People Watcher Ch. 02: Nothing in Common

Author's Note:

This is my entry in the 2019 Geek Pride event. All characters in this story are made up, although I did meet a real-life woman that was the inspiration for Jade. I love meeting fellow nerds, and love that only a few people on the planet understand me when I start talking about tech. This is my hat-tip to all the nerds out there, male or female!

There are some technical details in the story that are not critical to understand, other than it's the stuff that nerds like me talk about. The in-game chatter will all be denoted by who sent the chat message.

Huge thanks to Guinahart and SBrooks103x for their assistance with editing and opinions, I value them very much. Also, I think I somehow forgot to mention their assistance for my last story, "The Van Guys." They deserve credit for spending their personal time reviewing these, so they get double mention this time. Thanks again and sorry!

Disclaimers:

It's probably too long. I probably don't know how to spell very well. Somewhere, a story like this one has likely already been told. If for some reason you make it to the end and still don't like it, I will gladly give you a refund.

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"Did you bring your notebook?" James asked.

"Of course," Tanya responded, leaning over the center console to kiss her boyfriend.

The kiss morphed into fiery passion, only to be interrupted by a knock on the driver's side window. The two broke apart, holding each other and panting for breath.

"Get a room!" hollered their detractor.

"Fucking Howard," James muttered.

"Hey, that's my Grandpa you're cursing about. That's my job," winked the beautiful red-head.

The happy couple exited the car, walking down the beach boardwalk to get to the Beach Bum. Since purchasing the place, James and his girlfriend made an appearance at least twice a week, and always on Tuesdays.

Every other Tuesday, Tanya would sit on a stool and read a story for the crowd. It became so popular, they'd opened the other available Tuesday nights for other customers to read to the crowd. Tuesday was now dedicated as story night.

As they moved into the bar and sat at their usual table, Tanya looked around at the assembled group. Most of her local family was already there, along with at least a dozen of their regular customers and a few tourists mixed in. She spotted Howard, Shawn, Tammy and her daughter April, Tammy's sister Sandy and her husband Gary, and James' daughter Madison and her wife Sarah. Sandy, Gary, Madison and Sarah were all visiting on vacation.

"Hey, you two lovebirds," Tanya said, smiling as she approached Tammy's sister and her husband.

"I can't help it, this hunk won't let me go," Sandy replied.

"Don't worry, we'll keep it PG," Gary added, smiling also.

Tanya was very happy for them. Tammy's sister had recently gone through a truly tough time, and Tanya was thankful that they seemed to be patching things up. After Sandy had come clean about her affair and ongoing blackmail, Tammy had worried that they'd get a divorce. That was a long story that she didn't want to continue thinking about right then.

"Your usual?" the bartender asked them.

"Yeah, sounds good, Kelly," Tanya replied.

"Same for me, thanks Kelly," James added.

As the black-haired woman walked away, the pair chuckled. "I keep expecting to just have the drinks on the table for us already," James remarked.

"Right?" the gorgeous red-head replied.

"So, which story have you picked? I know you were trying to decide between two," James asked.

"I think I've finally decided."

The beautiful actress cleared her throat, hearing Howard mutter, "Get on with it." She cleared her throat again and began.

"I want to thank everyone for coming tonight, well, everyone that's here voluntarily anyhow," she said to the chuckling crowd. "As I've said before, these stories are made up, based on people I've seen in my life. I find it very interesting to make up stories about other people's lives, and you guys get to hear about them every other Tuesday. This one is a bit racier than my usual, but I think it's still appropriate for April.

"I ran into this woman about a year ago while on some promotional event in Portland. During a break, I saw this very different looking woman with an extremely handsome man. She was as tall as he was, but skinny, where he looked like he worked out at a gym daily. She had this multi-colored hair that looked so different, and she was almost a complete opposite to the hunk that was hugging her from behind.

"I tried not to judge her, but I found myself staring and wondering how those two could possibly have come to be a couple. Of course, that got my imagination to start creating that story for them. I call this story, Nothing in Common."

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Jade snorted.

