From Russia With Love (Part 5)
Summary - Modern day AU/AU. Jack is a fashion stylist and meets Ennis one night in a club.
Length - c1,200 words. Part 5 of around 7 or so...
Feedback - yes please!
Big smooches to the lovely sandscrit for the beta. I love reading your comments on the story!
Click below...
From Russia With Love
Jack is in Starbucks and has just spotted Anja, Ennis' friend and fellow model...
****
Part 5
****
Jack gulped down his large mouthful of too hot coffee and stood up quickly. “Anja!” he called.
Anja spun around and saw Jack waving at her. “Jack!” she exclaimed happily. “You wait for me?”
“Sure,” Jack nodded.
Anja collected her drink, a pink frothy thing, and moved to sit with Jack.
“What the hell is that?” Jack asked, pointing at her cup.
Anja smiled and sucked on her drink with relish. “Strawberreez and cream.”
“Does it even have any coffee in it?”
Anja shrugged and settled into the chair, crossing her long legs elegantly. “So Jack. How are you?”
“Ok.” Jack said. “You?”
“I am good. Thank you.”
“You’re here for Fashion Week, right?”
“Yes, a few of us are here,” Anja said.
“Cool. Where are you staying?”
Anja waved her hand and made a dismissive sound.“I do not know the name, some place near Times Square.”
Jack loved how she said “square.” It sounded more like ‘sk-vair’. He’d put money on Ennis having a sexy accent too-not that he could remember much. They’d hardly spoken and the music in the club had been way too loud.
“So… er… how many of your friends came too? Guy and girls?”
Anja narrowed her eyes and looked at Jack over her drink. “You mean Ennis, yes?”
Jack’s heart jumped as she said his name. “Ennis? Why do you say that?”
Anja leaned forward and put her hand on his knee. “Jack, I saw you dancing with him in Moscow. After you said you did not want to dance with me. I think everyone saw. You were not really dancing, more… ah... ” Her English failed at this point and Anja simply rolled her hips back and forth.
Oh hell, Jack wanted to hide under the sofa.
Anja looked at him through her lashes. “I also saw you are his friend on Facebook. You like him, yes?”
“I… yeah, yeah I like him. But I don’t know him, I just wondered…”
“If he is here?”
“Uh huh.”
Anja just smiled and sucked at her drink again.
Jack felt like grabbing it from her hands and dumping it all over her perfect, shiny head. “Anja!”
“Ok, ok.” She waved her hand again and sighed, “yes, he is here.”
Jack inhaled sharply. Ennis. Here in New York. He really, really hoped Ennis wanted to meet up again. “Do you have his number?”
“Yes.”
“Can I have it?”
“No.”
“What?”
Anja shook her head. “I cannot. He is very private person. It is not my number to give.”
“But… fuck… shit… ok, here, can you give him mine?” Jack hastily grabbed a pen from his backpack and scribbled his number on a napkin. “You can do that, can’t you?”
Anja took the crumpled napkin between finger and thumb and looked at it suspiciously. “Yes I can do that.”
“Thank you.” Jack relaxed in relief.
Anja carefully folded the napkin into her leather hobo bag and stood up. “I must go, Jack. I have work soon.”
“Sure.” Jack stood up too and reached his arms out to give her a hug.
Anja responded cautiously and patted his back. “We all go to a club tomorrow night, maybe.” She said. “You would like to come too?”
Jack smiled and squeezed Anja so tight that she squeaked. “Tomorrow? Yeah, I’d like that. A lot.”
“I will send you the address.”
“Great.”
Anja gave him a quick wave and disappeared out of the coffee shop and into the crowds.
Jack’s heart felt so much lighter than it had an hour ago. He grabbed his cell phone and checked that it had a good signal - and enough battery. Of course Ennis wouldn’t be getting in touch yet, but he had to make sure he was prepared. His computer had already let him down and he wouldn’t put it past his shitty old cell phone to die on him as well. An idea formed in his mind. He gulped down the rest of his coffee and left quickly, heading towards the Apple store on West 14th Street. He should have done this ages ago. It was time to get a new phone - one with internet access - and Facebook.
