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Chapter Three
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2024-10-29 19:42:56At that moment, I was already planning a strategy on how best to kick the guy in the gutter so he’d leave for good.
My thoughts were interrupted by a gentle pat on my shoulder.
“I told you, you could pull it off,” Bailey said, his expression obviously delighted because of the crowd’s reaction.
“I never really sang for a crowd before. But thanks for making me do it.”
Although I was not particularly excited about meeting Jen’s new friend, something told me that I have to keep an eye on this one. I didn’t want some douchebag playing with her emotions. And my douchebag alarm was ringing all over the place with this new guy hanging out with her.
Jen was looking at this guy with stars in her eyes. I swore that must have been how Juliet was whenever she looked at Romeo. Silly and stupid! No wonder Shakespeare decided to kill them off.
I replaced Brett behind the drums for the next song. I played with all the God-given talents I have. Bailey didn’t ask for it, but toward the end of the song, I went on for a full minute of drums solo instead of hitting the cymbals as practiced. I twirled the sticks between my fingers before hitting the snare and then threw one into the air and hit the cymbals as if I were possessed.
The crowd was on its feet again after the song and Bailey called out my name before announcing that we were up for a short break.
The guy called Nicky Atkins was just staring at me with an eyebrow raised, trying his damn best not to look impressed.
Brett was shaking his head when I approached him. “You will get me kicked out of the band, bro.”
“Try and keep up then,” I teased.
It was finally time for me to meet this guy who may soon break my best friend’s heart.
When I stood a couple of feet away from him, I realized that he was a foot taller and I could almost fit my entire frame in his. I was slender, but that hadn’t been a problem… until now. Now that I’m trying to scare off the guy who wants a piece of the only person I hold dear. Now that I feel the need to defend my place in my best friend’s life. Now that I think I could very well have just met my match.
His light brown eyes were darting as he stared at me as if he was trying to pierce through my ice-cold shield.
Jen threw her arms around me and said, “Kenny! You were amazing up there!”
I chose not to say anything. I have a feeling that this guy was surveying the hurdles he had to go through to get into Jen’s pants and he’d just spotted his biggest obstacle: me.
“I want you to meet Nicholas Atkins,” Jen continued. “Nicky, this is Kenny Clarke.”
The guy extended his hand and waited for me to shake it. I contemplated between shaking his hand like a normal person would or pulling him in for an arm throw just to show him who he shouldn’t be messing with. The latter sounds very appealing, indeed. I took a moment before I finally shook his hand. He gave my hand a squeeze and when I looked up at him, he was looking at me intensely, with the corner of his lip curving into a crooked smile. I couldn’t help but think he was sizing me up or probably thinking of the best way to eliminate an obstacle.
I immediately withdrew my hand. His eyes twinkled in subtle amusement and it made me want to punch the smile off his face.
You’re a dead man. I almost said out loud.
I gave him a look that was meant to say, Nope, buddy. You and I are never going to be friends, no matter how charming you think you are.
“So, do you go by any other name besides Kenny?” he asked.
I raised a brow at him. “Yes. My stage name was supposed to be Factor Offner. Fac Off for short,” I said, without blinking.
He looked shocked at first, then he quickly composed his face.
Yeah. At least he isn’t that dumb.
He cleared his throat and asked, “How long have you been playing with the band?”
“A couple of months now. Kenny is an amazing drummer,” Jen replied.
I didn’t know whether I should be happy or bothered about Jen answering for me. Happy because I didn’t really want to speak to this prick. Bothered because I’ve never seen Jen this excited to talk about me before, as if she was ready to sell all my secrets just to have something to talk about with this guy.
The more interest she shows in him, the more I grow worried. This guy is older and more mature. He knows how to wrap girls around his fingers. I’m afraid Jen will be falling for his tricks in no time.
“You look like you were born with the drumsticks, and you sing pretty well, too.”
“I’m just standing in for my injured cousin. This is a temporary gig for me.”