She did that a lot. She snorted when she laughed, and sometimes she even snorted when she cried. That snort was what made her so unique, at least that's what her dad had told her throughout most of her childhood. That, and he used to tell her that she could be whatever she wanted to be in life. He always encouraged her to push harder, to do more, and to just be the best person she could. As a retired Army Command Sergeant Major, he had always been her biggest supporter.

"Jade, you are so much smarter than anyone else in this family. You will do so many great things in your life. I'm so proud of you," he had often said to her.

As she sat, staring out the window, she longed for those days. Jade thought about the last time she'd seen him alive, and a tear rolled down her cheek. It had been five years since his death, and still she wept for his passing. He had been her inspiration for everything she'd done, as well as the voice inside her head.

She shook her head. "No. I'm not going to cry anymore," she said in defiance.

Jade pet her cat, Rufus, before standing to stretch. She stood howling loudly as her muscles all complained at once. Rufus jumped away, startled by the sudden noise.

"Wuss," she commented as she completed her stretch, laughing at her own joke and snorting in the process. She loved her furry pal and ruffled him behind the ears after her comment. "You know I love you, right?"

He gave her a look that she knew well, before walking tall and mighty towards his water bowl. She laughed again at her companion, before deciding it was time. She had to finish getting ready for her first real date since her divorce. The only reason she had agreed to go out with the guy was because her mother had pushed her to go. Jade had argued against it, but her mother was better at being stubborn.

"Jade, you can't keep hiding," she'd told her daughter, for the thousandth time. "I'm sorry that asshole was ever a part of your life, but he's moved on. It's time you do too."

Pushing up her glasses she'd replied, "I know, Mom. I get it, and you're right. It's just this time, well..."

"Don't you dare say it. Jade Ann Dawson, you will not tell me that you'd rather not," she scolded her daughter.

"...I'd rather not," Jade said, with a smirk.

Her mother's face got beat red, before she paused and began laughing, her daughter soon following her lead. The two women were laughing hysterically for a minute, before they both calmed down again. Jade looked at her mother and smiled.

Their relationship hadn't always been the best, but after Jade's marriage imploded, she had no one else to turn to. The two had been working on repairing the rift that had separated them after Jade's father passed away. For a long time, she'd blamed her mother for her dad's death. It was unfair of her to accuse her mother of such a thing, and with time Jade had realized she wasn't living up to her father's expectations of her.

She shook her head trying to clear the ghosts of the past, as she finished pulling her jeans up. Jade had thought about dressing up extremely fancy but decided that her date would get to see the real Jade, jeans and all. She had seen and done much worse, so felt she could handle whatever came her way.

Jade looked at herself in her full-length mirror, smiling at the woman looking back at her. She was as proud as the day she'd graduated from the University of Washington, nearly six years prior. Her parents had been at the ceremony and were extremely proud when she was hired on at a tech startup in Downtown Seattle.

A little over a year later, her world came crashing down with just one phone call. She had just gotten out of the shower after a nice long workout session at the gym, when her phone buzzed on the counter in her bathroom.

"Hi, Mom," she answered, having seen her mother's name pop up on the screen as she swiped the green icon.

She heard what sounded like sobbing, then, "Oh thank God! Jade, why didn't you answer my calls?"

"What calls, Mom? I just got out of the shower. In fact, I'm still drying off."

"It's your dad. He had a stroke," and her mother stuttered to a stop, choking off her words.

"What!? Is he okay? Where are you? What hospital are you at?" Jade rattled off the questions quickly.

"Your father... I came home from my morning walk and found him in his chair," she barely heard through the phone.

"Mom! Where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital. He's in with the surgeon now, but I haven't heard anything since they wheeled him back over an hour ago. Jade..."

"I know, Mom. I'm already running out the door," she replied quickly, hanging up on her mom.

She ran to her bedroom and got dressed in a hurry. Jade's trip to the hospital was a blur, and she briefly wondered if it had been safe for her to drive in that state. She found her mother in the surgery waiting area, and together they waited. Her mother seemed to be in shock the whole time.

"He was fine when I left..." she said, staring at her hands tearfully.

Jade saw the doctor before her mother did. He came walking out with his head hung low. She knew that could only mean one thing; her father was gone. When her mother looked up to see him approach, she figured it out as well, just as the doctor was saying how sorry he was for their loss.

