Pause Story Novels & Stories

“Yeah?” I started to get annoyed. It was annoying enough when Tyler had not spared any look at me. Now even Frazier paid more attention to his phone than to me. “Could you please pause the game and look at me for a moment?” “You can’t pause PUBG. It’s live.” His fingers moved quickly on the screen, shooting people and moving his character around. “Am I that irritating to look at?” I suddenly asked. Maybe I was, maybe that was why Tyler had not even spared me any look.

Time to end this one way or another. ***

He’s the type to always analyze, always trying to get inside her head instead of dominating the board. Annoyed, Cassienne did something no one expected. She paused the game, leaving the screen frozen. “What are you doing?” Mayday typed almost instantly as the chat box went wild. “Why did it stop?” “Did the server crash?” “NULLWRAITH paused??” “This has never happened before.” Cassienne watched the comments scroll, then calmly typed into the chat. “Stop playing with me.” For half a second, the chat box went completely silent. Then—

As the bus doors closed, Hunter and Gabriel ran after it. Nevertheless, the bus still drove away. I sat by the window and never looked back. Outside the window, their figures grew smaller and smaller. The scene was like an old photograph washed out by the rain. I lowered my head and opened the box containing the earrings. The pearls were still there, but one of them now bore a faint scratch. I gently brushed it with my finger. My heart still ached, but it was no longer unbearable.

*•ARA POV•* It took us another fifteen minutes to get home and I was so restless. We entered the house and I dumped all my bags on the sofa. "Okay talk to me." I commanded. "About what?" It's either he's playing dumb or he's stupid but I'm not in the mood for him now. "Just tell me what happens in those three shutdown hours. And be quick about it cause it's almost five." He looked at his watch and his eyes widened. The fool really did forget.

She types on the keyboard and her chat floats on the left side: | 17 Kayzel_123: I need to tell you something important. | Ecto stops walking and types: | SSS Ecto: Go ahead. I am listening. | Mrs. Lapuz heaves another deep sigh and types fast before guilt can take over. | 17 Kayzel_123: I think we need a break. SSS Ecto: What do you mean? We have not faced the opposing team yet. 17 Kayzel_123: I mean, we should take a break. From our relationship.

"I've been trying to figure out what next from here but I haven't..." I paused mid-sentence. Shit. I shouldn't have paused. The pause made it obvious that there was something I wasn't saying. "Wait." Jenny's voice immediately sharpened with interest. "What was that pause?" "Oh, nothing. Just thinking." "Nia." "It's really nothing." "That was not a nothing pause. That was a something pause." I could hear her sitting up straighter, could picture her setting down her wine glass to give me her full attention. "What aren't you telling me?"

The movie is playing, but I’m not really watching. The images blur together, the dialogue is just a low hum in the background. My mind is racing, replaying every second of last night, every touch, every whisper. I feel like I’m on the edge of something dangerously close to falling apart. Then, suddenly, Presley grabs the remote and pauses the movie. The screen freezes, and the room goes quiet.

My hair was wet from sweat and it started to stick to my face. “You okay, Phoenix?” My roommate asked with worry. We were still roommate because I hadn’t technically moved into my private room yet. I probably looked like I was about to pass out. I shook my head and continued running. By level 7, there was no time to take a break after reaching the end. Marlow and Zeke dropped out in level 6, but Miles, Trevor, and I and a few other guys were going strong. Someone behind me groaned and dropped out but I was too busy running like crazy to even think about them. The beeps had become faster and the time needed to reach the end of the line became shorter.

Chapter Fifteen Quinn I lean back in my chair, wiping tears from my eyes. A logical part of my brain tells me I need to stop. But for some reason, I lack all self-control and don’t click away. Someone knocks on my office door, and I look up, prepared to hide behind my monitor if need be. But it’s just Marissa, and I wave her in. “Oh my God,” she says and comes around to my desk. “Stop watching those clips of dogs greeting their owners after they come home from the military.”