Chances

Susan sat by an empty table at the same cafe she had been to the previous day, and she was reading a newspaper behind dark shades which somehow made her feel concealed under the morning sun. A duo of officers came by the cafe to see the owner who was present after he had heard of the sad news of his manager. Susan knew they won't really know what happened, nor would they know how he died. They would sum it up as suicide. That was to be their only conclusion.

But to be sure, she eavesdropped just in time to hear one of the officers tell the owner that he thinks it was suicide, Susan stopped listening and focused on her reading.

Stocks were high today. Business was looking up. Matters of insecurity would always be the case, she flipped to the next page to read other news.

Beatrice came by Susan's table feigning a smile to hide her grim look with a jug of coffee, but Susan saw right through her without really looking.

"Need a refill, ma'am?" Beatrice asked.

Susan pushed her cup closer, and asked. "Why the long face?"

Beatrice briefly glanced at her, her smile disappeared. "My manager. He died yesterday. And it's hard to believe that he actually is dead. He was so healthy." She shook her head. "No one ever gets used to this tale of death. No one saw it coming. Someone should have seen it coming at least, maybe in a dream. They said he left alone. And that he killed himself right after he finished masturbating. Why would he do that?"

Susan looked at Beatrice. 

"I mean, he normally used force to have any of the girls here, and could have, but why go that length to kill himself?"

Susan held back black fumes from leaving her nostrils. "Do you wish you were his target?"

"No. That's not what I'm saying."

"Almost sounds like it."

"I just feel pity for him."

Susan arched a brow, and lowered her face to the newspaper. "Pity is fine. After all, many people die for less every day. See it as divine justice. More like the supernatural sought him out. A force he couldn't withstand." She sent Beatrice a beautiful smile. "Now get back to work. Don't deprive others of your warmth and love."

Beatrice looked at her in an odd way, and went back to work.

She would tail the waiter tonight. She would follow her down to her apartment, the very one she shared with that crude fellow. Susan knew what would happen. She had set so much in motion already. When she comes to her aid, as she planned to, Beatrice better see her as her saviour, but for now…

"Is this seat taken?" a man asked.

Susan lifted her gaze to his, she didn't pause for a moment to look at his handsome face, her eyes lowered back to the newspaper. "No, it isn't."

He sat down.

Susan knew his name. She knew where he was coming from, where he lived, where he was born, and literally everything about him. She saw good traits and qualifications in him unlike any other she had ever been with before. She wished to talk to him, but decided to totally ignore him, hoping he doesn't get to talk to her first.

Normally, she would start the conversation, become flirty, make him fall in love, then kill him. But she would restrain herself. He was too good to die by her hand. After all, on her calendar of death, she had more names to add to today's date, and he wasn't part of those names.

He got out a snack from his bag. "Want some?" he asked.

Susan briefly looked at him with a smile and said, "No, thank you." She continued with the newspaper.

"I'm Jake by the way. Jake Tucker."

She now looked at him. "I'm Susan. Susan Hills." She was about to lower her head.

"Such a beautiful name." 

"You think?"

"I've never seen a lady who goes by the name Susan that wasn't ever beautiful. I bet if you take off your glasses, you'll have me spellbound."

More like fall in love, Susan thought. She had the most beautiful reddish-brown eyes written in blood, danger, and death, but no one ever saw that. All they saw was beauty, the woman of their dreams, their future, but never what came next.

"Do you normally frequent this place?" he asked after she lowered her head again. "I'm sorry to disturb you."

"It's fine. For now, it's my best spot." She almost lowered her gaze, but thought to ask as any civil person would. "What about you?"

"Trying out new places. New scenery. A change of environment. And Possibly a new job. Was just fired from my last job, you see." Jake sent her a charming smile. "You won't believe why I was fired."

Susan already knew, but she said to play ignorant. "Tell me."

He leaned his head forward. "My boss was having sex with my girlfriend, and I caught them both in the act. Now, I wasn't fired because I challenged him at work which I didn't. I was fired because I walked in on him having sex with her. When I asked her how long this had been going after he left," he said, and laughed, "she said a whole year."

Susan tried to conceal her smile, for behind Jake's own smile was pain written all over it. "Seems you like to pretend."

"More accurately, I like to act like nothing is there. That way, I can get over anything. If I ignore it, then it doesn't see me. If I look at it, there's every tendency I'm bound to be noticed."

She smiled. "I like you."

That came out too quick. 

"You're fine, and you speak true," she added, "but you lie to yourself the most not to feel pain, and I guess, you've been through your fair share."

"You have no idea."

But Susan had an idea. She knew everything.

Beatrice came by to take Jake's order.

Susan knew he didn't have much money on him. "Put it on my tab. Whatever he orders."

Jake eyed Susan whose head fell to the newspaper she had been reading. "Thank you."

She didn't raise her gaze to look at him. "You're welcome."

Jake removed his gaze from her, and ordered something light. He didn't want to overbill the sweet, generous, beautiful lady.

Susan heard his order, and interrupted, telling Beatrice Jake's need, and what he really needed since she could read his mind.

"Do you have a place to stay?" she asked as Beatrice left.

"No," Jake said. "But I intend to find a place before sunset."

Sunset. Her hour of hunting. She didn't want to suggest it, but it came to her. She pushed it back, then it fell out. "Would you like to stay with me?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't. That would be too imposing on my part. Look, I could be a bit annoying sometimes."

All that was to scare her away, but Susan knew better.

"The offer is down," Susan said. "Eat. And when you're done, I'll be taking you home with me."

That meant so many things to Jake as his mind ran wild with different possibilities.

To Susan, it only meant one. And she wished he'd lived long for her to fulfill it. But at the moment, she changed her mind about tailing the waitress. Best she meets her street with shock, and surprise.