Okay before I start filling my
blog with all the ins and outs for self-publishing let’s get started with the
reason I even began learning about it in the first place. Besides the obvious moment
of epiphany that I would actually enjoy writing for pleasure the second reason
(or tied for first) is my book, Jade.
The story was not what I first
envisioned it would be and it changed so much from my original idea that I
could probably write another story with the original idea in mind. The book did
however turn out exactly as I wanted.
Jade is a story about opposites
not attracting per say but complementing each other. I wanted to play off the
dynamic of two individuals who seem so different on the outside but the same
where it mattered.
I chose what I considered an
easier genre for me to ‘get my feet wet’ so to speak and practice finding my
style of writing.
This is by no means the end of my
experimentation as I’m not sure I’ve found my chosen genre yet but this story
was fun to write all the same.
I hope you enjoy the excerpt from
Jade…
**********************************************************************************
I spin away from Jade and walk
towards the bar to get my tote that I stored under it earlier tonight. He
follows slowly behind me.
“It’s almost three am,” he says.
I bend to get my bag and stand to
face him, the bar between us, “Yea, so.”
“You’re going to take a cab now?”
“I’m going to call yellow cab,
yes.”
“No,” he says.
“Say what.”
“I said no,” he repeats.
I put my hand on my forehead
touching either side of my temples and sigh, “Care to tell me why?”
“It’s almost three and you’re a
woman alone. Do I have to spell it out?”
“Jade,” I say carefully, “whilst
your concern is nice, albeit strange, I can tell you without any doubt I’ll be
perfectly safe.”
“And I’ll be the horse’s ass if
anything happens to you, so I say again, no.”
Jade was stone faced and
absolutely serious and I was so tired. “Fine, I’ll call my dad’s driver, he’ll
make sure I get home safe. Will that work for you?”
“Yes, make the call,” he says
sitting on one of the bar stools.
I give Jade a dirty look and dump
my bag on the counter to look for my phone. I was rifling through it for a full
minute before I realized it was not in my bag.
It was on my bed.
Where I threw it.
After texting with Jade.
I look up at him, “I don’t have
my phone.”
“There’s one behind your back,”
he says pointing to the wall phone.
“That’s not going to work.”
Jade was now the one to sigh,
“Why not?”
“I don’t remember the number.”
“Couldn’t be bothered huh,” he
says shaking his head.
“Listen,” I counter immediately
angered, “I don’t ever use a driver, why would I remember a number I never
use.”
“Probably because people in your
world are expendable.”
I understand now why I hadn’t had
any of the confusing sexual feelings that I was having towards Jade before
yesterday.
Because he was always being an
ass.
The truth is if my dad hadn’t
changed to a new driver recently I would have totally known the number. Henry
retired a few months ago and knew me since I was a baby, I threw his retirement
party and still call him every so often to check in. But Jade wouldn’t know
that because he was too busy making assumptions about who I was and frankly I
had reached my limit with it.
“Okay, I get it,” I pick up my
tote and walk around to the front of the bar.
“You don’t like me, you think I’m
a little princess, spoiled, conceited, self-centered, narcissistic and whatever
other synonym you can come up with.” I pass him on the stool and walk towards
the door. “But I’m capable of getting myself home all alone, been doing so
since I was sixteen. So good night and see you tomorrow.”
I open the door and feel the cool
night’s air on my face before Jade places his hand on the top rail and closes
it gently. He’s standing behind me and I freeze when I feel his chest on my
back.
“I’m sorry.”
His hand drops away and he steps
back but I remain facing the door.
“I just need to make sure you get
home safely, is there anyone else you can call?” he asks softly.
I run through all my options, I
wasn’t going to call Dalton and I certainly was not going to wake my parents up
at this hour to get Gregory, our new driver’s number.
I couldn’t figure out his
motivation, maybe it was white knight syndrome and he was unconsciously
compelled to know I would be okay. I turn and lean on the door frame, “Jade,
I’ll be fine, really. This is not the first time I’ve had to take a cab this
late alone. How about if I text you when I reach home.”
He looked like he was finally
going to cave in and let me go because honestly if I stood here another minute
I was going to drop.
“Go call a cab. I’ll finish
locking up and then make sure you get home safely.”
My shoulders sag.
“Jade I…”
“Please Micky, just don’t argue
with me on this okay.”
Stunned that Jade just called me
by my name all I could do was nod.
He nods back and leaves to secure
the bar.
****
We’re standing outside ten
minutes later waiting for my cab, its chilly so I’m shifting from side to side
as I stand next to Jade. He on the other hand is standing completely still with
his arms folded and back against the front wall of Stumble In.
