Writers in the city

Chapter 1

"I'd rather you didn't call me that." I smiled politely, holding my hand out. "I am..."

He stopped me. "I know." I watched his dark eyes, searching for a piece of recognizing. 

"How? I don't know you." I said, intrigued. He smiled mischievously.

"But I know you. You are... THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!" And, with that, every single writer in the room shouted at the same time, "Happy Birthday, Silly!"

Silly was kind of my nickname. I laughed with everyone, a bit self-conscious. Lily went running towards me, her dark red hair swirling all around her shoulders. I ran to her, too, and we hugged.

"Crazy Lily!" I gasped when we split apart. "That was so sweet of you... OF EVERYONE!" I shouted over the noise so they could hear. "Thank you, all!" 

Everyone replied, screaming too. "You're welcome!" Then we all laughed at our craziness. 

James, "Sweetheart", Josh "Crocodile" and Lily "Crazy" were my best friends. Lily and I had matching nicknames, just because both of us are as silly and crazy. We four sat down, but I couldn't  get that grin out of my head. That bright flash of teeth, Who was that guy? I wanted to know. I surveyed the room with my eyes, searching for a black, wavy hair. 

"Are you looking for anyone?" Lily asked, just when I saw him, standing on a dark corner, alone.

"Yeah, that hottie that talked to me earlier." I said, smiling with amusement as I realized Lily was also searching for him. "You liked him too, huh?" 

She glanced at me, reflecting my own smile. That's why we were so close. We thought the same. 

"Oh, that butt." She was looking toward his direction, where the dark guy-he needed a nickname- was walking. I have to say, I thought that, too. He went into the bathroom.

"Hold on a sec." I told my friends as I got up. I crossed the room,  as I received some felicitations on the way. When I finally got there, he had disappeared. There was no one inside, and the bathroom window was opened. "Fine tactic to keep the mystery, dark guy." I said outloud. I returned to my birthday party feeling intrigued. I went over to Fred, the owner of the bar. 

"Hey, Silly, you want something'?" He had an unmissable south accent. 

"Yes, I really do. I'd like to know who is that new guy you have hired." He gazed at me with amusement written in his eyes.

"Oh, I see, has Silly fallen in love?" He said in a chanting voice. 

"Nope..." I'd have to meet him first, right? "...but I just wanted to tell you that..." I started to rake my brain to find an explanation that didn't involve me being wonder struck by that dark guy. 

"Yes, ma'am?" 

"Hmm... you could have hired me, sir. You know I'm looking for a job, I need  money to pay University." He raised an eyebrow.

"You? Money? Don't make me laugh, I know you have been spendin' your endless grandma's inheritance since you were a child." Busted. He knew me well. I shouldn't have explained the source of my endless money so many times in that bar. "You are a terrible liar, you know."

I started to back up from my mission of finding some information out about dark guy. But Fred stopped me by placing his hand on my arm.

"He came yesterday, demandin' a job. I coul've gotten him out easily, but he has a great talent." Fred, also, was the promoter of every writer who needed promotion but didn't have money. Every waiter or waitress, instead of paying money for Fred's job, they worked on his bar. "I couldn't lose that opportunity, so I hired him." I nodded. Dark guy got more interesting each moment.

"Thank you so much, Fred. I'd like to have some nachos, please." With that, I left and headed to my table. I slipped to sit beside Lily, just in front of James.

"Sweetheart," I told James."what's that?" My gaze was fixed on his jacket's pocket.

"Busted." He smiled widely, getting the box out of his pocket. "It's for you." 

"But you didn't have to..." Lily shut me up hitting my leg with her foot.

"Yes, I had to. It's your birthday!" He was still smiling, sweetly, handing me the purple-laced box. I love purple. That's why he's called 'Sweetheart'. He's the sweetest, nicest, cutest writer in here. "Now, take it."

I took it and opened the box. Intaking my breath, surprised, I look at it adoringly. Lily shot a quick scream before she shut her mouth with both of her hands.

I got the necklace out of the box. It was a gold chain, with golden and purple charms hanging from it, slightly wavering. They weren't too big, so that the necklace looked sophisticated and nice. I loved it.

"I chose it because it reminds me of you." I melted with his words. He thinks I'm nice and sophisticated, I thought. 

"I completely and entirely love it." I said, grinning. I got up and kissed his cheek while I blushed. He looked at me with such caring eyes I nearly fell to the floor, my knees buckling. Those hazel eyes melted me. I couldn't stop myself from running my fingers through his blond hair and kissing his forehead.

"Oh, come on. Too much. CHEESY." Crocodile said that last word like it was poison. You couldn't expect less from him. But he didn't said it in a mean way. 

He wrote mystery books, 'like Agatha Chistie' as he like to say. He wasn't much into love, or that's what everyone thought. Lily knew better,

"I know you're dying for a kiss, Crocodile." She said, and he showed her his teeth. Just like a crocodile. 

Lily grinned to herself, satisfied with his silence. I sat down again beside her. 

"Here, your nachos, birthday girl." Fred himself had brought me the plate. He placed it in front of me.  He went, and I pushed the plate to the center of the table. "Have some if you want." I said, looking at Crocodile. Everyone knew his soft point were nachos.

While Crocodile ate nachos like he had been starving for a week, I turned to face the rest of the writers in the bar. Some were chatting, others were eating, some flirting, and most of them writing. That was the thing of this place, the comfort of doing what you loved surrounded by people that loved it, too. "Everyone! Hey, over here!" Everybody turned to me, listening. "As it is my birhday... TODAY, I PAY!" Everyone started jumping, shouting and whistling. We really were crazy.

***

The night went on just as always. Almost everyone was in their houses by now. James and I were at the door of the bar, when he took my hand between his. 

"Do you want me to walk you to your house?" He asked. It felt so good to have someone like him taking care of you like that.

"Oh, it's fine. I can walk alone. It's only three minutes." He pulled me closer, and I blended with him, hugging him. He caught a few loose strands of hair that fell on my face behind my ear sweetly. And that's when I knew it. I knew what my feelings for him were. So I got closer, and closer. I breathed in his scent, and our lips met. It was the sweetest kiss I had ever shared with someone. I felt warm, happy. I felt so good in his arms. We pulled apart, and I told him what I had just realized was true. "This is the best day ever." He nodded in agreement, and he was, this time, the one that pulled me in and kissed me. We both smiled as we shared that beautiful kiss.

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