Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover (part 8)
Mmmmf. My head. Shit! I’ve fucking overslept! What the fuck is the time?! Shit, it’s already 11:45. God what time did we get back last night?
I jumped up from the bed and grabbed my clothes that were scattered on the floor from the night before as Jenna started to stir. I took a moment to look over to her and she gave off a little moan. She looked so peaceful and angelic I couldn’t help but smile a little while her long brown hair trailed over her face, something that I had not seen before. Every time I see this woman I see a secret and a different side of her....
“Not running out on me are ya?” she mumbled with her eyes still shut.
I chuckled while buttoning up my belt. “I would never do that Jen. I’ve got a very important meeting in....15minutes remember? I am sorry I have to rush off though”, I said as I pulled a face. One that Jenna couldn’t see....or so I thought until she mirrored it. “Erm, thanks for last night by the way, I really needed that”, I said with a shy smile.
“Anytime Soph”, she mumbled with a smile. I have a final smile back before I span around and left.
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Okay is this the right one? Cafe Nero.
I panted as I looked outside the front and up at the sign. Cafe Nerd? What the....ooh it’s an O. Cafe Nerooooo. Okay, calm down, catch your breath.
I was desperately trying to calm myself as I brushed my clothes and hair down because they were still very messy and I didn’t have time to do anything with them. I had a quick glance at my phone and it read 12:17. Fuck. Ah well, better late than never.
I opened the door slowly and cautiously as I peered in, like a child who was entering a “Keep Out” door. I swallowed a little so I didn’t dribble by mistake at any point. I looked around carefully and my eyes laid upon every person within the room; a cute couple who were smiling at each other lovingly, three women who had just popped in for a quick refreshment and gossip from their long morning of shopping , what seemed like a teenage daughter and her mother talking away about her future and an elderly woman who was looking outside the window intensively, doing a bit of people watching.
That must be her....I thought triumphantly. I tried catching her eye when I walked over to her. “E-excuse me?” She turned to look at me with a confused look on her face but with a welcome smile. “Hi, I’m Sophie Webster. Are you here about my writing?” I smiled warmingly.
“I’m very sorry dear but I think you’ve got the wrong person”, she kindly replied.
I recoiled absent-mindedly as my facial expressions and pride deflated. “S-sorry.” I pulled my head around and scanned the room again, desperately searching for someone who looked remotely intelligent and professional enough to be involved with sophisticated writing. I bit my lip as the worst emerged in my head; the fact that I could have missed them completely. Just then, I saw someone who was holding a book in the very corner of the cafe where it was slightly more mysterious and hidden compared with the front where every inch was covered with the beaming light shining through the clear, well kept windows. I made my way over slowly, being cautious again, not wanting to make the same mistake before and looking like a prat in front of another person. The book slowly came down as the owner looked at their watch with what looked like a clearly frustrated expression while giving off a sigh to confirm it. My eyes adjusted to the light surrounding this person and the face came into full vision. I stopped dead in my tracks like a poor defenceless animal that had been caught in headlights. She looked right up at me and said, “Sophie Webster”, with a smile crawling on her face.
“Ss-Sian”, the slim blond raised her eye brows....FUCK....and continued to look up at me while crossing her arms. For some reason she seemed to enjoy this. Before long, she raised herself up from her chair and held out her hand for me to shake.
“Sian Powers, lovely to meet you. At last”, she added.
I continued to walk slowly towards her and couldn’t help but come out with, “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me?!”
“I beg your pardon”, she frowned.
“Out of all the people in the world it just had to be you to be “interested” in my writing.”
“I’m sorry, does there seem to be a problem?” she questioned unusually calm and casually.
“A problem? No, no not at all. Apart from the fact that you are the person that I completely dislike....”
“Excuse me, what exactly have I done for you to suddenly decide that you dislike me for no apparent reason?” she interrupted.
“You were extremely rude to me on the bus when I was trying to be friendly. You floored me at jujitsu and were really smug about it. You were rude to me on the bus the day after....”As I was stating everything that had annoyed me since the day I set eyes on this girl, I was using my fingers to count, just to emphasis my point.
“Well I’ll let you in a little secret....”, she started as she folded her arms together again and the devilish smile had now vanished from her face as it turned sour. “I find it extremely rude that someone stares at you constantly when it clearly makes them feel uncomfortable. I was not being rude. And as for flooring you....well....that was purely for fun and had nothing to do with you and I, it was simply the rules of the class and if you couldn’t take the heat there’s no point in even going”, she said rather smug.
I simply crossed my arms as well and shook my head slightly as our bodies mirrored each other now.
“I am not here for you or for me or for our personal lives outside of this meeting. I am here as a professional and you should act the same way too Miss Webster”, she said as her expressions softened but still kept a stern voice on her. I averted my eyes from her and placed them on the floor. “Look, we can continue with this meeting and be professional adults or you could let your pride take over and ruin a great opportunity for yourself here. One which you would not get again I might add”, she continued, keeping the stern voice to her, raising her eyes to prove that she knew she was right and I had no other option. She had pushed me into the corner and I had nowhere to go but forwards and towards her....
I reluctantly pulled out the chair and slumped down in it, still avoiding looking at her face while biting my lip in annoyance.
Sian cleared her throat and as I looked up I could see that she had a devilish grin on her face. I frowned and shook my head slightly and slowly again but she didn’t see while she was gathering pieces of paper together. “Right, I was very intrigued by your writing, Miss Webster.”