“But it would be fun to watch them more, right?” Jen piped in, dangling another chance for Atkins to ask her out, much to my frustration. She was never this enthusiastic to date a guy before.
“Until when are you substituting for your cousin?” Nicholas asked.
“I was actually thinking of quitting the band tomorrow,” I replied acidly. If Jen was being obvious about her interest in dating him, I was being bolder in dropping hints that I wanted him to stay the hell away from her.
Either he was being persistent, or just plain dense. In an amused tone, he said, “Great! Then I wouldn’t miss your last show. I’ll be here tomorrow. Same spot.”
Jen almost jumped up her seat in excitement. “Super! You think you can pick me up tomorrow?” she asked, batting her eyelashes again.
She was really getting on my nerves. There were plenty of boys who were after her for years. She was practically letting me get rid of them, but this guy? She was throwing herself at him and he was missing all the warning signs I was throwing his way.
“Hey, I always pick you up and drop you off, remember?” I reminded her.
“Well, maybe it would be fun if I pick you up and then we’ll go get her together,” Nicholas said to me. “You would probably be too tired after your show.”
Jen’s eyes lit up again. “Great! It’s a date then,” she said without waiting for me to decline Nicholas’ insulting invitation. Then she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room.
I waited to make sure that Jen was out of earshot before I raised a brow at Nicholas and shot him an undisguised look of annoyance. “Man, you don’t know who you’re talking to. I’m Ken Clarke. I never get tired.”
He gave me a crooked smile and replied, “And I’m Nicholas Atkins. I never give up.”
Seriously? Is this guy mocking me?
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I was about to retort with something nasty, but Brett called me from the stage.“Ey, Ken! We’re up!”I turned back to Nicholas and gave him a scowl. “We are not yet through!” I said in the gravest tone I could manage.Instead of being offended, threatened, or intimidated, Nicholas gave me a contended smile. In a voice barely hiding his amusement, he said, “Oh, I’m actually counting on that!”I was scowling as I took my seat in front of the drums.“Bad mood, eh? Don’t let him get through to you. Don’t let him linger in your thoughts too much,” Brett said.I raised a brow. “What do you mean?”“That is Nick Atkins. Every guy in this town wanted to be him. Every girl wanted to date him,” he replied before going backstage.I glanced over at their table again. Jen had returned to her seat and was giggling at something that Nicholas said.As I twirled the sticks around my fingers and hit the snare, I thought, No. Not every girl in this town would want to date you. I promise you that!***“Sp
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Five
“Uhm, I don’t know where to go from here,” Nicholas said as we reached Jen’s neighborhood.“I thought you were a boy scout. You found my house,” I said.He looked at me from the corner of his eye for a second, and then he looked back on the road. “Your father is a prominent man. Your house is the biggest on the block. Everybody in this town knows where you live.” He stopped on the side of the road. “Now, which way?”I gave him directions. By the time we arrived at Jen’s house, we were officially thirty minutes late. I felt bad for making her wait but smiled to myself for a mission accomplished. Jen was going to freak out and be mad at him! And I’d be around to watch. For a moment, it would provide entertainment, enough to make me forget about the foul terminologies my father chose to use on me.Jen was already pacing in front of her gate. I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling.Good luck, Nicky! This is very impressive!“I’m sorry, we’re late. I found it difficult to find your hous
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Six
“Excuse me, why are we here?” I demanded.He simply shrugged. “Well, we already passed your house. You didn’t even notice.”“And you just decided to take me somewhere else?” I asked angrily. “What is wrong with you?”“I saw your father standing in front of your house, sending off some his friends. I just thought you wouldn’t want to have another encounter with him. Figured you can use some time off from him?”He was right. I would not want to face my father again. But that does not mean I want to be alone with him!“We’re not friends, Atkins! Why do you think I needed help from you?”Nicholas stared at me for a moment and then he nodded. He straightened up on his seat and started his engine.“Alright, whatever you say, princess,” he murmured.“Stop!” The tone of my voice made him stop on his tracks. He turned around raising a brow at me.“Don’t call me that ever again!” I snapped. Then I turned away from him. “And… yeah, maybe I can stand sitting here next to you for another ten minut
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seven
I was in no mood to deal with this guy right now unless I wanted my fist connecting to his jaw.Great! I should have let the blonde share my table.“You didn’t think she was nice?” he asked.“Nope.”“Too blonde for you?” he asked again. When I didn’t reply, he persisted, “What’s your type? Blondes, brunettes, redheads?”Seriously, why does he want to know?I raised a brow at him. “Why do you assume that I like girls?”He raised a challenging brow. “Do you?”“That’s none of your damn business!” I snapped.I was pissed off that he was asking me annoying questions as if he was trying to get to know me and all my secrets, all my weaknesses.That actually reminded me why I went here in the first place. I wanted to clear my mind and re-strategize. I have to find a way to beat Nicholas to his game.As I looked at him, I realized what he was doing. He was trying to conquer me without launching a fight. He was trying to get my approval without asking for it.Well, then. Two can play this game.
