I

The loud trill of the alarm clock instantly gave him a headache.

He raised his arms sleepily and reached for the bedside table, blindly turning off the alarm.

Jesse came home at around four in the morning, right after dropping by from another one of his hook-ups from Clix. He just had about less than four hours of sleep, max.

He felt so tired and spent that he wanted to skip work that day, but he couldn't, as much as he wanted to. Charlie will just bug the hell out of him the entire day, call him nonstop just to tell him to come to work.

His phone buzzed from under his pillow. He groaned loudly, trying hard to will himself to wake up. Jesse reached for his phone and looked at the screen.

Speak of the devil.

"Charlie," he answered the phone call, his voice cracking and raspy due to lack of sleep.

Charlie on the other line was already frantic and shouting at Jesse.

"Yeah- I'm, I'm already on my way," he lied, already getting up from bed. "Yeah, no, Charlie, give me ten. I'll be there. I'm hanging up. I love you, too. Bye." He hurriedly hang up, and smiled at the phone with his other eye closed.

Charlie was his assistant of two years. She interned for a year, and then he eventually had her promoted. She had great taste in music, and that really helped them scout for new talents and artists. 

About three years ago, Jesse and two of his childhood buddies Levi and Isaac, decided to do a startup and build their own Indie record label, Aperture. All of them being Jewish and with real connections in the music industry, that was enough fuel to fire up their own little empire. They ended up using all of their bar mitzvah bonds to setup everything - with a little help from their papas and mommas, of course.

Their circles of friends and families had their own hip ties with artists, musicians and local bar owners all around New York City. They were able to help plenty of indie artists boost their careers and had them eventually sign up with major record labels. Aperture was still relatively small, but reputable. Bands and musicians across other states actually recognize them, even if they were just new in the business.

Jesse's phone buzzed again, one message notification from Clix. He picked it up from his bedside table and hurriedly unlocked the screen.

Blake

<08:08AM> Hey, kosher treat. Last night was great. Wanna hit it up again later?

He tossed his phone back on top of the sheets, not planning to give her a reply.

Blake was really good in bed, rocking hot bod too. But Jesse wasn't into do-overs, no matter how great his last hook-up was. Having sex with the same person the second time around created emotional connections, he figured.

He was about to step into the shower, already completely naked, when he felt the need to reach for his phone again. Without having second thoughts, he darted towards his bed and reached for his phone, bringing it with him to the bathroom.

Swish, swish.

---

"Akerman," Fox Galinski, his guy from label liaison, called out to Jesse. He was standing right outside Jesse's office door, holding some paperwork. 

"What?" Jesse mumbled, quite annoyed. "Fox, just come in for fuck's sake!" He has been waiting for his coffee for half an hour now, and was already running out of patience with Dan - the newbie temp they just hired. He had one job in the morning, fetch coffee for Jesse. 

He wondered for the hundredth time what was taking Dan so long. Considering he had already reported late for work, yet his coffee still wasn't ready when he arrived. Jesse's head was throbbing from stress, lack of sleep and headache.

Fox stepped into Jesse's office then slid some of the paperwork on top of his table. "Sign these up, dude." He uttered mindlessly, clutching all the other documents he has on hand. "Rough night, eh?"

Not a good time to be asking questions, Fox.

Jesse was rubbing on his temples, ignoring Fox. "Dan!" He shouted, his tolerance hanging by a thread. "Where the fuck is my coffee?!" Everyone heard his shouting, the whole floor turned silent. He angrily grabbed for the papers and signed them in a flurry. "Fucking stupid temp!" He groaned.

Fox rushed towards the door after Jesse signed the paperwork. He too, didn't want to be shouted at that early in the morning.

Dan scuffled to the door, already carrying Jesse's coffee and poppy seed bagel. His hands were trembling, well aware that Jesse woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Charlie thankfully has arrived, too. She grabbed the coffee cup and paper bag containing the bagel from Dan's hand. "Get the fuck out," she whispered to Dan. "Now, idiot!"

Dan scurried back to his desk, not taking a glance at Jesse.

"Here you go," Charlie placed the food and drink on top of his table carefully.

Jesse lifted his head from his hands, relieved that his breakfast has finally arrived. He grabbed the cup and removed the sticky tape that secured the hot drink from spillage. He also removed the sleeves, letting his fingers wrap and absorb the warmth of the paper cup. He sighed and leaned on his table, finally feeling content as he took a sip of his black coffee.

"You good?" She asked, smiling at him with relief. She crossed her arms above her chest.

Charlie was cute, slender and petite. Her hair was cut into a stylish bob with very short bangs, like a very young and edgy Edith Head. She always wore black, too, from head to foot. 

He noticed that she has been flirting with him for quite a while now, with the way she stared at him, how she bats her eyelashes when they talk, the way she smiles. But Jesse wasn't open to entertaining the thought. Colleagues within the office are off-limits. There's just way too much risk for attachment. That's why he resorted to use Clix instead, so he won't have a hard time meeting and detaching himself after one-night stands. It was all about sex, anyway.

Jesse nodded to Charlie's question, then took another sip from his hot beverage. "What's up?"

