The Faces Of Karl Jacobs

Chapter 9: Public Perception

Hailey's P.O.V.

I heard the sound of the lock clicking, as I focused on the cloud of hot breath circulating in the chilled air. I rubbed my hands together for warmth as Karl pulled on the door handle in front of us, holding the entrance open before signaling for me to enter.

I took a hesitant step into the warmth of Karl's living room as I began to survey the area. I didn't think a man could keep his house this clean, but Karl's place was practically spotless complimented with an unexplainable comfort.

I looked back as Karl shrugged off his coat to hang on the rack propped against the door. He turned to me, nervously wiping his hands against the denim of his jeans, "Uh, so this is the living room, obviously..." He whispered the last part to himself, attempting to collect the anxiety ringing through his tone, "And uh, the kitchen is right there, you're more than welcome to grab anything you want" He pointed to the room adjacent to the living room, "My streaming room is upstairs, but do you need to use the bathroom or anything first..?" He offered awkwardly.

I sighed, the anxiety beginning to spread through my chest, "Um, no I'm okay. Thank you though,"

Karl nodded his head tightly, "Yeah, yeah no problem.." He cleared his throat before spinning on his heel and beginning to jog up the stairs, "Alright then, follow me"

"Okay," I whispered mostly to myself, as I bounced up the stairs after Karl's retreating form.

Karl led me down a darkened hallway past two closed doors, to the furthest room from the stairs. He gently turned the doorknob, pushing the door open. The room was a small office-like space with a large desk and PC set up occupying the center of the room. Behind the table, two different cameras were facing the empty desk chair, a ring light sat between the two cameras, and an extremely expensive microphone standing proudly on the side of the table.

The setup was impressive to say the least. There was also a small couch tucked into the corner of the room, hidden from the view of the cameras.

"So, this is it," Karl said tightly, "Um, you can go ahead and chill on the couch, it won't be in view of the camera so you should be fine" He prepped before hastily adding, "Just, try not to talk"

I raised a confused eyebrow at his request, "I'm sorry, what?" I asked, a hint of displeasure ringing through my voice at the command.

He rolled his eyes at my presumption, "You should try not to talk because the audience will be able to hear you,"

I shook my head in confusion before saying, "Why does it matter if they hear me?" I asked, slightly offended.

"Because," Karl started a hint of annoyance flashing in his tone. He was silent for a moment attempting to retain his patience, "Because, I deal with enough interest in my personal life. There are some things I want to keep... ya know, personal..." He trailed off, gazing at my face in a way that made me shy.

I felt my ears turn pink as I whispered, "Oh"

"Yeah," He cleared his throat uncomfortably, both of us sitting in the tension of unspoken words.

"Okay," I said softly, regaining my composure, "I'll uh, go take a seat then" I announced, beginning to wander towards the comfortable-looking couch.

Karl nodded his head, before taking a seat at his desk and beginning to mess around on his computer. As I sat on the couch trying to make myself comfortable, Karl spun around in his chair to face me, "Can I grab you a blanket or something? You're gonna be stuck there for a minute" He chuckled a bit towards the end of the sentence.

I gave him a half smile, "Yeah, sure,"

"Okay," He whispered, returning my smile. He rose from his chair before saying, "The stream is live now, but it's muted and my starting screen is counting down. Last chance to run before you're trapped" He stated, a sarcastic smile growing across his lips.