25 Jun Chapter 6: Endurance (Unedited)

The winter had began to loosen its grip on the mercury of thermometers and warmer temperatures opened the windows of people’s homes, allowing for fresh air to cycle out stagnancy.

Jay and Jane were enjoying this lifted time in their loft; he was busy writing away and she was busy with her own business manifestations, while still being his words’ muse.

Jay was sitting at his usual table, looking at her from unusual angles, trying to find new ways to write about her shape and ample brain.

She always acted different, her mannerisms and cognitive expressions when she knew he was watching, writing with his ever-sharpened pencil.

The early-evening’s sunlight seemed to highlight a new discovery about her so he started to write:

She’s got a pulse in her pupils that’s quite different than the tempo of her heartbeat,
However, that heartbeat, her heartbeat, mimicked that of an endangered species,
One that was not used to being used to ears that listen,
Rather was used to being misused and used too,
The pulse of her eyes was a result of being mesmerized by, the consistent new love she felt inside, by his mind’s sight,
Day-in through daylight,
Night-out in twilight.

He jumps out of his chair with a sense of eagerness and walks over to Jane, handing her the poem for her to read.
Jane read it slowly, as if she was reading it multiple times, crumples it up and throws it in the trashcan, playfully she says, “Garbage.”

Jay scratches his head and Jane commandeers his affection by saying, “Just kidding. I love it.” She walks over to the trashcan, unfolds the paper and hangs it on their refrigerator. She laughs, “I guess this one is a keeper.”

Jay seemed proud that his trophy-woman accepted the trophies so warmly. He says to her, “Hey, I’m going to step out real quick. I need to buy some new notebooks and pencils – I’m running low.”

She nods at him and plants a smooch on his cheek. Jay walks out of their building and makes it a few blocks down the street before he hears a woman’s voice, “You know that she doesn’t actually love you for you – she loves the control that she has over you. There’s a difference.”

A bit surprised by the advancement he takes a step back before he realizes who it is, gives off a deep sigh, then he says, “Littea… what are you doing here? And you don’t know anything about me, or us… how do you even know I’m seeing someone anyways? Wait… are you stalking me?”

She begins to walk away, but looks back and with sincerity says, “You know I’m right.”

Jay walks faster to catch up to her, turns to her and says, “Stop for a second…” Littea stops and looks up at Jay.
He continues, “I don’t know who you are, or why I keep running into you, but really, for the last time I’m going to have to ask you to leave me alone. This is getting unpleasantly strange.”

Almost emotionless, Littea says, “Look. Come have a cup of coffee with me and I promise that I will leave you alone… deal?”

Jay closes his eyes and gives another deepened sigh, “Fine.”

They both walk a few blocks to the coffee shop, in silence. They approach the door to the shop and she stops at the front of it, waiting for Jay to open it.

With an annoyed glare, she looks up at him and says, “I thought you were a gentleman.” and she proceeds to open the door herself.

Still in silence, they wait in-line, order a couple of coffees then find a high-top table near the front of the shop to sit at.

Littea decides to break the silence and with a soft tone says, “So, will you write something to me?”

Jay looks at her dumbfounded, “Are you serious? And you need to give me back my writings that you took from me… while I was asleep I might add. They’re not for you, they’re for my book.”

She makes it clear that she’s joking, “Too late. Sorry. I already made thousands of copies.” She takes a few sips of coffee, looks outside in a deep ponder then says, “And I’m not stalking you. It’s just that… that first day we met, at the park, I just felt different around you – that’s all.”
Jay stands up and walks over to where Littea is sitting and with a slightly aggravated tone says to her, “You. Don’t. Even. Know. Me. Do you even realize what you’re saying, or doing?”

Littea moves her hand to his pant zipper and starts to zip/un-zip it repeatedly. After a handful of seconds, Jay pushes her hand away and with a serious tone says, “Stop.”

Littea responds with some sultry to her voice, “It didn’t seem like you wanted me to.”

Jay takes a couple of steps back and ever so gently raises his voice some, “This is going to stop today. This is not normal and—what’s your deal anyways? I mean, look at you, you’re obviously very attractive, maybe even could be a model, and I’m not that good looking at all. Why don’t you go find – I mean, you shouldn’t have any issues finding someone good? I’m just an artist trying to make it, I don’t have a whole lot of money and-“

Littea quickly gets out of her chair and slaps Jay across the face as hard as she can, “You think money would be why I’m interested in you?” and she storms out of the coffee shop.

Jay takes a seat and rubs the side of his face for a few minutes, in a complete trance off of the events that just took place. For some reason he feels like writing some of his feelings down so he reaches into his pocket to grab the paper he was already working on when he notices that it is gone.

He closes his eyes and whispers under his breath, “This is crazy.”

He decides to take advantage of the slight trance he was under so he spent a few minutes writing to his memory, saving it in his mind. He finishes his last sip of coffee, walks over to the counter and gets a refill.

As he was walking out of the coffee shop a man runs into him, spilling his coffee all over himself. Wiping the coffee off his jacket, he, with a slightly disgusted face, says to the man, “Today must just not be my day.”

The man apologizes, “Hey… you’re Jay, right?”
Jay, exhausted by the randomness replies, “Yes, that’s me..”

The man changes his tone, “Great. Well, my name is Botin. A new acquaintance of mine said I might be able to find you here. I’m a literary agent, she said I should check out some of your writing – that it is pretty good.”

Jay lightens his tone, “Oh, that’s fantastic… sure, let’s go inside and chat. Who is your friend that recommended me?”

Botin pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through it, “Ahh, hold on let me look through my emails, I forget her name. She’s got like an interesting tattoo on her earlobe though, it’s a light bulb.”