"We have to go to Castello later, we have to check out this band, uh..." She trailed off, then reached for her phone from her pocket. She scrolled through, looking for something. "Oh, yeah. Lurgee, that's the name of the band."

Jesse's brows furrowed, then crossed his legs as he leaned back into his swivel chair. "What an ugly-ass name for a band," he commented, already opening the paper bag for his bagel. "Are they any good?"

"Surprisingly, yes," Charlie guaranteed. "That's why you should come later, see them for yourself."

"Are you coming with me?" He asked her, chomping a huge bite into his bagel.

"Yeah, okay," she replied as if not having a choice, shrugging her shoulders. "I'll just meet you there."

"Great," Jesse mumbled absentmindedly, scrolling through the trackpad of his MacBook as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Alright, then," Charlie uttered. Already heading towards the door. "Call me if you need me, boss." She stopped and held on to the doorframe, looked at Jesse for a second and gave him a sexy and inviting smile.

He looked back at her perfect, little ass as she walked away.

Damn.

---

   

The Castello Plan was already filled with people when they arrived. 

It was just a few minutes past eight, which was a little surprising given that it was a Wednesday.

Jesse always liked hanging out at the Castello. He loved the people, the ambience, it was chill and comfortable. It felt like a small community whenever there were gigs, or even if he was just out there for a drink. They rarely accept artists from playing, too - just the best and underrated ones. Castello was a hidden gem in New York.

"Boss!" Charlie called out to Jesse from across the floor. She was speaking with someone holding an acoustic guitar.

He walked towards them, holding his half-finished bottle of Modelo.

"Jesse, this is Benji," Charlie introduced. "He's the lead guitarist and vocalist for Lurgee."

Benji extended his hand to Jesse for a shake. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Akerman, Sir," he greeted politely. Benji looked like he was in his early-20's. Huge curly hair up in his pale and lanky frame. He also wore ridiculously thick-framed glasses, looking every bit like a college nerd. Jesse doubted for a second if their band was any good. But then, he trusts Charlie's sound vibe.

"Just call me Jesse," he took Benji's hand and gave it a firm shake. "You guys ready? Where's the rest of your gang?"

"Oh, they're just at the back getting equipments from our van," he explained, anchoring his eyeglasses to the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, then," Jesse muttered, already looking away. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

His eyes met Charlie's. She smiled and nodded at him as he turned away.

A couple of moments later, Lurgee was already at the middle of the bar.

Jesse scanned his eyes around, leaning against the brown brick walls. He finished his beer and was now indulging himself in a glass of West Cork Single Malt. He was checking to see if there's any possibility of him taking someone home after the show, his eyes darting through the crowd of young, beautiful New Yorkers.

The mic screeched through the speakers, distracting everyone and turning their attention to the band.  

"Good evening," Benji softly spoke onto the microphone. "We are Lurgee, and we hope that you enjoy our little show for tonight."

The crowd clapped together for a second, and faded slowly as smooth guitar riffs and easy bass rhythm and steady drum beats filled the entire Castello. 

The people were enjoying the performance so far. 

Lurgee started their lineup with a super chill and easy song to listen to. They had a 70's synth-pop, slowcore and ambient vibe to them. They had real potential, especially to the young hipster troupes of the East Coast.

Jesse observed the crowd, their heads bopped to the beat. Some of them even took pleasure in swaying and dancing to the rhythm. 

By the end of the chorus, the guitar, bass and the synth stopped playing. All that was left was the steady beating of the drum. The snare, bass, floor tom and the brush of the snare echoed altogether. It sounded like a heartbeat. It was almost magical, Jesse's hair stood on ends. The drumbeat lasted for about twelve seconds, then the other instruments joined in again for the verse.

The crowd coalesced and became alive. They were clearly caught up in Lurgee's musical trance.

Jesse smiled. It was always the kind of music he was looking for, something that will draw the crowd in, make them drown into the feel and vibe of the lyrics, the rhythm, the overall artistic value and musicality. He strived to look for real artists, not just a bunch of guys who just threw on their guitars, did a couple of covers in YouTube and started calling themselves a band.

People continued to move to the beat of the song.

Jesse's eyes darted across the room. 

A dark-haired girl on the other side of the floor caught his attention. She was swaying, almost worshipping, surrendering to the enchanting melody. It was as if she was trapped in her own world, caught in a binding spell. She was holding her beer bottle way up in the air, eyes closed. Her lashes looked like thick, dark curved lines from afar. Her radiant light olive skin glowed in the dim yellow lights of the Castello. She looked spectral, ethereal, like a dream.

The beating of the drum was getting faster and louder, hitting a sweet crescendo. The song smoothly transitioned to outro, and the crowd roared, cheered and applauded Lurgee's spectacular performance.

Jesse's gaze was still fixed on the girl. 

Her eyelids opened slowly, like waking up from a deep slumber. Her pink lips twitched into a big, beautiful smile as she clapped her right hand against the bottle of beer that she was holding. She turned her gaze a fraction and stared right across the other side of the floor.

Her eyes met Jesse's.

Her eyes were the bluest blues. Cool, calm and deep like the ocean.