1.12-Whose turn is it anyway?

After the rather short, but much needed Maternity leave Melanie’s office provided her, she was ready to head back to work. The countless night of listening to ear splitting cries were enough to drive anyone mad…or at least in the direction of work.

She hadn’t written anything during her absence and wondered if she had somehow lost her niche for writing. Winthrop, over lunch one Friday afternoon, ensured her that one does not lose things that are not needed to be found. Yeah, that was Winthrop…always deep.

Though, when she was at work she yearned for the next moment she would be able to hold Kristy in her arms. On days he could, Emmanuel would look after Kristy, sending Melanie pictures throughout the day on small little milestones. Like when she had blown her first ever snot bubble!

Other times, when Melanie and Emmanuel were both at home, they argued over who should get up to tend to Kristy.

“It’s your turn,” Melanie yawned as she rolled over.

“But I cooked you breakfast yesterday morning and gave her a bath last night,” Emmanuel pleaded.

“Yeah, and I gave birth.”

Emmanuel sleepily got up from the bed and walked over to Kristy’s crib.

“Your mom is such an ass kiddo,” he joked, scooping the crying infant into his arms and rocking her gently. Almost instantly, Kristy settled down and stared up at her father. “You know something else,” he whispered, “she totally gives it away when she passes gas.” He takes a peek over at Melanie to find her sound asleep before continuing. “She makes a face like this when it’s the silent one that smells.” He makes an odd looking face and the room is filled with soft giggles. Emmanuel laughs as well and then try to shush Kristy. “I’m serious kid. Whenever she makes that face, leave the room pronto. It’s deadly.”

Something soft hit Emmanuel’s back and he turned to look down at a pillow.

“Tell our kid lies again Emmanuel, and you will feel the wrath of a sleep deprived mother like no other.”

She had fallen back asleep almost as soon as she said it and Emmanuel playfully rolled his eyes before tucking a sleepy Kristy back into the blankets of her crib.

“Sleep tight princess.”

1.11- New Addition

Emmanuel didn’t know what to think when Melanie announced her pregnancy and subsequently passed out into his arms. Should he be upset? Angry? Happy? Ecstatic? Above anything, he was surprised. He and Melanie had talked about raising a family once they were both established in their careers…neither had thought about what would happen if their plans had suddenly changed.

Yet, here they were 9 months later, awaiting the arrival of their newborn child. Emmanuel held Melanie’s hand as he listened to the doctors and nurses coach her into delivering the baby. Melanie seemed like she was in unbearable pain and it was all Emmanuel could do to help ease the pain just a little bit.

“Remember that time we went to that restaurant and the waiter spilled the guacamole all over your shirt,” he chuckled, “and you grabbed the stack of napkins and threw them at him? I had to take a picture of that.”

He looked up at Melanie as she squeezed her eyes shut, following the directions of the doctors to push as hard as she could.

“And you remember that time…” he paused as he smiled at the memory. “You remember the time we walked around the park eating ice cream and a bird pooped on you? You were so upset I had to find something to calm you down.”

Melanie squeezed his hands then as another contraction passed through her. His fingers went numb momentarily and it took everything he had not to snatch his hand from her grip and run out of the room. He didn’t though, but he really really wanted to.

She screamed then and he brushed a loose strand of hair from her forehead. He stared down at her and watched her eyes close tight and her lips curl in a sneering way from the pain.

“And I remember the first time I realized I was in love with you…” He stroked the side of her face,  tightening his grip on her hand as the doctor revealed she could see the baby’s head. “It was before you made me fall back in love with art.”

The doctor commanded Melanie to push and she squeezed his hand tighter as she did. “It was the moment you walked into the bar and I laid eyes on you for the first time.” He smiled at the memory. “I never believed in love at first sight until that moment. Before you realized I would walk into your life, you had walked into mine and changed everything. I love you so much, Mel.”

He could hear the beginning of an infant’s whimper and listened to the doctor coach Melanie to push one more time. She gave his hand one last squeeze before he felt her exhale harshly and the boisterous sound of a newborn infant’s cry filled the space of the hospital room.

“You did it,” he whispered as he brought his lips to the side of her head and watched as the doctor brought the baby up to meet waiting parents.

Emmanuel stared into the eyes of his first child.

“Congratulations,” he heard the nurse say, “It’s a beautiful and healthy baby girl.”

