Chapter Three: Double Lives, Double Trouble
According to experts, there must be an equal balance between technology and the real world. There are the homebodies who spend their entire lives on the internet, wasting away till they are pallid shells of their former selves; and there are the extroverts, constantly out-and-about, disdainful of anything even remotely connected to the World Wide Web. If one could attain a level balance between those two extremes, then they have achieved a harmony greater than any being could imagine. For the internet is a majestic trap set to either lure or repel, and only the most wise and skilful can evade its lethal clutches. Much like a bug turning against nature, and choosing not the enter the spider's we-
Click.
With a single tap of the small boxed 'x' in the top right corner, the browser that contained the ridiculous essay was lost forever. At least until someone decided to go through the internet history, to which they would find the link perfectly archived. Though Luka, not being a geek, had no knowledge of this history cache, and so happily continued to believe that there was zero evidence she had actually started reading an utterly meaningless article on how the internet was really a black hole which sucked in every poor being who happened upon it.
Luka rolled her eyes. There was no way anyone would actually spend an entire day just surfing the internet. No way at all. Every one of those screenames had to have a person behind them, and they had to a have a life. At least, that was what Luka naively believed.
Ah, the innocent philosophies of those unknowing to the exact vastness of the internet. They need to lurk moar.
Luka rubbed her temples, now growing weary of the pointless information she repeatedly found herself stumbling upon. Finally she hit the shutdown button, and watched as the laptop slowly flickered out of life.
Stretching out against the back of the chair, she yawned widely. Luka had only arisen from bed half an hour ago and was already tired again. The atmosphere was not helping much either. The house was still dark from what little light the early morning sun spread, and a sleepy silence hung around like fine mist. Rubbing her eyes nonchalantly, Luka glanced at the glowing red numbers of a nearby digital clock.
7:15 on the dot.
Leaning back into a stretch again, Luka ran a hand through her pale watermelon hair. The lazily tied back strands felt straw-like, and absently she made a mental note to wash her hair later that evening.
Mind becoming numbingly blank for a moment, Luka stared somnolently into space. Then quickly, with a blink and swish of her head, she woke herself up and pushed gently off the chair. If she didn't get moving now, she would barely make it through the day.
Forgetting what the time was when she had checked the clock only moments earlier, she consciously noted the correct minute as she took a second glimpse back, before departing from the room promptly. There was somewhere she wished to be.
Twenty minutes later, sitting cross-legged and absently stirring a cup of hot coffee, Luka pondered over exactly how this had happened. She wasn't exactly sure when the odd visit to the café became a daily habit, or what even prompted her to do so in the first place (most likely the allure of pancakes and hot drinks), but she was not complaining. Not when this coffee tasted absolutely delicious.
Sipping the beverage gently, she gazed out over the cup and at the now familiar waiter. His back was turned towards her as he finished wiping down one of the tables, the movement making his lengthy hair sway like a curtain in the breeze. Successfully sanitizing the surface, he shoved the cleaning rag in his trouser pocket for later use. With the current work finished, he grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it across the tiled floor, drawing it over to the one-seater table Luka was parked by. He gave her a swaggering smirk as he noticed she had been staring – or innocuously observing as Luka preferred to call it.
"So," Gakupo began, seating himself by Luka's table, resting his elbows on the edge.
"So?" Luka mimicked questioningly, raising an eyebrow. She placed the now nearly empty coffee mug down, making a thick thud on the wooden counter.
"Are you planning on making a habit out of coming here?"
"I already have."
Gakupo made a tutting sound, leaning back on his chair. "Witty, witty."
Trying to suppress a triumphant grin at the small verbal victory, Luka picked up the coffee and drank down the remaining mouthfuls.
Seeing she wasn't planning on saying anymore, Gakupo continued prodding her with questions. "Is there a particular reason, then?"
"No reason." Luka easily replied.
"No one comes to the same café nearly every morning for two weeks for 'no reason'."
It had been two weeks already? Luka sure had lost track of time. It seemed like far shorter than that. She should really start to get a life. Sighing in defeat, Luka concentrated on a loose strand of hair in front of her eyes rather than Gakupo's face directly.
