Glad you guys are enjoying this! Let's keep going with some more Grumpward ;)

Beta is the lovely Fran, Jill, Ariel, and Pearly preread and I love them all for it!


Day 5 of observation:

I wish I could say that surveilling Isabella is as mundane as all my other accounts.

I wish I could say I spend just as much time on her as I do on everyone else.

I wish I could say that I'm just as curious about her as I am about everyone else when I'm headed to work in the morning.

But I can't say any of those things. Not if I'm being honest with myself.

Still, self-awareness has never been a strong suit of mine.

From what I can tell thus far, Isabella is a person of light. I have yet to see a frown on her face, even when it's resting. Her pink lips are always slightly tilted up at the corners, no matter what.

I've already seen her drop everything for her girlfriend, Jessica, who's going through a bad break-up. She invited her over, and they ate ice cream and watched sad movies, but even when she was crying, she was still somehow smiling. Just that little bit.

It makes me wonder how anyone can have that much joy in life. I don't know the last time I felt a genuine smile. I'm not even sure I know what one feels like.

Forced, polite grins, sure. Cocky smirks full of arrogance when I'm trying to get a woman in my bed, yes.

But a pure, all-out, million-watt, gee-life-sure-is-grand smile?

Maybe never.

She's still so young. Soon enough, life will deal her some bullshit that will jade her just like the rest of us.

But for now, Bella does a lot of dancing.

When she's cleaning, when she's cooking, when she's just sitting on the couch, and something tickles her.

It must be exhausting to be so happy all the time.

And she's always barely dressed. Little tank tops and panties. Sometimes, whoever is in charge of the world smiles down on me, and she wears an oversized T-shirt.

I ignore the fact that my cock is almost always at least at half-mast when I watch her.

I pretend it's this way with any woman I watch.

I'm a red-blooded male, who wouldn't respond to the visual stimulus of a moderately pretty woman shaking her ass to Cardi B?

It's a nice ass, too. Pert and full but not overly so.

Again, pure observation on my part.

Her phone starts vibrating with a text message, and I open a new window to pull up her phone screen while I'm still watching her through her webcam on her laptop.

Jake: Hey, gorgeous. Just got back to the states. Let me take you out? Friday?

I watch her stop mid-dance, smiling at her screen and chewing her full lower lip. Her cheeks pink with a blush I imagine is much brighter in person, rather through the lens separating her from me. I even see one knee twist inward, as if she's turning her foot in a flirty fashion.

Bells(at least that's what she's in his phone as): Welcome back! I'd love that, but I have to work at 11 that night.

Jake: I can make it early for you, beautiful. Pick you up at 5?

Bells: Sounds good. Can't wait to see you.

Jake: Back at ya, babe

When she sets the phone back down, she squeals and does a little happy spin and some sort of shimmy.

My heart absolutely does not burst at the realization that she belongs to someone else. It doesn't matter, she's only a case.


Let me know what you think! x