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Songs of the Heart (Ms_Muffintops and Josu_T

Luke got home and went to bed. He'd had a nice night and slept well. In the morning he woke and got ready for the day. He had breakfast and then got everything he needed. Before he left to go to the radio station he checked email. There was an invitation to hang out with some friends again. This time he was determined to invite Alice as well and make sure she got the message. He picked up his phone and called, hoping she would still be there.
 
Alice was on her way out the door when the ringing of the phone broke the silence in the house. "Shut that damn phone up!" Jade called from her bedroom, clearly not wanting to be the one to answer it. With a sigh, Alice rolled her eyes, but when she saw who it was on the caller ID, she was rather thankful her friend hadn't jumped up to see who it was, as she usually did.

Quickly, she picked up the phone and walked further away from Jade's bedroom door. "Hey Luke! Sorry about last night, hope I didn't snore," she said with a nervous laugh, "..and thanks for picking up..." She was feeling quite flattered that he took the time to call, perhaps he wanted to do something again? Maybe he just left something behind.
 
Luke was relieved when Alice picked up the phone and not Jade. He chuckled at her joke and smiled when she thanked him for picking up. He knew he didn't have to, but he had considered it the right thing to do. She had shown him a good time and the least he could do was clean up. When she didn't say anything more he spoke. "It was no problem at all. It wasn't hard. Anyway, I got a message from some friends inviting me to hang out and I was wondering if you would want to join us. It would make up for the last time when the opportunity was lost due to a certain roommate deleting messages."
 
Alice giggled at his remark. She was flattered that he thought to include her in on his get-together with his friends, much less hang out with her again. A smile formed on her lips as she spoke, "I'd love to. Could you pick me up and give me a ride there? Until then, I have a class and then work, and I'm running a bit late. So I'm sorry to have to cut you off short. Call me later on my cellphone okay? Bye bye!"

It was a bright start to her day. Alice grabbed onto her backpack.. thankfully it was only an art history class or else she'd have to carry all of her supplies around with her. She headed to the art institute that she attended downtown, the entire day filled with excitement brought on by her curiosity about his friends.
 
Luke smiled as Alice giggled. When she said she would love to go hang out with him he was happy. She quickly told him she was already running late. He could understand that. She told him to call her later on her cell and he made a mental note to do that. He said goodbye and then hung up. After the phone was down he left and went to get ready for his day.

He prepared his show and helped out with a couple of others. When it came time for his show he went through the paces and played his music and handled the calls. When he was done he packed up his things and returned home. Once there he got himself something to eat for dinner and then finally made a call to Alice's cellphone.
 
The day couldn't go faster. Alice spent one half of her day working in her sketching class, drawing her absolute least favorite things to draw.... fruit. But it was an assignment, she had to do it. After that was work, a tour guide at the art museum that was attached to the art institute she attended. She hoped to take Luke there one day, perhaps on a private tour just the two of them.

"Oh hey there!" Alice spoke sweetly as she shuffled her way through her room putting her things away, the man had great timing, "I just got home. I'm putting my supplies away" She proceeded to take off her clothing and walk to her closet as she kept the phone held to her ears. What was appropriate to wear? She wanted to look nice, but she didn't want to dress up, or dress sloppy. Were these people friends with his deceased wife as well? She hoped she wouldn't give them the wrong message if that were the case; The two were just friends.

"What time are you coming to get me?" she asked, "I'm getting ready right now as we speak."
 
Luke got seated and relaxed as the phone rang. When Alice picked up she didn't give him much of a chance to talk. It was good to hear she was getting ready already. He checked his watch and decided when he would leave. "Hey, good to hear you are getting ready. I hope you had a good day. I'll pick you up in about an hour. Don't worry about anything, it is just a casual evening with friends." He waited to see if she had anything more to say. He was looking forward to hanging out with her and all his other friends.
 
The petite girl hopped about her room, struggling to put on her clothing as she held the phone in one hand or attempted to balance it on her shoulder. The sounds of stumbling and thumping hops could be heard as she listened attentively to her friend speak. "Oh that sounds fun. I'll bring food in case they need to order some food or buy some more.." she spoke as she put on some stockings to conceal her legs that were not being covered by the skirt she chose to wear.

