I took a deep breath, my tiny chest heaving as I eyed the pen—a silver cylinder as thick as a log, lying just within reach. If I could shove it, make it roll, maybe Nate would notice. My hands trembled, but I couldn’t stay invisible forever. I darted forward, planting my palms against the pen’s smooth surface. It was heavier than I expected, but I pushed with everything I had, my muscles screaming. The pen wobbled, then tipped, clattering across the desk with a sound like a falling tree.
Nate froze. His pen stopped scratching, his head snapping up. I stumbled back, heart pounding, as his eyes scanned the desk. Then, they locked on me. His brows shot up, his lean face paling like he’d seen a ghost. “Ben?” His voice was a low rumble, disbelief laced with something softer—concern? “What the hell—how’d you get here? Are you… okay?”
I stood there, a speck under his gaze, my throat tight. All this time, I’d thought Nate didn’t care, that I was just a nuisance buzzing around his life. But the way his eyes widened Nate softened, his voice cracking as he leaned closer, careful not to crush me. “Ben, seriously, what happened?”
“I… I don’t know,” I stammered, my voice barely a squeak. “I just—I need help, Nate. Can you help me?”
Nate exhaled, running a hand through his messy hair. He leaned back, his eyes narrowing, but not in anger—something else, something I couldn’t quite read. “Yeah, I can help you,” he said, his voice low, almost conspiratorial. “But… I might need a favor from you, too.” His lips twitched, not quite a smile, and there was a glint in his eyes, a hint of something unspoken, like he was testing me, waiting to see how far I’d go. “You in?”
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. A favor? What could he want from someone as small as me? But I nodded, because I had no choice—and because, for the first time, I felt like he actually saw me. “I’m in.”
Nate’s gaze lingered, heavy with that strange intensity, and I wondered what I’d just agreed to.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author