~Luke
Five years ago, I became a published author with no face.
Yes, that was something I wanted.
I wanted everyone to be honest when talking about my book, if it was stupid or just plain or something that they loved reading and if they'd recomend it.
So, I had the book published with the name Austin Henderson.
Which is still my name but just not the name everyone knows me with.
And the only thing that confused me was when she knew me.
April Freeman.
My question is how did she know me? I mean, I never did a face reveal until a year after high school.
And up till today I haven't seen her.
Five years ago, we met each other on this same day, at this same place.
And I bumped into her.
Just like I did five minutes ago.
•°•°•°|°•°•°•
I stare into her eyes, my hands wrapped around her waist and her ice cream plastered onto my shirt.
It hit me almost like déjà vu.
"April." I breathe and she widened her eyes.
She pushes me away, an accusatory look in her eyes.
"You!" She seethes and my brows shoot to the sky.
"Austin, why do you keep doing his to me?" She asks, a pout gracing her lips.
Please don't do that.
"I'm sorry, I'll get you another one." I say and dig into my pockets.
"Don't bother, I lost my crave." She says and I smile.
"It's been years since I last saw you." I say and she nods, pulling at her sleeve.
"How long?" She asks, looking at my shirt.
"Five years." I say with a lopsided smile. She arcs a brow, biting her lip.
"Yeah, and this is the same place we met, same thing that happened."
"On the same day." I finish and she chuckles.
"How's it been? I mean, you're a world famous author, popular for three books, best seller, how's it feel like being a celebrity?"
I fake gasp, "I have been known throughout the world since I was born, I just liked to a low profile." I say and she rolls her eyes.
"Is that right?" She starts walking and I follow her.
"Are you a stalker?" She asks and I shrug.
"For only you babe." I laugh and she smacks my chest.
"You hurt me, right here." I cry and hold my chest. She goes to smack it again but I catch her wrist.
"You don't wanna do that." She pulls her hand from my grasp and narrows her eyes at me.
We get to the book store that my best friend Kai had followed me to just to see a girl that had been torturing me with the eye winks and fanning of the fake lashes.
It was the reason I met April.
I look at her and see her eyeing the smudged I've cream on my shirt.
"I'll just go home and change." I mutter and she nods.
"Yeah, you do that."
I continue walking, humming a tune to myself when I realize that April is still following beside me.
"Are you stalking me?" I ask with a teasing tone.
"You wish, I'm going home, since someone ruined my mood." She says and I laugh.
"I hope that someone is me." I chirp and she shakes her head. "Aren't you supposed to be hoping it's not you?" She asks and I laugh again.
"Nope."
•°•°•°•|•°•°•°•
Turns out I live on the same street as April.
And I never knew.
My condo was just like ten minutes away from hers.
And it was a walk.
I mean, who in their right senses walks about with smudged ice cream on their shirt.
Apparently me.
I flop down on my bed, pulling out my phone.
My life has been boring ever since Kai moved to Italy with her husband River to have their second child.
My phone starts booming one of Rihanna's songs and I roll my eyes.
" Really Layla?" I ask into the phone and I hear giggling.
"Hello Luke." She yells into the phone and I smile.
" How're you?" I ask, rolling over to lie on my back.
"I'm fine, at school yesterday, my friends brother was reading your book, and when he found out that I was your sister, he gave me a fist bump!" She squeals and I laugh.
"Well, I am awesome."
I can almost imagine her rolling her eyes.
"Are you coming over tomorrow? Mom says aunt Kai is coming back, I can't wait to play with Neferankh again, also, there's this new nail polish that mom got, and I tried to paint my nails but it got so smudged, I feel like my life is over." She cries and I roll my eyes.
"Layla, you're five, you should be playing dress up, or braiding your doll's hair, I don't know, something children do." I say and I hear her sigh.
"Of course, you wouldn't understand."
"Whatever, and yeah, I'll be there tomorrow, and yes, I'll help you do your nails as long as you tell me all about that cute guy you were talking to Kai about." I say and she gasps.
"That is girl talk, and no, no! Anyways, mom is calling for me, I'll talk to you later- yeah, yeah, I'll talk to Marley."
She hangs up and I let out a huff of breath.
Cereal.
I stand up and walk into the kitchen, pulling out the carton of milk from the fridge, I grab a bowl and pour the milk in.
I grab the cereal box and start pouring it into the bowl of milk.
"So, you're one of those people huh?"
"Ahhh." I shriek and fall off the counter, hitting my head against the floor.
"Shoot." The person curses and runs over to me, helping me sit up.
"Austin, are you okay?" The voice asks and I open my eyes.
What the heck is April doing here?
"What are you doing here?" I ask and she quirks a brow.
She stands up, walking over to the fridge, pulling out a bag of frozen peas, she tosses it at me, taking off her jacket.