Jade had started to resent her mother after that. How could she have not known about the heart condition her father had developed? According to the doctor, he had likely had Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) for several months, and had it been treated sooner, he would have had a much better chance of survival. Things had been strained between the two women from that point on, with her mother begging her to believe that she had no idea her dad was sick.

She shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts to the evening ahead. The "date," and she snorted as she thought of that word, was a year in the making and quite unusual for Jade. She had met Marcus online, as a fellow guild-member in the game World of Warcraft. She'd been playing for years and had been the Guild Master of a guild named Azeroth's Hero's, when Marcus had joined from another server.

"Thanks for the invite! I grew to hate that other server. All the little kids and a-holes have taken over Raid-Finder, and the market is super-inflated," he'd told her.

The two had hit it off right away and were quickly a paired duo for most things. He was her healer, and she his tank. Her Draenei Paladin, Scarlett, usually ran the raids for her guild and played as the main tank. Marcus quickly became her main healer, a scrawny Dwarf named Roenin. There were several other semi-regulars that attended the raids as well.

During at least a year worth of chats, they'd discovered that they both lived in the Seattle area, and were roughly the same age. He bugged her to meet for real until she caved in. Blaming her mother, she looked at herself in the mirror one last time before heading out the door of her apartment. The Uber ride to the bar was quick but quiet, and before she knew it, Jade was standing inside the door, scanning the place.

She quickly looked the crowd over but didn't see what she was looking for. She hadn't yet seen a picture of him, so had no idea what he'd look like. He told her that he'd be wearing a UW sweatshirt, since they'd agreed to just hang out at the bar. Jade wasn't shallow, but silently hoped that he was at least somewhat attractive.

The young brunette at the hostess station spoke up. "Hi there, welcome! Do you need a table, or would you like to just sit at the bar?"

"I'm meeting someone, so I'll just go wait at the bar," Jade said, deciding to have a quick shot for her nerves.

"Shot of Vodka, please," she told the bartender.

The young guy smiled and said, "Coming right up!"

She sat on a stool sideways, trying to watch both the door and a TV hanging from the ceiling. The World Series of Poker was on, not that she followed the professionals, but it kept her occupied for a few minutes.

"Figures that I'd get here too early, like always," Jade mumbled to herself, snorting. "Here's to you," she said as she tipped the shot glass back, downing the clear liquid quickly.

She shook her head slightly, smiled as she felt the smooth vodka warming her insides. The bartender walked over and asked if she'd like another drink. Jade ordered a 22 oz. stein of beer, her favorite kind, an African amber brewed locally in the pacific northwest.

"Hi, you must be Jade," said a husky voice from behind her.

Jade turned, gasped, then sat slack-jawed as she took in the handsome stranger standing next to her. "Hi? Do I know you?" she asked.

"Um, I should hope so. It's me, Marcus," he smiled.

She looked closer and finally noticed the purple and gold colors of his UW sweatshirt. "Oh, my god! You're Marcus?" she asked incredulously.

"In the flesh. Is this seat taken?" he asked, pointing to the stool next to her.

"Um... no, go ahead," she managed.

Jade couldn't wrap her head around this gorgeous specimen of a man sitting next to her. They'd never exchanged pictures, so in her mind she'd always imagined him like her ex-husband, a scrawny guy that needed a lot of sun. The dark-brown skinned hunk that she stared at, with large arms and chest, looked like a model out of a Men's fitness magazine.

"So, that raid last weekend was pretty intense, huh?" he asked.

Still too stunned, Jade sat silent. At least she managed to close her mouth, which for some reason made her proud of herself. Now if only she could manage to speak, she'd be happy with herself.

"Hello, Jade?" he tried.

She shook her head, trying to recover her wits. She was only partially successful. "Sorry, I just pictured you differently, that's all."

"Well, I hope I don't disappoint you too much," he replied with a smirk.

"Hah! Yeah, right. You're a very handsome man, Marcus," she said with a laugh, and of course a snort.

"I knew it!" he proclaimed. "I knew my snorting badass tank was in there somewhere."

