The Notebook Guy Standing In Front Of House Novels & Stories

Daniel’s POV The courier office smelled like printer ink and dust. I stepped inside slowly, holding the envelope tight in one hand. The place was small, with white walls that needed a new coat of paint and posters taped crookedly to the windows. There was a counter in the middle with a plastic screen in front of it, and behind that stood a guy in his twenties with headphones around his neck and gum in his mouth. His name tag said “Nate.” He didn’t look up right away.

She descended the stairs quietly. The main hall opened into the dining area with its long table and the high windows that looked out onto manicured gardens. The house staff moved like ghosts, present without being intrusive, their posture respectful and cautious. Nathaniel stood near the window in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. A phone in one hand. The other hand rested in his pocket as if he needed to anchor himself. He ended the call and turned slightly, as if he had sensed her presence before she stepped fully into the room.

I'm acutely aware of people watching me, it's weird, we've got neighbours but they're far enough away that you forget they're there, but here, I'm pretty sure at least a dozen houses can see me standing on the doorstep. "Nice car." A guy just wearing shorts comes out, a cigarette between his lips and he starts walking around my car, like he's looking at buying it. "Um… Thank you." I shift nervously, wondering what to do. "What's it worth?" The guy asks. He's standing at the boot now looking over at me and I'm incredibly uncomfortable.

Back to me. Ivan was waiting at the front door of the modest house. His rugged face screwed up in lines of exhaustion and annoyance. "Sun up. Time to sleep." He waved us all forward. Turning, I saw him hunch a bit at the door. By the time I got to the front steps, I heard a low beep and saw the door swing open. Touchpad. Nice. Not quite as secure, but out here I imagined it did well enough to keep the riff raff out.

Harry followed Jane into the living room and tried looking for it on every corner and cabinet. They were interrupted by a doorbell. Aria heard it from upstairs, and her eyes bulged as she saw a bunch of reporters again, with the police car parked in front of their house. "Why are they here?" Cassie looked out the window, but they both hid behind the curtain when they saw reporters noticing them. Cassie used her enhanced hearing to listen to what was going on downstairs. "Somebody left this notebook in front of the precint," Colonel McKinley said, waving the notebook on Harry and Jane's faces. They both know what that was, but they did not say a thing about it.

he said. Adrian looked at him. The jaw still set. The something large still being contained. But underneath it. The expression. The one that had no professional category. "Yes," he said. "Always." Noah nodded. He went to the living room. He put his survey notebook on the low table. He sat down. He did not open it. He sat with his hands flat on the table. The specific posture of someone processing. I looked at Adrian. He was looking at the locked door.

He hadn’t actually thought this all the way through. He looked over at the bags and boxes of gifts he had bought for Yena. He couldn’t very well just walk up to the door and knock on it. Yena didn’t like surprises. She would not be happy to suddenly find him on her doorstep with no warning or explanation. The trees in the front yard had just been trimmed, and all their lower branches removed. Sap was still drying over the raw edges left behind from the chainsaw. It provided an easy line of sight from the street right into a big window at the front of the house. And with the light on and curtain open, Nolan could see the family moving around inside.

I wanted to read him like a book before he had the chance to glue the pages shut. But the universe apparently thought it was funny to mess with my plans. When I walked in, the room was mostly empty, except for one person at the far end of the long mahogany table. Eli was already there. He was hunched over a thick notebook, scribbling something with a focused intensity that made the rest of the world look like a blur. His glasses were sliding down the bridge of his nose, and he didn't even bother to push them up. He was just... there. Lost in whatever world he occupied when no one was watching.

Inside her own house, her mom was on the phone, pacing the kitchen, laptop open, heels kicked off. “I know,” her mom was saying tiredly. “Yes. I’ll be there Monday.” Ruby sighed. Business trip again. After a quick dinner alone, she retreated to her room. An hour later, she realized she’d left her charger downstairs. With a groan, she padded back down, passing the front window. That’s when she saw it. Next door. Lights flicked on in the Kingston house. One by one. Not bright. Not welcoming. Just… functional. And then she saw him.

Davina looks at me very seriously as she hands me the note and I nod silently. Not long after my bike rolls up in front of the address on the note and I recognize the last name Pugh on the mailbox. So this is where he lives. The house has a tall hedge towards the road and I place my bike against it, before opening the heavy iron gate and walking towards the house. Suddenly I feel nervous. What am I going to say ? But I pull myself together, ringing the doorbell. It takes a bit of time before it is opened. A big man is looking suspicious at me.