He grinned and he looked over at Melanie whose face lit up at the news. They had wanted to be surprised and while they had both hoped for a healthy baby, he knew that Melanie really wanted a baby girl. In some small part of his heart, he had wanted a baby girl, too.

“What do you think her name should be?” Melanie whispered to him, smiling down at the sweet bundle of joy who yawned and then snuggled up closer to Melanie’s bosom.

Emmanuel hadn’t really thought of a name. He had assumed that Melanie would have a boy and the obvious choice of junior was going to be the fate of his son. Yet, he stared into the eyes of his daughter and…

“Kristy,” he murmured. After a beat he added, “After my mom.”

Melanie smiled. “Welcome to our family Kristy Avery.”

1.10-This is how the story goes

After weeks of searching and after several empty promises of call backs from potential employers, Emmanuel had finally landed himself a job in the art field. He worked under Gus Mgonivov, an upcoming artist who painted surrealism pieces in their more pure and unadulterated form. Emmanuel knew he would not become Picasso overnight, but he was willing to work hard to get there and Gus was willing to be a mentor and teach him the tricks of 21st century artistic expression.

Meanwhile, Melanie was suffering at work. She was putting in more hours, but the lack of a social life mixed with her lack of sleep was causing her to make terrible decisions. For instance, she had decided to publish this anonymous celebrity’s letter on her blog. The celebrity professed he had fallen in love with his look alike and Melanie had given the advice that he should follow his heart and go after him. Her followers, who thought the story interesting, didn’t believe it was real and began to unfollow her blog. She was chewed out at work for it, too. Winthrop was upset that she had made such a careless mistake on the behalf of the company and her career. Melanie  had promised him it would never happen again.

What was going on? Had she reached her peak in the world of literature? She had hoped not…she had so far to go.

She was resting on the couch, her head thrown back and her eyes closed when Emmanuel had walked in and spotted her.

“Babe, you okay?” he asked setting his work gear by the door and stepping out of his shoes.

“Life sucks…I mean, completely.”

Emmanuel laughed and sat next to her. “What happened?”

Melanie turned her head in his direction and sighed. “I’m a failure. It’s totally okay if you decide you want nothing to do with me before I hit rock bottom.” She turned to look up at the ceiling again. “I’m heading there now. First class I might add.”

Emmanuel just stared at her and then chuckled lightly. “I take it today wasn’t a good day.”

She just shook her head and put her hands to her forehead. “God, I don’t know why I even try so hard. It’s like no matter how much time I put into writing I’ll never be good enough.”

“Sssh, hey – don’t say that. You’re a great writer,” Emmanuel replied. “Don’t doubt yourself.”

“It’s true…I work and work and I fail and fail.”

Emmanuel frowned and then his eyes lit up. “Hey, I know what you need.”

Melanie turned to him. “A best seller?”

“No,” he laughed, “Well yeah, I guess, but no. You need a night out. We can hit the town tonight, just you and me.”

Melanie sighed. “Yeah, but we don’t have the money for that. Everything’s been kind of tight lately.”

Emmanuel waved her off. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve sold a couple of paintings at work so I have enough to splurge on my girl.” He smiled at her as she turned to him with a look of excitement in her eyes.

“Really? We’re going out?”

“Yes, so get dressed in something sexy.” He winked at her as he got up from the couch. He hoped tonight would help relieve some of her stress, or at least make her happy for a little while.

————-

“Woooooooo!” Melanie screamed as she tossed back another shot of a mixture she had stopped caring about glasses ago. She was feeling and looking good. To hell with her job. If they didn’t appreciate the rare gem that was her then she didn’t need them.

She was saying these exact words to the gentlemen beside her as she tossed back another glass. He smiled politely at her as she continued on with her story.

“Those bastards don’t know a good thing when it’s just sitting there smack dab in their face,” she carried on smacking her forehead with such force she almost knocked herself backwards off the bar stool. “It’s so dehumanizing how they want you to have all these great ideas. I mean…I’m human too!”

“Woah there,”Emmanuel said from behind Melanie as he caught her by the waist stopping her from toppling over.

Melanie turned around to see who had grabbed her and smiled. “Manny! Where have you been? This gentleman here,” she said waving drunkenly in the direction of the guy next to her, “Has been keeping me good company, haven’t you buddy?” She patted him a little too hard on the back and Emmanuel removed her hand before she truly caused a scene.

