Gabriel Bautista (xochipilli) wrote in paxletalelogs, @ 2017-04-07 09:06:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | uke mochi, xochipilli |
got an armchair from your family home
Who: Alice & Gabe.
What: New neighbors come across each other at the bookstore.
Where: Modern Times.
When: Midday.
Gabe sighed contentedly as he strolled through the entrance of Modern Times, letting the sight and smell of stacks upon stacks of books fill him. He had no reason in particular to be here; neither did he need new reading material, nor did he really have the time to be away from his desk. But a soul and a brain needed breaks to be creative, and Gabe never felt more open to intuition than he did when he was sinking himself deep into the ideas and creations of others.
He moved forward, peering over stacks of freshly printed manuscripts, then cast an eye toward a more used section, items that had been either overlooked or found wanting. Sometimes there were gems to be found, and he wasn't the sort to immediately need things brand spankin' new to be interesting. He drifted in that direction, fingers moving over one binding as if to absorb the synopsis solely by osmosis.
Alice was closeby, but unknowing that she was near a new neighbor. With a stack of various cookbooks in her arms and a tired look on her face, it wasn’t a surprise when she foolishly dropped one of the books on the floor. Squatting to try and pick it up, it still wasn’t enough to prevent another book in her arms from falling to the floor. She let out a frustrated sigh and sat the rest of the books onto the ground.
Gabe was already bending down, concern written all over his face.
"Are you all right? I think there's a chair around the corner; I saw it when I came in. Let me help," he offered, reaching out to pluck one of the books from the floor.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alice replied with a sigh, her cheeks already threatening to turn pink. Not even from embarrassment but frustration. She really needed a nap. Getting to her feet, she smiled at the man. “Thanks so much for the help. It’s probably a sign I shouldn’t be getting as many books, huh?”
"Maybe," he replied, gathering more of her books in his arms. "I won't be the first to tell you to not buy more books. But really, you should sit for a minute. If not for yourself, then please, on my account." He steered her toward the chair, insisting the take it and was not satisfied until she was seated. Only then did he glance down at the varied cookbooks in his hands. "Stocking up for a rainy day, or..." He glanced up at the girl, now seated slightly below him, his eyes narrowing a bit as he studied her.
"This might sound creepy, so please spare me the benefit of the doubt, but are you Alice Kennedy? Own and operate a cupcake shop, you live at Pax Letale?"
Alice paused, halfway into taking her seat, and looked at the man. “Um, yes…?” She blinked, shaking free from the minor surprise. “Do you live in Pax as well? I’m sorry, I don’t know you… but I do own the cupcake shop, yes.”
He nodded, glad she hadn't gone into a full blown panic attack at him having so much information about her. "I do, just moved in, hence the unfamiliarity. But beside the network, my friend Rafe's told me a lot about you. Sorry -- I'm Gabe Bautista, in 801. I guess we only might see each other in the elevator, huh?"
Glancing at the books once more, he shuffled through a few titles. "So are these for new recipes?"
Alice’s wary look turned into gentle surprise. She smiled at the man and grew visibly more relaxed. A friend of Rafael’s was a friend of hers, certainly, although she wondered if this meant he was a porn star too. Best to not find out, for sure.
“Hopefully Rafael has said good things about me,” she replied with a small laugh.
“And with all the books, I’m just trying to get some inspiration,” Alice admitted, looking to the books in her lap and on the table. “Well, for the shop anyway. I like to put my own twist to things. But the regular cookbooks are for learning how to cook things that aren’t baked goods. Rafael and I have talked about my hosting a dinner party so I want to research."
"He did mention cooking feijoada for everyone; I don't want to overstep more than I obviously already have, but I think I have a bottle of Bacardi in my apartment somewhere and I do make a decent mojito." He switched the books from one arm to the other, still leafing through them with interest, then looked back to Alice. "He's a great cook, though; I wish he'd stuck with it. What were you planning on making?"
