I close the manga and set it on my shelf, which is already overfilled as it is. I huff out a breath of satisfaction. Another masterpiece finished reading. I've been on a spree these past few weeks, reading mangas and webcomics from left to right or more like from right to left. Well, whenever I have the time at least. It pains me that I have to postpone my hobbies and do boring uni work instead. If I could, I would drop out and do what my heart desires, which is playing video games, reading and watching anime. However, bills don't pay for themselves unless you're rich.
My phone chimes, notifying me that I got a message. I don't get them often so I'm quite intrigued and I quickly grab my phone from my desk. It's the group chat from the project.
Charlotte: "4pm at our usual place."
Finn: "thumbs up emoji"
I also send a thumbs-up emoji and shut my phone to get ready. My new life at university started a month ago, and we're already forced to form groups with strangers and do a project together. Though, Charlotte and Finn aren't really strangers anymore. I guess we're all friends now, or more like, they always dragged me around with them after our meetings. It's fine though. Sure, I much rather prefer to spend my free time alone at home, but hanging out with them isn't that bad. If only we would progress with our project. Even after our countless meetups, nothing seems to be moving forward to what we envision.
And what's worse is our fourth member has yet to show his face to us or the lectures. Blake, if I remember correctly, hasn't attended any of the lectures since uni started. We have managed to get his number from the professor and add him to the group chat , but he hasn't contributed, let alone answered any of our texts. As a computer science major, I couldn't care less about his absence. However, Finn and Charlotte think otherwise since we don't get graded separately. I get it, but at the same time, I don't care. We can just remove his name if he continues to flake out on us. The project should be done in the next three months and if Blake decides to show up just once then so be it. Though, I'm pretty sure Finn and Charlotte would not like that.
I enter the coffee shop and immediately recognize the blue backpack sitting on a chair a few rows back. Only there was one problem. Finn's backpack was there but he wasn't. My eyes fall onto the guy sitting across from it. Trying to rack my brain I come to the conclusion that I indeed have never seen that man before in my life. So, why is he sitting in our usual spot? I don't know, and there is only one way to find out.
I march towards him and surely enough the table is filled with Finn's belongings. The stranger hasn't noticed my presence as I stand next to him. Upon looking closer, I find myself unable to say anything and just stare at him, while his eyes are glued to his phone.
A sudden touch approaches me from behind and I jolt back, whipping my head around. My heartbeat eases when I see Finn holding a tray with his favorite cheesecake in his hand.
"Charlie," Finn says as he puts the tray down. "How long have you been here? Why don't you take a seat?"
"I just came," I answer and set down my bag next to his. I take a quick glance at the guy, who I still don't know, and our eyes meet. Completely taken off guard , I avoid his gaze and turn to Finn. "Who is this?" I finally ask.
"That's Blake," he says, his mouth full of cake.
Blake? Oh, right. The member who has never shown up before.
"Sorry for only showing up now. I'm Blake." he reaches out his hand. A few seconds pass and I find his smile slowly disappearing and replaced by a slightly confused look on his face. That's when I realize that I have been staring at him without saying anything this entire time.
"Ah, I'm Charlie," I quickly shake his hand. "Nice to meet you."
His smile returns. "Nice to meet you too. Let's get along from now on."
I nod. His smile is really… beautiful. Wait what? A man, beautiful? I must have gone ballistic there for a second. Good thing Charlotte showed up not too long after and was just as surprised as I was meeting Blake for the first time. She gives him an earful for a whole five minutes but reluctantly forgives him.
Apparently , he had some personal things to deal with and couldn't attend uni, but now that that's out of his way, Blake has promised to give it his all in this project. He even offered to pay for our coffees, which we did not refuse and gratefully accepted .