“I think I need to get you home. Let’s go Mel.”Emmanuel pulled her up and proceeded to exit the bar area. He gave everyone an apologetic smile on their way out the bar.

_____________

Melanie had never drank so much in her entire life…except that one time her mom bought a gigantic box of Capri Sun juice pouches when she was 8. She seriously went to town on the whole thing and ended up having a stomach ache that wouldn’t go away for hours. She felt terrible then and even terrible now as she lay in bed for the third time this week.

Emmanuel said he experienced something similar a few years back when he drank so many alcoholic concoctions he didn’t know how he ended up in Bridegeview…438 miles away from Oasis. Melanie laughed at the joke but held her sides from the pain.

She vowed to never drink again…or at least that much. A glass of some strong amber liquid each day was all she would have…maybe.

After about a few more days of feeling terrible, she decided to go see if there was anything the doctor could offer her to make her feel just a tad bit better.

After the appointment she decided to forgo work the rest of day and she headed home where Emmanuel was busy painting some beautiful work of art on his easel.

“Hey babe, home for lunch?” Melanie rarely – if at all- came home during the day.

She shook her head and sat her bag down in the chair by the door.

“You okay? Still feeling sick?” He dropped the paint brush and made his way over towards her.

“No, doc said I’m fine.”

“Doc? As in doctor? What did he say?”

Melanie chuckled to herself and then her face changed into something more serious immediately. She looked up at Emmanuel and managed to cough out, “I’m pregnant?” before passing out.

“Pregnant?” Emmanuel asked into the air before catching Melanie before she hit the ground. “Pregnant?”

1.9 – Paint me over

“Mel, what are you doing?” Emmanuel chuckled as he reached up to peel Melanie’s fingers from over his eyes.

“Stop,” she laughed, “You’ll ruin the surprise.”

After another unsuccessful attempt, Emmanuel finally dropped his arms to his side and stood patiently waiting for the unveil. Melanie shifted to the side so she wouldn’t miss the look on Emmanuel’s face and slowly begin to remove her fingers.

At first there was nothing. Emmanuel stood there…shocked? Angry? Happy? A bit of all three, perhaps? Then an ear splitting grin covered his face and he quickly turned towards Melanie, scooping her up into a loving embrace. He held her tight before setting her back on the ground.

“How…when…why?”

Melanie leaned against him, her hands folded across her chest and stared at the easel she had gotten Emmanuel as a surprise gift.

“Today  while you were out. As soon as I saw it I just knew I had to get it for you.”

“I…I don’t know what to say. Thank you?”

Melanie giggled and grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the easel. “You’re welcome. Now come one, let’s see what else Santa has brought you.”

She pulled him over towards the easel and grabbed a wooden box from off the floor. She pushed it into his direction and stood back, waiting for him to open it.

“I don’t know much about Art other than it’s messy…but, I think I got the right stuff.”

Emmanuel smiled as he opened the box which revealed to him a slue of art supplies, brushes of varying lengths, an assortment of paint, and folded neatly in one corner of the box was an apron that had King Tut scrawled across it. When his eyes fell on it, he looked up at Melanie with a grin.

She shrugged. “I didn’t know what those things were called that you artsy guys wear. So, I thought an apron would work just as nicely.”

Emmanuel burst into laughter, laid the box down on the floor and walked over to Melanie sliding his arms around her waist. “You never cease to amaze me.”

Melanie faked an eye roll and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m full of surprises, sir.”

“Yes, you are madam.” He bent down to plant a soft kiss on her lips.

She broke the kiss and stepped back. “Now go play with your new toy.” She moved behind him and pushed him towards the easel.

“Mel, wait.” He forced himself to stop and turned to Melanie. “I haven’t drawn anything in years. I may not remember how.”

Melanie frowned and planted her hand on her hip. “You’re full of excuses.” She walked over to the box, pulled out a tube of paint and brush and walked back towards Emmanuel. “You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

Emmanuel took the supplies and went to stand in front of the easel. He begin a familiar set up of the supplies and begin to paint. Melanie smiled from a place behind him.

When he had painted for awhile, he turned slightly to Mel asking for a nonverbal hint of satisfaction for his incomplete painting. Melanie bent her head to the side, closed one eye and stuck out her tongue in a mock display of assessment before smiling and giving Emmanuel a thumbs up. He beamed at the sign of praise and turned back around to finish the painting. Melanie stood and admired his work a bit longer and then walked over to him slowly and wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her face onto his back.

