Chapter 5 - Jack's Story

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I met a weird girl in the coffee shop.

I normally went there every day, to look at the woman I was in love with. She was beautiful, quiet, graceful, sitting in the corner quietly, drinking coffee while reading a book. I didn't trust others, having grown up to be above them. I especially didn't trust women, who saw me a prize to compete for. But something about this woman caught my eye. Entranced. I would sit in the café for hours, staring at her. Wondering what she sounded like, what she was thinking while she smiled.

Of course the problem was I had to buy something to sit there.

I despised the taste of coffee, and didn't even like smelling it too much. So I compromised, ordering a hot chocolate. The older woman who worked at the shop and I had an understanding, and everything went smoothly.

Until she was replaced by Megan.

Seeing as I had no choice, I wrote down my order and gave it to her, all the while expecting her to burst out into laughter or give me a weird stare.

Instead, she shrugged, rang me up and started making my order.

She then asked me to stop staring at her, and to leave her alone to make my drink.

What a weird girl.

At least the hot chocolate she made was good, even better than the employee who worked before her.

I sat down at my usual table, watching the woman I love, when all of a sudden I heard a loud shout.

"COFFEE GIRL HAS A NAME!"

I shook my head, unable to hide a snort of laughter.

I didn't think of her again, until she sat down at my table uninvited.

She then proceeded to tell me that I was a creepy stalker, and needed to change my life so that I could pursue a healthy relationship.

It was a strange accusation, but something in the seriousness of her manner and the casual way she approached me made me want to believe she really wanted to help me.

Still, I never really trusted anyone. I accused her of trying to get me to fall for her instead. Her response was to almost fall out of her chair with laughter.

I felt slightly insulted. It wasn't like I was a hideous monster, right?

She then proceeded to help me develop hobbies and interests. I watched all kinds of movies and read different books. Each day we would discuss them, talking about why I liked or didn't like certain stories. She always had new recommendations, and her insights into the plots often made me appreciate what I was watching even more.

Unwillingly, a curiosity within me was born. What kind of stories did she like?

Then came the day she forced me to make friends. At first I was skeptical, looking at the widely different group of people she had gathered to spend time with me. To my surprise however, they were friendly people, and time passed easily whenever we sat down and talked together. Since we were all regulars at the coffee shop anyways, it seemed only natural to continue meeting up and chatting. My days passed more quickly now, and I never remembered having so much fun.

Then, Francis called Megan my "girlfriend."

She froze, and then shook her head without hesitation, declaring we were just friends.

My stomach sank, my heart hurt, and suddenly, I felt like I was having trouble breathing.

Not noticing my distress, Megan pushed me over towards the girl I had once obsessed over, telling me to start a conversation. Then I realized she had even made sure to lend me books that the girl in the corner had been reading, so we would have something in common to talk about.

Why did she go so far for me?

Feeling depressed, I sat down and had a brief conversation. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was nothing like the earth shattering event I had once thought it would be. If anything the girl seemed bored. I was glad when we parted.

The next day the group gathered around.

"How have you not confessed to Megan yet?!" Francis asked, agitated.

I was shocked. "What?"

Jessica shook her head. "You seriously don't realize that you like her?"

"I..." I thought it over, realizing that without me knowing it, the person I looked forward to seeing the most every day was no longer the girl in the corner, but the weird one behind the counter. And it was no longer a vague obsession, a thought that she was perfect or wonderful. This was a full-fledged feeling, born from months of interacting with her on a daily basis.

I was in over my head.

I groaned. "I'm so screwed."

"Don't worry." Clyde smiled kindly, patting me on the back. "We'll help you out."

And thus Operation: "Get Megan and Jack together" was begun.

Our group met daily, discussing strategies. Megan must have noticed something was odd, but to my dismay, she seemed obsessed with trying to talk me up to the girl I used to have a crush on, telling her how wonderful I was.

Not that it wasn't great to hear the girl I liked praising me.

I just wished it wasn't all to set me up with another girl.

I came up with gift ideas, and fortunately talked to Megan in time to realize that the Porsche i had bought was a really bad idea. I was really glad that I had time to return it before she realized what I had done. Instead I worked on getting her thoughtful gifts, like books she wanted. These little things seemed to make her happy, and every time she smiled I was content.

"He's got it bad, guys." Francis commented at one of our meetings.

"They need to spend time together outside of her work!" Clyde insisted.

Taking his advice, I invited her to hang out, using the excuse of "wanting to get used to spending time with others." It seemed flimsy, but she happily accepted and the time we spent together increased.

I had never been happier.

Now if only I could tell her my feelings.

Before I could work up the nerve, however, something changed. Megan started avoiding me, keeping our conversations short and to the point. We stopped meeting out of the café, her excuses not to see me becoming more and more suspicious.

Had she realized how I felt?

Our group discussed this, but the four of us couldn't come to a conclusion.

"He just has to tell her how he feels."

"Isn't that a little soon?" I asked, nervous.

"No."

"Nope."

"Definitely not."

There was no hesitation from the group. Finally, after thinking it over, I agreed. I would tell her my feelings the very next day.

Of course, that's when the kidnappers showed up.

I almost lost it, thinking of her in danger. But once I realized she was safe, I calmed down, all of my feeling boiling over into a single crystalized thought:

I loved this girl, and I needed to tell her.

I wasn't sure if she would respond or not. I was worried she might even laugh again. But I couldn't hold back anymore. I could only hope for the best, tell her the truth and ask her how she felt. I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and finally spoke what was in my heart.

"I love you."


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