So my lovelies I feel very generous, here's a chapter of my first attempt at a romance novel, yes before you say it, there is cliché after cliché and mush, but I felt all romantic back in 2016
New Tomorrow-Nanowrimo 2016
Chapter One
Wattsapp sent today 1:46pm
Hi it’s Andy, I hope you remember me from the other night, it sure was a long night for us both. I’m sorry I took so much of your time, I’m sure you was tired and maybe a little cold sitting outside for so many hours. You did say if I needed to, just send you a text so……..here it is. I just needed to say thank you Gaia, thank you for being the only one to stop that night, for ignoring my pleas to leave me alone, for staying, for talking to me for all those hours……..for stopping me.
Gaia Valentine finished reading the text message and smiled sadly, her finger hovering over the reply button on her phone. She did remember Andy, her heart ached as she remembered the sadness coming from him as she closed her eyes. She was glad she had the lunch room to herself this afternoon in case she started to cry. This total stranger, this sad man, he was still reaching out to her, he was still needing help.
Gaia opened her eyes and felt a tear fall from them as she remembered the night she met Andy, the night she left her work celebration party early. The night she stopped Andy from running that blade over his wrist. The night she stopped Andy from killing himself.
“Gosh it’s so chilly.” Thought Gaia as she pulled her thin cardigan around her shoulders, she knew it was a stupid idea to rely on her manager to remain sober to take her home.
It was rather late in the city and many party goers were still partying. But not Gaia, she wanted to go home, she wanted to get out of that dress and into her night clothes with a hot cup of tea. “I guess I’ll walk along the river, it’s a little quieter along this part.” She thought walking down from the main street, it was getting a little rouwdy and this part of the river was always quiet.
It seemed this part of the river lined with trees of all sizes only appealed to courting couples. Gaia smiled and shook her head with a laugh as she wondered if anyone actually courted anymore or whether that was just something her father used in his fairy stories.
It was always chilly along the river, Gaia never understood why and never thought to ask, she was quite interested in nature but small things like that never made her want to question further.
She continued to walk in a fast trot, wanting to get out of the night and in a cab or train before she received any unwanted attention.
“This is it,” Gaia jumped slightly at the whispered voice. She turned slightly and saw a lone figure sitting on the wall over looking the dark water of the river. She lowered her head and quickened her pace not wanted to be noticed. “Goodbye, I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough.” Gaia felt her body stop and found she could not move. She looked over her shoulder slightly, it was not very bright, only a few street lamps sat around her lighting the way. That voice, the whisper almost lost in the light breeze, it was so sad, so broken she had to turn around fully.
The figure was a man, he sat with his shoulders slumped, his head looking down at his lap, she could not quite make out any features but the sadness in his voice made her look down at his lap.
Then her heart froze, she felt a panic come over her as she felt her feet walking slowly over to the slumped man.
“Excuse me,” she whispered timidly.
“The train station is that way miss.” He said with little or no enthusiasm in his soft voice, he did not even turn to look at her. He simply looked down at the blade in his hand, the shiny sharpened edge sitting down his wrist and from the look of the pressure marks, ready to slice it open.
“Well, thank you but that’s not why I stopped.” There was a heavy silence between them as the man slowly turned to her. She could now see his features, he had a pretty face, she could see it was rather worn but there was a hint of pretty boy about him. Her mind ran with a thousand words, none of them fitted, all of them cheesy. “Um, I.” the man just looked at her, his sad eyes pleaded with her, she could see the remains of tears in the light shining off his face as his thick eye brows knitted as he became clearly confused or silently questioned her. Gaia took a deep breath and decided to do something she never thought she would have to do in her life. “Can I join you please?” this surprised the man, that she could see. From talks with her brother she knew it was wrong to just jump in and be the hero, she knew not to wrestle the knife away and tell him life was worth living, that there was a better way in life. Gaia also knew that running a blade down your wrist and not a crossed meant there was not coming back.
