Jack

Staring down at the cellphone in my hand, I couldn’t help but let out a low squeal of excitement. “More than half a decade of waiting, and now, finally!”

Today was, so far, going to be ranked as #4 in the ‘Best Days of My Life’ list.

Considering everything, you’d think six measly years of waiting would be nothing. But I couldn’t help but count every day, hour, and second that passed by.

Dad had strictly forbidden me from seeing Nisha since that would break the contract.

If I saw her, I could possibly affect her love-life and therefore impact the fairness of the outcome. After all, if a man like me was in her life, she’d want every last scrap of me she could get her hands on. I had to give the poor unfortunates a bit of wiggle room, but I wasn’t worried.

Nisha was my one and only.

Memories, which made me wince, started to surface in my mind.

Raising my free hand and the hand holding the phone, I waved them around in front of me to dispel the bad thoughts. “No, that doesn’t count! I’m a virgin, okay? I’ve remained pure for Nisha!”

A choked noise to my left made me freeze, seeing a middle-aged man and his first-grade-aged son staring at me as they waited to wave down a taxi. The boy looked up at his father in confusion. “Dad, what’s a ‘virgin’?”

Flushing in embarrassment, I lowered my hands and coughed awkwardly. Okay, not my smoothest moment, I’ll admit.

Thinking about sex made me grimace as I slowly walked away from the man and his son, who was struggling to get the curious boy off the topic of what a virgin was.

Dad’s stern warnings came screaming back like the ill-omen of a banshee.

A father by twenty-three, is it? Christ, that's too soon. Nisha doesn't even realize how little time we have left to enjoy our youth. Then it'll be diapers and screaming infants and—.

Well, actually if it's Nisha's baby, I don't think I'd mind much. Now, those other times….

A violent shudder skittered down my spine as memories I wish I couldn't recall slammed into the forefront of my mind.

Glancing down at my hands, I had to bite back a low sob, remembering the unnaturally cold temperature of the body—.

"No, need to think of something else now!" I barked at myself out loud. The sound of my own voice ripped me away from the grip of horrible gravity my past memories held.

Letting out a low sigh of relief, I whistled softly as a distraction in the hopes that it might calm my broken heart.

“Bad thoughts, bad!” I growled under my breath darkly.

Straight brown hair that reached all the way to the middle of her back, gray eyes that were strangely warm despite the cold color, and a bright smile that was filled with an expression of joy I could stare at all day.

See, brain? This is what we should be focusing on! This is what we’re attracted to. Nothing else came before Nisha, alright?

I absolutely refused to cheat on Nisha. If I did, that would only serve to hurt her.

Especially with my good looks, she’d be very insecure about our relationship.

Hearing the giggling whispers of female voices, I tried hard not to roll my eyes.

I did not succeed as I glanced up and saw two twenty-something women thirty yards away staring at me. One of them pulled out her phone and tried to take a picture of me.

Turning my head away, I sighed darkly. “Christ, they’re like a bunch of buzzing flies. Too bad I can’t actually swat them away.”

Lamenting deeply that my looks really were just too good, I forced myself to focus.

They live in a smaller town to the north, right? I suppose I’ll take the bus and try to blend in a little more. Good thing I brought some headphones. At least then I won’t have to listen to as much of the annoying chatter all these females go around making.

Gathering up my suitcase, I went through the necessary steps to buy a bus ticket and stepped up onto the vehicle. Finding a seat in the very back, I leaned my head against the window and lifted my phone up again. According to the GPS application, I’d have to wait another hour before I could see Nisha, as the bus ride would take that long.

“Oh my gosh! Did you see the guy in the back? Is he a movie star? I’ve never seen his face before on any of the big productions.”

“Maybe he’s a newcomer or just an extra? Still, his hair is so pretty.”

“It has to be bleached. There’s no way that’s his natural color. But did you see his eyes? I wish I could get contacts of that color.”

“...I really want to ask him out!”

“No waaaay!”

Throwing up in my mouth, I coughed harshly, fighting to not get sick in the backseat. They might be whispering, but still, their voices were so loud!

Seriously, can’t I crush them, just a little?

Imagining the look on Nisha’s face when she’d see the headline “Handsome Murderer on the Loose After the Brutal Murder of Five College Girls” barely managed to restrain my temper.

Don’t think about insects. Think about Nisha.

I wonder how much she’s changed these last six years. She must have gotten so much prettier with age. A picture can't give me an accurate reading.

...I wonder how her development went? A C-cup? Maybe even a D?

Swallowing at the thought, I shifted a little in my seat.

Gods, can I even dare hope for a DD? But even if she’s only an A or B, I’ll still treat her like the goddess she is.

Making this promise to myself, I felt a little better. But, surely, she was at least a C….

Shifting a little more, I groaned.

No, don’t think about it. I’m jumping way ahead of the gun here. First off, we’ll have to reacquaint ourselves. After all, it has been six years since she last saw me. Plus that stupid, annoying—!

Growling in the back of my throat, I pushed aside the irritating thought. No, it’s okay, I reassured myself quickly. Our love is pure. There’s no way she’s completely unaware of our connection.

No way. Absolutely not.

Glaring down at my phone, I raised my gaze up toward the front of the bus. “Could you all hurry the fuck up so we can leave?!” I demanded quietly in suppressed rage. I refused to admit that my emotions were caused by my earlier thoughts. Exhaling slowly, I tried to calm down a little.

“Oh, someone turned on the A/C, how nice!” An elderly woman murmured to her friend beside her two seats in front of me.

Feeling the cold air around me, I sighed tiredly. Worst freaking hour of my life and I have to be stuck on a bus with a bunch of moronic females. At least the older women are able to control their lust and not pant after me like hungry dogs.

                                                                   ~ * ~

When I finally arrived in the small town of Vale, I couldn’t get off the horrible bus fast enough. Fortunately, after only half an hour, the college bitches alighted from the bus. The last leg of the journey was free of their wistful glances my way and their unceasing chatter amongst themselves.

Standing at the bus stop next to a building that proudly proclaimed itself as ‘Vale City Hall’, I glanced around.

Shabby. Small. Lower middle-class. All-in-all, just what I was expecting.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I lifted it up for easier navigation. According to the address Grace Caldwell had given me years before and the one that I’d sent monthly checks to for the past six years, I had an hour of walking or a little over ten minutes of driving left.

Frowning at the thought, looking down at my shoes, I shifted my toes in them with discomfort. “Sandals aren’t quite so bad, but still.” I had been forced to throw away the pair I’d been wearing on the bus after getting my suitcase once Vale had been reached. The $2 sandals had come apart on the hour-long ride.

Glowering at the footwear, I sighed heavily. Finding a new application on the cellphone, I looked up if there was a nearby taxi service. Fortunately, there was one (only one, but small blessings were something I couldn’t afford to snub) and I promptly called them, waiting for the line to be picked up. After reporting my location, I was told it would be a ten-minute wait. Hanging up, I squeezed my phone tightly.

It’s only for ten minutes. I swear if they are even a second late—!