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Eight
We made our way to the three pompom girls on the dance floor.They saw us coming and I immediately saw the interest in their eyes as we approached.I forced a smile on my face. This was the first time I would do this but there was no way in hell I’d let Nicholas beat me in this game.We probably have the same goal: get the other to sleep with a stranger, hopefully the one with the huge I have STD sign on the forehead.“Can we join you, ladies?” I asked politely.I could tell they were ecstatic to dance with us. Trixie was the girl who had long black hair, dressed in a black skintight dress that ended decently above her knees. Elle was the cute redhead with pixie hair, wearing skintight jeans and a Sabrina top. The provocative girl wearing a white dress that left nothing to the imagination was named Saucy, which sounded more like her stage name than her real name.I smiled at Saucy. She was my target tonight. “Hi, Saucy. This is Nicky,” I said to her, putting my hand to Nicholas’ back
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Nine
I pretended not to be affected. “Fine,” I said coolly. “What do you want me to do?”Nicholas turned to the waiter. “Give us a round of—”“Vodka?” I suggested.Nicholas shook his head.“Tequila?” Elle piped in.After looking thoughtful for a while, Nicholas said to the waiter, “The Green Fairy.”I blinked back at him.The fuck?“That’s illegal!” I protested.“Was.” Nicholas raised his forefinger in the air. “It was illegal, right, Tofer?” he asked the waiter.The waiter nodded. He turned to me and said, “We’ll make it an enjoyable experience for you. We have a mix called Hypnosis. It’s perfectly safe, with none of the ingredients that banned the Green Fairy before.”I turned to the ladies, checking if they were keen to the idea of drinking what was once believed to have hallucinogenic effects. But all I saw were excitement on their faces and enthusiasm in their eyes. Shit! I did not see this coming.Nicholas was grinning. I could tell he was really enjoying himself. The waiter returne
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Ten
I slowly turned around and found Nicholas standing in front of me, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was still dripping from the shower. I could not help noticing his firm biceps, a set of six-pack abs, and all other things designed to make any girl avert her eyes, bite her lower lip and occasionally steal sinful glances at the lower region of his body.As I looked at Nicholas’ perfect physique, I was reminded of why Jen was drooling over him, or why Saucy was trying her best to get into his pants. I could tell he was also gifted in that department.God, this is awkward!I swallowed hard as I gathered composure and found the strength to speak without squeaking. “G-good morning,” I said in a weak voice, my eyes still glued to the abs he was displaying in front of me. My glance started drifting lower to his belly button and then—“Dude, you okay?” he interrupted, prompting me to look up to where his eyes were.Shit! What was that?I shook myself back to reality. “Wha
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Eleven
Nicholas led me inside the diner. I didn’t know what I was expecting. The usual maybe. Stool chairs and a counter where they fry the burgers and the fries, checkboard design flooring, stainless steel tables and leather seats by the window, people still dressed in the clothes they wore the night before, much like myself. However, when I stepped inside the diner, I was pleasantly surprised.The smell of homemade muffins filled my nostrils. I was reminded of my mother’s kitchen when I was a child. An upbeat music was blasting through the speakers. The floor was rather made of shiny, dark brown wood. The wooden tables and wooden chairs were occupied by patrons within the range of forty-five to sixty. Lively abstract paintings adorned the walls and the ceiling had red, brown and white lamps.The man frying the burgers by the counter looked to be about sixty years old, and so were the cashier, waiters and waitresses. There were also little people working as waiters and waitresses.I was im
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Chasing Princess Charming Epilogue