“See babe…we never forget how to use our God given talents.”

She felt him sigh and exhale above her. “You’re absolutely right.”

They stood like that for minutes more until Melanie and Emmanuel were finished with falling in love all over again.

1.8 – Follow your heart and your dreams too

Melanie was enjoying life for the first time in a long time. Her career was moving in a positive direction and she was falling in love with writing. Even more so, she was falling more in love with Emmanuel by the day. Sometimes she would wake up earlier than he did and just watch him sleep, rubbing the soft stubble of his under-jaw as he breathed in and out softly. He was beautiful and treated her like nothing less than perfect. However on some days when he came in from completing little odd jobs around the city, she would catch a slight look of annoyance or disappointment cross his face. She knew it wasn’t directed towards her, or she had hoped it wasn’t. But when the scowl became almost a permanent fixture on his face, she had to find out why.

He had just come in from completing some electrical work and was stepping out of his shoes when Melanie patted the spot on the seat beside her and beckoned he come sit. Emmanuel strolled over to her, gave her one of his infamous smiles and plop down on the seat beside her. He reached over to kiss her cheek and reclined back into the sofa.

“What’s up babe?”

She smiled at him. “I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

He turned to her slightly and put his foot up on the couch. “What’s up?” His brows creased in the center of his forehead at her tone. She knew she sounded serious. Well, more serious than normal.

“Are you happy?” she asked. “I mean, really happy? Here? With me? With us?”

Emmanuel brows set in more. “Yeah, of course. Why would you ask me that? Are you happy?”

“Of course,” she almost screamed. “Gosh, I’m unbelievably happy.” She looked at him and then down at her hands. “It’s just, lately you’ve seemed really…I don’t know, upset about something. Like you’re unhappy and I thought maybe it had something to do with us.”
Emmanuel grabbed her hands and pulled them into his lap. “God Mel, I’m so happy about us. Like over the moon, to infinity and beyond happy.” He chuckled softly and rubbed the back of her knuckles with the pad of his thumb. “It has nothing to do with you, honest.”

“Then what is it? I don’t like seeing you like that.”

Emmanuel let her hands go and turned all the way in his seat and reclined back. “Man, it’s just…I don’t know where to start.”

Melanie scooted closer to Emmanuel, almost resting in his lap. “Start at the beginning.”

He sighed then, and then paused for a second as if contemplating something. Then, he reached over to pat her knee. “Get dressed.”

“What…why?” she stuttered, watching him get up and walk over to his shoes by the front door. “Where are we going?”

“I want to show you something.” He tugged on his shoes. “Now get dressed.”

Melanie frowned and then got up to go grab her shoes. What was this man up to and when did he become so bossy?

*********————–*********

“When I was a kid, I had this board about this big,” he mimics the size with his hands, “and one day my mom bought me this art box. It had crayons, markers, paints, pencils, and everything else in it you could possibly think of. So, I started drawing.” Emmanuel begin to make artistic moves in the air as if he was making a painting from a distant memory. “I mean, I drew for hours it seemed. Finally, I was done and I stared down at this drawing that I created…8 year old boy…and I fell in love, right there.”

Melanie rubbed his back. “So what happened after that?”

Emmanuel shook his head. “I don’t know. I begged my mom to put me in art classes, but we didn’t have the money for it at the time. So I just drew in my room…at school…in church on the back of the service pamphlet.” He chuckled at the memory. “I even got a job working for this local artist…Zeek, they called him. Just grabbing art supplies when he needed, you know, nothing major. It didn’t pay a lot, but he let me watch him paint…learn how to make art. And I loved it.”

Melanie smiled up at him as he relived the memory, but then frowned when his face changed.
“Then my mom got sick, and there were so many hospital bills,” he sighed, “God, there were so many.” His reached up then, to stroke the frame of the painting they were standing in front of. “My mom couldn’t work like she used to after she got sick. So, I had to be a man and…let Zeek go, let art go.” He chucked then. “I sound so melodramatic, right?” He looked over at Melanie.

She stared up at him. “No, not at all.”

“I resented her so much for taking art away from me. I was so selfish…” he trailed off. “I got a job at this warehouse moving old wood and stuff. Wasn’t a great job, but it paid the bills. Kept food in our bellies and kept us off the street.”

“How long did you work there?” Melanie asked.

