Again. And. Again.
She sat strumming her guitar looking around the empty store. Thanks to the work schedules of most people in the small town her shifts were usually slow. So in between customers she takes out her guitar and plays the music she grew up with the music she loves. In the middle of a difficult song the door opens, causing the bell to ring. As soon as she finishes her eyes drift up and she spots a trio of curly haired brunette boys. It only takes a moment for it to register exactly who they were.
“Wow… You guys rock on guitar,” she says brushing a strand of brown hair from in front of her blue eyes.
“So do you. What song was that,” the oldest boy, Kevin, asks her?
She starts to play it again singing the words softly. After a second the youngest boy, Nick, starts to sing along with her and she smiles at him. When they finish she blushes badly and then remembers why she is in the shop to begin with,
“Okay I feel stupid. What can I help you guys with today,” she blushes a redder shade.
“Um… we were told to come and ask for Eloise. We were told she knew guitars and we are having a problem with one of Kevin’s guitars,” Joe, the middle boy, says with a grin.
“Well you’re in luck. Cause not only does Eloise know guitars she’s also an owner of the store,” one of the regulars, Jon, tells them.
“Joni! We’ve been over this. My name is Elle and just cause my dad says I’m an owner does not mean I am,” she grins looking at the three boys.
“You are Eloise,” Nick asks shocked at her?
“That I am… and you are Nick. So Kev what’s up with your guitar,” Elle asks smiling?
For the next three hours Elle fixes Kevin’s guitar, stops Joe from hurting himself, and talks softly with Nick, all while helping the few other customers. When her shift ends and Adam, her ‘replacement’ walks in, she expects to change and then hurry off to her house, she had a family dinner. That is until she walks out of the break room and sees chaos Her eyes fly to the middle Jonas boy who is laughing uncontrollably.
“What did you do?”
“Me please this was all Nick,” Joe replies.
“I am so sorry boss. I turned for like five seconds,” Adam explains.
“It’s fine Adam… and don’t call me boss…”
“But you’re an owner…” Adam starts.
Elle sends Adam a look and he shuts up as he starts to clean. She helps him praying not to get dirty and ignoring her time restraints. The mess is cleaned up as fast as possible with the curly haired boys helping them out and a quick look at the clock tells Elle that she is late. She slings the guitar over her shoulder right as the front door opens. She’s almost out the door when she realizes who just walked in the door.
“Daddy…”
“He’s your dad,” all three Joni say together.
She nods her head looking at the suit-clad man, he was defiantly her father. At the same time he was the owner of Hollywood Records, the company that they boys were signed too. The boys stare from her to her father noticing the little similarities. From the dark blue color of their eyes to the tan skin they both spot. There was no doubt that they were related. She sighs and walks out of the store, her father following after and sits down inside of his car, after putting her guitar in the back seat. She’s ready for the long and boring lecture that is coming.
After another three months of working the slow shift, Elle gets bored, she hates sitting around in one spot for too long. So she willingly switched with Adam for about a month. It only took her a week to figure out that the first two hours of Adam’s shift were just as boring as her own were. She still brought her guitar and she still played in between customers. A week after the Jonas boys first walked into the store they walked in again, to tell her that they would be seeing her again soon, but they had to go on tour. Nick had shyly given her his number, Kevin had asked for hers and Joe had given and taken. She smiled every time she talked to any of those boys.
When you look me in the eyes.
And tell me that you love me.
Everything is all right.
When you’re right here by my side.
Her eyes fly down knowing it has to be one of the three boys calling her and when she spots Nick’s name her smile grows more than it would for the other two. She sets her guitar down and looks around. Spotting no one she picks up her phone.
“Hey rock star how did the show go?”
She hears his familiar laughter and smiles to herself knowing that he is laughing over her nickname for him.
“Pretty good Guitar Girl. So how was your shift,” he asks?
“You know I’m still at work. I traded with Adam remember,” she asks?
“Yea… what time is it there? I thought your shift would be over by now.”
“It’s 5:30. I work for another two hours. Nice try though. So are you having fun?”
“It’s pretty good here. But we think John broke his hand fighting with Joe and Garbo… If that really happened we’d have to find a new guitar player.”
“Remember I know some of the best in the business if you need any help,” Elle grins.
“Of course I’ll come to you first. You know it is kind of good to have such a cool friend. Anything new happen?”
“I met a cute boy…”
“Oh…”
“I was kidding dork.”
The bell above the door chimes and Elle tilts her head to hold her phone as she turns still talking to Nick.
“I have to go I got a…” her words drift off as she spots the boy standing in the doorway.
He still had that curly brown hair and those big gorgeous brown eyes. He was taller than she remembered, or possibly she just forgot how tall he was. And his style was the exact same as it had been before.
“Nick…”
“You got a Nick?”
She laughs at his joke and walks over in shock. She wraps her arms around his neck tightly as he holds her waist.
“I thought you guys were gonna be gone for at least another month,” Elle grins at him.
“We were suppose to by John broke his hand so we have to find a new guitar player. So we delayed everything for about a week. We came back to audition guitar players and then when John’s hand gets better…”
“So that means I get to meet with you and your brothers for a week?”
“Well… we were hoping that you would audition…”
“Nick you’re kidding right,” Elle asks softly?
“No… Elle I really want you to audition and I really want you to come,” Nick replies holding her far enough away to look into her eyes.
“Nick,” his name is a distinct mummer.
He leans his tall frame down to her and their lips touch in the briefest kiss. He lifts his head and looks her straight in the eyes a small grin on his face.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you playing with that little smile on your face,” Nick says.
“Really?”
“And now I want to do it again… and again.”
Their lips touch once again and this time she wraps her arms tightly around his neck as his own draw her closer by the waist.
