i am intervening.

part five - names

"that is the... fattest cat i've ever seen." from what he had shown you, frank's cat, or 'meow meow,' as he called him, was a large tabby with dark brown stripes and little white paws.

"really?" frank frowns and pulls his phone away from you, turning it back to himself.

"yeah," you laugh, "what are you feeding him?"

"normal cat food..." he sips coffee from a white mug and places back onto a stained napkin.

following through on his offer to get coffee, you met up with frank at an inexpensive diner in the afternoon. the warm, tacky atmosphere inside allowed the two of you to converse for a couple of hours. he didn't open up much about himself, instead prodding you with questions about your life - growing up, education, family, career (and lack thereof), and your hobbies. he was interested in what you had to say, listening to you speak without interrupting. however, the only thing he seemed comfortable sharing with you was his cat.

"can i get you two anything else? more coffee?" a waitress stands at the head of your table, holding a pen to a notepad.

"yeah, sure." frank places his phone on the small wooden table that separates the two of you.

the waitress nods and heads away to another customer in the far corner of the diner.

frank rests against his palm and gently toys with the small yellow flowers at the center of the table, his claret eyes studying each soft petal.

you tap at the mug in between your palms, watching his hands. the way he moves is poised and elegant.

"i've had meow meow for ten years now," frank smiles to himself, "got him when he was a little kitten for my sixteenth birthday."

"you're twenty-six?" you raise your eyebrows. he's older than you.

frank lets go if the flowers and crosses his arms, his elbows resting on the table. he slowly nods his head.

"in a few months, yeah," his eyes flick up to meet yours, his gaze lingering on you.

fuck. the way he looked at you. you bite the inside of your bottom lip, your chest feeling like warm honey. you peer down and fiddle with the hem of your sweater. if it wasn't for the dim amber lighting, frank would be able to see how red your face is.

"sorry for the wait," the waitress from earlier sets down a large coffee pot and an array of multi-colored sugar packets.

after she leaves, frank pours himself a cup. he slides the pot over to your side of the table, the dark liquid sloshing in the glass.

you begin to pour yourself the coffee, but are distracted by frank as he adds three sugar packets to his cup. and then another. and another.

"frank, jesus," you set the pot down, "are you trying to make your teeth fall out or something?" you grin at him.

"mhm," he stirs his coffee, the teaspoon clinking against the ceramic mug.

you shake your head and add cream to your drink.

"i have to use the bathroom," frank mumbles under his breath. he slides out of the booth and heads to the back of the diner, his heeled shoes clicking on the black and white tile floor.

you raise the mug to your lips and watch him as he walks away. you wish he would tell you more about himself, even if it was just his last name.

frank's phone vibrates as a notification pops up. his phone is still open and unlocked.

you could find out a little bit about him. his phone is just sitting there.

you watch as frank closes the bathroom door behind himself.

a little snooping never hurt anyone.

you reach over the table and grab his phone, looking up again to make sure he was still out of sight. his screen saver is his cat, of course. a sly smile spreads across your lips. you swipe to go to the second home page but accidentally click an app, taking you to a grey screen.

"shoot," you mutter, trying to close out of the app.

the same insignia of the hour glass pops up on the screen and quickly fades out, revealing a document titled 'the list.' there are four lines of text, the first three crossed out in red. you thought it was some sort of weird grocery list until you read what the actual content was.

they were names.

of people.

your smile disappears and your stomach sinks. you stare at the screen, your eyes widening, your heart rate increasing. you reread the names over and over and over again.

a hit list.

a change in song over the radio snaps you out of your trance. you close the app and shut off his phone, placing it back where it was.

your heartbeat could be heard drumming loudly in your ears, blocking out the soft classical music playing. you press your fist into your lips and look back towards the door frank left through.

leave.

you stand, pull your coat on, and zip it up.

"um," you direct your words towards the waitress behind the counter, "could you please tell the guy i was with i had an, um, emergency? and i had to leave?" your voice is shaky and soft. it felt hard to speak.

"uh, sure?" she looks at you with a questioning gaze.

"th-thanks." you dig through your pants pocket and grab a twenty, shoving it her way.

you leave the diner, pushing open the plastic door to the outside. the partially set sun washes the street in a rosy pink hue.

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sorry this is very short my wattpad is being very fuckass it literally won't save drafts and stuff 🤬🤬 i even updated the app fix this shit wattpad or i will go to ao3 no cap ‼️‼️💯💯