This Man Isn't Black Novels & Stories

Maybe it’s a coincidence. I lift my chin and walk on, pretending I haven’t clocked it, internally praying it’s nothing but a car looking to park. As the car slides past me and pulls in, butting its nose up on the pavement in front of me, my eyes instantly travel to the man on this side getting out and grinning at me. No attempt to do anything except face me. Eyes pinning me with a look that leaves no misunderstanding. He's dressed head to toe in black and I instantly know he’s not from the hotel.

T‌hen I see him. A ma⁠n dressed too cl‌ean for⁠ thi⁠s ruin. Black coa‌t, no‍ visi‍b‌le w‌eapon⁠, but his stance s‌creams confid‍en‍ce. He doesn’‌t belong here. “You’re l⁠ate‍,” he says calmly, voice c‌ar‌rying a strange amusement. I narrow my ey‍es. “Late⁠ for wh‍at?”

A black-and-white image of a man on a motorcycle stared back at us. Whoever had taken the picture had done so while the motorcycle was in motion because I could hardly make out the face of the man. "This is a black-and-white image. I got a colored one right..." Neil flipped some more pages until he found the colored picture of the man on the motorcycle. I looked up from the picture, and rested my gaze on Neil, casting him a questioning stare. "Who is he?" I asked.

“Sorry for the road block – I’m having car trouble.” Michael Ferguson leaned on the hood of his own car, blocking Mark’s view even more, and stared at the man in the middle of the fucking road. The guy was cleaning his hands and was wearing jeans and a dark t-shirt and seemed friendly. He was also quite clearly half-black, and Ferguson felt a sneer threaten to break out across his face.

Oh, no! But when he turned around, it wasn't Peter at all. This man was tall and dressed in all black, with a head of slicked-back blonde hair. Sunglasses covered his eyes even though we were indoors. He was chewing gum, his jaw working slowly. Something about this man made the hair on the back of my neck stand erect. Slowly, he reached up and pulled off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of intense, sinister-looking eyes that made my throat dry. Then he stretched out his hand.

I loved how the white was invading the space of the black, mixing in places to create many shades of gray. “It makes you think who will win in the end, huh?” A man’s voice said behind me. My head snapped in its direction and my eyes landed on a guy who was maybe a year or two older than me. He had dark chestnut hair, stylishly disheveled on top and shaved near his ears and his neck, revealing a black earring on his right ear. I was struck by his black eyelashes, emphasizing his dark brown irises. Everything about his face was like a painting itself, calculated to be perfect.

I grow green and look away as she climbs down to where I am and just as I’m about to open my mouth and speak; the doorbell goes off. Vary quickly tries to reach for the door, but I stop her and with a gentle smile I tell her, “Let me.” I open the door and there stands a young black man, probably in his mid-twenties, standing there and I now understand why she refers to him as young because he is young compared to me. He’s in a black four pieces suit and black jean trousers. His hair is way too curly for a typical black man and inspecting, I realise he’s mixed race. He looks handsome. Vary picked him well. I’ll give her that.

She asked slightly confused and slightly terrified. The man laughed from the depth of his belly, producing a hearty chuckle. "I meant at the bar...alone." "Oh" Maya giggled nervously "I'm not alone, I came here with my family." She mumbled trying to sound convincing. "Really?" The strange man questioned further, pulling out a seat and placing his rather large body on it. The chair strained in response, releasing a creaking sound but still remaining intact. His thick Russian accent sent a chill down Maya's spine but she knew he wouldn't do anything in a public place like this.

He didn’t like leaving Annie but he didn’t want to make her feel like shit. Annalise sighed and shook her head before wheeling herself to Mr. Black’s cubical. As soon as Mr. Black saw Annalise enter, he quickly shot up from his seat and walked up to her. Mr. Black was a man in his mid-fifties. His hair grey shined and he wore golden rimmed spectacles. His stomach bulged out of his body and he was a short man. “You must be Annalise. Mila had informed me about your arrival.” He said and guided her to his table and over a chair to make some space for her.

Jason glanced at these people indifferently and went to tidy up the cart. At this time, the man in black finally came over. Jason looked at the man in black and frowned slightly. He felt threatened by this guy. "Are you with them?" Jason asked. "Don't misunderstand me. I don't know them." The man in black said, shaking his head. "Are you buying fish?" Jason asked. "Yes? Yes!" The man in black nodded. "But I want a lot. I'm afraid it's not enough here." Looking at the remaining fish, the man in black was confused for a moment and then said.