Savannah’s Alpha

It was 8am on a Thursday morning, and The Daily Grind was bustling with activity. Students gathered in small groups with laptops and caramel lattes. Savannah sat with her roommate Gabrielle, rightfully known as Gabby. Two of Gabby’s friends joined them at their table with iced coffees in hand. Gabby seemed to know everyone in this town, and Savannah was grateful to be roomed with her in her first year of graduate school. “Hey babes!” Gabby greeted Emily and Jade with air kisses. Savannah had met Emily and Jade last weekend at a party, and Jade had helped her score her first gig at Neon Moon, a popular downtown bar. All three girls had been completely wild last weekend, downing shots of fireball and making out with anyone they deemed attractive at the time. Savannah had a two day hangover after the party and wasn’t looking forward to the next one. But she had been appreciative of Jade connecting her with Neon Moon. “Hi girls” Emily greeted Savannah and Gabby with a smile. “Ew, how can you work in here with all this noise?” Jade questioned, distaste evident in her voice. “I do my best work in chaos” Gabby said cheerfully, taking a sip of her black coffee. Savannah and Gabby each had their laptops open, but Savannah had barely looked at her screen. She had been thinking about the upcoming weekend. Tomorrow after classes she had a rehearsal planned with a cute guitarist she met in music club. Saturday she had a benefit event at the college, where she would be auctioning off a Celtic harp performance to rich alumni and donors. After the benefit, she’d have to run to make it to Neon Moon for her 8pm gig. It was going to be tight. “Earth to Savannah” Savannah blinked away her mental agenda. The three girls in front of her giggled. “Are you fantasizing about Greg?” Gabby smirked. “She definitely is” Jade chimed in. “Omg can you blame her, he’s totally hot in a tortured musician kind of way” Emily gushed. Savannah laughed. “Well he hates country music, and that’s what we’re playing at Neon Moon, so I guess he will be a tortured musician this weekend” All four girls shared a laugh and Jade raised her iced coffee in salute “To tortured musicians” Savannah, Gabby, and Emily raised their drinks in camaraderie. “To hot musicians” Emily cheered. Savannah giggled. “To talented musicians” With her cup still raised, Savannah shivered. Feeling watched, she looked up past her new friends and saw a man standing at the coffee counter staring directly at her. She met his eyes and warmth spread through her stomach. He was without a doubt the best looking man she had ever seen. He stood tall and insanely built, wearing jeans and a black tee shirt barely containing his arms that looked like they could snap a neck with a single flex. Dark hair complemented his honey colored eyes. Savannah smiled at the stranger staring her down, but he didn’t smile back. Gabby noticed Savannah’s reaction, and quickly turned to look. She recognized her cousin Jameson standing near the counter. “Jameson!” Gabby called to him. He didn’t respond. Instead, he turned and walked empty handed out of The Daily Grind. “Weird” Gabby mumbled, confused about why Jameson hadn’t acknowledged her. Savannah was also confused but equally attracted to this stranger that Gabby had called Jameson. “Who was that?” Gabby glanced between the girls. Savannah got the feeling that Jade and Emily already knew who he was. “He’s my cousin, Jameson. I’m not sure what that was all about. Actually, I’m going to text him right now” Gabby swiftly grabbed her phone and typed out a quick text to Jameson: hey what’s up with you? Emily and Jade shared a glance. “He’s a very busy guy” Gabby set her phone down on the table and shook her head. “Men” The whole interaction, or rather lack of interaction, had Savannah’s head spinning. He had been looking right at her. Then he walked out without a coffee or a word. Jade tried to change the subject by bringing up outfit choices for the Neon Moon show. The girls were coming to support Savannah’s gig. But the vibe had shifted, and conversation went stale. Savannah and Emily went their separate ways to class, leaving Gabby and Jade at the table. “Did he text back?” Jade asked when they were alone. Gabby checked her phone, already knowing the answer. “No” …