The Writing Conference | Conneree AU || ✔

Chapter I

Inspiration Song:

Lush Life ~ Zara Larsson

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Conner swept his papers into his bag. He had too many of them. But, he guessed that it was the life of a writer.

Conner was on his way to the most important writing conference of his life. He had been working on his books, Fairytaleopia, for years and now he might finally get the chance to get them published. If he made it to the airport first.

Conner rushes around his flat, gathering his things and shoving them in his bag, suitcase, and pockets. He headed towards the door and spun on his heel.

"Laptop! That's what I'm forgetting!" He said and rushed to his bedroom. He unplugged his laptop from its charger, ran to the door, and went right back for the charger.

After he had gathered his last-minute items, he checked his watch.

"Oh, only 3:00," he paused. "3:00! Oh my god! I'm so gonna be late!"

Conner hurried down to his car, lugging his stuff behind him. He arrived and stuffed his suitcase in the trunk. He opened the backseat door and threw his bag in, not bothering to check on the sickening crunch that came from it as it landed on the floorboard.

He hopped into the front seat and started the car. He rushed to the airport, barely going under the speed limit. He arrived with just two hours to spare before his flight took off. Thank God for him the lines weren't long.

He got into the security line, answered the questions, got his boarding pass stamped, and moved on. He got metal detected, thank God that line was short. Those lines are always long. He rushed on to the lounge area, arriving with ten minutes of spare.

"Whew," he muttered aloud, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I never want to do that again!"

"I don't think any of us like it, either," a young woman said from the seat next to him. Conner had rested his bag on the seat in front of him and hadn't paid attention when this young woman sat down.

He blushed. Not because he was embarrassed about someone hearing him in a public place, but because this girl was seriously pretty. Like, very pretty. Like, the cover of a magazine pretty.

"Oh, uh, sorry," he said, fumbling with his words. She was just too stunning.

"It's alright!" The girl next to her said she was very peppy. "What's your name?"

"Conner-Conner Bailey. Yours?"

"I'm Cindy!" The peppy girl said. Well, she wasn't really a girl, more a woman.

"And, I'm Mindy," the young woman next to Conner said. Weirdly enough, Conner could tell Mindy was older, not because of her height, she was actually quite short; she just looked older. And how she spoke made Conner think of a president. Someone with authority.

"Nice to met you, Mindy and Cindy," Conner said. "Where are you traveling to?"

"Well, unless you're in the wrong waiting place, we are both headed to New York City," Mindy said, motioning to the electronic billboard near the exit of the terminal that said the flight number and destination.

"Oh," Conner said sheepishly and blushed.

"It's alright," Cindy said sympathetically. "My girlfriend makes mistakes like that, too. Don't you, Mindy?"

"I do not!" Mindy said defiantly.

"Don't listen to her, Conner," Cindy said, putting a flat palm near the side of her mouth, motioning whispering. "She makes mistakes like everyone else."

"Oh," Conner said and looked at Mindy. She was steaming from embarrassment. Apparently, she wasn't used to her girlfriend making comments like that.

"I've asked you not to make fun of me-" Mindy began, but Cindy interrupted her with a kiss.

"You love me either way," she said and looked back at Conner, signaling the end of the conversation.

Conner stole a glance at Mindy again. Somehow, she now seemed a little less attractive. Knowing she already had a girlfriend made things different. Not that she was any less pretty, she just didn't appeal to Conner the same way anymore. In fact, as he took a better look at her, he realized some obvious signs that he should have noticed in the first place.

Mindy wore a blue jean jacket with the lesbian flag colors on the back. She wore a clear glass locket necklace with a rainbow theme. She wore an ankle bracelet that could barely be seen by Conner but still sported a rainbow pattern. She also wore a bracelet that matched one on Cindy's wrist. Not a friendship bracelet, a commitment bracelet. It was a rainbow yin-yang?. pattern. At first glance, Conner should've noticed some very obvious signs, but his brain got caught up.

It got caught up on her wavy long hair that came to her mid-back. Her sparkling eyes, ones that showed she knew a thing or two. He cute round pink framed glasses she sported that were pushed down onto the tip of her nose. Her cute converse, too. Those were the things Conner's mind caught on. It missed all the other things.

"Why are you traveling to New York?" Mindy asked him.

"I'm going to the Williams Press Annual Writing Conference," Conner said with a hint of pride in his undertone.

"That's awesome!" Mindy said.

"You write?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, I do, but I'm not published yet," Conner said.

"Ah," Mindy said. "An aspiring author. That makes sense!"

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