Working Progress...Still

Phew. Now that I'm done with Second Chance, time to move onto the next story. Here's what I have also been working on. I haven't decided on a title yet, so for now, I've been calling it Nouly and Phillip. They are the characters in my next story. I've posted the first chapter, here's the second chapter from Phil's perspective. Again, it's a working progress. Much can change, plus, I still need to send it to my editors.

Sample from Nouly and Phillip

Chapter 2: Nouly

    He had arrived before she did and waited for her. He wasn’t sure at first if she was whom he had been waiting for. But no other person waited as anxiously as she had, so he assumed she was Ms. N. Yang.

    He had watched her. A skinny girl with big eyes clutching her backpack like a life line. She had hair down to her shoulders that swayed every time she turned. Though her clothing left little to be desired, she was … pretty. He internally groaned. The last thing he needed was a shallow, pretty woman to bat her pretty little eyes, acting like a helpless damsel in need of a fricking knight in fricking armor.

    He mentally cataloged her clothing. She wore a worn sweater over a plain gray T-shirt, blue jeans and a pair of serviceable shoes. Except for a gold chain around her neck, she wore no other jewelry. Her shabby looking backpack seemed to be name brand, though he couldn't tell from the ragged appearance. It’s a wonder the straps were still intact. Okay, she’s not a Pearl after all.

    He took in her image again. What had he expected when he answered her Ad? He wasn't sure what he had expected. He wasn't even sure why he was where he was, watching a girl whom he has never met before, clutching her back pack with him wondering why her clothing even mattered to him. She looked anxious and fearful. Nervous, too. She paused and bit her lower lip in eager anticipation, he hoped, for his arrival.

    She looked much younger than the woman he had expected though.

    She checked her watch for the eighth time; bit her lower lip for the ninth time then she muttered something. He glanced at his watch. Five minutes left till their meeting time.

    She turned and paced away from him. He got up, grabbed his bag and approached her. She turned and walked right into him.

    “I’m so sorry,” she said.

    “You must be Miss Yang?” Phil asked.

    She backed up and raised big brown eyes to meet his own. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

    “Not yet.” He smiled.

     She didn't  recognize him. What made him think she would? They have never met. For an instant, her eyes lit up and he thought, like a foolish man, she recognized him after all. To his chagrin, her eyes were for someone behind him. He watched her expression turned to mortification when the Phillip Hamilton she waited for walked passed her.

    He watched her retreat in defeat and forlornly resumed her pacing. Then she stopped. “Phillip…Hamilton?” she asked hesitantly.

    “Phil, please,” he said and proffered his right hand.

    She slightly cocked her head and scowled at him. Gone was the innocent girl, replaced by intense eyes that could see straight to his soul, he thought. “Am I being punked?” she asked.

    What? His smile disappeared. “No…”

    The grief in her face was like a punch to his gut. She excused herself from him and he could hear her unsteady voice. He watched her walk away from him. She gave him the perfect opportunity to walk away from this prank. It had gone far enough. Yet, he couldn't take his eyes off the desperate girl who seemed so lost.

    She wiped her cheeks. An announcement was made and she took out the tickets.

    Ah, what the heck. He’d gone this far. He had answered her Ad on Craigslist. He had accepted her offer to help her with her trip to Thailand…and possibly Laos. If he were to walk away now, he would always think of the forlorn girl with big eyes and wondered what happened to her. He cursed himself enough to shame his father, made up his mind and approached her.

    “One for me?” he asked in what he had hoped for a cherry voice but perhaps, it came out more curtly than planned.

    “Look, Phillip Hamilton. You can tell Pa about my humiliation. Hell, tell her I cried my eyes out. Frankly, I don’t give a damn. Laugh it out with her, or whoever. I have a flight to catch.”

    “Look, Miss Yang. I came here for a job. If you are punking me, I want the money you promised and the reimbursement for my ticket here.”

    Harsh. But he figured being nice was not going to get him anywhere with her.

    As he guessed, she stopped. He could see she was fighting some internal battle before she turned back to him. “I believe I emailed stating I’ll pay when the job is completed,” she said.

    Phillip nodded. She handed him his ticket. “Are we going to have a problem?” he asked her.

    “No…no problem,” she replied with coolness.

    “Are you sure? Because I don’t have any patience for tears.”

    Her hand immediately went to her cheek and he felt just a tinge of guilt at seeing her demeanor instantly changed. She let her hand fell as she let out a breath of relief. “Don’t worry, Phillip,” she said. “I promise the tears you saw are the last you’d ever see.”

    He had a feeling she was trying to assure herself more than him. “Good, and please, call me Phil.”

Perhaps Michael was right after all, Phil thought. Perhaps, just perhaps, this was the distraction he needed. The vacation he needed. He needed to start somewhere and this, if not conventional therapy, would certainly be something better than wallowing at home. (End of Sample)

If you have any suggestions for me, please leave me a comment. Until next time, good writing!