cigarette daydream ━━ the raven cycle

3; quiet before a storm

     "What would be the fun in telling you who I am, when you could just find out yourself? I'm full of surprises, Red, that's the fun of me."

    "What kind of surprises?"

    "If I tell you, it wouldn't be a surprise."

    "I told my mother about you." Blue said, leaning against the cabinets. "She thinks you're a little—"

I drowned out her voice when my eyes lingered on a bee from afar. Huh. The buzzing in my ears suddenly increased. I don't know what possessed me to follow it, but I suddenly found myself drifting from my seat and following the bee as it whirled around the restaurant.

I must've looked insane, even when I tried to play it off as me looking for someone in the restaurant. But I didn't care, not when the buzzing in my ear seemed to lead directly to the bee. The bee landed on a diner table, and I could only see the corner of it while I grabbed a tissue box from the table besides me. I then realised that there was a man sitting right there, his back towards me as I took one step closer and slammed the tissue box on the table, killing the bee.

Then the buzzing stopped.

     Blue wouldn't be happy about that. But by then, I didn't care much because the buzzing in my ears stopped. I let out a triumphed exhale, nearly floating in my place from happiness.

    "You just killed a bee."

Familiar voice, I thought to myself. I looked up, and of course, it was pretty boy. "You." I narrowed my eyes at him, sliding across the booth opposite to him.

    "Beth St. James, was it?"

    "Gatsby." It was my first time seeing him in broad daylight, so I took a moment to analyse him. He was wearing a thin collared polo shirt, and when I subtly glanced under the table I could see his khaki shorts and tennis shoes. No glasses this time, I noted. He looked like an all-American war hero.

    "Gansey." He corrected. "You just saved my life."

    "I did?"

He nodded nonchalantly. "Deathly allergic to bees." He said, lifting the tissue box to see the smushed bee on the bottom side. "That's horrid."

Huh. "Did you find out what that weird tape was about?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Still looking."

    "Wait... that's it." I let out a huff, relieved. "It's you! You're the reason all these weird, abnormal things have been happening to you the past two days— of course this is what I get for even approaching an Aglionby boy."

    "Excuse me?"

    "I don't know who you are, Gatsby, but you are both the cause and the solution to this problem."

"You know, I am very confused right now."

    I rested my hands on the table, ready to explain. "I've been going certifiably insane since the night I met you." I started. "I think you have something to do with it."

    Gansey gaped at me decidedly. "I don't think that's it. Nothing out of the ordinary has been happening to me, so I don't see how I'm involved in any way."

   "I'm telling you, you're it."

   "I don't think i'm it." His eyes caught something behind me. "Wait— it's a good thing you're here."  Before I knew it, two of his friends came sliding into the booth, staring at me inquisitively. "Boys, this is the mystery girl I told you about—"