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sparkleplumbobs · 3 years ago

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“So, what brings you to Saffron Bay?” the taxi driver asked pleasantly, a sunny smile illuminating her face. Lila Overstreet gazed out of the dingy cab window at the view before her; crystal blue waters and skyscrapers as far as the eye could see, with a picturesque, mountainous backdrop in the distance. Saffron Bay.

She was so infatuated by her surroundings that she almost missed the driver’s question altogether. “Oh. Just looking for a fresh start, I guess,” she replied plainly. If the woman only knew what it took for Lila to get here…

This isn’t as bad as it looked online. It’s worse, much worse, she decided as she stepped into the modest 2 bedroom home.

The gaudy blue wallpaper was faded and peeling, the wooden floors were creaky & probably older than her, and worst of all, the place reeked of mothballs. But it would have to do. On the listing site, it had been advertised as “fully furnished,” which would have made it a steal for just over 16,000 simoleons! But fully certainly wasn’t the word. More like ‘sparsely furnished’, as the only things in the place besides the appliances were a double bed and a cheap bookcase. But as always, Lila was determined to make do. When I make it big, none of this’ll matter anyway, she reasoned, referring to her lofty goals of becoming a professional singer. For now, the only thing on her mind was lunch, since she hadn’t had a single nibble since she’d gotten on the train.

Realizing that her fridge was virtually empty, she wondered if she could ask the neighbors to lend her a few eggs. Scrambled eggs would do just fine until she was able to actually go grocery shopping. She strutted directly across the way to a house that looked nearly identical to hers. In front of it stood two young women that looked friendly enough.

“Hi, I’m Lila,” she said, waving politely. “New to town, just moved in right across the street.” She gestured behind her to her tiny green house. The first girl extended a perfectly manicured hand, and introduced herself as Shay. The second announced that her name was Jamila. “Wow, such pretty names!” Lila enthused. “Thanks! Yours too.” Jamila seemed especially nice, and Lila could tell from their brief exchange that they’d become fast friends. Shay was a bit more reserved, but Lila figured she just needed some time to warm up.

Eventually, Lila got so caught up in their small talk that she’d forgotten her quest for eggs. That was until her stomach let thunderous grumble. “Jeez. Sorry about that, I’m just starving!” She admitted sheepishly. “Do you mind if I borrow some eggs?” By then, Shay had excused herself and disappeared into the house, and Jamila was the only one left outside. She let out a snicker before answering. “That’s a little unusual. Don’t you think? I mean did you not go shopping at all beforehand?” Jamila asked, with an arrogance that Lila didn’t appreciate.

Lila could feel her temper rising and her face burned red hot. But instead of lashing out, she put her hands up calmly. “Well look, if it’s too much of an ask, forget I said anything,” she responded defensively. Clearly, she’d misjudged Jamila. That’s what she got for trusting people a little too easily. But she’d learned her lesson the hard way, and vowed to not make the same mistake twice.

“So, where do you work?” She hoped changing the subject could redirect the conversation for the better. “I’m actually working down at the Film Studio. I’ve got my first gig as an extra in this new series—starting on Monday morning!” Jamila beamed with pride and for some reason Lila felt annoyed.

“Well, that’s great!” She exclaimed in a voice that she hoped would conceal her annoyance. “I plan to be a star someday too, but I’m more into the music side of things. I’m gonna be a singer.” Jamila offered a cheesy grin. “Well, would you look at that! Both of us, a couple of divas, looking for our way into show biz! I think we actually have a lot in common, Lila.” Who is she calling a diva? Lila thought indignantly. Nevermind the fact that she actually was one. It certainly wasn’t Jamila’s place to label her as such. They chatted a bit longer but Lila had already categorized Jamila as more of a frenemy than a true friend.

