《Twice Shy》Encounter
Advertisement
Night was swiftly falling, and Jack was in need of an outlet and wifi. He wished there were 24-hour libraries, but quickly disregarded the thought as his imagination supplied him with a cast of questionable weirdos who wouldn't respect his personal space.
He made his way to his favorite internet cafe, planning on staying until they closed. In the window, he caught his reflection. And his haggard appearance. He swallowed and avoided his eyes as he looked past to see if he had a chance at a table.
He was in luck; it was a goth crowd night. He entered the cafe and made his way to a table in the corner, giving a small wave to the woman behind the register. He set up shop at the tiny table, thankful that the goth kids tended to stick together and didn't take over every flat surface available.
The waitress came by and dropped off a drink in front of him. "Made special, just for you, Jack," she said with a wink. "No charge."
Jack grinned up at her and plugged in his laptop. "Thanks, Missy."
She eyed Jack's laptop as it loaded. "You've never been caught, right?" she asked.
"I have no idea what you mean," he replied innocently.
"Of course you don't," she said with a smirk. "Now answer the question."
"Only once," he admitted. "And that was on purpose, so it doesn't count."
Missy shook her head and left Jack to his devices.
Jack tried to give his laptop his undivided attention, but it wasn't easy as he had the distinct feeling of being watched. He thought better to ignore it. It never ended well when he confronted people staring at him. He did, however, catalogue his clothing choices for the day, wondering if he managed to stand out.
Advertisement
Scuffed black Chucks, faded jeans, a plain forest green shirt, and a black hoodie two sizes too big for him. No, he was perfectly boring aside from the pair of small heart-shaped rainbow earrings, but even those were covered by his hair reaching just past his ears. Maybe he stood out because he wasn't part of the goth brigade. Or because he was sitting alone. Did he look like some loser working on a screenplay?
He frowned at his laptop. It didn't matter. He was fine. He looked normal, and a loser working on a screenplay was normal. His scripts just happened to be more aligned with programming. He steadied his breathing and made an attempt to concentrate on said scripts. He was already behind on the coding he'd written that morning before getting thrown off by the police report. He needed to get over himself and stay focused.
He startled as the other chair at his table was pulled back and someone sat down. He glanced up and blinked owlishly at the man who sat across from him. Pale skin stood out in stark contrast next to black, lightly curled hair. He could feel his cheeks heating up and quickly ducked his head. He was too sober to deal with handsome men being so close to him.
"Hello," greeted the man.
Jack swallowed and nodded. "Um, hi?" He looked up and gave the man an uneasy smile. He almost regretted it. Pretty hazel eyes greeted him. He quickly shifted his gaze to the man's nose. Straight, pale… Just above a set of light pink lips. He dropped his eyes and stared at his keyboard. Stranger danger, screamed his mind. Keep him talking, screamed his ears.
"May I inquire as to what you're doing?" the handsome stranger asked. His accent had a lovely Irish lilt to it that had Jack's stomach squirming.
Advertisement
"Nothing important," Jack said as he pulled his laptop closer. "Nothing interesting."
The man leaned in, and Jack's eyes darted up. This time, he couldn't bring himself to look away. The man smiled at him. It was a charming smile that held promises of comfort.
"You'd be surprised at what interests me," the man said silkily.
Jack licked his lips. Something was wearing at his barriers, telling him to give up his will. Everything would be okay. He didn't actually have anything to hide. A browser extension for flagging local gruesome news stories was hardly worth the effort of lying. And if this mystery man had any sort of interest in computers or literature, then Jack would have someone to share his project with.
An instinct embedded deep within his memory stopped his hopeful thoughts.
The man was too close for comfort, and then there was the look in his eyes that said he had ulterior motives. "I have to go now," Jack said as he looked away. He quickly unplugged and closed his laptop. His heart beat too fast, and he shook as he quickly tucked his laptop in his bag.
He needed to get away. He couldn't move fast enough. At least he wasn't being stopped. That was better than being yelled at for freaking out. He glanced at the man as he stood and only saw confusion. He forced an apologetic smile as he edged away. "Sorry."
When Jack finally made it back to his studio apartment, he quickly checked that all the windows were locked and had their backup sticks securely in place. If anyone wanted to break in, they'd have to break a window.
He rubbed his arms as he looked from window to window. Everything was where it was supposed to be. His pile of computer parts was as he'd left it. His bed, a cheap mattress shoved in a corner, was covered in a couple blankets and discarded clothing from that morning. Even the empty liquor bottles still sat on his counter, arranged by color. His CD cases were exactly where he left them: carefully arranged along the floorboards, some at angles, but each in their own specific spot.
He shouldn't be this paranoid. No one was out to get him. That guy wasn't out to get him. Jack was okay. He was safe.
Before he could convince himself otherwise, he grabbed a chair and wedged it under the door handle. He tightened the window blinds before grabbing a couple beers and hurrying to his bed.
Maybe he could get a good buzz going and get some sleep before the nightmares kicked in.
Advertisement
- In Serial9 Chapters
Broadway Blue
A costume designer named Blue has been working on Broadway for years, but this show is the first one that has the magic to really make an impact on the theater world forever. The creator of the show is a smooth flirt that fills her with an unexpected passion and changes her life forever, both professionally and privately. As she embarks on this creative journey with him, she never would have expected where it would lead her. (Very loosely inspired by the production company of Hamilton on Broadway - all characters are original!)