“You want to. Sit with me?” he asked weakly, Gaia nodded and pulled her dress up slightly and tried her best to climbed up. “here,” the man was strong, he helped her up onto the wall with ease. Now she was a little closer she saw this pretty boy was very built, his define jaw and arms now clear in the light.
“Thank you, I’m not a very good climber.” She tried her best to muster a smile.
“Well, wearing a dress and party shoes is not practical for climbing.”
“Your right.” She smiled and laughed a little, he did have a point, she would not be winning any style points for climbing in this attire. “Where’s your accent from, I can hear a slight accent.” She asked, this seemed to confuse him further, Gaia wanted to steer him away from the knife in his hand, she wanted the pressure to lift and maybe get him to pull it away completely.
“It’s American, I lived in America and moved here at a young age.” He said looking back at the blade, Gaia felt her heart fall. She wanted him to talk, to say something to take his mind from that blade. She turned her attention to the water and sighed. “You sing?” he asked.
“Oh, me, no. well yes. No not really, years ago maybe.” The man hummed his reply and nodded his head slightly.
“I could tell, your sigh was in the pitch of a singer.” This might work, maybe he knew about music, that was something she could work with.
“So you sing yourself?” But Gaia felt her heart fall as the man shook his head sadly and looked at the blade again. She thought any one else would have stopped right there and then, she thought anyone else would have decided to jump down off that wall and leave the man to what he decided. Yet Gaia knew she had started something, she would never forgive herself if she woke up in the morning and read in the paper this man had killed himself when there was something she could have done.
“Look, if your fini……”
“It’s getting kinder cold, don’t you think?” she inturupted him, at least she could delay him, try and keep him from running the blade down his wrist.
“Do you want my coat, that cardigan doesn’t look very warm.” Gaia’s heart lifted and practically jumped as the man removed the knife from his wrist and reached next to him. A moment later he was holding out a very expensive looking, light weight jacket to her.
“Thank you, that’s very kind. Are you warm enough?” she asked taking his offering, the man nodded and pulled slightly as his jumper.
“Yeah, this is pretty warm. Wasn’t such a good idea to wear such a thin cardigan, didn’t you see the weather report?” Gaia laughed as she pulled the zipper and shook her head.
“I know, but I got a lift to the party from my manager but. Well, lets just says she’s in no condition to drive anyone home.” There was a light laugh between them as the wind gently danced around them. Now with the man’s jacket on she felt much warmer. “So do you have a name, or shall I just call you thingie?” this made the man laugh a little more, he lowered his head as he chuckled before returning his gaze to her.
“My name is Andy.” He finally said. Gaia felt she was winning, she looked at his hands while he chuckled and noticed that the blade was no longer over his wrist. It still sat in his hand but his they now sat neatly in his lap. “And you?”
“Oh your going to laugh.” She warned.
“I won’t, I promise I wont laugh.”
“It’s Gaia.”
“What’s so funny about that?” he asked.
“It’s Gaia Valentine.” A smile came over his face as he tried not to laugh, she knew it was not in any kind of malice. Nearly everyone who heard her name had the same reaction. Not content at having the surname Valentine, her father decided that his only daughter should be named Gaia after the Greek Titan, Mother Earth.
“It’s sweet, a little different but sweet.” He said without laughing.
“Thank you, I’ve never had someone call my name sweet before. Strange, odd, different yes, but never sweet.” Andy smiled and lowered his head slightly before returning his gaze to her.
“Well, it’s sweet. Like you.” She knew the warm feeling in her cheeks was not from the jacket, Gaia did not want to say what was in her mind, she just let him shyly smile and return his gaze to the water. In her mind she did not find herself sweet, she felt in her heart she was just a normal girl and not sweet in any way.
Silence danced between them as they both sat and looked out at the dark, silky water, Gaia smiled lightly as she noted that the blade had not returned to Andy’s wrist. “I like it here, it’s always so peaceful and quiet.”
