“Morning,” Alex smiled at Kerstin as she entered the kitchen. Kerstin stared back in disbelief. Alex’s shoulder length brown hair fell around her face perfectly, allowing her curls to bounce in all the right places. Instead of hiding behind her squared black rims, Alex’s big brown eyes were outlined in a little black eyeliner and her eye lashes were curled up with black mascara. Her lips had a little lip gloss, and her outfit actually matched. She had on a white tank top and black blazer with dark blue jeans and black boots.
“What the hell happened to you?” Kerstin asked. Originally, she had planned to sit her friend down and gently break it to her that there was more to life than her crazy novel ideas. However, that plan had flown out the window.
“Well, it’s actually a really long and funny story,” Alex smirked as she poured herself more coffee. “I’m going to run down to the publisher’s office this afternoon and see what they think. I have this…crazy idea. And I mean crazy, Kerst.”
“Care to share?” Kerstin furrowed her brow and grabbed a mug for herself to pour her own coffee. Alex sighed and sat down at the small kitchen table and waited for Kerstin to get situated.
“Well, you know how last night I went on that rampage with a new idea I had?” Alex asked, refreshing her friend’s memory incase she had forgotten. Kerstin nodded. “Uh, this is the idea…I’m the idea, Kerstin.”
“You’re the idea? What’s that supposed to mean?” Kerstin frowned and took a sip of the coffee. Maybe she was just so exhausted from last night’s lack of sleep that she wasn’t understanding Alex correctly.
“I came up with this idea to have an intelligent homebody girl fake a love relationship and pretend to fall in love with a superficial gorgeous guy,” Alex tried to explain. “Basically I thought it would be really cute to…act it out? In a sense? Kind of keep the novel as a journal. I’m the character.”
“I’m so not following you, Allie,” Kerstin closed her eyes shut tightly and shook her head. “You’re telling me that you’re going to actually…act out the story?”
“Sort of,” Alex shrugged and tried to think of another way to phrase her master plan. “More like write the novel as I go through life…”
“Are you kidding me? Alex, sweetie, your entire life revolves around that God damn novel of your’s!” Kerstin yelled. She was furious. She always knew her and Alex were incredibly different. But lately, Alex wasn’t even interested in going out and being social. It all revolved around her novel and her different ideas.
“You don’t get it,” Alex muttered plainly as she stood up with one more sip of coffee. “Kerstin, this is my work. Unlike you and the majority of society, I’m not allowed to just work in an office eight hours a day, five days a week. I have to work on my own time. I have to put everything I have into this novel, because if I don’t? I don’t really know where I’m going to get an income.”
“How about you work at a library or something in the meantime? I mean, there are definitely other ways of getting an income,” Kerstin sighed, trying to digest her friend’s ideas.
“Because the library isn’t me. Don’t you get it? You’re good with business. That’s why your degree is in business management. I don’t have those skills, Kerst. Just like you wouldn’t be able to pull a novel out of your ass whenever the hell you felt like it,” Alex sighed and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “Look, I don’t know how this is going to work, or if it’s going to work. All I know is that it sounds like a great idea, and I’d like to present it.”
Kerstin sighed and rolled her big hazel eyes. She didn’t agree with Alex’s tactics and certainly didn’t believe this little prospect would actually work out. But she and Alex had been best friends forever, and this wasn’t going to be her time to step down.
“Are you mad?” Alex bit her bottom lip in anticipation.
“God, no,” Kerstin muttered. “I don’t agree…I don’t think this will work at all. I think you’re wasting your time. But how the hell am I supposed to stop you?” She sighed. “But do not get me involved, understood?”
“Absolutely,” Alex smiled and threw her arms around Kerstin in an appreciative hug. “Listen, Kerst. I’m gonna run downtown to the publisher’s office and propose my new idea. Wanna meet somewhere for lunch in a few hours?”
“Lunch sounds great,” Kerstin smiled as she watched her friend’s excitement. She laughed softly as Alex ran around the apartment like a chicken with her head cut off, grabbing a briefcase, her keys and her purse. “Uh? Allie?” Kerstin frowned.
“Yeah?” Alex turned around breathless at the front door of the apartment.
“Forgetting something, sweetheart?” Kerstin giggled as she held up the laptop with all of Alex’s new ideas on. Alex gently slapped her own forehead and smiled. “You’ve got contacts in, right?” Alex smiled and nodded. “Because I know I wouldn’t want to be on the road if you didn’t have any means of vision.” She laughed to herself and threw a bowl in the sink.
Alex smiled and made her way into the hallway with a deep breath of relief. For the first time, she had a victorious feeling in her stomach. She could honestly admit deep down that this would work. She just knew it had to. It was…perfect. She tucked the laptop securely under her arm and made her way to catch a taxi. Today was going to be a very good day.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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