"I just don't like making breakfast. So I eat here."
"Uh-huh." He sounded extremely unconvinced.
"It's the truth, believe it or not."
"Fine then, stay in denial."
"I will."
"So you admit you're in denial?"
"That was not what I meant and you very well know it." Luka huffed, an almost childish glare puckering her face. Not wanting the irritating man to say any more, she let her unbecoming expression drop, calming herself enough to ask him a normal question.
"So do you eat breakfast here or at home?"
"I sense a bad attempt at changing the topic."
"Just shut up and answer the question."
"That right there was a paradox. Since technically I can't shut up and still answer question at the same time-"
He was cut short by the acid glare Luka sent him. Gakupo swore that if looks could kill, he be six feet under and pushing up daisies. "Okay, okay…" he surrendered, trying to ignore the almost death-inducing stare. It was starting to send chills down his spine.
"If you must know, I eat breakfast at home. And to answer what you will probably ask next, I usually eat cornflakes."
Luka never even had the intention of asking what exactly he ate, but shrugged at the information. Although, it surprised her slightly. She assumed such an avid eggplant lover such as him would be eating the purple fruit day and night.
"I thought you would have eggplants or something." She commented, voicing her internal thoughts. Luka then blinked in puzzlement when the only reply she received from Gakupo was a confused expression.
…Wait. Crap. Crap. Crap.
The real-world Gakupo never mentioned eggplants to her. At all. Only crazy internet Gakupo had.
"I mean," Luka thought quickly, acting on pure instinct as she spewed out the first excuse her slowly panicking mind threw out. "I just get this vibe from you that would eat that kind of food. Call it intuition or something."
Luka was not one for expertly wiggling her way out of situations and even to her ears the lie sounded flimsy and obviously fake. She tried hard to suppress a cringe. Although, when she looked at Gakupo, all Luka's worries vanished as quickly as they came.
"You really get that impression from me? That's… Amazing!"
The man was almost literally sparkling with glee.
"I actually do like eggplants, I happen to think of them as the most divine food to be grown on earth. People seem so surprised when I tell them that, as if it's something that's completely unexpected. But what's more surprising is that they don't pick up on it as soon as they meet me. I do send out eggplant-loving vibes! You, my lady, are a sharp one."
Luka's eye twitched. Just a bit. She much rather preferred the cocky joker she was talking to under a minute ago, not this eggplant freak. What had she done?
"Ahaha…" Luka weakly laughed, not sure whether make a serious reply or not. Luckily she was saved the trouble by the metallic jingle of the bell on the door. A customer had entered.
Gakupo dropped his eccentric attitude almost immediately. "Well, excuse me. I have work to do now." Smoothly sliding out of his seat and brushing the creases from his shirt, he stood and walked over to the customer, a pleasant smile plastered on his face. Luka, feeling no more need to stay, gathered herself and briskly left.
The walk home seemed a lot shorter than usual. Luka found herself blinking in surprise when she realised she was already at her front door. Fumbling her keys but unlocking the door none the less, Luka walked in and slipped her shoes off, shoving them roughly to the side. By habit she walked straight into the study room – which now didn't smell as bad, thank god – and sat down at the desk. Her laptop was laid out eagerly before her.
Luka felt disappointed. She had gone out, got an early start, and once again all she did was return home and hole herself back up in front of the computer. Annoyed at herself, Luka opened the laptop, and took her anger out by killing aliens in a web browser game she had stumbled upon a few days ago. One click and the alien's head exploded. Somehow it relieved a little tension, and before Luka knew it she was absorbed in gameplay.
For the rest of the day the only things heard in the house were electronic gunfire and random bouts of swearing.
Lying in bed, Luka stared at the ceiling. Her hair, freshly washed, splayed across the pillow like a waterfall. She rubbed her eyes and grimaced as flashes of colour obscured her vision. Staring fixedly at a computer screen all day definitely did not improve eyesight.