“I know, I pass here sometimes when I take the long way home. I sometimes take the train instead of driving. Parking in the city is a pain in the bum.” Andy smiled at her again and agreed. “I drive a little car, bigger car’s scare the crap out of me.”
“Really, I didn’t have you down as a jeep girl but little?” Gaig laughed and explained that her big brother had bought her an electric car for her birthday last year.
“He spoils me, being his only little sister. Plus it’s not so scary reversing in that thing.” Andy once again laughed with her before turning back to the water. Gaia looked at the blade, his grip did not look as tight now, in fact it looked rather relaxed sitting in his palm. If only should could convince him to hand it over to her.
“I thought this was the only way, you know.” After another long silence between them Andy looked down at the knife and began to look it over. He sighed deeply and close his eyes as he hung his head low. “You know when you reach a place so dark and low, that place where this seems like the only good idea.” He held the knife up slightly and motioned towards it. Andy was bringing up the knife on his own, maybe now was the right moment for Gaia.
“But it never is you know.” She said timidly, Andy shook his head but Gaia felt herself continue. “Did you ever think beyond that, what you would be leaving behind. You have a family right, mother, father, siblins maybe, girlfriend, friends? How would they feel finding out what you had done?”
“I never thought….”
“Your pain ends, but you leave behind more pain in your wake. Its never really the answer,” she motioned towards the knife as she spoke, Gaia did not want to sound so harsh but it was the truth.
“It’s,” Andy began to stammer his words, he looked up for something , Gaia hoped he found it, what ever it was. “It’s so selfish of me.” He finally returned his tear filled eyes to her, he was on the brink of tears that much was clear. “My mother, father, what would I have done to them? I’m so selfish.”
“No, no not selfish.” Gaia reached for Andy’s hand and gripped it tightly, he needed to know he was not sitting alone on that wall. “If you go through with it yes, but not now, not if you give that knife to me. Not if you let me take you home.”
“Not home, I can’t.” Gaia felt brave, she was close enough to take the knife from Andy, but he was also stonger than her and could easily take it back should she make a grab for it.
“Andy, can I have that?” she paused and motioned towards the knife, now sitting losly in his hand. “Please?” Andy looked down at their enclosed hands, then back to her. There was something deep in those brown eyes looking back at her, screaming silent words at her as they searched.
“Who are you,” whispered Andy gripping her hand. “Why, I don’t understand, you cant be real. Can you?” Gaia smiled and took their enclosed hands and placed them on her chest showing him she was alive and not some figment of his mind.
“Just a passing stranger, nothing special, no angel before you ask.” Andy smiled at her before looking back at the knife.
“Here.” He took his hand back and held the knife in both hands looking it over before passing it to her. That small lump living in Gaia’s chest lifted the moment that knife left his hand and now sat in her’s. Gaia spent no time in throwing the knife into the river.
“I hope the idea went with it.” She asked taking his hand back in her own, Andy lowered his head and nodded slightly. She knew it would take a while for the idea to fully leave him, but at least she could now take him somewhere he would be safe, maybe to a friend or family member. “Can I take you somewhere, you need some sleep, look the sun is rising slightly, you must be tired.” Andy looked up and around with a surprised look in his eyes, Gaia too never realised how long they had been sitting on that wall talking.
“You’ve been here hours, you,”
“It’s alright, I have a day off work tomorrow, I’ll sleep then. Can I take you to a family member, girlfriend?”
“I want to go to my mom, but I couldn’t ask,”
“Come on, we’ll need to take a taxi though.” Andy said nothing as he looked at her, he smiled weakly and jumped down off the wall. He stood in front of her and held his arms up and helped her down from the wall. “Why thank you kind sir.” She joked with a smile.
“Your welcome Princess Gaia.” They laughed lightly like children, Gaia took his arm and began to lead him towards the train station where she knew early morning taxi’s would be waiting for them.