Six months later, I graduated from the culinary school and became Austin’s sous-chef. I was getting excellent training from him, and the great thing about that was I didn’t feel like I was working at all. Every day was an adventure for me. Every moment was like play time. I was inventing my own fusions and Austin had considered including them in his official menu. Nick comes to New York at least three times a month. Whenever he had the chance to get away from work, he would come to me. And every time I spent with him was pure bliss, pure treasure. I have never been happier in my life. My happiness didn’t come without a price. I thought now that everything was going quite well in my life, I should let go of all the pain and anger I may still be harboring. There would no happiness without forgiveness, without healing. And to start with that, I forgave my father. The day after my graduation, I flew back to Salt Lake City to visit his grave. Nick went with me. I stared at the words on
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seventy-Eight
I didn’t know how long I slept or how I got home. But when I opened my eyes, it was already morning. I realized I wasn’t lying down on the ground by the beach where I last remembered I was. Instead, a down feather duvet kept me warm as I lay comfortably on a firm mattress. The pillows, duvet, and bed covers were all white, matching the eggshell paint on the walls.At first, I thought I was in a hospital, but then I realized the bed I was in was far too comfortable and a lot wider than a hospital bed. Something about the room I was in was very familiar, as if I’ve been here plenty of times before.The next thing I realized was that I was completely naked under the sheets. I felt tired, as though I went through a rigid exercise regimen the night before. Apart from that, I was feeling a little sore there, too, in my most private part. Shit!Suddenly, I felt movement behind me. An arm draped over my waist and I felt warm kisses on my neck.I panicked!I was with a guy! I was naked! We ha
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seventy-Seven
Ken“Ma’am, are you okay? Ma’am, can you hear me?”“Should we call the police?”I slowly opened my eyes and found the girl in Margaret’s diner and another guy looking at me with worried expressions on their faces. I looked around. I realized I was seated in the driver’s seat of my car, with the seat inclined. The girl was sitting on the passenger seat, holding up a small bottle of mint balm and the guy was kneeling by my car door.“What happened?” I asked, sitting up.“You fainted,” the guy said to me. “You’re lucky I was passing by when you dropped your phone and passed out. I caught you before you could hit your head. I called for help. Are you okay?”I nodded. “Th—thanks.”“Do you want to go to the hospital?” the girl asked.I shook my head. “I’ll be… I’ll be okay.”“Well, I found these on the ground,” the guy said. He handed me the pieces of my phone. “I think you’re gonna need to buy a new one.”He was right. The phone was broken that I doubt any service center could still put it
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seventy-Six
Nick.I wasn’t able to react immediately. I took a couple of hits before I came to my senses and docked and thwarted all her assaults. It took a while to convince her that maybe she was just late. I offered to get her a pregnancy kit just so she could be sure.I waited days for her to tell me that the tests came back negative, as I was sure they would be. I was positive I never touched her. How could I? I spent most of the night staring at her, watching her sleep. I was in love with her. When I do make love to her, I want her to want it, too. I wanted her to remember me. I wanted to be different from the others she had been with.I called her several times, but she was completely ignoring me. I was beginning to get worried. I realized, too, that since I backed out on my deal with her father, he would no doubt employ somebody else to charm her, woo her. Try to succeed where I failed. Well, I haven’t failed yet. In fact, I was only just starting. There were some things that I wanted to
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seventy-Five
Nick.I went inside the Rhythemes. This was new. The last time I was in town, this joint wasn’t here, not that it would make much of a difference to me anyway. I was not the type to frequent bars or go to one out of boredom. I didn’t fancy sitting at the bar, watching sex-hungry predators pick up their latest clueless prey.I would rather go to a card house. At least there, I could exercise my brains and make money out of it. No, I’m not a gambling addict. I just happened to be gifted at it. Am I counting cards? Well, where was the fun if you use mathematical equations and probabilities? But desperate times call for desperate measures.When I came back to the States, I had no family left to go to. My father was gone, leaving me with the only property he could afford. The house he left behind was too shabby and major repairs had to be done. I didn’t have enough money to build my dream house. But I couldn’t leave my father’s legacy looking like a shithole. I did what I had to do. In a y
