AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Genesis
Genesis Dowell had one thing and one thing only on her mind—to meet the man whom she saw every day on base. Of course, he never saw her—no one did. She was easily overlooked in her coveralls, with her hair pulled up in a tight bun. She never wore any makeup to work, and that was because as a civilian contractor, she was given strict rules to follow. Those rules never really bothered her, but they never helped her to get noticed by anyone. She blended in, and when she followed Myles Legend to the bar that he hung out at, just about every evening after work, she came up with a plan to get him to finally take notice of her.
She went shopping and purchased the skimpiest dress that she could find, and a pair of heels that made her look long and lean, just like the models in the magazine. Sure, she had to figure out how to walk in them, but the shoes were worth every ounce of pain that they had given her. She watched videos to learn how to figure out what shade she was and how to purchase the right makeup for her skin tone. She even went to a salon to get her hair cut and styled, so that when she wore it down, it wouldn’t just hang around her face, making her look like a stringy little mouse. It took a lot of planning, but it all became worth it when she saw Myles walking across the bar with his eyes on her. She had finally gotten his attention and she planned on keeping his eyes on her for the whole night.
She finished about half of her beer before he finally asked her name. “My name is Genesis, but everyone calls me Gen,” she told him.
“Nice to meet you, Gen, I’m Myles.”
“Nice to meet you too, Myles,” she said, holding her hand out to him. He shook it and smiled back at her. She hadn’t planned on telling him that she worked at the Arsenal, but he looked her over, squinting his eyes at her, and she knew that he was trying to figure out where he’d seen her before.
“Have we met before?” he asked.
“No,” she breathed, “but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I work at the Arsenal and have seen you around,” she said. “I guess that’s why I was shamelessly staring at you from across the bar. Sorry about that,” she lied. She wasn’t sorry at all. Gen had been planning on meeting him for weeks, she just had to figure out how to do it.
“So, you’ve seen me around base?” he asked.
“Yes,” Gen breathed.
“I guess I’m just trying to figure out how I miss seeing you,” he said.
“Well, I’m a civilian contractor and I’m under orders to wear these really gross overalls and my hair pulled back. Oh yeah, I can’t wear makeup either, so I usually don’t look like this.” She held her hands wide for him to get a good look at her.
“Still, I’m pretty sure that I’d remember seeing you around base,” he insisted.
“I’ve been told that I’m really good at sliding under the radar. I mean, most people don’t even know that I’m even in the same room with them. I guess I’m pretty unforgettable,” she said. “Sorry, I know it sounds like I’m being a Debbie downer, but that’s not what I’m going for. I’m just saying that you don’t have to be upset about not noticing me because not many people do.”
“Well, I’m noticing you now, Gen, if that means anything,” he said. It meant everything to her that he was sitting at the table with her, having a conversation that she had never dreamed to be possible. She smiled and nodded, not knowing what to say or talk about next. Her plan was to do very little talking and get Myles to take her back to his place, but she’d blown that when he asked if they knew each other. Gen wasn’t sure if she’d be able to recover from her admission, but she had to try.
“You seem a little nervous,” he said, “are you all right?” Gen looked down to where her hands trembled on her beer bottle and pulled them down to her lap.
“Oh, yeah,” she said, “I get nervous when I meet new people, but I’m good,” she promised. She was anything but good. She was screwing this all up and she was worried that she’d never get another chance at this if Myles walked away from her. She really wanted her chance with him.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I just really wanted to meet you and I’m afraid that I’m screwing this all up.” She stood and he grabbed her hand into his own.
“How about you stay and have another drink with me, Gen?” he asked. “I don’t think that you’ve screwed up anything.”
“Really?” she asked. “I mean, I practically stalked you to find you here,” she admitted. “Although telling you that probably isn’t helping my case.”
He chuckled and shook his head, “Not really, but I’m flattered. Please, have another beer with me,” he insisted. Gen sat back down in her chair, and he thanked her—actually thanked her for staying.
He waved to the guy at the bar who nodded back at Myles and brought them each another beer. She wasn’t much of a drinker, and Gen knew that two beers were usually her limit.
“These are from the guy sitting at the bar, in the corner,” the bartender said. Myles looked across the bar at the guy and cursed under his breath.
“Thanks, Bowie,” he said to the bartender.
“Do you know that guy?” Gen asked.
“I do,” Myles admitted, “we work together, and I thought that he hated me. Why would he send us over a round?”
“Um, I’m not sure, but it looks like you’re going to be able to ask him yourself in just a few seconds,” Gen said, nodding to the guy as he made his way through the crowd to where the two of them sat.
“Legend,” the guys said. He nodded to Gen, “Ma’am,” he said.
“Gavin, this is Genesis, but everyone calls her Gen. What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Good to meet you, Gen,” Gavin said, taking her hand into his own and holding it for a bit too long after he got done shaking it.
