Timeless Chapter 1, an overwatch fanfic

Chapter 1

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Jeremy Grose could never escape the monotony of his life. Every morning, the alarm went off at precisely 6:30. He would hit the snooze button once. At 6:35, he would get out of bed and shower. At 6:45, he would perform his morning absolutions. At 7:00, he began to get dressed. Jeremy owned many dress shirts. None of them exciting. None of them costing more than thirty five dollars. By 7:15, he would have finished tying his customary half Windsor knot and would be eating breakfast. Jeremy would always choose between Raisin Bran and Cheerios. It never occurred to him how upset his younger self would be at this. By 7:30, Jeremy was out the door and walking to the building 8 blocks north and 3 blocks east of his single apartment.

Jeremy did not have a remarkable job. He was a vague combination of data entry man and accountant. He did not, himself, know exactly where the line blurred between the two, but he was happy to have a job and tried not to be worried about it. The work day started at 8 for Jeremy and he did not stop working until 11:30. At which point, Jeremy would walk down the street and turn right until he was at his favorite deli. When Jeremy entered the establishment, the man behind the counter would smile and say;

"The usual?"

To which Jeremy would reply "Yes, please. If you don't mind."

The man behind the counter would always chuckle and hand Jeremy his sandwich, which had been prepared 10 minutes prior to Jeremy's arrival. Jeremy would pay the man $10.52 exactly and leave a one dollar tip in the jar. He would then walk outside, after a polite farewell, and sit on a bench 23 steps away.

At 12:15, Jeremy would return to work. Typing and clicking and baking his retinas. Jeremy would always do exactly what was asked of him, and he would do it well. His superiors and colleagues took notice and would always think of him first when promotions or raises came up in conversation. This office chatter fell as a dull roar on Jeremy's ears. The phones ringing and people talking and doors opening and bubbles in water coolers would be lost on his focused work. The only noise Jeremy was ever conscious of was the sound his mouse made as he moved from spreadsheet to spreadsheet

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Jeremy would work until 5:00 every day and then would leave. He would walk to the elevator, ride down to the lobby, and hail a cab. Jeremy would then take the cab to his favorite bar. Jeremy would enter and sit at his seat at the bar. Second to the end on the right. The bartender would give him his regular beer choice, and return to scrubbing the counter clean.

The jukebox in the corner of the bar would usually be playing something slow and easy. Something Jeremy could easily tap along to. This night, however, the jukebox wasn't on. In its' familiar place, a small band was placed. "Live music" according to the bartender. But, since they also played slow and easy, Jeremy didn't mind. He just tapped along.

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"I waited 'till I saw the sun…"

Jeremy stopped tapping. He looked up from his bottle, and took a second glance at the band. He hadn't noticed before, but there was a female leading the band. She was wearing a formfitting blood orange dress that ended halfway down her thigh. Around her neck was a simple necklace with a bright blue jewel resting just under her neckline. Her face was built on petite features. A sharp chin, a pixie nose, small lips that seemed to be constantly rooted in a smirk. But her eyes were what caught Jeremy's attention. Jeremy didn't notice the dress or the necklace or even the small freckles on the top of her cheeks. Jeremy was taken into her eyes.

These eyes were unlike anything that Jeremy had ever seen before in his life. She seemed to have stolen all the blue of a summer sky and trapped them in her irises. Jeremy continued to look until the woman's eyes looked back. In that split second of eye contact, Jeremy couldn't understand what was happening in his chest. It had been years since he had made some form of meaningful connection with any other human. And yet, Jeremy knew that that with only a second of eye contact he would never be able to forget this woman.

Jeremy looked away. The woman didn't. Her eyes lingered on Jeremy. She saw his cheap, white shirt. His crisp half Windsor knot. The beer in his hand, and the way his fingers itched. She smiled. As the song finished, she returned her gaze to the rest of the audience. She liked it here. It was far simpler than what she was used to. She appreciated the mahogany floors. They had seen many years of usage and yet were as strong as the day they were made. The whole room she was in felt warm. She loved it. From the tipsy old man in the table to her right to the shabby curtains that were draped around the bannisters.

She continued to sing. Simple and clean, the songs she grew up hearing. The ones her mother played for her. "American Jazz is unlike anything in the world, love" Her mother would always say. Jazz truly was a beautiful thing. It could be fast and loose and disjointed and fun. Or it could be slow and sorrowful and violently deliberate. Jazz was timeless. She could relate.

The song finished and the crowd applauded. Jeremy louder than the rest, but not by any noticeable amount. But Jeremy hoped the woman noticed anyway. He couldn't look at her anymore, though. He was afraid of what might happen, what he might do. So, Jeremy decided to look at his bottle and tap along to the music. Jeremy was more than content to just listen to the woman. Her voice was clean and clear. Her placement and pitch were top notch, as though she had studied to be a singer. He knew every song by heart. Whenever the woman stopped singing, he would listen to the band. They were good in their own right, but Jeremy couldn't help but feel like they weren't good enough for her. He could've-

"Hey love. Did you enjoy the show?"

She was next to him. Her eyes were looking into his. Her freckles were pushed up on her cheeks from her smirk. Jeremy was suddenly very acutely aware of his last genuine conversation with a human. It was more than two months ago. His sister had called him. She was checking to see how Jeremy was holding up after Stella had left him. He didn't talk much, as he hadn't wanted to let her know that he wasn't doing well. Jeremy and Stella had been dating for a few years before she left.

"Love?"

Jeremy's eyes snapped up.

"Yes. I loved it. It was very good. You were absolutely phenomenal"

The woman giggled. Jeremy almost passed out, it was so beautiful.

"Well, thank you very much."

"That's a very, um, enchanting accent you have. British?"

"English. Born and raised in London, love. So, you like Jazz?"

"Yeah, I, uh, I used to play in high school, and then a little in college."

The two talked for another hour at least. About Jazz, about England, and about Jeremy's job. He explained to her, with a definite amount of embarrassment, how he always clicks to the beat of whatever song he's playing in his mind. He expressed his regret over quitting the trumpet. She explained how she used to be a pilot and now she works in a different branch of military. He asked what she was doing here tonight, and she replied that she was only passing through.

Jeremy was intoxicated by her. He loved every single motion she made. The way she would mindlessly play with the two piercings in her left ear. The way she would giggle anytime he would stumble over his words. The way she would blow her bangs back up into the rest of her hair. The way her short, thick hair would seem to defy gravity. He couldn't get enough, and hoped with all of his heart that she felt the same.

Eventually, the woman had to leave. And, Jeremy had work in the morning. He didn't want her to go, and he didn't want to go either. If it were up to him, they would stay in that small bar forever. But she seemed to get worried over how late it was, and even though her frown was just as beautiful as her smile, Jeremy didn't want her to be unhappy. So, he walked her to the street and hailed her a cab.

"Will I see you again?" Jeremy asked

The woman turned and looked at him. Her blue eyes were crackling with thought. Then, she leaned over to him, kissed his cheek, and held his hand.

"I'll be back in town next week. I'll leave you with this for now."

As she slipped into the cab, her hand pulled away from Jeremy's. Jeremy watched as the cab drove away and turned the curb. He watched a little while longer just in case she came back. When he was satisfied in the fact that she wasn't returning, he looked down at his hand. In his palm was a bar napkin that she had placed. Underneath 10 numbers, there was a short message.

I had a great night tonight, love.

Let's keep talking about jazz,

Lena