Thursday, March 31, 2016

Trust Issues - A Flash Fiction



I like how artwork can inspire the imagination, and this image I linked to on my Sunday Post a couple weeks ago inspired this quick story.

TRUST ISSUES

He didn't want to leave.

Funny how these things happen, he thought as he lay there looking at her. A few weeks ago his life had been quiet, he thought he'd put the drama behind him. He'd made some mistakes, had been in some trouble, but he was working it out. Now he'd hardly been home in the last week. He had been in relationships before, of course, but not like this girl. He knew he should be careful, knew he was going all in, but he didn't care. 8124. Her apartment up here in the spire. He liked that number.

He watched her sleep for a while, her breath rising and falling. Sabine jumped up on the bed and walked on him for a moment, then settled down at the foot of the bed and stared out the window. His gaze followed, at the gleaming towers and sky traffic. She has a great view. He wondered how she afforded it. He turned onto his stomach and fiddled with the keypad, and the sound of falling rain filled the little room, punctuated occasionally by distant thunder. She woke slowly and smiled at him, and his heart skipped a beat. You're in way over your head.

"Hi."
"Hi yourself," she mumbled, kissing him.  She lay there for a bit and  looked at him and their fingers interlaced as the rain continued to fall. Sabine came up and made herself comfortable, purring in that loud way she had.
"When do you have to go?" he asked after a while, toying with a strand of her hair. 
"My shift starts at eight. We have a while yet."
He smiled. "Whatever will we do?" 
She smiled back. "Oh I don't know, maybe go for a walk. We have to leave sometime."
"I don't think so," he said as he kissed her, "but nice try." She mumbled something and pulled him down, and Sabby had to vacate. The kiss was long and deep, and afterward it was quiet for a while. 

They hadn't left the place in two days. Food was from some Chinese take out place a few levels down- they delivered thankfully. The cartons were mostly strewn on the floor near the tiny kitchenette, where they had sat crosslegged and devoured like there was no tomorrow. The cat had been after what was left. I hope Sabby likes General Tso's. She had told him he could stay, and he thought about it. He liked the view, and he'd be here when she got home. Definitely a plus. He also liked that no one knew where he was. But, he had some things he should take care of. And he was getting attached, always wanting to be here. Thinking about her all the time. If he wasn't careful he would lose his shit for this girl. Too late.

All too soon it was time and she had to get up. Eventually she pulled away and stepped down into the living area, pulling the sheet with her. He decided not to let go and it fell away, and she smiled back at him as she walked naked into the bathroom. He laid back contentedly and closed his eyes, listening to the faint whirring of the traffic outside and after a few moments the shower turning on. He thought about joining her, but it was getting late and he was happy right where he was. Sabby jumped up to keep him company.

A chime sounded behind him and he turned onto his stomach. An incoming message. Knowing he shouldn't, he swiped. A deposit with an attached message. A deposit for a large amount of money. Wow. In spite of his better judgment he kept reading.     

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF CONTACT. SUBJECT WILL BE ACQUIRED AT 20:00 ST. 

STANDARD PROCEDURE. BALANCE OF FEE WILL BE DEPOSITED UPON RETRIEVAL OF SUBJECT. 

His picture and social ID information were there. 

Stunned he fell back against the pillows. No. No no no. Not possible. How could she know? Are you kidding me? The last few weeks had been nice. More than nice. Tears stung his eyes. The cat was still purring against him, and he shoved her off the bed angrily. The events of the last few weeks replayed themselves through his mind- the questions he hadn't asked, the vague playful answers she gave to the ones he did ask. It all made sense now. 'I work in the history section of the library', she had said. Yeah sure you do honey. Although he had not exactly been honest either.  

The water turned off. Shit. He closed the message as unread and scrambled up, pulling his clothes on. Sabby was in the cartons again. He was at the door when she called out. 
"Do you want to stay while I'm gone?  We could do something when I get back, maybe go for breakfast?"  
If only.
"No," his voice cracked as he answered. "I should get going, I've got a few things I need to do. See you after though?" Yeah right. 
"Sure. You're welcome to stay though. Sabby won't mind." 
I'm sure. 
Hesitating, he wanted to say something. Anything. But what did it matter? He stepped outside and looked around. Just off her hallway was a busy concourse, throngs of people going here and there amongst the restaurants and nightclubs.  