Gaia and Andy walked down the street towards the train station, neither said a word, but Gaia could tell he was in a better place. He did not feel so sad, his face did not look as defeated, there was no doubt that Andy was sad, tired, but he did not look so suisidal.
Even as they sat in the taxi the air around them was lighter and Gaia could finally see him better. His face was rather pretty, there was a slight hint of rock and roll about him but it was a very pretty face. But his eyes were so sad, they looked like the world’s problems lived in those eyes.
“Here we are, this is mom’s.” finally the cab stopped outside a small semi detatched house in a quiet street. The street lights were now off and a single light was on in one of the downstairs rooms. “Mom’s always wakes up early.” Andy tried to laugh as he turned from his mother’s house to Gaia.
“Can you wait five minuets, I’ll be right back.” Gaia asked the driver, he was a kinder looking, older man, he nodded his reply and turned the engine off as Gaia got out of the car.
“Thank you.” Whispered Andy as he stepped out of the car. They walked through the gate and walked slowly up to the door, their feet crunching on the gravel path was the only sound. Andy stopped as a curtain opened and the face of a lady peered though the window, she at once smield at Andy and disspeared. He turned his gaze to Gaia with a panic in his eyes she knew was bound to come.
“It’s alright, leave it to me.” She smiled as the front door opened.
“Andy, its so early in the morning, are you alright?” she walked over to them and rubbed her son’s cheek, looking to him for answers. But he had none for her, Gaia let go of his arm and pushed Andy towards his mother slightly.
“Miss, Andy’s had a rough night, sorry it’s so early in the morning. He just needed you.” It seemed his mother understood something was wrong, she ushered her son towards the door leaving Gaia relieved he was now in safe hands. She hoped Andy would tell his mother what he had tried to do and let her help him.
Yet, it was no longer her concern she thought walking back to the waiting taxi.
“Excuse me.” Gaia stopped and turned around to see Andy’s mother walking up to her in a slight trot. She stopped in front of her and took her hand. “Thank you for bringing him home, I don’t know what happened but I can see something is wrong. Thank you.”
“Oh it’s alright, I couldn't just walk by and not, well you know.” His mother nodded and squeezed her hand tightly.
“Bless you.” She smiled as they let go. “You look possitivly tired my dear, you should go home and rest.” Gaia agreed with her, she felt ready to crash out right there on the floor, but she knew she had done a good deed.
Then Gaia had a moment, as Andy’s mother turned to go she had a thought, an erge, something that came from deep within.
“Um, could I maybe leave my phone number for Andy or you, just so one of you could let me know he’s alright?” His mother smiled and nodded, she walked inside and returned with a paper and pen.
“Leave it here for him, I’ll make sure he gets it.” Gaia smiled and began to write her number and a message on the paper.
Dear Andy,
I hope you feel better in the morning after a good sleep and you talk with your family about what happened tonight.
It was a brave thing you did handing that knife back to me, it’s the first step.
I do hope you go further and accept any help and comfort from your mother, and if you need to, text me. If you want. I don’t expect you will but it’s there if you need to.
Gaia
She signed her name and added her mobile number before folding the paper and handing it back to Andy’s mother. She smiled and returned to her waiting taxi, Gaia told the driver her address and sat back in the warm taxi.
When Gaia finally got home she realised she still had Andy’s jacket on, she had forgotten to give it back to him. She was sure a missing jacket would be the least of his thoughts, she knew Andy would have a lot to talk about and even more to think about.
He was not going to miss one jacket.
Wattsapp reply
Hello Andy it’s Gaia. To be honest I didn’t expect a message from you, so it was a nice surprise to get one. How are you? You don’t need to say sorry for that night, it was my decition to stop and talk with you. It was a pretty long night but at least it didn’t rain right. I still have your jacket by the way.
Wattsapp Received
Wow I didn’t think you would reply to me, I was wrong. Again. I’m feeling much better now, its been over a month now and, after talking with my mother and father I feel I’m free from that dark place.