“Couple of years. Even got promoted a few times.” He smiled. “I had just turned 21, and a couple of days later the guys that worked there pitched in and bought me this huge cake. I’m talking huge. We sat around it, eating slices with plastic forks and drinking beer after beer. Didn’t even feel my phone buzz in my pocket…just kept chugging back beers and cake.” He rubbed his hand. “I finally felt my phone. The hospital was calling telling me my mom had some kind of brain injury from falling down the stairs at the apartment. I don’t how I got to the hospital so fast, but I got there too late.” He hung his head down.

Melanie remembered talking about his mom’s passing month’s before, but it wasn’t accompanied by this back story. Now, it all made sense. “There was nothing you could do, babe.”

“Yeah, I know.” He wiped a lone tear. “But I felt so bad because I never got a chance to tell her I was sorry for…everything. It was never her fault…I know that now.”

More tears had begun to fall now and Melanie wiped them away with ease. She stroked his chin with the back of her thumbs and forced him to look at her. “She knows you’re sorry. I’m sure of it. You can’t let that dictate your future or happiness.” Then she added, “Is that why you’ve been so upset lately?”

He nodded. “Sort of. I go to work at these dead end jobs every day, and I pass this museum.” He looks around. “It reminds me of what I’ve gave up -”

Melanie cut him off. “You don’t have to give up anymore, babe. You can go after your dreams.”

“Yeah, but…I haven’t picked up a pencil or paint brush in years. I don’t know if I even still know how.”

Melanie hugged him and and exhaled. “You won’t know unless you try.” She felt him nod above her and then suddenly he pulled her away from him only slightly.

“I am so lucky to have you,” he stated, staring down into her eyes. “I love you.”

She smiled and hugged him again. “I love you, too.” Into his chest she added, “This is the best date, ever.”

“Touche.” And they both joined in light laughter.

Chapter 1.7 – Sharing is caring

Things were going well for Melanie. Despite the lack of contact from her parents, Melanie was truly solidifying her presence in the big city. She had gained some friends from attending social events at work and her career was steadily growing. Winthrop had been pushing her harder than ever. There were so many nights she came home and went straight to sleep forgoing dinner altogether. Winthrop was constantly assigning her tasks to help her become a better writer telling her she could make it to the top if she just applied herself.

So in her down time she would head to the library and write. She blogged, wrote short stories, and even dabbled in poetry. With the increased focus in her work, she had gained two promotions and her bank account was steadily increasing. She didn’t have much in there, but it was more than what she came to Oasis with, and she had worked hard for it.

But with everything changing, there was one thing that remained constant…her relationship with Emmanuel. He was like a breath of fresh air and she basked in him whenever she got the chance.

They were seated on her newly revamped couch  one evening and, as usual, she was talking his ear off.

“It’s not a dumb idea, right? I mean, Vampires are definitely still in and I think the romantic aspect of it would really reach both young and new adults, don’t you think?”

She was pitching Emmanuel this idea that had been brewing in her mind ever since the press conference she had at work a couple of months ago. Winthrop saw the necessary need for more fantasy novels to grace the shelves of local bookstores and encouraged his staff to seek out the next big thing. Melanie felt that she was holding the key to Star Publishing’s livelihood right in her brain.

“Babe, it’s a great idea. I wish you would write the damn thing already,” Emmanuel chuckled, “just so you can have some piece of mind.”

Melanie settled down in her seat. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

Emmanuel grabbed her hand and smiled. “Just a bit.”

“I just really think this could be a great story, you know?”

“It will be, and the world can decide that too…once you write it.”

Melanie laughed and hit him with a pillow. “Jerk.”

Emmanuel waved his hands in his face in mock horror and grabbed onto Melanie. “God, I love that laugh. I could listen to it all day.”

Melanie smiled and turned to him. “Really?” He nodded and kissed her bare shoulder. She swooned at the touch. “Then move in with me.” The words had slipped before she even realized what she had said.

Move in? Was she ready? She thought so. If she wasn’t at his place, he was at hers. They had been seeing each other for awhile, and she felt that she was ready so…maybe she was. She looked down at him and repeated the words with a bit more confidence, “Move in with me.”

At first he was quiet and Melanie almost melted in the cushions of the chair. Maybe she was moving too fast. Was 9 months too soon to ask your partner to move in? Women did it all the time on tv, but this wasn’t tv. This was real life…sort of.

She continued to stare at him hoping he said something soon. Suddenly he smiled and pulled her tighter. “I thought you’d never asked.”

