Cliffhanger - A Chris Motionless Story

Chapter One - In The Beginning

NYX'S POV
I dreaded book signings. The attention, the press, the crowd. It was never me, but my best friend, Faye, insisted that it was a necessary and integral part of being an author.
Today's book signing was in no exception. It was muggy out, with the clouds threatening a severe storm as we sat books out. It was thirty minutes before start time and people had already lined up right outside.
I appreciated all of my readers and supporters without a doubt, but I more of wanted to do my appreciation at a distance. Not by conversing with the hundreds that had lined up before the coffee shop had even opened. But, sure enough, the moment the doors opened people flooded in. A few regular costumers would stop by and pick up a book, read the back, and then proceed to check out just to get out, and some of them hopped in line.
As the line dwindled I saw one familiar face in the line that shocked me, inching further and further up until eventually he awkwardly bumped into my table, knocking the stack of books and my coffee over.

"Shit," he muttered, "I am so sorry." He fumbled with the books on the ground, which now had to be damaged out, and began frantically trying to clean them with napkins.

"It's fine, you don't have to do that," I told him. "They have to be damaged out anyways now, so it doesn't matter." His brown eyes widened, and he picked one up.

"Well, at least let me buy one of the ones I ruined. Save the good ones for the worthy fans," he insisted, shoving the soggy book in my face. I smiled and chuckled a little, then popped the cap off of my marker.

"Who do I make it out to?" I asked, looking down for a dry spot. However, there was not one to be found, and I was sure he would never read it, so I flipped to the middle of the book.

"Chris." I began signing it. "I figured it'd be nice to have some reading material on the road, and what's better than a book by such a beautiful woman?" I laughed to myself, and finished signing it. His eyes stayed on me the whole time, paying no attention to where the signature landed in the middle of a page in the middle of the book. I handed him the book back, then shook his hand.

"It was so nice meeting you, I'm a huge fan of yours," I told him. He smiled and kissed the back of my hand.

"Maybe I'll see you again? Maybe at tonight's show?"

"I would, but I have a manuscript to complete. I'm on a deadline, and if I'm being honest I'm behind." Chris looked down, disappointment coming over him.

"Well, maybe another time."

"As long as you promise not to damage any more of my books." I knew there wouldn't be another time, and I could have given him my number, but what was the point? It would just get lost amongst the thousands of other numbers he gets.
But, then again, something in the way that he walked out—looking back at me and winking as he reached the door—told me we weren't done yet.

~~~~~~~

As I sat on a video conference call with my publisher, Kelly, a few days later, a social media notification came across my phone screen. My brow furrowed when I saw the name and the message:

Chris: How dare you sign the book RIGHT OVER THE SEX SCENE

Then, another message came through:

And to end it on a cliff hanger? That manuscript that your writing better be for the second book! And I expect to have it by next week!

"Ms. Ashborne, is everything alright?" Kelly asked, pulling me out of my distracted mental state. I closed my phone, and nodded.

"Yes, I was just overlooking some feedback on book one."

"Hopefully all good?"

"Y-yes, all good," I stuttered, "they even want a book two!"

"Nyx, all do respect, I think it's a poor decision to pursue this idea of a book two. Books in the genre of..." She paused, not exactly sure what to call it, "what your genre is typically don't do well with second books."

"But what about E.L. James? She made three movies based her three books?" And the fact that I had already been working on book two since I finished book one.

"That was different. It was a different time, Nyx." Kelly sighed and pulled up her phone. "But people are loving this idea of a fantasy book! And you've worked so hard on it for the past two years!" I looked down, accepting that I wasn't going to get what I wanted, and apparently neither would Chris.
"I just got a text from the warehouse! All of them are going to press today, and will be in stores next week! Just as planned!" Kelly seemed more excited than I was. I loved everything I wrote, but this book... it didn't feel like me. It didn't sound like me. If anything it was a cash grab because it was a popular genre.
After my unsuccessful/successful meeting I settled into my backyard, and began scanning over my second book. It only pissed me off more. Three hundred pages in, and I'm told to scrap it.
My mouse hovered over the delete button, and then my phone rang loudly. The number came across my Mac and my brow furrowed. It was a Pennsylvania number. I shrugged, guessing it was a telemarketer, and let it go to voicemail. But it immediately rang again.

"Who is this?" I asked, rather annoyed.

"A reader that is desperate to know what's supposed to happen next!" I was silent. How the fuck— "Faye gave me your number."

"You reached out to my publicist for my number?"

"Correction, she reached out to me. Something about you needing more friends. And I won't repeat the other thing she said." Oh, he didn't need to. I can imagine exactly what she said. "So? That second book?" I sighed heavily.

"They told me to scrap it. Said the second won't do as well. So, instead I'm publishing a fantasy book."

"Nyx, that's insane. You left it on a cliffhanger, of course it's gonna do well."

"Well, tell that to my publisher. Kelly thinks that books in 'my genre' don't do well with second books--"

"Bullshit! What about the Fifty Shades series? It had four books, and three movie adaptations! I will literally fund this second book if that's all that you need." I smiled and shook my head. 

"No, it's fine. I'll just keep it in my drafts. Forever." I heard Chris scoff on the other line, then I heard typing on a computer.

"Is this your publisher?" An image came in of an email address.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sending her an email. I think as business people we can figure this out."

"Chris,  why does it matter so much?"

"Because its your dream to have this book out--"

"It's your dream, but go off."

"And I need to know that they get back together." I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. "I gotta go get ready for the show, but I'll talk to you later." Then, he hung up. I sat next to my pool, dumbfounded at the fact that he had chosen to even call me in the first place. I figured after reading the book he'd for sure be scared off, but maybe he was into that stuff.