Bored with Jamila and her self-absorbed conversation, she tried cracking Shay’s rough exterior. “Hey Shay,” she said, joining her on the comfy blue couch. “What ya watchin?” “Just some reality show. You know the ones where the girls model, then get eliminated each week for posing incorrectly or smiling too hard in their photos,” Shay answered without much emotion. Almost immediately, Jamila joins them and plops down right between them. “I think shows like these are so ridiculous. For one, it takes a lot more than just a pretty face to make it far in the industry! I mean, look at me. If that were the case, I’d be a lot farther in my own career by now!” She sure is full of herself, Lila thought amusedly.

But despite Jamila’s overzealous ways and somewhat off-putting remarks, there was still something worth liking about her. Maybe she wouldn’t be Lila’s best friend, but she sure could teach her a lot about getting ahead & the keys to stardom. Or so it seemed, anyway.

After a half hour more of conversation, Lila discovered that Shay was a self-employed writer. She imagined that this explained some of her introverted tendencies, as most of the writers she knew tended to be on the quieter side. As entertained as Lila was though, bouncing back and forth between boisterous conversation with Jamila and bland exchanges with Shay, she just couldn’t handle the hunger anymore. So, she decided to venture out to a local coffeeshop, alone, to get a bite to eat and maybe meet some more of the locals.

The coffeeshop, dubbed the Artist’s Retreat, was a hidden gem that Lila had been lucky to stumble upon. It looked like the place where hipster bookworms came to congregate, as they enjoyed overpriced pastries and the indie music that pulsated through the speakers. It wasn’t really Lila’s scene, but with only a few hundred simoleons left, she sure wasn’t paying for a cab ride to another cafe.

As soon as she walked in, she locked eyes with the barista. He was cute, with a fresh haircut and big, friendly brown eyes. “Welcome in,” he said with a large grin plastered across his face. Nice smile too, she noted. “What can I get you?” Lila scanned the massive menu, then almost instantly became overwhelmed by all the options. “I have no clue to be honest…what’s good?” she asked helplessly.

The barista came around to the other side of the counter and bent down to wipe off the glass display case. “Full disclosure? Nothing,” he chuckled. “But,” he continued, standing straight up once he’d finished, “for the sake of being helpful, I’ll recommend the Daily Special: a cheese danish.” He jabbed a thumb towards a sign with a picture of a huge cheese danish plastered across it. He recited the daily special robotically, which got a laugh out of Lila.

“Gosh, could you be anymore enthusiastic?” She joked sarcastically. Then he smiled. “Sorry, I’m a bit of cynic. But I’ll get that danish for you right away. Oh and I’m Hiram,” he announced with a sparkle in his eye. Lila extended her hand to return his handshake and noticed that his hands were incredibly smooth. “Lila. I’m new to the city,” she announced.

Hiram seemed friendlier than anyone else she’d met so far, so maybe he could show her around. “Maybe we can go out some time, and sight see, if you’re down for that,” he offered, as if reading her mind. They chatted for a while, with him eventually bringing out the cheese danish for her to nibble on. She tried to pay for it but he’d insisted that it was on the house, “The least I can do, since you probably won’t like it anyway,” he’d jokingly replied. It wasn’t the freshest pastry, but Lila was starving so she devoured it in 3 bites.

She learned that Hiram was in med school, and had aspirations of becoming a surgeon someday. Talking about medicine seemed to really excite him! Then again, most topics seemed to have that affect on him.

“I wanna be a singer. That’s why I came here, for a chance at getting signed to a label,” she explained. “That’s real cool! I hope it works out for you,” Hiram said with another genuine smile.

At some point during their discussion, Lila noticed Jamila and Shay walk in. Here we go, she thought as Jamila stopped mid-stride to stare at her and Hiram. She watched shamelessly for a few seconds before finally rounding the corner, which put Lila at ease.

Eventually, Hiram had to get back to work, so Lila had no choice but to join Jamila and Shay in their corner of the coffeeshop. She didn’t really want to, but she also didn’t wanna seem too stuck up to say hi. She began her stride towards the duo, then stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed a third person.

A man, to be exact. He was dressed nicely, with a gold chain—that probably cost more than Lila’s entire outfit—hanging from his neck. And he was good-looking too, with a perfectly full beard that Lila couldn’t help but drool over. Lila found it odd that he was talking to Shay, who seemed averse to conversation, but she used the opportunity to introduce herself.