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seventy-Four
“So, how are you doing?” I asked Brett when he visited me in New York. We were up having beer on the rooftop.“I’m fine,” he said, but his tone was not so convincing. I raised a brow at him. “By that, I mean I’m surviving information overload, trial by fire, meeting up with more people in a month than I ever did in my entire life, and trying to become the great Robert Clarke in approximately two hundred and fifty-five days. I’m losing my bachelor years too fast, but yeah, I’m all right.”I reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry. It could have been me, you know.”He nodded. “Yeah. You could have been in my shoes. But the thing is, I never dreamed of becoming a chef. I’ve always wanted to be a businessman. I can’t force this fate on you, too. It’s just things are happening too fast, too soon.”“Don’t worry, Brett. You’ll do great. Soon, you’ll be in Forbes magazine as one of the youngest, most successful CEOs in the country. It’s written in your stars. You were brilliant in schoo
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seventy-Three
Kitten,It had been six months, ten days, three hours and thirty-three minutes. I’m still waiting. Told you I would. Although I hope you never get tired of reading my letters. I will never get tired of writing them—until my last breath, remember?Brett wouldn’t tell me where you are but assured me you were okay. Right now, there is nothing more I wanted to do but to come to you. Nope, I won’t even hug you if you don’t want me to. I just want to make sure you’re okay, make you feel that everything is going to be all right. You’re not alone. You will never be.I love you, kitten.Tears were rolling down my cheeks when I read Nick’s latest letter. Brett comes to New York to check up on me once a month. He brought a bunch of letters and trinkets from Nick since he didn’t know about my new address.Nick was true to his word. He would not stop writing to me. He already said he was sorry. He gave me all the explanations in the world. He’d given me time to process and find it in my heart to
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seventy-Two
After that, everything was a blur. I felt as if I was floating like a zombie the past few days. I didn’t get much sleep, and it was as if I had matured ten years in a span of ten days. I suddenly needed to handle adult stuff that I wasn’t ready for: meeting with the police, talking to lawyers, and handling a funeral.Things happened quickly. And since an investigation was ongoing, and my father’s company was publicly listed, news of his death would hurt the company and, according to my uncle, my inheritance. He chose to have everything hushed. The funeral was opened only to blood relatives and there was no coverage on the media about it. We were also instructed not to talk to anybody without consulting with our lawyers first.The worst part of it all, I couldn’t talk to anyone about how I was feeling. No matter how bad my relationship with my father was, no matter what a madman I thought he was, he was still my father. And it was never easy losing a parent. Up until now, a part of me
Chasing Princess Charming Chapter Seventy-One
I wish I could say that I was back in Nick’s house and in his life after twenty-four hours. I wish I could say we were back in each other’s arms within a week and that he proposed to me a month after. I wish I didn’t leave, and my life would have been a complete bliss. Nick would have taken care of me and we would have lived a simple but happy life. That would have been how I wanted my story with Nick to end.But life wasn’t always that simple, and it certainly was never easy. And just when you thought you got it all figured out, life throws you out of balance again.Two months. Twenty-eight days. Fourteen hours. Twenty-five minutes.That was how long it had been since I left Nick’s house. That was how long since I last saw him, since I last had a conversation with him.He calls. Every day. Sometimes more than once a day. He also sends me text messages at least three times a day: to say good morning, to remind me about lunch, and then to say good night.He writes, too. The longhand l
