simbelmyne

Disclaimer: Not ours. The real ones at least. Just wild imaginary spinnings.

Summary: Hmmm, about technophobes and friends who mean well.

Chapter Three

Jennifer heard the sound of huffing and heavy sighing from behind her.

She turned to glare at the blonde sprawled across her bed, flipping through a magazine she wasn’t even reading.

“Michelle, I told you I just wanted to check my e-mail. Will you stop with the pouting?”

“Who’s pouting?”

“I know when you’re pouting, so stop with the innocence. I’ve known you too long.”

“Fine, will you just hurry up? I’m ready to go do some shopping. Why did you have to check your e-mail anyway?”

“Because my boss said he might e-mail me some new stuff to work on.”

“Work, work, work…that’s all you care about,” Michelle grumbled, going back to flipping the magazine. “Bet if I got you laid you wouldn’t want to work all the time.”

“Heard that.”

“Good!”

Jennifer ignored Michelle and went back to scanning the messages in her box. She knew Michelle would continue to gripe till they were on their way to the mall, which was a terrifying thought. Jennifer wasn’t sure if she was really up to this glorious trip, but somehow she would make it.

As she worked her way through the e-mails, Jennifer spied an address that looked strange.

Then it clicked in her head. It was from that guy in the personals! Jennifer clicked on it, her heart beating a strange rhythm as she waited for it to open to her.

“J, All I can say is that it is a brief moment of insanity…my friend’s insanity that is. This was his whole idea. I still hate computers and all they do, but wanted to see the fascination with them. I will probably delete this e-mail address in a day or so. Signed, O”

Jennifer smiled, suppressing the urge to laugh. She hit the reply button and started a message back. Even if he was going to delete the e-mail addy in a day or so maybe he would get this message beforehand.

“O, Sorry that you suffered from the insanity, but I’m sure your friend meant well. Is he also the one who signed you up for the ad? My friend did, thinking it was a good way to get me out of my house. Problem is, I don’t want to get out of my house. I like it here just fine. Weird? Probably so, but the way I see it, the Internet is so full of possibilities! You can meet and talk to people halfway across the world! In fact, you could be living in China for all I know. How exciting! Anyway, I hope your fascination has grown and not been satisfied. And I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing from you again. J”

Jennifer blushed slightly at the last line, but sent the message before she could change her mind about it. Her heart was still thumping wildly as she watched it disappear from their screen.

“Are you finished yet?” Michelle’s impatient voice reminded her that she was still there.

Jennifer quickly shut her computer down and wheeled around with a bright smile on her face.

“Let’s go shopping!”

*******************

Orlando found himself tossing and turning in his bed, sleep eluding him for some reason.

He wasn’t sure that anything in particular was bothering him, just that he couldn’t sleep. Sighing in frustration, he pushed back the covers and went toward the kitchen, intent on finding something to put him to sleep. He was as quiet as he could be since he didn’t want Billy and Dom to wake up. He could use some time alone to think anyway.

When he walked in the kitchen, Orlando spied Billy’s laptop sitting there, his eyes immediately going wary. He felt this unbelievable urge to log on and see if he might have any e-mail messages.

What the bloody hell had gotten into him? Since when did he care if he had e-mail? Shaking his head, he went to the fridge, pulled it open and glanced around for something to drink.

Nothing appealed to him really. He grabbed a carton of orange juice, taking a whiff to make sure it wasn’t rotten, before taking a swig. He leaned back against the counter, his eyes going to the laptop again. He could always check it really fast. No one would ever know. Rubbing his face wearily, Orlando started toward the vile machine, then stopped himself. He went to put back the orange juice and started out of the kitchen again.

He didn’t get far before the urge won over and he ran back in to flip on the computer. The soft whirs and beeps seemed to echo in the dark, silent apartment, and he cringed, hoping no one would wake up. That’s all he needed…Dom and Billy aggravating him about the damn thing.

Course he could always say he was just deleting the account…which he was going to do. Soon. Thankfully he remembered the steps that Billy had shown him a thousand times, and got to his e-mail account. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the little message telling him he had mail. Orlando checked around to make sure no one was up still and clicked on his box. He was pleased to see that it was from J.

Orlando found himself smiling at her e-mail. If she only knew… He started a reply.

“J, Yes, my friend was the one who signed me up for the ad. Sounds as if our friends have way too much time on their hands. Maybe we should see about getting them a new hobby…like in a different state! I still don’t see the fascination in these things, and I don’t know that I would want to own a computer personally. But I have to say, I do enjoy talking with you. China? No, not in China. More like California, but I do not live here usually. I am from all over I guess you could say, but England is home. What about you? And why do you not leave your house? Yes, the Internet probably is fascinating enough, but so is the outside world. I think you should venture out more. Take a vacation to someplace you’ve never been but always wanted to go. I can guarantee it would be worth it all. I think I might hold onto this account for a while longer. Seems I’ve developed a habit for answering your e-mails. Till the next time, O”

Satisfied with that, he sent the message and logged out of the computer. Closing it quietly, Orlando got up and found that he was sleepy after all.

Trudging back to bed, he wondered when J would answer him again.

*****************

Jennifer adjusted the safety belt of the plane and took a very deep breath.

She just hated flying. She tried to breath calmly and deeply and relax. What the hell was she doing on a plane? She was following the mysterious O's advice and getting out of her house.

They had been exchanging e-mails for almost two weeks now and not very regular basis, since he said he didn’t have a PC at home and he checked his mail from a friend’s whenever he had a chance to. Which seemed not to be very often.