“A steak,” Alice began with a smile. “Well, Rafael is going to help me with that, I’ve never made one on my own. But in turn, I’m going to show him how to make a fruit tart. I just don’t want to look like a total newb when we go out to get the supplies.”
She gathered one of the cookbooks that focused on different ways to cook meat. “It should be fun, I think. If you’re friends with Rafael and new to the building, you could come! It would be at my place, though. But it’s a small group. Isobel and Obed--they’re an engaged couple, I don’t know if you met them yet. And Rafael and Nish. I’m sort of the fifth wheel but it’s not incredibly awkward. It helps that everyone is so sweet.”
Rafe and Nish. Gabe carefully schooled his face, though his surprise about hearing of Rafe's significant other from someone other than the source himself. He quickly withheld judgements and opinions, instead focusing on the other thread of conversation.
"Well, I'd be happy to come be a sixth wheel to even things out. My boyfriend's shooting in Texas right now, so I'm flying solo, but there's nothing wrong with that, is there?" He smiled warmly at the young woman. "I haven't met anyone else in the building quite yet, not beyond you and Rafe. I'd be very grateful for an opportunity to widen my circle. Which floor are you on, again? Sorry, I haven't memorized every detail of your life just yet."
“I’m on the fourth,” Alice offered, smiling as she neatened the pile of books. “And we haven’t set a date yet for the next little dinner party but you’re certainly invited! I’ll send you a message with the day and time and everything. But it’ll be fun! Well, I hope. I’m nervous about cooking the steak but I’m sure Rafael will help me.”
She placed both hands onto the pile of books and stilled, looking at Gabe expectantly for a moment before speaking again. “So, how long have you known Rafael? Where’d you guys meet?”
"Miami," Gabe offered, setting his own stack down neatly on one arm of her chair. "We've fallen out of touch over the years, so it was nice to see him pop up again." In one of the most unexpected of places. Gabe neatly moved the conversation onto other topics; he certainly wasn't ashamed of his previous relationship with his now neighbor, but it seemed prudent to keep certain details to himself until Rafe wished to disclose such things.
"Did you meet him via the apartment complex?"
“It’s nice that you both found each other again,” Alice replied, no teasing or laughter in her eyes. “I actually met him when he stopped into my bakery! We got to talking and hit it off. He’s really sweet and sort of reminds me of what I think a big brother would be.
“So far, everyone I’ve met at the complex is really nice though. You definitely found a good place to move into. It’s kind of sparse right now, there aren’t a lot of tenants--I’m completely alone on my floor--but it’s starting to fill up!”
His smile warmed to hear his friend spoken of so fondly. Rafe had always had a kind streak a mile wide, something that left him far too open for others to sneak in and use him.
"That's sort of one reason why I moved in," he replied, shoulders rising and falling lightly. "A friend of mine -- Aurora Nasseri, do you know her? -- suggested it when I said I was looking for somewhere to bunker down and get my book done. My floor's empty as well; I'm on the eighth, but I can't say that I completely mind it."
Alice shook her head. “Sorry, I haven’t met an Aurora yet.” She looked at her hands for a moment, considering the nugget of information he had provided about her personal life and weighed whether or not she should share the information with him as well. “So, you’re writing a book? Have you been published?” She asked, stepping into the territory of book talk without appearing demanding or desperate. Lucas knew about her book but no one else, it didn’t seem worth telling anyone yet.
His head bobbed. "Oh, just a few times," he said, though modesty didn't factor into the equation. He'd seen a tall display of his autobiography near the front of the bookstore, but it didn't have his picture on the jacket so he was still allowed some small amount of anonymity when out in public. "I'm a screenwriter, mostly, but I have some short stories around. My autobiography just came out, and I'm working on something new, now. But, like you," he nodded at the cookbooks, "it's always good to get out and see what else is going on."
