Natasha House's Blog - Posts Tagged "free-read"
Silence Part 1 (A free short story to read)
Silence Part 1
A cool vapor twisted out of the mouth of a dark suited man. His eyes were lowered, his hand twitching. He acted as if he wasn't listening to the conversations around him, but he took in every detail. It was a blessing. It was a curse. He heard all. He saw all. His eyes were shaded as a headache pounded in the base of his skull. He didn't think it was possible for the human race to get any more annoying. He was wrong. He rubbed his temple as he walked toward the nearest coffee shop. His shoes crunched the ice beneath his foot sounding like a rhythm in his mind. Why couldn't these people just keep their voices down? He slammed into the coffee shop, the jingle of the bell above a relief compared to the constant chatter around him. He needed caffeine to get him through today. He was meeting her. Here. At three o'clock. He knew she would arrive precisely three minutes passed three. He ordered himself a shot in the dark with two extra shots of espresso added to it. The girl at the counter smiled at him. He ignored the warm gesture and grabbed his coffee and sat down. So much noise. Everyone was so noisy in his head. Couldn't they just be silent for one minute? She said she could help him silence them. He gulped down his coffee and felt some relief. The caffeine buzz would work for a few hours. It never silenced them though, just made the noise sound muffled in his mind. He looked at the scuffs on the table, heard the unbalance of the chair he was sitting on, felt the awe of three women around him, and counted under his breath. One. Two. Three. A girl approached him and tapped his shoulder.
"Hi, sorry to bother you. My friend wanted me to give you this." The girl handed him a slip of paper. He crunched it in his hand and said nothing. The girl gave him an awkward smile and practically ran away from him. This was not the first time a girl had slipped him her phone number. He had that affect on women. His curse. Two more minutes and she'd be here. Out of boredom he unwrapped the scrap of paper. It was simply a name. Ashlie. Nothing else. He glanced up in curiosity and looked across the room. The girl's friend was sipping her coffee while the other girl, he supposed was Ashlie, just stared at him. His mind cleared. Instantly. Wait? She had two minutes. This couldn't be right. Who was this woman? He ran his finger over the crinkles in the paper. Nothingness flooded his soul. Bliss. The girl smiled at him and rose to her feet. She got near him, and he could feel something emanating off her. What was happening to him? Peace filled his mind. He'd never felt that before. He stared at her in awe.
"I'm Ash. I presume you are...?"
"Paxton."
"Ah," she said.
"How are you..?" His words tripped on his tongue. He'd never felt this tranquil in his entire life.
"This is just the beginning." She walked back over to her friend, and all the noise returned like a freight train.
A cool vapor twisted out of the mouth of a dark suited man. His eyes were lowered, his hand twitching. He acted as if he wasn't listening to the conversations around him, but he took in every detail. It was a blessing. It was a curse. He heard all. He saw all. His eyes were shaded as a headache pounded in the base of his skull. He didn't think it was possible for the human race to get any more annoying. He was wrong. He rubbed his temple as he walked toward the nearest coffee shop. His shoes crunched the ice beneath his foot sounding like a rhythm in his mind. Why couldn't these people just keep their voices down? He slammed into the coffee shop, the jingle of the bell above a relief compared to the constant chatter around him. He needed caffeine to get him through today. He was meeting her. Here. At three o'clock. He knew she would arrive precisely three minutes passed three. He ordered himself a shot in the dark with two extra shots of espresso added to it. The girl at the counter smiled at him. He ignored the warm gesture and grabbed his coffee and sat down. So much noise. Everyone was so noisy in his head. Couldn't they just be silent for one minute? She said she could help him silence them. He gulped down his coffee and felt some relief. The caffeine buzz would work for a few hours. It never silenced them though, just made the noise sound muffled in his mind. He looked at the scuffs on the table, heard the unbalance of the chair he was sitting on, felt the awe of three women around him, and counted under his breath. One. Two. Three. A girl approached him and tapped his shoulder.
"Hi, sorry to bother you. My friend wanted me to give you this." The girl handed him a slip of paper. He crunched it in his hand and said nothing. The girl gave him an awkward smile and practically ran away from him. This was not the first time a girl had slipped him her phone number. He had that affect on women. His curse. Two more minutes and she'd be here. Out of boredom he unwrapped the scrap of paper. It was simply a name. Ashlie. Nothing else. He glanced up in curiosity and looked across the room. The girl's friend was sipping her coffee while the other girl, he supposed was Ashlie, just stared at him. His mind cleared. Instantly. Wait? She had two minutes. This couldn't be right. Who was this woman? He ran his finger over the crinkles in the paper. Nothingness flooded his soul. Bliss. The girl smiled at him and rose to her feet. She got near him, and he could feel something emanating off her. What was happening to him? Peace filled his mind. He'd never felt that before. He stared at her in awe.
"I'm Ash. I presume you are...?"
"Paxton."
"Ah," she said.
"How are you..?" His words tripped on his tongue. He'd never felt this tranquil in his entire life.
"This is just the beginning." She walked back over to her friend, and all the noise returned like a freight train.
