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Abstract

ote id="c5d0"><p>My man is smooth like Barry, and his voice got bass A body like Arnold with a Denzel face</p></blockquote><ul><li><b>SMELL</b>: I had to close my eyes to absorb the proper sweetness that invaded my nostrils when we collided. I’m no good at discerning smells, but the man’s scent caused me to smile, relax, and awaken all at once.</li></ul><p id="b612">For what must have been too long, I stilled. Then, the god-among-us-mortals smiled and said, “Good morning, sunshine,” stepped around me, and walked out into the world, leaving me looking back at him in bewildered shock.</p><p id="3d10">Did I know that man?! <a href="https://k-joseph.medium.com/list/book-1-love-interrupted-and-ignited-d8f29e99fa2a">➡️</a></p><h1 id="1f5d">5:58 AM, awakened by the *Cosmic ringtone</h1><p id="aaf7">It took me another 17 minutes and two snoozes to realize that I was not dreaming of a “Men in Black” situation at the Unisphere spaceship in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.</p><p id="ef1c">Wondering what that dream was all about, I also think in frustration that I did not need to wake up. There were no appointments, no meetings this afternoon, and no one to connect with over dinner tonight. My work assignment was over, and I did not start another one until next month, three weeks away.</p><p id="4871">I groaned loudly and reached for my phone, pressing ‘Stop’ to silence the third alarm. It had been going off for a while now, and I realized that it probably wasn’t a good idea to keep hitting snooze. My mind flashed back to the night before when I ran into Casper Merritt. It had been a long time since I’d seen him. We had gone to the same school but were never really friends. He was always too cool for me, and I was… well, not as cool. I shook my head harshly to erase the memory of his current self — tall hard body, dark smooth skin, clean-cut hair and goatee, and dark eyes pinning me to where I stood.</p><p id="f2ff">Drawing my attention back to my phone, I scroll through Instagram, going from one reel to another, amused and hooked. But then I notice there’s an unread, direct message. Clicking it open, I sharply inhale when I read who it is from — Casper Merritt. Oh my lord, my mind flashes back at a dizzying speed, wondering what could have possibly transpired last night if he wanted to contact me this early in the morning.</p><blockquote id="cc18"><p>Nichelle and Casper, Continued</p></blockquote><div id="6

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7a7" class="link-block"> <a href="https://k-joseph.medium.com/list/71c0091b17a9"> <div> <div> <h2>Serial: Nichelle & Casper</h2> <div><h3>Fiction: High School Crush Becomes HEA</h3></div> <div><p>k-joseph.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*74b07285aa2ce6314936f141e9cccfec5368c5dd.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="408b"><b>© 2022 K. Joseph. All rights reserved</b></p><p id="6a35">⏰ I had to buy this <a href="https://amzn.to/3QCS3xY"><b>super loud alarm clock from Amazon</b></a> for my teenager. It wakes the dearly departed, the family in the home three doors down from me, and my son.</p><p id="00c7"><i>💁🏾‍♀️ This is a work of fiction: the characters are totally made up (no, husband dear, I’m not dreaming of any other man — really, I’m not). I dreamed up these tales in response to a prompt in the publication Bacon and Beach Days.</i></p><p id="5cb8"><i>❤️ Thanks for reading. I’ve found Medium to be a treasure trove of creativity, fun, wonder, humor, and insights. I recommend it for higher-level scrolling! Become a member to get full access for 5 USD/month or 50 USD/year: Click here: <a href="https://k-joseph.medium.com/membership">https://k-joseph.medium.com/membership</a> (Affiliate Link).</i></p><p id="c1b6"><i>📚 Some links in this article go to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.</i></p><p id="82bc"><i>✍🏾 I write about all kinds of topics from my life and work. If you haven’t already, check out the long and winding content posted weekly in <b>my blog</b> on <a href="http://www.karlenejoseph.com/">www.karlenejoseph.com.</a></i></p><div id="4e64" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-submit-5e0808dce313"> <div> <div> <h2>how to submit ?</h2> <div><h3>Data-Driven Fiction</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*hXL8SH6dOZaZqlLwG_4K7Q.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

5:58 AM

Alarm Clock

Three unrelated, fictional stories about waking with alarm ringtones.

Thanks to Jannerboy1962 for making this photo available freely on Unsplash

5:58 AM, awakened by the *Seaside ringtone

I blinked my eyes open.

