How to Get One Million Reads on Wattpad (a novel)

5) Build Suspense

Stacy sat at a corner table in the cozy coffee shop, her fingers drumming on the table as she watched the steam drift up from her cup of coffee. The rustic wooden furniture, mismatched chairs, and soft ambient music created a comfortable atmosphere, but Stacy's mind was elsewhere.

It seemed like a cute place, but she had arrived too early. Before leaving her house, she'd checked the traffic and also the parking situation. This neighborhood was mostly tiny side-streets with resident-only parking requirements, and there weren't any lots. So, she'd given herself plenty of time to park, and then, voilà, found a space just down the block.

It was close to Derek's apartment, and he said he was walking. So the bad parking wouldn't delay him.

She was sure he'd be there soon.

Hopefully.

Stacy glanced at her phone, checking notifications and her latest Wattpad statistics. Despite following all the standard advice, her reads, votes, and followers count all remained disappointingly low. She furrowed her brows, a small pang of frustration welling within her, but she shook it off.

Instead, she closed Wattpad, opened TikTok, and started scrolling, thinking she might stumble upon one of Derek's videos. She was definitely curious about his content.

Lost in the stream of videos, she barely noticed when the coffee shop's door swung open with a tinkling of chimes. As the door closed, she glanced up. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Derek walk in, his confident stride and warm eyes instantly recognizable.

Before he noticed her, two teenagers, both with dyed black hair and one with a septum ring, approached him, their eyes wide with recognition.

"Are you Derek?" one of them asked, her voice trembling with excitement.

Stacy watched, curious. Who were these kids approaching him? Did he volunteer at a school? Or was he a local celebrity? The way he rushed in to help her when she blew her tire out meant he had an instinct to help those in trouble. Or was he really that popular on TikTok?

"I am," Derek said, seemingly unphased by being recognized. "Are you a follower?"

"We both are," the girl answered as her friend nodded enthusiastically.

Stacy couldn't help but admire Derek's warm smile as he interacted with his fans. His effortless charm and natural charisma were clear even from across the room. And she wondered why a guy with so much going for him would be interested in someone mousy and awkward like her.

Finally spotting Stacy, Derek made his way over, his cheeks tinged with a touch of embarrassment. He rested his hand on the edge of the table and apologized. "I'm sorry for making you wait. What can I get you?"

Stacy blushed slightly, her voice soft but warm as she declined. "No, thank you. I've already ordered a coffee." She glanced at the steaming mug before her, wondering if she should have ordered something for him, too.

"Well, okay, cool. Let me just grab something for myself and I'll be right back." Derek's eyes sparkled with playfulness as he went to the counter to order his own coffee.

Stacy watched him interact with the barista, noticing how the woman laughed at something he said. He returned moments later, a steaming cup in one hand and two flaky croissants on a plate in the other. With a grin, he teased, "For it to count as a date, we have to eat something, right?"

Stacy giggled as she accepted a croissant.

What was wrong with her? She wasn't the type of girl who giggled.

Was she?

What was it about this boy that made her giggle?

He really was handsome. Classically so. Even with a shirt on, he was incredibly attractive. His blonde hair, which had streaks of light brown and golden highlights, was perfectly tousled so that it looked effortlessly casual. And his piercing blue eyes reminded her of a lake that you might find photographed in a travel magazine.