"Well then I will see you in a minute then! I'm almost ready now, and while I love speaking to you, it is hard to get ready while holding my phone" she spoke jokingly with a laugh, "I'll talk to you in a bit!" And with that she hung up and continued to get ready.

"Where are you going?" a voice spoke. Alice turned to see Jade sitting at the door with her arms crossed, "Are you going out with some friends? I want to go if so." She bit her lip and looked her room mate in the eyes. "Uh, um..." she began to speak, "Luke is taking me to hang out with him and some friends.." she explained, walking past her and going to her vanity table to get ready. "Ooh... he's already introducing you to the friends? You guys are moving quick.." Jade joked, trying to hide her jealousy.

"Oh no... we're just friends.." Alice rebutted. Upon finishing her hair, she got up and walked past her friend at the door and moved into the livingroom to wait for him.
 
Luke could hear strage noises coming from Alice's end of the phone. When she said she would bring food he smiled. It was a nice gesture. He also liked hearing that she enjoyed talking with him. He enjoyed talking with her as well. She explained that she'd had trouble getting ready with teh phone in hand and he figured it was the reason for the strange noises. He said goodbye to her and hung up.

After he was done on the phone he got ready to go. It wasn't long before he was in his car and driving off to her place. When he arrived he stopped outside and honked, rather than going in. He didn't want to run into Jade. He unlocked the passenger door and waited for his friend to come out and join him so they could get going.
 
Alice sat by the door waiting for his car to drive up so that she wouldn't have to deal with any interactions with Jade. Surely the precocious girl would try to keep him there, or perhaps try to tag along. Her friend sat next to her on the couch eyeing her suspiciously, as if she were trying to read Alice's mind.

"What?" she asked her, noticing her friend staring. Jade simply looked the other direction and pursed her lips, "Oh nothing..." she mumbled, followed by a sigh.

The second she saw Luke's car drive up, she darted out the door. She had dolled herself up, but only enough to impress and hopefully gain some compliments. "Hi there! So whats planned this evening?" she asked as she opened the front passenger door to his car and sat down and shut the door. She couldn't deny being a little excited, she was curious what kind of friends he had.

((I was wondering if you had any ideas plot wise, or how long you wanted to go before they started to become closer?))
 
Luke saw Alice running out and smiled. Once she was in the car he got a good look at her. She looked nice. A little dressed up, but not too much. It was perfect for the evening. She asked what was planned and he shrugged. "I don't know. Probably some games, tv of some sort, hanging out. I don't really think there is a plan, just a bunch of people getting together." He pulled away from her place and started off toward his friend's house. He figured a bit of the night would be poker, or some card game. Another part would probably be watching part of a sports game or maybe a movie would play during the card game. He really didn't know what to expect.
 
Alice rested her head against the seat as she looked over at Luke and smiled. "I hope they like me.." she spoke sweetly. Her gaze moved away from him as the car took off. Surely his friends were kinder and made less of a scene than hers. Jade was really her closest friend, and even their friendship was becoming colder and colder as the days went by. It was only a matter of time before the girl kicked her out of the house. She probably only kept her around so she could afford the rent.

In Alice's hands was a big bowl with plastic wrap over it. "I uh... made some salsa dip. I hope it'll fit the occasion.." she said with a nervous smile, "If not, I brought some money to help buy food if need be." She wanted to make a good impression. Surely these people knew Luke's wife, and she did not want them to think she was trying to take her place... not that she was dating Luke. But these days, it seemed that a man and a woman could not hang out together without accusations of a romance.
 
Luke nodded. He was sure his friends would like her. When she mentioned the dip she had made he glanced over. It looked good. He was surprised she had made it. She seemed a little nervous. He smiled and chuckled. "You don't need to worry. They will like you, that dip will be great, and don't worry about paying for anything. Just try to relax and have a good time. Don't bother trying to impress them. You're just another one in the group having a good time." He pulled up outside a house and parked the car. He got out and waited for Alice to join him before heading up to the front door and knocking.
 