And they ended the night with a lot of lip action on her newly revamped second hand couch.

Chapter 1.6 – If this were meant to be

Melanie stood in front of Emmanuel, rocking side to side, and biting her fingernails fiercely. She watched as his eyes ran across and down the page of her first book. She was excited, and anxious. She really wanted it to be good. Before Emmanuel could close the book, she asked, “So?”

Emmanuel looked up at her, clutching the book close in his hand. “You want my honest opinion?”

Her eyes widened. Oh shoot, it was bad. She knew she should have taken some things out, but there wasn’t much to take out in a short story. “Is is that bad?” she asked.

“A Short Book for Tall Readers, catchy title. Hmm, the story…”

Melanie put her palm to her forehead and leaned against the wall adjacent to her. “God, don’t finish the critique. I can’t take it.”

Emmanuel laughed and walked over to her. “It’s good…really good.” He pulled her arm down and stared down at her. “I like the play on words you do, and the story isn’t too heavy or too light. It’s good,” he assured her.

“Really?” Her eyes lit up at his words. “You think it could be something?”

“Absolutely.” He stared down at her, and Melanie’s breath caught in her throat. They have never been this close before, not even in the movie theater. Now, there was nothing but a layer of clothes separating them. “You’re amazing.”

“I am?” she whispered and felt his lips brush the tips of hers. She had kissed a handful of guys in high school, but those kisses never felt nearly as good as almost kissing Emmanuel felt right then.

All she had to do was push forward a little bit and they would be kissing. Yet, they stood there – touching, but barely before she felt his hand on her neck pulling him to her. Their lips collided and it was everything she had dreamed it would be and more.

She had always thought they were a little more than friends, but neither had defined what they really were. The occasional weekday dinners and weekend movies didn’t alert her to anything romantic developing between them. They had been at this for almost two months now – wouldn’t they have made a move before now? She was grateful that they hadn’t. This kiss felt more special than any rush job could have done. She basked in his scent and the feel of his skin against her face and under the palm of her hand.

After a couple of more seconds, Melanie felt the need to talk, but she didn’t want to interrupt the magic that was happening. “What are we doing?” she spoke in between short kisses.

“Kissing,” Emmanuel stop to reply before continuing the deed.

She smiled. “I know, but what does this mean? What are we?”

“People,” he said, now kissing down her chin and to the side of her neck.

“I know, but…”His kisses were driving her crazy and she could barely get any words out. She unwittingly pulled away and stared up at him. “but, what are we?” She emphasized the we and Emmanuel gave a smug smile.

“Melanie Avery, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?” He had a playful grin on his face and Melanie couldn’t help smile herself.

“Maybe…I am.”

Emmanuel smiled then, and pulled her back for another kiss. “Maybe I don’t mind being your boyfriend…has a nice ring to it.”

Melanie giggled as Emmanuel’s lips touched hers…solidifying their new relationship status with a simple and loving kiss.

Chapter 1.5 – Read me to sleep baby

Over the next few weeks, Melanie had began to drown herself in work. She was reading more than ever and working hard to keep her blog afloat. She managed to collect a couple of followers – all of which commented frequently on how improved her writing had become from her first post. An anonymous viewer even suggested she write her own book. Her own book? Melanie could barely crank out of a 500 word post, let alone a 200+ page novel,  but she ran the idea past Emmanuel on one of their late night phone conversations.

“I mean, it’s not like you can’t write a book. I’ve read some of your posts. They’re pretty good.”

Melanie yawned into the phone. “Yeah, but writing a book isn’t the same as writing a novel. I would actually have to have solid ideas, build characters, a suspenseful plot…and be grammatically correct,” she sighed into the phone while getting under her covers. “I mean, did you read my last post. I misspelled every other word and forgot commas left and right. And, who starts a sentence with the word and? Me, that’s who. The only people who would buy my book are English teachers so they can teach their students how NOT to write.”

Emmanuel chuckled into the phone. “Well, I’m no English teacher, but I’d buy your book in a heartbeat.”

Melanie pulled the covers tighter around her. “Aww, you know just what to say to pull my socks off, bud.”

“What?” Emmanuel laughed into the phone. “Go to bed, Mel.”

Melanie smiled sleepily. “Alright Manny, talk to you tomorrow.”

“Sweet dreams, and think about writing the book.”

“Mhmm,” she said as she fell into a deep, and thoughtful sleep.

