All Chapters of Midnight Smiles: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Recently, Natalie, Jake's psychologist, has been quite vexed at every single session she had with Jake. This young man looked more and more different every single session, and the change was happening so abruptly, that it was scary. Hence the vexing feeling.Where did the quiet and uncooperative guy go? Where did all this enthusiasm come from? What is going on? WHO THE HELL IS RYDER?What's worse, Mathew wasn't helping this situation at all.Natalie knew this man for years since they lived in the same neighborhood. She was friends with his wife. Natalie knew very well what he and his family were going through after her death, and she wanted to help them, but this isn't the right way, you idiot!Seeing Jake become more and more cheerful because of developing feelings for a girl, she kept telling Mathew that it's not good to base all his happiness on a girl. That's not how you cure depression. What if the girl doesn't return his feelings? What if she turns him down? Will Jake be able to

After hesitating for a moment, biting her lip, and not quite sure if she should talk or just remain silent, Ryder still decided to speak. "You're the first one to call me that."Most people just called her Ryde, her parents included. At most, some teachers would call her by her surname. Her parents used to call her Riri when she was a baby, but Ryder hated that, so they eventually stopped calling her that. However, this was the first time someone had come up with such a way of calling her.Ry...Why does it sound so good, ya? (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)Jake, on the other hand, was startled. What was she talking about? What did I call her?It took him some time to realize that he had absent-mindedly called her Ry instead of Ryder. That... why did I call her that? I mean... It's not like it would be the first time.Jake had gotten used to calling her that in his mind since two years ago. The more interested he got in Ryder, the more he wanted to know about her. After finding out what her name was, h

Lately, Nina had become a regular at Jeremy's working place. Vincent was secretly delighted, mostly because the young woman would spend money on his dishes every day, but also because his nephew finally had some hope of getting rid of that single status.On the other hand, Leah had changed teams and had abandoned Jake for the fairy with green hair. This little traitor didn't even feel the tiniest bit sorry for her shameless behavior and kept on giggling and hopping like a little rabbit around Nina as soon as she entered the restaurant.The latter, however, was a bit absent-minded. Her eyes locked on Jeremy who was frowning down on the depressed and dispirited Jake. Jake was currently hiding his face behind his crossed arms on the table, murmuring incoherently. A little black kitten was resting on top of its head, lying there as if it were dead, only once in a while licking its paws. Jeremy, on the other hand, listened with a serious and worried expression on his face. His eyebrows were

He? It's a he?But I...The voice Ryder used was calm and casual, as if she was talking about what she ate for breakfast, but what she said was like a slap to Jake's face, who couldn't help but frown. However, if one looked closer, one would notice that the frown looked more and more like a pout, making him look like a little puppy who got abandoned by its owner.She was out with a guy? Does she like him? She probably likes him... (oT-T) Why else would she worry about him so much...But what about me then?He knew he had no right to feel like this, but these feelings didn't ask for his permission before invading his heart. He was heartbroken and jealous. "Is that guy important to you?"Ryder was drinking from her thermos again and didn't notice the harsh tone Jake spoke in. He sounded as if he was wronged by the heavens. The jealousy spilled out of his mouth with those words like a bottle of vinegar. Yet Ryder didn't notice."I don't know. I guess so?" She shrugged. Her eyes were focus

"You know the writer of 'Who Killed Midnight'?" Ryder asked."Yeah..." I would have to be diagnosed with amnesia if I didn't know him. "What about him?""He's writing a new book and I'm seeing when it will get published."My Ry, I've got writer's block every new paragraph. Halfway through the book, I realize I like the second lead more than the main one and now I have to think of a way to make their relationship possible. I think it will take a while for the book to get published. (ಥ﹏ಥ)"Why?""So I can buy the book, duh.""Why?""Because I love his books.""Why?"After the third "why" Ryder's patience ran out. "Can you stop asking why? Haven't you also read his books?"I have written them... don't know if it counts as reading, though...Jake smiled slightly and shrugged. "I have... but I don't like them. They're not that good."They take too long to get finished, I forget almost all my characters and sometimes I struggle to remember even the main characters' names. And the amount of