly as possible. "Ain't likely to get miserable here," he said, extending his arms as if to hug the courtyard. "Always great to be out an' about, even if it ain't as summerly as I'd like."

Definitely not Louisiana or California, but at least the two warm climate natives had a few years now to better adapt. Didn't stop neither Beau nor Carleigh from bundling up and enjoying the hot coffees they had in hand, of course, but it was better than nothing. "Ain't no bother," he said, "'sides, my mamma always said you gotta treat the ladies nice, 'specially the pretty ones," Beau winked at that, chuckling and taking a sip. The coffee spread through, and he could almost feel it awakening the parts inside that were already jostling against one another. Part of Beau just wanted to spit out his happy news, as though he could spray Carleigh down with it, or maybe spread it like some kinda better version of a cold.

An' he even had something of an opening: "Life's lookin' better by the moment, Carleigh,' he said, meaning it. Of course, Beau had become more of an optimist in these years, and you could likely blame at least some of that on the sunny Californian he walked beside now. "Finally got a trainer," he admitted, his voice still buoyant. He looked to Carleigh, smiling. There was a definite change, and only one among many.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Beau's grin only made Carleigh grin even wider in response. Really, happiness and optimism was contagious and right now, the two blondes were feeding off of each other's good mood. It made her forget about everything else. "Wow Beau, don't know if I've ever seen you this happy before!" She said with a laugh. "Except maybe when you're on stage." Carleigh watched, still smiling. "True that, true that. Rather be outside than trapped inside."

Even after time, Carleigh still had the giggling schoolgirl response to Beau's charm. She couldn't help herself. Could anyone? Before, back when she first met her favourite southerner, Carleigh had a massive crush on him. It was super obvious but eventually it faded, like most crushes. She still giggled incessantly at his charm, though. "Your mom sure knows what she is talking about." Carleigh joked, raising the cup to her lips with a half salute. "And you sure know how to charm a woman." She grinned, walking alongside Beau.

"That's great!" She exclaimed. "Then you know what, we should toast to that." Carleigh raised her cup up high in the air again. "A toast to Beau's happiness, and life looking up." She cheered, downing the rest of her coffee in a single gulp. "Who's your trainer?" Carleigh asked, eyes twinkling. That was a good reason for life to look up! "Things finally falling into place here then?" His optimism made her smile even wider, as she looked at Beau afterwards. Nodding, she laughed. "Really, that's great. I'm so happy for you!"

[Beau LaRoux]

Well, Beau had technically been this happy before, though not very consistently. He just sort of stayed in a mellow "happy to be alive" mode most of the time. Now though, now he was downright jubilant, and it showed in just about every way possible. He definitely agreed with the assessment that outside beat inside any time, but definitely when the weather was this bright and joyful.

"Funny thing about mammas: they're usually right," drawled Beau, chuckling. By now Carleigh had heard more than her share of tales about the LaRoux clan, and certainly enough to know about how close they all were. There were times when Beau still missed them, of course, but talking about them often enough helped. Heck, he was willing to bet he wouldn't mention them so much if they were around.

Thankfully, there were plenty of other people around to talk to, Carleigh definitely being high on Beau's list of potential conversation partners. The Californian fell in step with Beau, making the Southerner's smile widen a further tic. He joined the toast, though he didn't dare drink the rest of his coffee in one go. Hot drinks were to be savored, after all.

"Uh, Lilien," said Beau, pursing his lips as he remembered. "Likes me to call him Everett, which don't sit right,' Beau shrugged. "Nice guy though, ain't much older than us, I reckon. But yeah, I think I might actually be able to graduate," he paused at that, wondering if that was actually something that Carleigh wanted to hear. Sure, it meant that Beau would succeed and possibly get what he wanted, but it also meant that he would be free to leave Hammel behind and venture off into parts unknown, abandoning the people he met here. Beau hadn't really been that perturbed by that, but now, with friends like Carleigh and Sammy.... whatever that was...

[Carleigh Davidson]

Beau's optimism was astounding, and this came from the sunny blonde who considered herself a happy person. "Well, when life's good, you just gotta embrace it." she said, grinning. Looking at the two, one could say they were. She swallowed hard, licking her suddenly dry lips. Her mom. She hadn't talked to her mom in about... two years. Whenever she called, her dad answered and they talked for a few minutes. It was childish, but Carleigh considered herself adopted into Beau's family. Not that she would ever mention that. But hearing his stories about his family made Carleigh smile and feel where there was otherwise nothing.

"Definitely." Carleigh said, lying through her teeth. She considered Beau as a close friend, but didn't bother delving into her family issues. He knew she had them, just not all of the details. "Your mom sounds like a wise one." She added, falling in step by his side. Carleigh tossed the disposable cup into the garbage, never one to take her time with drinks. "You know... sometimes... I just think. About how long we've been here. How life is and how it would be so different, you know?" She chuckled after her rambling. "Sometimes, I feel homesick. Then I wonder if home is even how I remember it before coming here. It's... it's weird." She frowned, afraid of rambling anymore and ruining the good vibe.

"Anyway, enough mood killing from me." Carleigh nodded, her beaming smile appearing once more on her face. "Oh, I think I've heard of him before!" Or seen him. Couldn't exactly remember. She giggled, shaking her head. With Beau's southern mannerisms, that didn't come as a surprise to the blonde. "I can see why it would make you uncomfortable. Most people love the last name basis and all the polite sirs." she said, nodding again. Ahh, young guy. Made sense then. "Glad you were able to get one then."

Woah, graduate. Carleigh fell out of her rhythm, her steps become irregular. She forced a noticeably grim smile out, trying her best. Of course, she was happy for Beau. What kind of a friend would she be if she didn't want him to graduate? But that meant moving on in the world.. and for Beau, it probably meant going back home or touring. He could make it big. "Just remember your first manager when you're touring the world, hotshot." Carleigh joked, laughing. Graduation. Wow. The thought was insane. Had it really happened that quickly? "Seriously though, that's great." She nodded thoughtfully, staring at the ground with a small sigh. "Though, I'll really miss you. Like, a lot."

Even if it wasn't Beau's graduation, Carleigh had to think about her own future after graduation. Was her future here in the meta capitol of North America? Did she belong in California? Elsewhere? At school? Working? It was a lot to think about, and quite overwhelming. Her head got dizzy just thinking about the future.

(Congrats, you just received my longest post here on Hammel Haha sorry)