Somehow , I can't really comprehend what they're talking about , and I find myself losing focus on this whole thing. I don't want to admit it , but my eyes keep looking at the man in front of me. It was a real surprise he showed up without any notice. That sounds odd since he is a part of this group. It's just that I didn't expect Blake to be like this. My imagination of him before was completely different, I thought he would be some bum ass slacker, who doesn't care about this project. Pretty judgmental I know, but that's how I perceived him for ignoring us all this time.
Well, Blake is far from that. He's handsome, sharp jawline, luscious brown hair and he possesses the most beautiful green eyes I've ever encountered. A shimmer of hazel shines through them whenever light falls on them. All his features sit perfectly on his face, and even his side profile is stunning. Not to mention, Blake has solved our revolting problem for our project in mere seconds. His full attention focused on his work. I guess he wasn't bluffing when he said he would take responsibility for his absence. Blake truly seems like the main character of some big-shot anime.
I catch myself staring again and force my attention elsewhere. Well, I'm trying to. I have no idea why I can't keep my eyes off of him. Luckily, I didn't have to try so hard anymore when Blake got up from his seat and announced that he had to leave for his part-time job. Wow, he's handsome, smart and a hard worker . Nothing like me. But hey, I like me and just the way I am. Even if I am in fact the lazy bum, I thought he would be.
Finn, Charlotte and I didn't get much done afterwards and decided to call it a day. They wanted to grab dinner together , but I was firm in my opinion to pass this time. Though, of course, those two couldn't take no for an answer and dragged me along with them.
We went for sushi today, and I'm glad I did tag along. I love sushi. Finn goes ahead and storms off in a booth near the entrance. Charlotte and I follow right behind and sit down, Charlotte and Finn taking one end, while I am seated across from them.
Charlotte and Finn are a lot closer to each other than with me, which is only natural. They have known each other since high school apparently. Even if they don't want to admit it, in my eyes they're a couple of the bests best friends ever. It must be nice having your best friend around almost all the time. Mine's unfortunately attending a different university. But that's fine, Luke and I are adults. We'll make time for each other when we need to.
"Guys," Charlotte speaks up. "Blake is a total eye candy! Don't you think?"
I nearly spit my water out.
"I guess," Finn answers vaguely, his attention focused on the menu in his hands. Charlotte just rolls her eyes in response and sighs.
I don't say anything and pretend I didn't hear her. But of course, Charlotte would not let anything slide. She rests her elbow on the table and moves her face closer to mine as she speaks, her eyes filled with nothing but sparks, "Charlie , what do you think?
"He is uhm… fine," I swallow. No idea why I'm lying and don't just spit it out that Blake is indeed pretty handsome, but for some reason I'm embarrassed to say it out loud.
Charlotte groans and retreats back in her seat. "You guys are no fun."
Not that I'm trying to be fun. Finn also couldn't care less about it and the topic gets dismissed. We finally get to order, and I stuff my mouth with avocado maki and then some California rolls. Sushi always hits. When I finally think I can eat in peace, Charlotte says something, which makes me stop in my tracks.
"I'm going to pursue him and ask him out."
"Who?" Finn asks. A silly question, really.
"Blake, you dumbass!" Charlotte raises her voice.
"Oh," Finn seems uninterested. "You always do that, Char."
"Do what?" I ask almost immediately. It came off more desperate than I wanted it to.
"Yeah, what do you mean by that?" Charlotte is intrigued as well.
After Finn swallows a heaping bite of his tempura , he speaks up again, "You know exactly what I mean. You see a handsome guy and immediately run after them. I wouldn't mind but you always end up heartbroken , crying out to me. It's annoying."
Charlotte scoffs, "I do not. That was just one time."
Finn gives a glance that most definitely says "Cut the bullshit."
They start to bicker, yet again. I should be used to it already, but I'm not. Tired of whatever they're fighting about, I get up as soon as I finish the last platter of sushi. I pay for my expenses and head out. The two insisted I stay longer to grab a drink with them, but this time I succeeded in refusing.