The room was sunny.

I rolled from my side to my back and closed my eyes again.

Ticking off all the things I was thankful for at this moment, I came up with:

I can afford to take a vacation to an all-inclusive resort in Antigua
I am healthy
The man lying next to me loves me

Turning my body to him, I reach for him, my dark fingers curling over the pale skin of his muscular arm, pulling him to me. ➡️

5:58 AM, awakened by the *Circuit ringtone

I pressed ‘Stop’ on the phone and blinked my eyes. The room was dark, and I let out a slow sigh before grabbing my gym clothes from the floor. Striding to the bathroom, I flipped the light and turned on the Bluetooth speaker. I open the ‘Take on the Day’ playlist on my iPhone. Then I get ready for the gym.

I hop in the shower, letting the hot water run over my body. Fifteen minutes later, I’m out and dried off and styling my braids into a high ponytail. After dabbing myself with sweet-smelling essential oil, I headed downstairs to eat breakfast.

I devoured oatmeal with blueberries and almonds — then put on my sneakers and grabbed my gym bag before heading out the door. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as I walked down to the local fitness center.

As soon as I opened that door, I stepped right into the personal space of someone walking out of the gym. Three of my senses lit up:

SIGHT: this man was the most beautiful human I’d ever seen. How could Salma Hayek and Dwayne Johnson possibly have a son in his mid-thirties?
SOUND: the music in the building was obnoxiously loud and seemed to be the theme song for the creature — “Whatta Man” by Linda Lyndell

My man is smooth like Barry, and his voice got bass A body like Arnold with a Denzel face

SMELL: I had to close my eyes to absorb the proper sweetness that invaded my nostrils when we collided. I’m no good at discerning smells, but the man’s scent caused me to smile, relax, and awaken all at once.

For what must have been too long, I stilled. Then, the god-among-us-mortals smiled and said, “Good morning, sunshine,” stepped around me, and walked out into the world, leaving me looking back at him in bewildered shock.

Did I know that man?! ➡️

5:58 AM, awakened by the *Cosmic ringtone

It took me another 17 minutes and two snoozes to realize that I was not dreaming of a “Men in Black” situation at the Unisphere spaceship in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Wondering what that dream was all about, I also think in frustration that I did not need to wake up. There were no appointments, no meetings this afternoon, and no one to connect with over dinner tonight. My work assignment was over, and I did not start another one until next month, three weeks away.

I groaned loudly and reached for my phone, pressing ‘Stop’ to silence the third alarm. It had been going off for a while now, and I realized that it probably wasn’t a good idea to keep hitting snooze. My mind flashed back to the night before when I ran into Casper Merritt. It had been a long time since I’d seen him. We had gone to the same school but were never really friends. He was always too cool for me, and I was… well, not as cool. I shook my head harshly to erase the memory of his current self — tall hard body, dark smooth skin, clean-cut hair and goatee, and dark eyes pinning me to where I stood.

Drawing my attention back to my phone, I scroll through Instagram, going from one reel to another, amused and hooked. But then I notice there’s an unread, direct message. Clicking it open, I sharply inhale when I read who it is from — Casper Merritt. Oh my lord, my mind flashes back at a dizzying speed, wondering what could have possibly transpired last night if he wanted to contact me this early in the morning.

Nichelle and Casper, Continued

Serial: Nichelle & Casper

Fiction: High School Crush Becomes HEA

k-joseph.medium.com

⏰ I had to buy this super loud alarm clock from Amazon for my teenager. It wakes the dearly departed, the family in the home three doors down from me, and my son.

💁🏾‍♀️ This is a work of fiction: the characters are totally made up (no, husband dear, I’m not dreaming of any other man — really, I’m not). I dreamed up these tales in response to a prompt in the publication Bacon and Beach Days.

❤️ Thanks for reading. I’ve found Medium to be a treasure trove of creativity, fun, wonder, humor, and insights. I recommend it for higher-level scrolling! Become a member to get full access for 5 USD/month or 50 USD/year: Click here: https://k-joseph.medium.com/membership (Affiliate Link).

📚 Some links in this article go to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

✍🏾 I write about all kinds of topics from my life and work. If you haven’t already, check out the long and winding content posted weekly in my blog on www.karlenejoseph.com.

how to submit ?

Data-Driven Fiction

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