"Thanks." I mutter, pressing it against my forehead.
"My house is boring, and I thought maybe you're an interesting person, and also, you're kind of the only person I know around here since my family is still in England, so..." She trails off, looking at my bowl.
"Well, I feel honored." I say and she rolls her eyes.
"When you said you have a lot of my artworks, I thought you were kidding." She says, sliding into the counter.
I grab the bowl and start eating.
"Well, you're pretty amazing at what you do." I say and her cheeks heat up with color.
I chuckle at her and she glares at me.
"You're cute when you blush." Her eyes widen and she looks away, embarrassed.
"Hungry?" She nods, looking at my empty bowl of cereal.
I walk over to the sink, washing out the bowl.
"You wash immediately after eating?" She asks and I look over my shoulder at her, nodding.
"You should really teach my brother." She mutters and I laugh.
"So, what do you wanna eat? I can make anything that has to do with eggs." I say and she raises a brow.
"Only eggs? So if I want rice or a salad or chicken, you can't make it?" She asks and I nod.
"Pretty much, my mum said I'm a kitchen hazard and that I should never be in the kitchen, it took me a year to properly boil eggs without being undercooked or burnt to crisp."
She doubles over, laughing and I find myself laughing along with her, well, until she snorts.
We both pause, looking at each other before bursting into laughter again.
"That hasn't happened since graduation!" She laughs and I smile at her.
"I'm glad I bring out that side of you." I say and she rolls her eyes, motioning for me to finish what I was doing.
•°•°•°•°|°•°•°•°•
So, after many years of not making eggs, I couldn't crack it without the shells falling inside.
April ended up making the food by herself while muttering how right my mom was for saying I'm a kitchen hazard.
So she made pasta, which was so colorful and so tasty, it was like she poured her art into it.
"Where'd you learn how to cook?" I ask and she rolls her eyes. "My parents idiot, they're world famous chefs, remember?" She shoves my head as I make a weird face at her.
"Yeah, lucky you, my mom was famous for throwing her slippers at my head anytime I interrupted her singing." I laugh and she snorts.
"Ha, you did it again!" I laugh even louder and she throws a pillow at my head.
"I'm starting to feel like you hate my head." I say, remembering how I hit my head against the floor when I fell.
It almost made a bruise.
"Maybe it's because I do." She says and stands up, walking over to the stacks of books on my desk.
"Why do you have so many books?" She asks, flipping through them.
"To be a writer, you have to be a reader." I say and she raises a brow, clearly not understanding.
"Yeah."
Her phone starts blasting 'Rap god' by Eminem and I raise my brows.
"You like Eminem?" She nods, picking her phone.
"Hey, yeah, uhuh, what do you mean? Shoot."
She hangs up and grabs her jacket.
"I'll see you later." She calls as she runs out of the building.
I smile at her, shaking my head as I close the door.
"Now, I wallow in my self pity."
•°•°•°•°|°•°•°•°•
I hate mornings, who else hates mornings?
I'll tell you the reason why you should hate mornings.
First, you have to wake up from the dream you were having about a sushi monster, who you were chasing to eat, then you have to get energy to stand up if you're a deep sleeper, then you'll have to drag yourself all the way to the bathroom to brush your teeth, like why can't you do all of that on the bed, without getting up? Then you'll stand in the shower with freezing water running down your body because you know if you use the bathtub, with warm water, you'll definitely sleep, without getting anything done.
And oh, when that's down, you think you're done with the worst.
But then you come into the kitchen, and realize that you're out of your cereal and are too hungry to start cooking, so you make a quick run to the store and then find out that they're out of your favourite cereal, then when you finally settle for another cereal, you realize that you didn't carry enough cash on you.
Then you drive back home and start cooking and you realize you're a kitchen hazard itself and then you start to freak out and then everything gets burnt.
So you stay hungry throughout the day because you don't want to bruise your ego by going back to your parents house to eat.
"My life sucks." I wail from where I'm lying on the floor.
My stomach growls in agreement and I almost roll my eyes.
I press play on my phone and a really moody tune starts playing.
"What is wrong with you?" I hear a voice ask.
April.
"I'm hungry." I say and I could almost imagine her rolling her eyes.
"Let me guess, you didn't eat breakfast after you found out that your cereal was finished then you went to the store and then realized that you're all out and tried to buy another type when you realized that you're didn't have enough money, then came back home to cook and everything got burnt."
"Are you a seer?" I ask and she chuckles.
"No, my roommate did the same thing." She says and walks into the kitchen.
"So, what'd you wanna eat?" She asks and I groan.
"Anything you make, my stomach will accept." She laughs.
"Yes, yes, wallow in your self pity and pain while I cook." She mutters, but loud enough for me to hear.
"Hey! I heard that!" She laughs out loud and I bite my lip.
Music to my ears.