Keep To The Script (Complete)

~ Chapter 6 ~

"You can't say things like that, Angel," she whispered, almost downing her drink. She didn't need thoughts like that! That's why she was worried, why she was trying to keep her distance. Didn't he see that his flirting wasn't something she was used to, especially from a sexy, YOUNG man like him?

"I can say whatever I want, Judith. And you can believe and act however you want." He finished his beer and set it aside, nodding his head at her near-empty glass. "Would you like another one?" And just like that, his flirtations had cooled, and he was back to his smiley self.

"No, I better not, not if I need to take something." He frowned as he looked at her.

"Still have a headache?" She finished her drink and slowly shook her head.

"No, not really. It's a light ache now, nothing like the pain I was having. Thank you."

"Not a problem. Usually, when I get those types of headaches or migraines, I tend to come to dark quiet places to soothe them away. If that doesn't work, pills it is."

"Do you get them a lot?"

"More than I probably should. It's been an ongoing thing for years. My parents hated it because it would be nothing to find me curled up in a ball in the middle of my bed." He played with the table and then looked back up at her. "I was told to go see a doctor on a regular basis, but I can't say I grew up in the best of households when it came to money."

"A rather poor family?"

"You could say that. There were 6 of us kids, only two of us got a high school diploma, and only one of us has some type of college degree. Not that a lot of people view an acting degree as a degree."

"So, how did Jesus get the funds to buy this?"

"I'm actually a silent partner. This has only been his for a little less than a year. He was my biggest supporter growing up so when I got my first big check, I wanted to make his dream come true, and this is it." Judith couldn't help but smile at that. It was nice to see that people could still be humble in this world, especially when it seemed their name was getting bigger and bigger.

"I think that's rather sweet of you, Angel."

"My family is close; I couldn't imagine not supporting him." Angel paused and tossed a glance at his brother. "I did have to send his ass to school to get a bartending license, but he didn't seem to mind too much. Other than the paper that says he can run this place, he didn't learn much. But he loves coming to work and actually makes quite a profit here. Every Friday and Saturday he has live acts come out, and various genres of music, and the place is always packed. This is a very quiet night." Judith couldn't help but smile, not surprised to find another mark to like about him. To her, family was everything and she understood, wanting to support them as they were always the most important things. "Do you have a lot of family?"

"I do, actually. I'm one of 5, a total middle child. Think that's why I wrote, to gain some type of attention while with the family. We're all very close in age, guess my parents were so in love and couldn't keep their hands off each other." She laughed as did he and she twisted her lip, liking his laugh. His eyes crinkled up at the edges and she almost wished he was older. "My older brother's wife, Shelly, sent the story to the publishing company without me knowing. She loved the piece, as did my two sisters, and all said the same thing; get it out there, no matter the cost."

"Didn't think it would take off?"

"God no! The first few weeks I cried myself to sleep over the harsh words I got on reviews." She ducked her head as that left her mouth. Fuck, could she sound any lamer?