Spare me the bullshit.
“You were very descriptive which made me really visualise what you were trying to get across to your readers....”
I watched her every move; the way she used her hands to express how she was feeling, her facial expressions and the way how she would frown ever so slightly then soften up and a smile would develop and that smile would just grow and she would look back up at me, staring at her. Our eyes would meet and I would feel connected with her, I could feel her passion, something that I had never experienced with anyone else before. I couldn’t connect with anyone, no one stayed around long enough....even though it had only been a few minutes.
There was certainly something about this girl that was so captivating. I wanted to know everything about her. She interested me deeply but at the same time repulsed me. I would occasionally find myself looking at her in great detail, like I was analysing her, with my head rested on my arm and then remembered who she was....
When I talked, she seemed to do the exact same thing. She did nothing but look at me, giving me her full attention, clinging onto every word. This is all that happened all afternoon repeatedly. It was like a vicious cycle....
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“So....with your permission, I am going to take this to my people, promote it and “sell” it to them myself and get their backing for this story”, Sian proposed, looking rather pleased with herself. I had no idea how these things work but because everyone was saying it was such a great opportunity I couldn’t exactly turn it down.
“Sure!” I replied willingly. Another smile developed on Sian’s face, a smile of accomplishment and one that looked differently to all those other smiles that I had experienced before.
She stood up as did I and she held out her hand greatly for me to shake it. A smile formed on my face as well; her smile was contagious.
“Okay! Well I’ll get your number so I can contact you and obviously keep you updated with everything”, she explained while grabbing some spare paper from her bag.
“Sure!” I repeated, still excited from the “deal” that I had just made. “You’ll be able to get me on this number any time. If not then I’m probably dead”, I tried joking.
“Well that’s what I thought happened earlier....” she said looking at me from the corner of her eye. I paused and looked at her for a few seconds confused.
“Ooh yea, I didn’t actually apologise for being late this morning. Sorry”, I said sheepishly.
“Don’t let it happen again Webster”, she quickly replied rather seriously, looking down at the paper. “Unlike many publishers, I am very laid back and take my time with things. Many other publishers would have more far important appointments as well but luckily for you, I am a small time publisher.”I held my head down in slight shame. After a lovely afternoon talking and finally communicating in a sophisticated, adult manor and after she has finally got me starting to trust her and on her side she has to go and knock me back down while I was off guard. “Luckily for you....I knew what you were doing last night....” My head shot up and the smile that I had plastered all over my face moments before completely contrasted itself for now I had a massive frown for replacement. “I saw you at that club last night, looking pret-ty plastered”, she said looking up slightly recalling the memories from last night. “Unlike you, Webster, I know how to handle myself and stay in control for when I’ve got a very important meeting the very next day. You’re just very lucky that you’ve got good friends who take care of you. Either that or a barmaid who loves taking advantage of you”, she said very slyly.
“Hey she did not take advantage of me!” I instantly defended.
“Could have fooled me. She looked pretty comfortable holding onto your waist. And you seemed happy and comfortable with your arm around her as well, Miss Webster”, she continued while having a straight poker-face expression on her the whole time.
“What happens to me and my friends outside of business is none of your....business!” I hissed back hesitantly.
“When it effects your “business” work and my own work as well as my own personal life then of course it becomes not only mine but the whole companies business Webster”, she replied back quite harshly.
“Well why did you stay then, Powers?” I challenged her, narrowing my eyes while crossing my arms.
“I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Even though I had no idea it was you of course”, she replied, mirroring me and crossing her legs at the same time, keeping her cool. I simply looked at her and let out a breath of air.
“What made you stay after you found out it was me then? After what I said and how I acted. You could have walked right out and saved yourself all this trouble”, I shrugged.
“Like I said, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt....”
“Didn’t seem to be that way on the bus”, I mumbled.
“Well after a person staring at you for the past 2 or 3 days, that doubt disappears and certainly becomes clear”, she said back loud and clear, making another obvious point. “And also I as interested in your writing. Not the writer. So far there hasn’t been a massive problem I couldn’t handle....”
Yea right.
“....But if that problem becomes tiresome then I could always bring someone in and communicate between us”, she replied rather smoothly. I was starting to lose my cool. I could feel myself getting hot and red in the face as the pressure was building inside of me. I had to get out of there, quick! There was a pause while Sian still looked head on at me. I started to fidget a little and was clear that I was becoming very uncomfortable, not matter how hard I tried to hide it.
“Well thank you for this meeting, Powers but I really must dash. Please do keep me up to date wont you”, I tried saying poshly, as to reinforce the professional demeanor while flinging my hair back swiftly. I held out my hand, trying to be the bigger person in this final situation. Sian stood up again slowly and took my hand. She still had that slight smile on her face, that little smirk that indicated her cockiness and achievement.
“I’ll be sure to contact you very soon Webster”, she finally replied, squinting her eyes slightly. I released myself from her grip and rushed out as quick as I could without trying to seem I was running from the hand of the devil. As soon as I got out into the fresh air, it was like I had actually been in the fiery pits of hell and realised how hot and sweaty I was! I started panting and looked down at my hands and rubbed them together. I took a final deep breath, held my head high and walked away slowly but swiftly.
BEEPBEEP
From unknown - Looks like u cudnt take the heat and I kicked ur ass again Webster. Better luck nxt time. C u at jujitsu :)