Marcus seemed to examine Jade closer, his intense gaze causing her to shiver. Her hair was usually the first thing people noticed about her. Jade's shoulder-length hair was multi-color, starting with a deep red on top, and working down to a bright yellow at the ends, with a hue of a warm autumn sunset in the middle. The effect was that of the coloring on the mythical Phoenix.

She wore glasses, but they were a stylish brand and looked perfect for her slender and pale face. Her arresting azure blue eyes were what caught his attention, and he seemed to enjoy spending time staring into them. Standing at 5' 11", she was glad that he looked to be about the same height. Ever since high school, she'd been extremely sensitive about her towering over most of her classmates.

"So, that raid last weekend was pretty intense, huh?" he asked again, smirking at her.

Jade had regained her wits by this point. "Yeah, I shoulda let that troll get you, though. You almost let me die!" she exaggerated a laugh, snorting in the process again.

"I did not! I totally had my insta-heal ready to keep you standing. The only reason you're mad is because I rolled the epic loot at the end, and you didn't," he teased back.

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

"What the heck were you going to do with an INT trinket anyhow?"

"For my off-spec set. That set is nearly the same i-level as my protection set," she answered.

"Sorry, Princess," he smiled again, enjoying tormenting his friend.

"Whatever, dude," she replied, turning back to her forgotten beer.

As she lifted it and took a long pull, Marcus asked the bartender if he could get one as well. Jade set her mug down, and couldn't hold back as she burped, a deep rumbling sound that made Marcus immediately start laughing. Jade joined him in his mirth, blushing brightly as they laughed.

"I'm sorry, Marcus. I totally judged you the same way others do to me all the time," she confessed.

Just then, an extremely beautiful and voluptuous blonde woman walked up to the other side of Marcus, turned to him and asked him, "Care to buy a girl a drink?"

Jade rolled her eyes and turned back to face the bar. She heard Marcus politely decline.

"Sorry, but I'm already here with someone."

"Who?" the blonde asked.

Jade snorted, and mumbled quietly, "Figures."

"Have a good night," Marcus said gently, turning back to face Jade.

The attractive woman stood stunned for a second looking unsure of what had just happened, before walking further down the bar towards another attractive looking man.

"Yeah, your life is the pits, huh?" Jade asked sarcastically.

"You have no idea," he replied with a somber expression. "I was married once, to a woman very similar to that blonde. Let's just say, it didn't end well."

"You'll have to tell me about it sometime."

The moment was interrupted by the bartender, asking if they'd like to see some menus. Jade nodded, and he pulled two out and handed them over. Marcus looked at his intently, while Jade just stared at him.

She asked herself again, how this extremely handsome man could be her nerdy friend from the game? He didn't look like a geek, even though he claimed to be a super-nerd online. She decided that she would just enjoy the evening as much as she could, no longer worrying about having any kind of actual relationship with Marcus. He was clearly out of her league, so she figured why not at least continue as the online friends that they'd become.

Marcus ordered an Asian Chicken salad, while Jade ordered a Prime Rib. She shook her head at his choice, snorting again. She continued to have a tough time reconciling the man before her with the one she'd been talking to in-game.

"What? A guy can't like a good salad?" he asked with a fake pout.

"Pfft, salad. That stuff's for rabbits," Jade joked. "A real woman eats beef," she added, taking a rather large bite that she cut off her steak.

As she chewed the enormous bite, Jade came close to regretting trying to show off. After finishing the bite, she congratulated herself by taking a swig of her dark beer. She set the mug down and noticed that he hadn't yet moved his bite of salad to his mouth.

"Oh my god, like you've never seen a girl eat before? What, do those blow-up Barbie dolls you're used to dating not eat?" she challenged.

Marcus smirked, then burst out laughing loudly, causing more than a few in the place to look over at the spectacle. He quickly calmed down, still smiling at her.

"Jade, you are like no woman I have ever met, and I mean that in the best possible way."

The thunder suddenly stolen from her, she shook her head and smiled as well. "Marcus, you seriously need to work on your healing skills, dude. I can't keep carrying you on raids."

"Now that is funny, considering you run into every group of mobs we see, like Leroy Jenkins, just to test my ability to keep you alive," he countered.