“Wow Jasper, that true? You followin’ my coworkers now?” Sharon seemed amused at the idea, stopping the process of making both drinks just to comically place her hands on her hips as she raised a brow at him.

“...This again? Look, stop pointing that thing at me. It’s a small world, don’t you think that maybe us being at the same place a couple of times might be a coincidence?”

“Come on! The train, the karaoke bar, and now here?!”

“I had to take the train to get to the karaoke bar, the same as you.”

“Yeah?! And here?!”

“Another coincidence. I came here to visit my old bandmate. Apparently she just so happens to be your coworker. Lucky me.” He replied sarcastically, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Howdy.” Sharon flashed a peace sign before going back to finishing up the two drinks.

“Wait… bandmate?” Amelia blinked, and finally the gears started to turn. She lowered her hand to her side, merely fidgeting with the pepper spray at that point, clicking it on and then off again.

“So… You really do sing, then?” That would explain his odd appearance at the Karaoke Bar then… She and Ian had assumed he wasn’t the musical type, but all of that was merely guessed at face value.

“Oh no, no, no.” Sharon grinned. “I’m the singer here, ol’ Jasper was just my drummer back in the day. I was supposed to meet with him yesterday at the bar, buuut some things came up, and, well…”

“Exactly. I was waiting for her to show up. I got a couple coffees to try and keep myself awake waiting, but it was getting ridiculous, so when your boyfriend offered me twenty dollars to leave, I took it and told Sharon here not to bother.”

“So basically, you wouldn’t have gotten that twenty dollars if I had shown up, so, in the end, it was worth it.”

Jasper shot an unamused look her way that single handedly confirmed it was indeed not worth it.

“...Wait. Wait, wait, wait, back up– Ian gave you money to leave?” Was that really true? If it was, then… Amelia didn’t know how to feel about it. Was he just trying to save face so he could get out of the situation looking like the tough guy who scared off her supposed stalker? It gave Amelia an odd feeling in her gut. Why would he lie to her about it?

“Yup. A whole twenty dollars. He said I’d ‘really be helping him out’ if I left. So I took the cash and bailed. It wasn't like I was planning to stay much longer anyway. I had a feeling Sharon wouldn’t show up.” Jasper’s frustrated, pointed gaze was aimed at his old bandmate again, earning a quick laugh from her.

“Come on, when do things ever go as planned?” Sharon placed the two drinks on the counter, pushing them out for both Amelia and Eirine to retrieve.

“With you? Never.” Jasper added.

“It looks like it was all just a misunderstanding after all.” Eirine, who’d been quiet up to this point finally interjected rather calmly before taking a sip of her coffee.

“...I see…. That’s embarrassing. I’m really sorry to have disturbed you. I guess I really do tend to be on the more paranoid side.” Amelia bowed her head shamefully, her cheeks flushing red realizing just how big a fool she’d made of herself. 

With a sigh, Jasper shook his head.

“It’s fine. Like I said, I was already planning on leaving.”

So he said, but Amelia couldn’t help but feel guilty. It must have been annoying, as well as anxiety-inducing to be accused of something like this in public, not just once, but now twice. She should have thought it through more before jumping on her fear driven ideas.

“How about I buy you a coffee for the trouble? Just plain black, yeah?” She insisted. 

Jasper shifted his weight against the counter, leaning his back fully against it as he raised an amused brow at Amelia.

“You’re already familiar with my order? Which one of us was accused of being the stalker again?”

“I-I only remember because Ian and I were talking about it! We thought it was really weird, I mean, what kind of person just orders plain black coffee?” Amelia stumbled over her words, defensively waving about her hands.

“So now you’re making fun of me too.” Jasper hummed, not even trying to hold back his smirk at that point.

“I’m not trying to make fun of you! I just– it is weird, isn’t it?!” Amelia turned swiftly to the others for support, to which Sharon was quick to back her up.

“Black coffee is something you make at home, bud, not something you go to a karaoke bar for.” She teased him.

“Who’s fault is that? Waiting for you put me to sleep.” Jasper snorted.

Eirine watched on, appearing far less amused than the other three. With crossed arms, she merely faded into the background.

“I’m serious, though, I really do want to make it up to you. Can I please buy you a coffee, or something?” Amelia persisted, her thin brows furrowed with concern– Sharon, however, looked as entertained as ever, holding her face in her hands with her elbows balanced against the counter.

“You cooould… take him out on a date.” 

Both Amelia and Jasper, as well as Eirine, were all so stunned they didn’t even have time to process the obvious joke.

“Sharon…!” Amelia blurted out, flustered at the suggestion.

“Relax, all of you! It was a joke?” Sharon emphasized, raising her hands in the kind of way that silently said ‘What the hell, guys?’

“To be honest…” Jasper spoke up once he’d gotten his bearings back, flashing a surprisingly charming smirk that made her heart skip a beat. “That doesn’t sound so bad to me.” 

“I-I have a boyfriend! You’ve all met him, remember?! Ian?! Amelia couldn’t believe that this topic was even being had– even as a joke it was going too far!

“I did not tell Jasper to say that.” Sharon added, but Amelia was in no joking mood now. 

“I’m… I’m sorry, In that case… I think we’re just gonna go. Thank you though… for clearing everything up.” Amelia gave a nervous wave of her hand before urging for Eirine to follow as she made way for the cafe's exit.

Today was about having fun and relieving stress, and it was supposed to be a girls day with Eirine. Amelia had no intention of running into that guy again today. However… to her surprise, she was glad that they had crossed paths with him after all. Amelia could rest easy now, knowing her supposed stalker was actually just an old bandmate and friend of Sharon’s. If anyone had a good read on people and no tolerance for lies and bull, it would be Sharon… so a friend of hers was someone Amelia could give at least a shred of credit. Besides, his explanation made sense and checked out. She didn’t know that she could buy the whole stalker thing anymore, especially after having spoken with him. She understood now that her original assumption of this Jasper character was an unfair one.

“Thank you for the coffee.” Eirine uttered her gratitude to Sharon before quickly making a bee-line to follow on after Amelia. The door shut behind the both of them, leaving an amused Sharon to turn her full attention to Jasper, who seemed to eye the door with a raised brow. 

“Well my oh my… that last little comment sure seemed a bit out of character for you, Jasp.” Sharon couldn’t refrain from laughing, having seen her friend in such an unfamiliar light.

“...It’s a little much to explain now, and it’s in my best interest to keep it confidential… for now. Unfortunately, you and your nosey nature will just have to wait a while.” Jasper let loose a sigh. “I’ll take that black coffee now. I’m more tired than I thought I’d be.”

“Ah, so it’s a part of your work after all. That explains the stalker bit. I’m guessing that interaction just now was no coincidence then?” Now this piqued Sharon’s interest. Though she moved to brew the simple drink, Jasper and his interesting tale still held her undivided attention. “So… Is it Ian or Miss Amelia who’s your main subject?” 

“I’ll reiterate– I shouldn’t say. Your involvement could only make things more difficult. I’ve already said more than I should on the matter.” Jasper always followed a strict set of rules, a code of conduct, really, to manage his work, and Sharon was no exception to those rules, just because she was a friend. With her loud mouth, getting her involved in a case regarding her very own coworker would turn into one hell of a chaotic mess. In the event that such a thing were to happen, Jasper’s job as a private investigator would be as good as over.