8 65 - In Serial52 Chapters
Darkling
Clara is restarting life. Unwillingly, when her father decides to move from good old New York City to isolated Ilea.Clara is EtherealIlea is a kingdom.And 'Arcane High' is her new school.Except... that school isn't quite for humans. It has some students that are supernatural.Then comes Callum.The mystery no one has been able to solve. The boy with multiple powers yet nothing to go by. Because no one knows what he is.Callum is a DarklingBeing drawn to someone or something can be extremely dangerous. Because curiosity killed the cat. But what do they say?Satisfaction brought it back......ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDDON'T STEAL MY BOOK ISTG I'LL SUE YOU
8 207 - In Serial71 Chapters
Social Media Famous • tzukook || EDITING
#01 𝙄𝙉 𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙏𝙒𝙄𝘾𝙀#01 𝙄𝙉 𝙏𝙕𝙐𝙆𝙊𝙊𝙆#01 𝙄𝙉 𝙏𝙕𝙐𝙔𝙐Ever wondered what will happen if two childhood bestfriends were separated for good? She went to Korea and he remained home. But what will happen when in a few years when he followed her to Korea and he is now Social Media Famous? Will it all be the same again?
8 112 - In Serial38 Chapters
The Alpha is my Mate ✏️ (rewriting)
Allie Dawson is in a family that are very important to her pack. Her parents were in charge before stepping down and passing on the responsibility to her brother. One thing about her is she has always dreamed about finding her mate. Ever since she was a little girl, she's wanted to find him. When you find your mate it will be as if the whole world stops, falling in love will be inevitable and nothing could get in the way of you two. It can almost feel like a fairytale at first.Finding your mate meant finding that special someone to spend the rest of your life with. Some who will love you no matter what. In their eyes, you didn't have any flaws. At least that's what 7 year old Allie thought. Sounds a little cliché, doesn't it?Mason Wood is your typical school player. He knows the importance of having a mate but since he hasn't found his yet, what's the harm in having fun? Since his parents passed away in a tragic accident, he had to step up and take his fathers role as Alpha which gave him an immense amount of responsibility. Balancing school and leading a pack is no joke, but now having to try and find a mate to help you run the pack and be with you for the rest of your life? That can alter his life forever. ***************************On Allies 18th birthday, her friend takes her out somewhere special in hope to find her mate even though the chances are very slim. Will she find her mate on her birthday? Will she even like him? Will he be who she expects? Will it be the perfect fantasy she's always dreamed of?(Some sexual content) Currently Rewriting
8 144 - In Serial61 Chapters
[C] Putera Kayangan
"eeeey!! tengoklah kejap lagi selipar jepun kau terputus pastu kau terpeleot jatuh longkang!" - Anayra ZaaraGarang? itulah dia insan bernama Anayra Zaara. Ada saja ayatnya untuk menyumpah orang. Sudahlah menyumpah orang, mulut masin pulak. Tak ke kesian orang tu jatuh longkang?"Sayang, are you okay?" - AyanYang ni pulak, bekas buaya jadian. Semua orang dia panggil sayang. Entah siapa sayang dia pun tak tahulah. Ada saja ayat manis yang mahu diberikan kepada gadis yang menarik perhatiannya.Sorang mulut manis.Sorang mulut masin.bagus betul !"Ya Allah, kasihanlah kepada hamba-Mu yang single ini, turunkanlah Putera Kayangan dari SyurgaMu Ya Allah" - Anayra ZaaraAkibat mulut masinnya, 'putera kanyangan' nya tiba. Jatuh dari langit? tidaklah. Sebetulnya bergolek."Pura-pura jadi kekasih aku, sampai kau lupa yang kau sedang berpura-pura." - AyanTanpa berfikir panjang, Anayra Zaara menerimanya dengan hati terbuka. Sejujurnya, hatinya sudah dicuri oleh lelaki itu."Kalau one day saya cakap saya dah tak cintakan awak? Awak akan percaya jugak? bila ayat tu keluar dari mulut saya, buang kepercayaan awak kepada saya, jangan percayakan saya lagi." - AyanApa maksudnya?"Aku benci! Aku jijik!" - Ayan"Enough! Kita over!" - Anayra Zaara.Ayan tersenyum puas. Akhirnya, dia melepaskan gadis itu. Dia dah boleh bebas!Anayra membawa diri. Namun, setelah semuanya terbongkar. Dia bergegas pulang.Dia ingatkan boleh mendapatkan hati lelaki itu dengan mudah. Tapi siapa sangka. Dia mendapat lelaki itu dengan cara yang terlalu mudah!Namun semua tu hanyalah satu salah faham."aku bagi kau masa tiga hari. Fikir nak kawin dengan Anayra atau nak kena sebat 100 kali dengan aku." - Zafran AlthafApakah pilihan Ayan?×× Cerita ni akan campur-campur POV mengikut kesuaian. But apa yang saya boleh simpulkan ialah 80% Pov Heroin5% Pov Hero15% Pov 3 Enjoy 〆start: 28 September 2021end:Update: Sabtu dan Ahad.#1 in Manis#1 in Malay+ Follow for Followbac
8 97 - In Serial59 Chapters
Royal Saga 1: ATHENA, Princess of Costavia
ATHENA, Princess of CostaviaAthena's past had been haunting her for so long and it left her guilty and full of hopelessness. Just when she already gave up in life, Warren came into her life. He gave her new hope but her family didn't like him. She was upset. Because of that, she agreed to do a foolish thing just to make sure that they wouldn't separate Warren and her. But because of her hasty decision-making, she made an incorrigible mistake. That one night of magic changed her forever.
8 214