After playing the alien destruction game singly for a few hours that day, Luka had switched to a multiplayer server. There she killed (or 'pwned' as they said) even more extraterrestrial life as well as other players. It was… fun. Almost. Luka found she was becoming much too accustomed to the odd abbreviations and speaking habits of those on the internet. It was unnerving. The last thing Luka wanted was to become another anonymous loser spouting pointless repetitions of silly catchphrases.
Groaning, Luka flipped over on her side.
Tomorrow, she would commence operation 'Get a life!'
For now, sleep was in order.
The next morning Luka had convinced herself she was only going on the internet to check her email. She would then switch off the computer, leave the house, and be a normal person.
Unfortunately her plan was thwarted at the first step. Tapping her finger impatiently against the body of the laptop, Luka stared at the loading bar of the browser. It had been sitting at the quarter-way mark for a few minutes and Luka had the sneaking suspicion her internet had died. Hitting the refresh button only once, she was immediately met with the irritating 'This page cannot be displayed' error message. Sighing, she closed the lid of the laptop. She supposed this was only to be expected. Old laptop = old internet = bad connection. It was probably about time she got some new hardware.
…That wasn't a bad idea at all. What better way to spend a day than out and about, searching for something that's needed in the household? Luka looked back at the PC. Although the poor thing looked like it was at the end of its days, it wasn't actually in that awful a shape. The system still worked and there was barely any lag. It seemed the only major flaw was the pitiful internet. A feeling of determination rose up in Luka. She would go shopping! For a modem!
Standing up so quickly the chair nearly toppled over backwards, Luka strode through the house, grabbing her bag and shoes along the way. Her footsteps echoed on the floors and the last sound that reverberated through the deserted rooms was the quick slamming of a door.
Luka was fortunate to have a house relatively close to all the necessary departments, but the walk that followed made her seriously think about investing in a car. By the time she reached the automatic doors of the electronics warehouse, sweat had beaded along her forehead and her clothes felt heavy. Sighing in content as the cool air conditioned air swept over her, she entered the store with a purposeful stride. A chirpy tune played on a few overhead speakers, welcoming but also repulsing her with the excessive cheeriness. Luka used her selective hearing to ignore it.
Wandering around offhandedly, casually inspecting the latest releases in laptop and desktop PCs, Luka took her sweet time. No rush, especially when it was becoming blistering hot outside. However she soon found herself standing over a display of modems, unable to contain her growing zeal. Now came the tough part – choosing an internet provider that wouldn't screw her over.
A few signs sat beside various brand name modems, large text and fluoro colours inviting the onlooker to invest in an 'amazing one-time' deal. Luka raised an eyebrow. She may be uneducated in technology, but she could tell a rip-off when she saw one. Shaking her head, she continued studying the available deals closely, leaning over the display table. Falling into the mantra of bargain searching, she barely noticed the presence behind her until she heard a familiar chuckle.
"It seems fate wants us to meet again."
Luka straightened up hastily, turning quickly enough to catch the wink and waggle of eyebrows from her resident eggplant fanatic.
"Gakupo!" She nearly squeaked, her voice rising in astonishment. A moment later she relaxed, her shoulders sagging as she exhaled and placed a hand against her chest. "You… surprised me." She stated, her voice carrying none of the usual accusatory tone. She realised this herself and an immediate scowl flickered across her face. "What are you doing here?"
Gakupo raised his hands in mock surrender. "Can't anyone go out to buy a new laptop nowadays?"
"Shouldn't you be at work?"
"I have the day off."
Knowing that any question she might throw at him would only gain an unarguable response, Luka admitted her defeat. Shrugging, she turned her back and faced the modems, sending her concentration to her previous task. Gakupo moved beside her, his eyes scanning over what she was looking at. Luka pointedly disregarded him.
"Internet, hm. You upgrading or is this your first time?" Gakupo casually asked, leaning back in a relaxed motion.
"Upgrading. My current internet moves slower than a handicapped snail." Luka hyperbolically replied, her lips pursing. "Driving me nuts…"
Gakupo nodded all too knowingly. "The internet is a useful resource, high quality is needed."