To write a book or not to write a book, that was definitely the question.

 

 

 

Chapter 1.4 – Trouble is a lurkin’

The first couple of days weren’t bad – Winthrop had suggested every line from every book ranging from classical to contemporary be embedded into her brain. He wasn’t serious, but he did suggest she expand her literary mind, and that she did. She had fallen in love with the works of Tolstoy, Baldwin, and the like. She would even read on the job – which wasn’t much of a problem since her job required the heavy load of reading.  In fact, things were going so good that Mr. Winthrop advised Melanie to start blogging. Melanie didn’t think she was the blogging type. She had never been much of a social butterfly growing up and feared she wouldn’t be able to gain any followers that would even read her written blobs. Mr. Winthrop ensured her that she had talent and even tacked on a nice pay increase to motivate her. Boy, was she motivated after that.

That first paycheck brought on a smug sense of confidence she had been missing for awhile. She decided she would splurge on herself just a bit and headed to the local Solar Flare lounge for a drink and meal to commemorate her small success.

The Solar flare was pretty packed. Men and women sat around talking loudly and drunkenly. She smiled as one man with a child-size t-shirt walked pass her and into the rest room, scratching his hairy butt in the process. She laughed and made her way to the bar and sat down in an empty seat.

“Hey bartender, can I get a tequila, please?” She hadn’t drank in awhile, but felt this reunion was long overdue. Shortly after her drink arrived, she heard a familiar voice behind her order another round of drinks and turned to see none other than Chase standing right behind her. He was even more handsome than she last remembered. The sombrero head accent was a nice but unneccessary touch, she thought. He seemed to be there celebrating with coworkers, and she didn’t want to disturb him, but he had caught her watching. She quickly turned and straigtened in her seat.

“Maddison?” he asked, as if trying to remember her face. Melanie’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, but the look soon dissipated. It had been awhile…maybe he had forgotten her name. It could happen, right?

“Melanie,” she corrected him. She figured she wasn’t loud enough by his now confused expression so she repeated herself. “Melanie,” she screamed over the loud music. “We met a few weeks ago.”

He snapped his fingers as if in remembrance and walked up closer to her. “Yeah, I thought that was you. You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”

Melanie blushed and turned to take a sip of her drink. “If that were true, maybe you would’ve called me two weeks ago.” It was meant to be a flirtatious comeback, but it held some truth to it, too. He hadn’t called for two weeks and it had hurt.

“Sorry love, I’ve been working so much.” He waved to the crew of men standing a little ways behind him. “Have to keep these creeps in line.”

Melanie laughed, then. Yeah, she could see how work would get in the way. It wasn’t like she had any extra spare time. “Well, would you like to have a drink now?”

“I think I might like that,” he said and took the spot next to her at the bar. The alcohol and her recent promotion had made Melanie a little more confidant than normal. She would normally hide in the corners when an attractive guy was near, but not tonight. She intended on snagging Chase before the night was over.

She took another sip of her drink, stilling her nerves and turned to talk to him some more, but saw that he was deep in conversation with the guy next to him (a co-worker he had just pointed out). His hands were flailing in the air like he was acting out some bizarre scenario and she was about to laugh at  his joke when a small flash of light from his hands caught her eye.

Is that a ring?

On his wedding ring finger?

Is he married?

OMG – He’s married!

Melanie stared at his hands in disbelief and tried to remember if had been wearing the small band the last time they met. No, she would have caught sight of it. Would she have? She was so enamored with his charm and looks that she unknowingly walked into the position of a home wrecker. She put her head down on the bar and cursed the land for not swallowing her up. She had given her number to a married guy who probably went home to a beautiful wife, three kids, 2 dogs, and partridge in a pear tree. How could she?

She felt his hands on her back as he whispered something in her ear. She shrugged him off and stood up. She didn’t know what to say to him, so she waved him off and left the bar. Go find someone else to offer the sidekick position, she said to herself as she walked over to a lounge area where people chatted merrily. She kicked her feet out, slumped over and bent her head down. She was a mess…a downright train wreck. She should have seen it coming, right? Average looking girl in a beautiful city rarely get any male attention no matter how those CW tv shows try to portray the lifestyle of a new girl in a big city.

“You know, people usually come to bars to get out of bad moods, not get in them.”

Melanie turned her head to see the recipient of the intrusive comment and huffed. “What?”

He chuckled and sat a drink down on the table in front on her while clutching his own. “Here, I brought you a drink.”