“Hey Shay,” Lila greeted her, donning a big smile. “Funny seeing you here.” “Yeah, I actually hang out here pretty often, it’s a nice spot for me to get some writing done. And I convinced Jamila to tag along with me,” she explained, gesturing towards Jamila, who’d hopped on a computer behind her. The mystery man stood there, intrigued by the exchange, but remaining silent. Lila could feel his eyes exploring her body and was glad that she dressed cute today. “Nice!” Her enthusiasm was far from authentic, but she didn’t care if Shay could tell. She just wanted her to introduce her to the hot guy standing next to them. “So, you two know each other?” the man asked, staring directly at Lila. It came out as more of a statement than a question. Lila held his gaze for a few seconds and something about the direct eye contact made her stomach flutter. “Oh. Yeah,” Shay responded as an afterthought. “This is my new neighbor, Lila. Lila, this is Julius. You might’ve heard of him. He’s a singer, too actually. I’m writing a piece on his group.” That explained the conversation between the two of them. And it also explained Julius’s flashy appearance. He must be pretty successful already, Lila figured. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Julius said, in a way that made Lila weak in the knees. He stepped closer to her, pushing Shay to the outskirts of the semi-circle they’d formed.

Lila batted her lashes and replied, “The pleasure’s all mine.” It was cheesy, but based on Julius’s smile, her flirty response did the trick. “So, what kind of singer are you?” Julius asked. His voice was naturally seductive, and Lila found it hard to focus on the words coming out of his mouth. “A good one.” She was confident in her abilities, and wasn’t shy about showing it. “Oh yeah?” he replied, licking his lips, before they curled into a smile. “What label are you signed to?” Lila felt a dip in her confidence, and suddenly her throat went a little dry.

“None yet,” she explained in a breezy tone. “But I have a meeting with one tomorrow. Pacific Records.” Julius nodded approvingly. “Pacific’s no joke. You better have a nice demo. Competition’s real tough, especially around here.” Lila tried focusing on Julius’s advice, which was actually valuable. But the rest of his words were drowned out, because it was at this point that she noticed Jamila listening in on their conversation. She was seated at a computer and even pecking at the keys aggressively, as if she was working hard at something. But her screen was completely black. Lila decided it would be fun to play along.

“Wow, you’re so knowledgeable about the industry. I bet there’s soo much you could teach me,” she purred seductively. She widened her brown eyes, and batted her full lashes flirtatiously. Julius, taking the bait, leaned in even closer than he already was and gently stroked her arm. “Hey, if you need anything. Anything at all, I’m your guy,” he said in a husky tone. He was close enough for Lila to feel the warmth of his breath, which sent a tingle up her spine. She glanced at the black computer screen and saw Jamila’s annoyed scowl in the reflection. Then she decided to take it a step further.

“I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer. Maybe we could have a more private discussion over drinks sometime. You seem like you know how to have a good time,” she whispered, low enough to make the suggestion seem intimate but still loud enough for Jamila to hear. Julius flirted right back, with ease. He was clearly enjoying the banter between them and Lila figured he was just flirtatious by nature. That made him even harder to resist.

They continued on like this for some time, the conversation gradually becoming steamier until Jamila stormed off around the corner, having become too annoyed to eavesdrop any longer.

Lila suspected that Jamila convinced Shay to suggest a game of dominoes, just to break up the conversation between her and Julius. Which worked of course, as the foursome sat down at the table to settle into the game.

Lila, who’d never really learned to play dominoes, spent some time watching—mostly Julius—before she got up out of boredom. As fun as it was to watch his face contort in concentration, she knew it was getting late and she needed to get home to practice her vocals. Just in case they wanna hear me sing live, I need to be completely ready. So, reluctantly, she left Artist’s Retreat and headed home. On her way out, she said bye to everyone and even managed to snag Julius’s number. “Call me and let me know how tomorrow goes,” he said with a wink.

#ts3 #ts3 legacy #lila overstreet #overstreet legacy

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