Luka concealed a snort. Useful resource for what? Porn? "I was thinking more for chatting and playing games." She answered truthfully, not bothered to think up a snarky remark. She hoped that finalised any other questions; now he can just leave…
Much to her displeasure he remained, with a stupidly happy expression on his face. "I do quite a bit of those things as well. Do you have msn? Go on any chatsites? We should talk online sometime."
Luka stood perfectly still, mortified. She bit her lip as if it could take back the words that slipped out. Her mind whirred for a logical response and, for the second time in far too soon, she found herself spilling lies. She would be a practised con artist by the end of this.
"I… go on chatsites. Quite frequently. But I never stay on one chatsite for too long. I prefer to move around, trying all different places. I don't like to stay on just one. I often change my username each time. For a new feel." Her phrases came out slightly broken, as most of them were spliced together in the final second. She gulped. Not even Mr. Thick-Head Gakupo could fall for this one. But she had been wrong before.
Stupidity himself gleamed.
"That's quite unique! So I guess it would go against your usual style to chat to me on one site, eh? Well, we see each other everyday at the café, so it doesn't matter. I'm glad we spend that time together."
Then he smiled.
Not a smirk or a grin, but a full-fledged smile. Surprisingly chaste and honest, Luka was dumbstruck. Her mouth hung slightly agape, twitching with unspoken words. He looked… good when he smiled. Really good. Her stomach did a weird flip-flop, like she had eaten a bad burrito. Only she hadn't eaten a burrito. So what was this feeling?
"Here," Gakupo said, shoving a box into her hands. Luka jumped, the unexpected weight snapping her out of her strange thoughts. "What-" She began, but was interrupted before her full query was voiced.
"It's a good brand of modem." Gakupo pointed towards the nearby display he had taken it from. "Decently priced. I recommend it." Luka could only stare and silently nod. The suddenness of everything kept her unwary.
"Well, I have to go. I have the morning shift tomorrow, so I guess I'll be seeing you then!" He winked cockily (Luka began to feel the familiar exasperation, to her relief), spun on his heels and he walked till he was out the door and out of sight.
"Yeah. Bye." Luka muttered lamely. Then shaking her head, Luka replaced her bewildered expression with a firm scowl. The last thing she needed was him! Her fingers curled around the box in her hands. Despite his words, she ploughed through every modem the store had to offer, searching for a better deal. Much to her displeasure, Gakupo had the right sense. Defeated by him for possibly the third time this day, she grabbed the very modem he suggested and marched towards the cash register, a sober expression on her face as if she was resigning her freedom for an eternity.
The remainder of the day was devoted to getting her newly purchased internet in working order. After a missing manual, a few phone calls and a lot of determination Luka successfully had it set up. The moment of truth came when she clicked the blue 'e' icon on her desktop.
Much to her glee, the internet loaded effortlessly. Luka metaphorically patted herself on the back.
She proceeded to test a few sites, loading a video or two, and was satisfied with the connection speed. Finally, she logged in to her most visited page.
You have signed into InstantChatRoom18 as MaguroLover
Dancing_Samurai(3.14pm): Odd seeing you on at this time!
MaguroLover(3.14pm): Hey.
Dancing_Samurai(3.15pm): Good to see you, gorgeous~
Normally Luka would roll her eyes at any sort of nickname that weirdo would call her, but unexpectedly the image of his honestly smiling face flashed through her mind. His lavender eyes were crinkled fondly, hair falling down beside his cheeks softly.
Gakupo's comments didn't seem as immature and perverted anymore.
A/N: O HAI GUYS. LOOK WHO'S BACK FROM THE DEAD.
So after a huge and unnecessary hiatus, I return with an update. I'm sorry I'm such a lazy-ass writer OTL.
I actually have a plan for this story though lololol. There are three more chapters and the story's done. Hopefully I can finish it xDD I have an awesome plot twist in store. Hurr.
And thanks for the reviews! ;A; I don't always reply, but I read them all thoroughly and I love them. You guys are awesome; I won't give up on this fanfiction!
Preview of something from the next chapter~
"Luka may be able to deny things like there was no tomorrow, but she certainly wasn't stupid. So, being the intelligent woman that she was, she could just possibly consider the notion of maybe being…"