But the chemistry between them had actually worked so far, and she really enjoyed reading his e-mails. He seemed to be a nice guy. They hadn't exchanged even their real names, still going by their initials. And if the fact that he, who allegedly hated PC's, was still replying her messages was any indication, he enjoyed their “pen-friendship” as well.

Michelle was absolutely out of her mind that Jen had actually contacted someone over the personals and demanded to know every detail, but Jen wouldn't tell. It would have been like breaking his trust.

Okay, she was definitely losing it.

As a result of his suggestion to get around, she had accepted Data Corps assignment to fly out to Los Angeles for a convention.

The plane was taking off and Jen got a grip on her panic. 'O, whoever you are, I hope I won't regret following your advice', she thought.

And immediately grabbed for the air-sickness-bag.

By the time the plane was setting wheels on the runway of LA airport, Jen was sure she had probably lost all her inner organs during the flight. She felt as if someone had turned her inside out, not to mention her mouth tasted like she had been chewing cardboard (not that she actually knew what that tasted like, but she had a vivid imagination).

The flight attendant had taken pity on her, moved her to a seat where the air turbulence was less noticeable and closer to the bathroom, and a glass of water, telling her to drink it sip by sip to settle her stomach.

The cold air that the stewardess had turned on her full blast seemed to help as well. The last time she had looked in the mirror of the bathroom, her face was very unbecoming shade of green.

But she was in LA, at last.

She managed to get off the plane, pick up her bag, find a cab and give him the name of the hotel in which she was supposed to stay.

Leaning back into the car seat, for a moment she wished for someone that would have picked her up from the airport and care about her physical well being. Okay, she was losing it again!

It was all the plane's, Data Corp's and O's fault. She could be safely at home right now…working on her PC, walking Merlin, cooking Chinese for one, and wallowing in self pity.THAT she could do here as well. Okay, that was it, she decided.

She was becoming schizophrenic. Once she arrived at the hotel, all Jennifer wanted to do was sleep. She didn’t know if that was a side effect from the airsickness or just plain tiredness, but sleep is what she did.

When she had managed to wake herself four hours later, she felt much better and ready to explore some of LA. After all, she wasn’t just in Los Angeles to work.

Before she left the room, she set up her laptop and checked her e-mail quickly. Sure enough, there was a reply from O. Smiling, Jen clicked on his e-mail, ignoring the others for now.

“So you’re finally taking a trip. About time you got out of that house. I’m sure you’ll enjoy wherever it is you go. I won’t expect an exorbitant amount of e-mails, considering you’ll be on vacation and busy. I’ll just wish you a safe and wonderful trip. I want to hear all about it when you get back. O…P.S. I’ll miss you.”

The P.S. took her off guard for a moment. She smiled, feeling her cheeks flush with excitement. Would he really miss her? Or was he just saying it to make her feel better?

Shaking her head at her own silliness, Jen replied to his message and then logged out before going to do some exploring.

The day was warming up quickly, and Jen had to find a quick refreshment as she walked down the sidewalk.

She had just come from seeing the Chinese Theater, as well as walking down the Walk of Fame. She was anxious to go and see some of the other famous sites, but her legs were giving out on her. Not to mention cabs were a rarity, which made the fact her company had rented her a car a very good thing.

She had just sat down at a sidewalk café and ordered a tall glass of lemonade, when a strange feeling came over her. She couldn’t really explain it, just that it felt as if something were about to happen to her. Her glass of lemonade arrived, and she dismissed it to the excitement of being out in L.A. on her own. After all, what could possibly happen to her?

She was just a plain Jane person. Nothing exciting ever happened to her…except maybe O.

*****************

Orlando and Billy sat at one of the vacant tables at the café, each glancing over the menu before settling back in their chairs to wait on the server.

They had been out to see some of the sights in town, even though they had been to see them before, it was something they never tired of doing.

Orlando fidgeted in his seat a bit, a strange feeling washing over him.

“What the hell is the matter with ye?” Billy asked, frowning at him over the rim of his sunglasses.

“Don’t know. Just feel…strange.”

“Ye are strange.”

Orlando glared at him, but the effect was lost since his eyes were covered up.

“When are you leaving again?”

Billy laughed, not put off by his friend’s surly mood. “Tomorrow, ye wanker.”

“Good. Finally some peace and quiet.”

“But only for a few days. I’ll be back. And to show ye what a good sport I am, I’ll even leave me computer for ye to play with.”

Orlando felt a moment of panic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Dinna think ye can pull that innocent act with me, Orlando Bloom. I know exactly what ye have been up to.”

Orlando contemplated whacking that smug look off of Billy’s face, but decided it might not be a good idea to cause such a scene in public.

“You don’t know anything.”

“So how many times have ye talked to her?”

“Who?” “Yer girly on the net.”

Orlando sighed and knew that Billy was too bloody nosey for his own good.

“I haven’t heard from her today. She went on some trip, so I don’t know when I’ll hear from her again. And she’s not my ‘girly’.”

“Then what’s her name?”

“I don’t know.”

Billy’s eyebrows rose. “Ye dinna know? How can ye not know?”

“Because we haven’t told each other our real names yet. All I know is that she goes by J.”

Billy made some kind of grunting noise, which Orlando chose to ignore. He felt that strange sensation wash over him again and turned to look out at the other patrons at the café. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

No one about that was looking at them or any such thing. He noted a girl sitting across the way, who seemed to be enjoying her glass of lemonade. There was nothing about her that would cause for alarm in any way, so he dismissed the feeling once again.

Their server came up to take their order, and soon were enjoying their lunch. Orlando didn’t give the weird feeling another thought. .

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