Alice nodded, as if she completely agreed and had tons of experience in this whole publishing realm. But it made sense, she supposed, to write stuff yet get inspiration elsewhere. But she still chewed on the inside of her cheek, considering what else she could ask, until one question came to her. “What’s the hardest part of this whole publishing deal? What do you think is the toughest thing about getting a book published. Like, you already got the offer to write a book to publish it, then what? Is there something after that where you find it’s a little difficult?”
Gabe canted his head brows rising. "Are you trying to get published, Ms. Kennedy?"
His smile teased, but he answered her questions regardless. "It really depends on the size of the publisher you go with; the previous experience you've got, if you've worked on something before, if you've got some clout. If you know people. I've been publishing short stories in small circulation magazines for a few years; my scripts have been adapted pretty successfully, too. I approached Random House about a short story collection; that did pretty well, so they asked for the bio. I negotiated a book deal out of that.
"I'd say get yourself a good agent; helps with all the networking you'd have to do otherwise. What are you hoping to publish?"
Alice’s cheeks immediately grew red and her hands began to fidget. “Actually, Penguin approached me. They pitched that I make a cookbook. It’s… it’s super early in the process. Really early. I’m just sort of pinpointing recipes to include right now, and I have to write up a story of me and some other stuff… it’s just… kind of mind boggling it’s happening.”
She looked down, smiling at her hands. “It’s really exciting though, don’t get me wrong, I’m just sort of self doubting, I guess. I’m sure there are more people out there who are better deserving.”
"Hey," he started, his brows rising slightly over his glasses, "from everything I've heard, it sounds like this book deal is well deserved. Rafe raves about your baking. And Penguin doesn't just approach anyone." Hands still pocketed rose in a light shrug. "There's nothing wrong with being proud of what you're good at, Alice. The more you disassociate yourself, the more people might think you're either wildly insecure or fishing for compliments, and neither wins people over.
"Of course, I still have to taste this for myself, so maybe you're right to think other people are more deserving, but don't sell yourself short." He winked. "At least lemme try a cupcake first before you decide."
Alice’s face was fully red, her nose as well, but she managed to let out a small laugh. “Well, you’re welcome at my bakery any time. You pick the cupcake and it’ll be on the house.” She looked at her hands again. “I’m just nervous, scared even, because it’s something new. I keep waiting for something to happen that prevents me from accomplishing it. So… I haven’t really told many people yet. I just want to get my first draft done and sent off, wait for feedback, and if they still want to publish the book then I’ll let the world know.”
Gabe nodded. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be careful. You've been keeping this to yourself, though? Sounds like a lot of pressure, especially with the bakery. But you've got help there, right?" In the short time he'd known her, the answer to that seemed like a 'no,' between dropping the books and the exhausted look on her face. But he never wished to assume.
“Uh… I… I have another baker. And a cashier girl. They help a lot,” Alice fumbled, finding it hard to make eye contact. “And I’m… I’m looking into maybe getting more people. It’s just a process. But it’ll happen…” Something dawned on her though and she looked at Gabe fully. “Just, don’t tell Rafael, okay? He doesn’t know yet and I’d like to tell him myself. About the book, I mean. He’s already talked to me about getting more help at the bakery.”
He swallowed a laugh, pressing a smile to his face. Lifting one hand, he made a crossing gesture over where his heart would be inside his chest.
"I won't. How about this, though; they've got a little cafe here, so let me buy you something with some caffeine in it. And then maybe you could pay me back by telling me about a few of your ideas for your shop? Gives me an excuse to tell Rafe the next time I see him. 'Oh, no, we just talked about cupcakes...'" He offered in a slightly high pitched voice, trying to put her a little more at ease.
A slow smile appeared and she gave a nod. “Okay, that sounds like a plan. You’ll be sick of cupcakes by the time we’re done with this conversation.” She got to her feet, making a show that she was stable enough to stand on her own and hold a stack of books.