He didn't want to leave. With a last look back he stepped into the flow of people and disappeared. 

29 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading this, I really like your writing!
    The artwork you include in your Sunday Posts does tend to be really inspiring :)

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    1. Thank you! There is so much cool artwork out there and it can definitely get the creative juices flowing. :)

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  2. This was great! I love the inspiration artwork. :)

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    1. Thanks! I had fun writing it. And I agree- the pic definitely got me thinking what's the story here?

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  3. Great writing! I'm definitely intrigued to know more about this guy after that "oh shit, she's onto him!" moment lol. I also feel kind of bad for him though since it was real for him but not for her (or maybe it was and she's having second thoughts?).

    It's kind of the best when something just inspires you because the writing just tends to flow better, you know? So that's awesome that you were inspired by the picture :-)

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    1. Thanks! I had a lot of fun with it. And it changed a bit as I was writing it. I kinda wanted to explore further what happens next but I thought well flash fiction so I wanted to keep it under a thousand words or so. And I kinda kept it ambiguous about her- IS she having second thoughts? I kinda think so, but we never find out. :)

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  4. Ah, this is really good! :) I know it's flash fiction but have you thought about exploring it further? It sounds like a cool beginning of something. I wanna know what their secrets are!

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    1. Thanks Kaja! I have actually thought about it after I finished it- I kinda want to know more too. So I might revisit it... glad you liked it. :)

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  5. The story really captures the feeling of the picture--or is it the other way around?

    Thanks for stopping by Falconer's Library today!

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    1. Thank you! I was so inspired by the picture- I thought there has to be a story there somewhere. :)

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  6. Great job! This isn't a genre I would normally read (futeristic, sci-fi?), but you really had me interested there.

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    1. Thanks Melissa! I had fun writing it...

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  7. I like how images can inspire a story....and I enjoyed reading this one. Now I want to know what happens next!

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    1. Thank you! I appreciate your reading it- and I'm kinda curious myself!

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  8. Ohh... loved this Greg! Am wondering what happens next!

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    1. Thank you! I'm kinda wondering myself...

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  9. Awesome... perfect length and honestly, we really don't need to know more, do we? :D I like your writing!!!

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    1. Thanks Kristin! I enjoyed writing it... and I kinda liked leaving it open ended too. :)

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  10. Enjoyed this! You should make this a regular feature. A friend of mine writes a lot of Flash Fiction. I guess there is as group of them on this site called Zoetrope. Have you ever heard if it? I guess it is in the same vein as Wattpad. He keeps asking me to join, but I don't think he gets that I write Middle Grade stuff. Ha ha. You should look into it if you haven't already. :)

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    1. I have not heard of that group, but it's good to know! I am thinking of having another go at it. :) And I need to get on Wattpad!

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    2. Wattpad is super easy to set up, so you have no excuse!

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  11. Oh my gosh, how good! I love that artwork shown above; I could stare at that for a long time, taking in the details. So that's it then, for flash fiction? We are left hanging off the cliff, lol! I want to know what happens after that. Do they meet up again? Is someone after him and will they get him? Maybe you should continue the story and make it a novella-length :)

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    1. I love that futuristic artwork too- so imagination inspiring. I like the idea of continuing, and thanks for showing interest. :) I might explore it further, I'm curious myself now!

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  12. Very good! I love that you included artwork, definitely gives a good visual in my head for the scene! Looking forward to any more you include in his story!

    Molly @ Molly's Book Nook

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    1. Thanks Molly! I enjoyed it a lot, it really took off once I started. :)

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  13. This captured me. I want to know who he is/what he does. Bummer on the betrayal but the emotion was portrayed so well. How nice that the art inspired that good bit of fiction.

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    1. Thank you! I'm kinda curious myself now that I mention it ha ha. The betrayal wasn't the original idea but it added conflict... :)

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  14. O..M...G O LOOOVED IT!! I really like the line "If he wasn't careful he would lose his shit for this girl. Too late." I liked the writing very much. The voice and the pacing. Great job Gregg! Can't wait for part 2

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  15. That was great Greg, I love that image and your words go perfectly with it.

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