Alice answered him with a nod and a smile, but truthfully, his words were no more reassuring. She bit onto her lip and gripped her bowl of dip tightly as the car came to a stop. As she stepped out of the car, she straightened up her skirt, making sure it hadn't ridden up or twisted wrong, and once again grabbed onto her bowl. She followed behind Luke, staying safely behind his back as they waited at the door.

Inside, voiced could be heard chatting away and socializing. The people were already having a good time. Alice stepped to the side shyly as the door flung open. Instinctively, she held her bowl up higher, showing them what she had brought as if she were presenting an offering to them.
 
Luke noticed how nervous Alice was being. He had hoped she could be calmer. When she raised the bowl up he reached over and pushed it down. She didn't need to do that. He smield at his friend James in the doorway. "Hey man, this is my friend, Alice. You will have to excuse her, for some reason she is nervous." He chuckled and smiled at Alice.

James simply smiled at her. "Hi Alice, nice to meet you. Welcome, come on in. That salsa looks good, I'll take it into the kitchen. You two go, find something to do." He took the bowl from Alice and let them inside, closing the door after they had entered. He went into the kitchen and Luke took Alice around to introduce her to everyone else there. She wasn't the only unkown person though, there were two others who were there as friends of some of the group of friends.
 
Alice shyly followed Luke around the house as he showed her around and introduced her to all of her friends. There was more than she had expected, but it was still much more mellow than the parties Jade took her too. But she couldn't help but feel nervous and shy... she usually felt awkward in these kind of situations, but at the same time, the young girl loved to make friends. The fact that some of these people knew his deceased wife didn't help her one bit. She felt a need to live up to some standard she was unaware of.

She didn't say much at first, just soft hi's and nice to meet you's. Alice managed to find herself a spot at the edge of the couch in the living room where she sat quietly and people watched. Everyone was so friendly looking... smiles, no one was drunk, intelligent and light-hearted conversations were being exchanged; It was what Alice wish she had. A woman finally came and sat down in a recliner next to the couch. "So you really made that salsa?" the mystery woman asked her, unfortunately her name had already escaped Alice's mind. "Y-yes.." she spoke softly with pink cheeks and a sweet smile, "I hope you guys like it. I didn't want to come here empty handed... I felt I should contribute." She laughed nervously and then bit her lip.

"Oh no, it's great, I just had some." the woman explained, "If there's more where that came from, I'm glad Luke met you. He should bring you around more often. It's been awhile since he's brought company with him."
 
Luke knew that Alice was nervous, but he hoped she could eventually relax and enjoy herself. He kenw she would have a good time if she would just realise that she was not being judged. When someone asked her about the salsa her answer was definitely from someone seeking approval. He chuckled and shook his head slightly. At the other woman's comment Luke smiled. He hoped that it would be good enough for Alice to start relaxing.

A few minutes later a bunch of people sat around the table to start playing cards. Luke went over and joined them. He held a seat for a moment in case Alice wanted to join him. There were other things she could do though. They decided to play some poker for a while. As always it was low stakes, a few dollars each. They never played for large ammounts.
 
Alice sat on the couch shyly with a soft smile on her lips as she watched everyone gather around the table. She hadn't played too much poker before, and they seemed to do it often, so the young woman opted to sit back and watch. She straightened her back and lifted her chin as she stared into the dining area where everyone else sat.

"Come sit with us Alice. You can be Luke's good luck charm", one of the guy's joked as his hand signaled for the girl to come over. A nervous laugh escaped her lips as she slowly stood and up and walked towards the table. She gazed over to Luke as if she were looking for his permission. Everyone at the table scooted over, freeing an empty space next to Luke for his new good luck charm. She then took a seat next to him and leaned in close, "Sorry, I may not be the best good luck charm.." she whispered with a smirk.
 
Luke chuckled as the others convinced Alice to join him at the table and be his good luck charm. She sat next to him and he smiled at her. She doubted her powers as a good luck charm, but he shook his head. The first hand he was dealt was a very good one. He kept a straight face, but wanted to smile and tell Alice that she was very lucky. He won a dollar in the first hand and his luck continued. The conversation around the table was casual and fun. Every so often there was a comment about Alice and how she was attractive. Then came the comments about how she must be Luke's new girlfriend and how lucky he was. He denied it, but the comments didn't stop. They came only occasionally and quite often were hidden, but they were there. Luke mostly just tried to laugh them off and keep playing. By the time the game was ending Luke was the big winner, having more than doubled his original money.
 
