Abruptly, she slammed her laptop close. Hours of walking around the house, reading for inspiration, and backspacing ended with Lina staring at a blank page. The deadline was coming up next week and she had no new material. This is what she was passionate about. This is what she wanted to do. This is what she needed to do. So, why was it so hard?
The boiling rage of frustration nearly caused her to throw her laptop at the wall. She knew seeing the bits and pieces of its mechanical insides as it bounced off the hard surface would satisfy her, but she also knew that she couldn't. It was a gift from her editor after a successful tour for her first book. Being cooped up in the house wasn't helping, so Lina called one of her friends.
"Thanks for coming to meet me." Lina said to her best friend, Owen, as he sat down across from her.
"Well, when you said you were going to buy me lunch, it wasn't too hard of a choice." He smirks as she shoots him a playful look. "Now tell me what's going on."
"What do you mean?" She asks. Owen just stares at her, waiting. "Is it a crime to wanna spend time with my friend just because I want to?"
"Of course not, but I know you. You sounded agitated on the phone." Owen responds between chews.
She sighs. "I'm blocked! I'm completely blocked!" The heaviness in her chest start to lighten. "And it couldn't have come at a worse time! I'm off from school, I quit my job...I have all this free time on my hands and all I want to do is write. Why can't I, huh? I don't want to watch TV, I dont want to update my twitter, I dont want to reorganize my kitchen for the hundredth time. I want to write! So why is nothing coming out?" Lina vents. Before he could answer, she begins again. "Actually, I was able to spit out a couple of hours worth of work, but it was complete ssshhhiiittt." He laughs as she draws out the word. "It wasn't just 'shit', It was 'ssshhhiiittt'. You have to enunciate the word because 'shit' simply is an understatement."
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."
"Oh, I would show you, but I printed it out just so I could rip it to shreds."
"Now I know it wasn't that bad. I've read all of your stuff, even the ones you weren't proud of, and they were all beautifully written. I could never understand how you could be so hard on yourself. You have a God-given talent and don't even know it. Your high school essays were better than the ones I wrote in college. You always made it look so easy. Plus, you're a human thesaurus. I mean, that's impressive!"
"But---"
"No 'buts'. It was a compliment; take it." He says seriously for the first time.
"...Thanks." A bashful smile grows on her face.
"Sounds like you need a little break."
"I'm taking one now." She says nonchalantly.
"What? No, this is not a break. Eating is a necessity, not a break. I do have an idea though." His bashful smile matches hers.
"And what might that be?" Her eyebrows raise.
"After we finish lunch, which I'm paying for by the way, we can go to the movies, then walk around the park for a little bit. Who knows, you might get inspired."
"If I'm not mistaken, Casanova" She leans in as she whispers. "That sounds like a date."
Owen whispers back. "Well I'm glad you said it!" He laughs nervously. I was afraid of what you were going to think..."
After a moment of pretending to think about it, she answers. "I think its the best idea you ever had."
The End.
YOU ARE READING
Romantic One Shots & Imagines
Short StoryA compilation of over 50 different short stories of the romantic genre ranging in setting, time, characters and point of views. They mostly feature fluff, angst and the occasional smut. Every story is unrelated to each other unless stated otherwise...