She looked at the drink and back at him. “I don’t take drinks from some strange guy.”

He sat up straighter, clutching the glass filled with clear liquid in his hands. “Well, you’re in luck. I’m not Some Strange Guy. I’m Emmanuel Fernandez. And this drink,” he points to the one he placed on the table, “is not tainted, honest. I asked the guy at the bar what you had ordered before you came over here all sad and doomed looking. I ordered you a glass and brought it over to you hoping to at least get you to smile because the whole “I’m pissed” look doesn’t suit you at all.”

Melanie stared at the guy for a moment and smiled. “You’re such a lame.”

He threw his head back and let out a boisterous laugh beside her. “So I take it comedy isn’t my thing?”

“Definitely not,” she remarked and took a sip of her drink.

“And here I thought I was well on my way to a spot on Saturday Night Live. Cheers to that dream.” He raised his glass in the air and took a long sip.

“Slow down there,” she laughed. “No one drinks like that unless they have a story to tell.”

He emptied his glass and placed it on the table. “Club Soda will definitely NOT have you tipsy.” He stared at her before adding, “And we all have a story to tell, don’t we?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Touche.”

“Wow,” she heard him say beside her. “So that’s what it looks like.”

She turned her head to him. “What?” Carbonated water?”

“No, your smile. It’s beautiful,” he replied. Her heart lept in her chest at his words and at the sincere look he was giving her.

“Thank you,” she whispered into her glass.

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes glossing over her profile. “You shouldn’t let a guy control that smile. It’s way too powerful to be hidden behind frowns.”

She stared into his blue eyes and felt a sudden tug from some part of her. She liked him…already. She stole a quick glance down at his hands and saw no visible band. That didn’t mean anything to her. Chase wasn’t wearing his that first night either. She brought the glass to her mouth.

“I bet you say the same thing to your wife.” She was half joking, but she also wanted to know if he was the honest type.

A grin spread across his face then. “Hmm, are you by any chance asking me to marry you? On the first date? Bold…” He was waiting for her name.

After a beat she said, “Melanie.”

“Melanie,” he finished. “Very bold indeed. And no, I will not marry you. And it’s not because I have anyone at home like the young gentleman you left at the bar,” he waved his hand in that direction. Melanie turned to see Chase still talking to people at the bar, her sudden absence of no importance to him. “However,” his words brought her gaze back to him, “I would much rather get to know the beautiful young woman sitting in front of me. You know, take her on dates  and things like that. That’s if, you know, she’s not married.” He followed the last statement with a sly grin and Melanie just shook her head.

She chanced another glance at Chase, and realized she was glad she had dodged that bullet. She turned back to Emmanuel and finished her drink.

“Nope, not married at all.”

Chapter 1.3 – Workin’ hard for the money

The next morning, Melanie was awoken by the blaring sound of her alarm coming from her cell phone and immediately scrambled out of bed to silence the incessant ringing. Only, she remembered she had not set her alarm and that she in fact had an incoming call.

“Hello?” she greeted into the receiver, trying to catch her breath.

“Good morning, is this Ms. Melanie Avery?”

“Yes?” It was more of a statement than question, but it was early. She shrugged.

“Great, this is Mr. Carl Winthrop calling from Star Publishing in response to the resume you sent in yesterday evening. We were wondering if you had a few moments to spare for a phone interview.”

Melanie smiled and replied, “Of course.”

The interview wasn’t really long. Just a few questions about her background as a writer. Melanie knew her resume wasn’t very impressive yet, but she was hoping that this job would help her career move a little faster. She decided to be honest about not having much experience, rather than lavish her experience with things that weren’t 100% technically true.

“Well, I like what I’m hearing and would like to offer you the position as writer’s assistant.”

“Really? Seriously?” She couldn’t contain her excitement.

Mr. Winthrop chuckled into the phone. “Yes, seriously. In fact, I would love it if you could come down in a couple of hours. Say…11:00 to discuss things further and get you acquainted with the staff and what you will be doing here at Star Publishing.”

Melanie tripped over her suitcase in her trip to get to yesterday’s clothes and dropped her phone over the side of her bed. She reached under the bed to grab the phone and into the receiver replied, “See you soon,” before hanging up.

“Yes!” she screamed out into her empty house. “Avery is on the move!”

She grabbed yesterday’s attire, gave them a quick sniff, and figured they smelled good enough for her first day on the job.