As time passed, Alice continued to sit there shyly. As the comments about her were said, her cheeks turned beet red. But she couldn't help but smile each time Luke won a hand. Perhaps she was his good luck charm. Her eyes remained glued to his hands, each time she looked up, she'd catch the glance of one of his friends, smiling at the two of them. She could only imagine what they were thinking.

Gently, she leaned into Luke and whispered, "I'm so sorry... this must be embarrassing for you...", she whispered softly. Their friendship had already had a rough start, she didn't need people hinting to them being in a relationship. Not only were they just friends, it seemed that Luke wasn't entirely over his wife.
 
Luke wondered if Alice was starting to feel uncomfortable because of the comments and looks the others were giving. As she whispered to him he chuckled. He shook his head slightly. "Don't worry about it. They do this most of the times guys bring friends that are girls or girls bring friends that are guys to the group. As a group we are able to predict relationships more than fifty percent of the time. We are not perfect though. I also would like them to stop, but they won't. Just try to ignore them. after you are around a few times they won't do it any more." He shrugged. He was sort of glad he had married quite young. He never had to deal with their little game. He was surprised they were doing it to him now. Could it mean that they thought it was about time he move on from his wife? He was sure that if they didn't think it was time to move on they would not be making the comments. It was a tough thing to figure out.
 
"I.. I just don't want to impose or make you feel pressured", she whispered with pink cheeks before leaning away from him. Her gaze shifted and caught a grin from another fellow at the table. What was the grin about? It looked suspicious. Alice could only laugh nervously, followed by a sigh. She had witnessed in person how Luke still felt about his wife, and how he had at first reacted when she attempted to show him some compassion. Who knew how he would reacted if his friends pushed the idea of them.

The young woman remained silent as the game continued on. It didn't help that Luke ended up doing well, it'd give the group the incentive to push the good luck charm joke. She couldn't deny feeling flattered though. It was a bit childish to believe one was truly someone's good luck charm, but then again, Alice was a day dreamer.

"Someone's got their head in the clouds..", someone commented. Instantly, Alice shook her head as she noticed all eyes on her. "Why so shy? Thinking of someone special?", someone else asked her. Her cheeks grew beet red as she tried to think of an excuse. "No.." she spoke softly with a shy smile.
 
Luke had a great time with Alice while playing. Eventually she went fairly silent though. Someone made a comment and Luke looked over at her. She looked nervous and embarrased. When she denied thinking about someone special he smiled. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked at the others. "Ok you guys, that's enough. Please stop with the comments now. You can tell she is nervous enough already. Don't make me start telling everyone things about each one of you. You all know I've got something on you that you might not want being told to the group." He gave them a serious look and then smiled at Alice. There were a couple of apologies, but most of the group just stayed silent for a moment before starting to tease someone else.
 
Alice looked up at Luke and smiled warmly, "Thanks for that", she spoke with a nervous laugh. She turned back to the table and watched as the game continued on. She felt so out of place, but it was nice seeing people who could have a good time without a loud bass and a drink in their hand. These were the kind of people she could get to know. Unfortunately the night flew by and the game soon coming to an end. Even though she didn't say much and only sat back and watched, she had a good time. One by one, everyone left. Some having to head home to their families, some having work the next day, how responsible of them.

"Make sure you bring her back Luke!", was called out as Alice stood up from her chair to stretch.
 
As the game came to an end Luke put most of his winnings n his wallet, but gave a little to Alice. It was only a few dollars since they played low stakes, but he felt she should get a little since she had helped him even if she didn't know it. He got up and got ready to go. He got Alice's container which was completely cleaned of salsa. At the comment yelled out he chuckled. Helookedat Alice with a smile. "Here, looks like they enjoyed what you brought and really enjoyed you being here. Are you ready to go?" He made mental check to see if they had forgotten anything. He didn't think they had.
 
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