Wattsapp reply
We all reach a dark time once in a while, its nothing to be ashamed of. As I said in my note, it was brave of you to stop and actually think about what you was doing and what you’d be leaving behind.
Wattsapp received
I know, I really didn’t think about my mother and father, work meant nothing, I couldn’t care less about that. I came to realise that work and my life style were the cause, it wasn’t family or financial problems.
Wattsapp reply
Work can suck sometimes, my manger is a little off, she’s in her 40’s and still parties like a teenager so, yeah, hard work falls to me. But hay, it pays the bills right.
Wattsapp received
Wish I had that problem, sounds like a walk in the park compaired. Lol
Wattsapp reply.
What is your job, if you don’t mind me asking.
Wattsapp received
Of course I don’t mind you asking. I work at a gym, a weight’s instructor, I guess its all the fakeness and macho men wandering around. It was a thrill when I first started, people getting fitter, of course the girls, but hay at the ripe old age of 25 I guess I’m tired of fake girls and over achievers. So have you finished work or are you busy, I'd hate to think I’m stopping you from working.
Wattsapp reply
No, I finished work, I’m at home waiting for my girlfriend to come around that’s all. She’s always late. And yes, I’m afraid 25 is a ripe old age, you’ll be applying for a pension before too long. (θ‿θ) To be honest, I’m not much of a gym fan, I tend to live and hang out with the, normal people? Not fitness fanatic’s, most of my friends like burger’s and junk food.
Wattsapp revieced
Oh I’m not a fanatic, but my work does mean I have to be in some degree of shape, I have to work out a lot myself, as you no doubt saw. You didn’t look like you were a junk food fan.
Wattsapp reply
I’m not really, I do like the odd take away, but I don’t think I’m much of a meat eater, I like fish and beef don’t get me wrong but, yeah. Lack of loads of meat and all the walking I do means there’s not much of me.
Wattsapp received
Oh I don’t know, from what I remember you were nice looking, you remind me of an hour glass. That is the right term, my mom loves watching that guy, whats his name, the gay guy who likes to make women feel good about their bodies?
Wattsapp reply
Shucke Phan? Yeah he’s really nice, my girlfriend loves him and practically lives on his work.
Wattsapp received
I hope you don’t mind me asking but, when you say girlfriend?
Wattsapp reply
Lol I mean she my girl….friend…not my girlfriend as in partner…. I'm not into girls THAT way. We’ve just been friends since we were teenagers.
Wattsapp recived
Oh, phew, I didn’t want an angry girlfriend down the phone wanting to know why some random dude was messaging you at this time of the night. You’re funny Gaia, even over a text you make me smile. Do you think, that’s if you don’t mind and you want to. Can I maybe text you again, in the morning?
Gaia looked down at Andy’s last message, she had enjoyed texting him, her friend, Amy did not mind her replying to his messages and even laughed as he implied they were lovers.
“Oh no amount of my sexiness could turn you to the dark side……nor me for that matter.” She had joked. Gaia finished her shower and jumped into bed and reached for her phone, she read Andy’s last message again. She thought, did she want to keep in touch, it was by pure chance they had met. He did seem very sweet and a nice guy, maybe it would not hurt to text him more.
Wattsapp reply
I think that would be nice Andy, yes. Maybe one day I can give you back your jacket?
Wattsapp received
Phew, I was wondering if you was going to reply to that last one or not, guess you had to think right? Thank you Gaia, I promise I will message you in the morning, not too early though, I have to be up at stupid o'clock. Thank you again Gaia, not just for replying to me but for that night, I really don’t know where I would be if you hadn't stopped. I just thank my lucky stars there are still good people out there like you. Good night Princess Gaia, sleep well.
Gaia smiled warmly and wished him a good night before she turned her phone on silent. She felt warm and girly as she pulled the cover over her like a cocoon and buried her head in the pillow. Andy had called her princess Gaia that night too.