The wind blows and I shiver
slightly from it. I dig in my tote for the sweatshirt I folded earlier but was
having some difficulty putting it on and holding my bag. Jade reaches over and
takes it from me, I smile slightly and put on the sweatshirt as quickly as I
could before taking the bag back.
“Thanks,” I mumble.
He nods and we return to silence.
I look at my wrist watch to check
the time and wonder where the hell the taxi is. Jade has said nothing since our
argument over how I was getting home. The wind blows again and I turn towards
it so that it blows the tendrils that escaped my topknot away from my face. My
cab turns the corner at the same time and I sigh gratefully stepping away from
the building. Jade pushes off the wall.
When it pulls up I open the door
and slide to the opposite side and Jade follows in after me.
“Where to?” asks the cabbie when
we’re settled.
Normally I would just blurt out
my address but with Jade there I’m hesitant. I really didn’t want to argue
again.
When I didn’t answer right away
though he turns to look at me as if to say ‘what’s the problem, answer the
man’.
“Don’t make a big deal out of
it,” I tell him quietly then turn to the driver.
“Eight Union Square South.”
“Sure thing miss, have you both
there in a jiffy,” he says with a nod and a smile driving off.
I look at Jade in the corner of
my eye and he’s looking out the window. Apparently he’s taking me seriously and
letting it go.
The Stumble In was near
Washington Square Park on West Third Street so the drive to my apartment was
less than ten minutes, if it was daytime I would have walked it.
“That’ll be seven sixty six,”
says the cabbie when we were in front my building.
To my surprise I see Jade
reaching for his wallet, I touch his hand to stop him and he looks at me. In
the dim light of the cab his strong jaw and green eyes stand out.
“You don’t have to,” I whisper my
eyes locked to his, “I got it.”
He doesn’t say anything just
continues to look at me and I feel the air between us crackle. My hand still
touching his he turns it so we’re palm to palm and links our fingers.
Electricity travels up my arm from the connection.
“I don’t dislike you.”
I frown slightly.
“What?”
“You said I don’t like you, I…
that’s not the truth, I don’t dislike you.”
I didn’t know how to respond to
that and thankfully I didn’t have to because the cabbie interrupted us. “You
two getting out or not, the meter’s still running.”
“I’m sorry,” I say and reach into
my bag. I pull out a twenty and hand it to him.
“Keep the change.”
Jade releases my hand and steps
out the cab, I scurry along the back seat and exit after him. Once the door
closes the cabbie drives off and Jade is standing with me, the light from the business
on the ground floor illuminating his face.
“I can see why you weren’t
worried about getting home, that took all of five minutes,” he smirks.
I smile at him. “Told ya!”, I say
quietly back.
Jade raises his hand hesitating
for a moment before his knuckles grazes the side of my face. It was a caress and
I was totally turned on by it.
“Better safe than sorry,” he says
before his hand drops away. “I should go, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, will you be okay getting
to…?” I couldn’t finish the question, I didn’t know where he lived.
“Where do
you live?”
“Brooklyn.”
“Care to elaborate.”
“Bushwick”
“Oh, that’s not too bad, you
could have taken my taxi.”
“Subway’s cheaper.”
“But you’ll have to wait forever
for the L train.”
Jade gives me a funny look, “You
know how the trains run?”
I give him a duh expression, “I
live in New York, what New Yorker doesn’t know the subway?”
Jade looked like he was about to
say something but instead nods in the direction of my building. “You should get
inside, it’s almost four and you have to be exhausted after running around all night.”
I was exhausted and astonished
that he noticed or cared, “Yea, will you be okay?”
He smiles at this, “Yes I’ll be
fine, I’m not a beautiful girl alone late at night.”
I feel warm all over when he
called me beautiful. It was a new sensation form me and I just stand there
looking at him getting accustomed to it.
“Michaela.”
“Hmm.”
“Get inside.”
“Yes, right, umm tomorrow then.”
“Yea, you’re with me on the bar.”
“Okay. Goodnight Jade.”
“Goodnight princess,” he says but
without his usual sarcastic tone.
I hurry along inside and notice
that Jade waits until the doorman lets me in before he walks in the direction
of the subway station. While I ride the elevator to my apartment I go over the
events of the night. Once I’m inside I take a hot shower and crawl into bed
under the covers.
As I drift off to sleep my mind
is filled with thoughts of Jade, so much happened tonight I wondered what would
happen tomorrow.
Slammer by Tabatha Vargo