Once I arrive back home , I instantly change into my shirt and some sweatpants. I stride towards the kitchen to get myself an energy drink before taking a seat on my desk. Turning my PC on, I notice the time. 10 pm. It's going to be a long night.
For tonight's activity, I decided to write my novel I have been working on for the last six months. I've kept a strict schedule, telling myself that I would write a new chapter at least every week. So far, I managed to do that. Though, I'm left feeling somewhat unsatisfied. I'm perfectly happy with the plot and how the story progresses, but the thing is I would rather publish it as a webcomic if possible. Since I have always preferred mangas and webcomics over novels or books.
Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with any artistic skills at all. I have tried practicing over and over again but I get impatient and frustrated if I don't see any improvements right away. Also, I don't have the leisure to add another hobby, while uni work has been piling up. That's why I ended up writing.
Luke suggested I put up an ad online to search for an artist who would want to work with me, but I'm not really fond of that idea. I would rather not talk to strangers if possible, and how do I know if I can trust them? It's better if I work alone, even if my desire to create a webcomic grows each day. I still believe me, myself and I are more than enough to make my dreams come true.
Maybe fulfilling my dreams is going to take longer than expected. If I keep pulling all-nighters I won't survive for much longer. It's not my fault, my Nintendo Switch was calling me after I roughly finished the chapter , I had been writing for almost two weeks.
It's the next day already and way too early at that. My choice to attend morning lectures is definitely a wonder to me now. What was I thinking? I march to the lecture halls, with weak knees and a fogged head. I had popped another can of energy drink right before I left home, but it's not helping. I'm still very much tired.
As I enter the room, realize that I'm a tad too early. Some students are already seated. Nonetheless, I take a seat in the far back in case my eyes give up and I nod off. I know the professor wouldn't say anything if I did fall asleep, but I would feel like an idiot if I sat in the front.
My head feels heavy, and I shut my eyes for just a quick second. Commotion fills the room, and I rip my eyes open. The half-empty lecture room is now filled to the brim and more students start to flock in one by one. I yawn trying to get the tiredness from my eyes, when a voice catches me completely off guard.
"Morning."
My heart nearly jumps out of my chest. I turn to my right and finally notice a certain someone sitting next to me.
I muster up a smile. "Morning, Blake."
Blake looks nice today as well. He's wearing a grey polo shirt. I take a quick glance at myself, feeling the embarrassment fill my throat. I had just thrown on a random hoodie I found lying on my floor, and I don't even want to imagine how unkempt my hair is right now.
"How was the rest of the night after I left yesterday? Did you guys manage to work on the project?" Blake questions as he takes his laptop out of his bag.
"Not really," I answer. "How was your part-time job?"
But before he could answer, the professor had arrived and started the lecture. Blake swiftly returns to his laptop and focuses on the lecture. I do the same, but my eyelids get heavier by the minute. And it's not really helping that the professor has such a soothing yet monotone voice.
When I was about to doze off, noticed that Blake hadn't been paying to the lecture at all. He was doodling on a piece of paper. Well, maybe it isn't a doodle more like a portrait of someone. My eyes light up.
No way. That's it! That's the art style I envision for my webcomic.
"I really like your drawing," I whisper, and Blake lifts his eyes to meet mine.
"Thanks," Blake scrabbles in his bag, trying to fetch something. He takes out a notebook and slides it to me. I take it in my hands, confused I ask, "What's this?"
"More of my drawings. You can go take a look if you want."
I nod vigorously and open the notebook only to make a firm conclusion that his drawings are amazing and just what I'm looking for . This is too good to be true. Maybe the world does want me to create a webcomic .
When the lecture ended, I realize that I have been admiring Blake's work instead of paying attention to the lecture. Not like I would have done that anyway. I hand the notebook back, but before Blake can put it in his bag, I ask something that I didn't think I would ever ask.
"This might sound crazy, but do you want to make a webcomic with me?"