****
After a while all clubs looked the same. New York, Paris, Moscow. Once the lights go down, the drink starts flowing and the music gets pumping, you really could be anywhere in the world. Jack paid the cover charge and pushed his way through the crowd of sweaty bodies to squeeze himself into a spot by the bar. He ran his hands quickly across his ass to check that his new iPhone was still in the pocket - not that he was too worried, the jeans he had on were like a second skin and nothing could get extracted without some serious rummaging. He checked his reflection in the mirror behind the bar, fearing he may have gone overboard with the hair gel, but his dark hair looked spiked to perfection and he was happy that he looked good. He just hoped he looked good enough.
Jack had arranged to meet Anja at the bar at 11pm. She had a reputation for being late, so Jack hadn’t turned up until 11:30pm. No point in hanging around like a spare part. He swept his eyes over the crowd but didn’t see anyone he knew.
He had just caught the attention of the bartender when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around quickly to see Anja looking ravishing, her slim body poured into a glittering black tube dress.
“Jack!” She exclaimed and did the European thing where she kissed him on both cheeks. “You are late.”
Jack’s eyes darted around behind her as she greeted him, hoping to see a certain dark eyed blond. But nothing. “Anja. You look ravishing, as always.”
Anja ran a finger down his cheek, probably rubbing off some of her lipgloss. “You too, Jack. Why are you not a model? You are so beautiful.”
Jack laughed and turned back to where the bartender was waiting. “Can I get you a drink?” He asked her.
“No.” Anja shook her head, leaning in so she could be heard over the music. “I have one. Over there.” She gestured across the room. “Come. We have champagne for everyone. There is someone who wants to see you.”
Jack felt his stomach lurch. He dismissed the bartender with a nod and followed Anja across the room to a seating area. There were several people lounging around on black vinyl sofas, drinking, posing and talking. A couple of the models waved at him as Anja grabbed a glass of champagne and thrust it into Jack’s hands. Jack took a distracted sip, his eyes roaming the faces, hoping, wanting.
“Where is he?” Anja spun around, clearly puzzled. She said something in Russian to one of the other girls, who pointed a finger in the direction of the bathrooms.
Anja replied and the two girls had a brief conversation, giggling over something. Jack felt awkward and shifted from foot to foot as he drank his champagne, trying to ignore the urge to look over his shoulder every five seconds.
Anja’s eyes flicked back to him and she smiled, a split second before he felt another hand on his shoulder. A firm heavy hand.
Jack spun around and found himself an inch away from the man he had been dreaming about for weeks.
Ennis.
****
Length - c1,200 words. Part 5 of around 7 or so...
Feedback - yes please!
Big smooches to the lovely sandscrit for the beta. I love reading your comments on the story!
Click below...
From Russia With Love
Jack is in Starbucks and has just spotted Anja, Ennis' friend and fellow model...
****
Part 5
****
Jack gulped down his large mouthful of too hot coffee and stood up quickly. “Anja!” he called.
Anja spun around and saw Jack waving at her. “Jack!” she exclaimed happily. “You wait for me?”
“Sure,” Jack nodded.
Anja collected her drink, a pink frothy thing, and moved to sit with Jack.
“What the hell is that?” Jack asked, pointing at her cup.
Anja smiled and sucked on her drink with relish. “Strawberreez and cream.”
“Does it even have any coffee in it?”
Anja shrugged and settled into the chair, crossing her long legs elegantly. “So Jack. How are you?”
“Ok.” Jack said. “You?”
“I am good. Thank you.”
“You’re here for Fashion Week, right?”
“Yes, a few of us are here,” Anja said.
“Cool. Where are you staying?”
Anja waved her hand and made a dismissive sound.“I do not know the name, some place near Times Square.”
Jack loved how she said “square.” It sounded more like ‘sk-vair’. He’d put money on Ennis having a sexy accent too-not that he could remember much. They’d hardly spoken and the music in the club had been way too loud.
“So… er… how many of your friends came too? Guy and girls?”
Anja narrowed her eyes and looked at Jack over her drink. “You mean Ennis, yes?”
Jack’s heart jumped as she said his name. “Ennis? Why do you say that?”
Anja leaned forward and put her hand on his knee. “Jack, I saw you dancing with him in Moscow. After you said you did not want to dance with me. I think everyone saw. You were not really dancing, more… ah... ” Her English failed at this point and Anja simply rolled her hips back and forth.
Oh hell, Jack wanted to hide under the sofa.
Anja looked at him through her lashes. “I also saw you are his friend on Facebook. You like him, yes?”
“I… yeah, yeah I like him. But I don’t know him, I just wondered…”
“If he is here?”
“Uh huh.”
Anja just smiled and sucked at her drink again.
Jack felt like grabbing it from her hands and dumping it all over her perfect, shiny head. “Anja!”
“Ok, ok.” She waved her hand again and sighed, “yes, he is here.”
Jack inhaled sharply. Ennis. Here in New York. He really, really hoped Ennis wanted to meet up again. “Do you have his number?”
“Yes.”
“Can I have it?”
“No.”
“What?”
Anja shook her head. “I cannot. He is very private person. It is not my number to give.”
“But… fuck… shit… ok, here, can you give him mine?” Jack hastily grabbed a pen from his backpack and scribbled his number on a napkin. “You can do that, can’t you?”
Anja took the crumpled napkin between finger and thumb and looked at it suspiciously. “Yes I can do that.”
“Thank you.” Jack relaxed in relief.
Anja carefully folded the napkin into her leather hobo bag and stood up. “I must go, Jack. I have work soon.”
“Sure.” Jack stood up too and reached his arms out to give her a hug.
Anja responded cautiously and patted his back. “We all go to a club tomorrow night, maybe.” She said. “You would like to come too?”
Jack smiled and squeezed Anja so tight that she squeaked. “Tomorrow? Yeah, I’d like that. A lot.”
“I will send you the address.”
“Great.”
Anja gave him a quick wave and disappeared out of the coffee shop and into the crowds.
Jack’s heart felt so much lighter than it had an hour ago. He grabbed his cell phone and checked that it had a good signal - and enough battery. Of course Ennis wouldn’t be getting in touch yet, but he had to make sure he was prepared. His computer had already let him down and he wouldn’t put it past his shitty old cell phone to die on him as well. An idea formed in his mind. He gulped down the rest of his coffee and left quickly, heading towards the Apple store on West 14th Street. He should have done this ages ago. It was time to get a new phone - one with internet access - and Facebook.
****
After a while all clubs looked the same. New York, Paris, Moscow. Once the lights go down, the drink starts flowing and the music gets pumping, you really could be anywhere in the world. Jack paid the cover charge and pushed his way through the crowd of sweaty bodies to squeeze himself into a spot by the bar. He ran his hands quickly across his ass to check that his new iPhone was still in the pocket - not that he was too worried, the jeans he had on were like a second skin and nothing could get extracted without some serious rummaging. He checked his reflection in the mirror behind the bar, fearing he may have gone overboard with the hair gel, but his dark hair looked spiked to perfection and he was happy that he looked good. He just hoped he looked good enough.
Jack had arranged to meet Anja at the bar at 11pm. She had a reputation for being late, so Jack hadn’t turned up until 11:30pm. No point in hanging around like a spare part. He swept his eyes over the crowd but didn’t see anyone he knew.
He had just caught the attention of the bartender when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around quickly to see Anja looking ravishing, her slim body poured into a glittering black tube dress.
“Jack!” She exclaimed and did the European thing where she kissed him on both cheeks. “You are late.”
Jack’s eyes darted around behind her as she greeted him, hoping to see a certain dark eyed blond. But nothing. “Anja. You look ravishing, as always.”
Anja ran a finger down his cheek, probably rubbing off some of her lipgloss. “You too, Jack. Why are you not a model? You are so beautiful.”
Jack laughed and turned back to where the bartender was waiting. “Can I get you a drink?” He asked her.
“No.” Anja shook her head, leaning in so she could be heard over the music. “I have one. Over there.” She gestured across the room. “Come. We have champagne for everyone. There is someone who wants to see you.”
Jack felt his stomach lurch. He dismissed the bartender with a nod and followed Anja across the room to a seating area. There were several people lounging around on black vinyl sofas, drinking, posing and talking. A couple of the models waved at him as Anja grabbed a glass of champagne and thrust it into Jack’s hands. Jack took a distracted sip, his eyes roaming the faces, hoping, wanting.
“Where is he?” Anja spun around, clearly puzzled. She said something in Russian to one of the other girls, who pointed a finger in the direction of the bathrooms.
Anja replied and the two girls had a brief conversation, giggling over something. Jack felt awkward and shifted from foot to foot as he drank his champagne, trying to ignore the urge to look over his shoulder every five seconds.
Anja’s eyes flicked back to him and she smiled, a split second before he felt another hand on his shoulder. A firm heavy hand.
Jack spun around and found himself an inch away from the man he had been dreaming about for weeks.
Ennis.
****