I refresh the Website and… it's done! Our Web Comic is officially available to read online. The warm feeling in my chest hasn't died down since this morning. But I'm sure it would have been a much better experience if Blake were with me right now. Since he is currently working part-time, we both agreed that our episodes will be published on the 10th and 20th of every month at seven o'clock in the morning EST.
I lean back in my chair and stare out the window with a content feeling. We really did it. I've finally achieved my dream and it feels so good. Yet a part of me still lingers at the thought of Blake. He should have been here. But then again, he said it was fine. And judging from his tone earlier on the phone call, he seemed to have forgotten that the first episode of our Web Comic would be released today. Again.
For the next two hours, I bide my time playing some video games and then continue to rewrite the storyboard for the upcoming episodes, when a certain notification on my laptop pops up. My eyes widen and my heart leaps full of warmth. I had been checking the reviews of our Web Comic for the first thirty minutes of its release before I finally decided to give it a rest. But something catches my attention. I open the comments section, and surely enough, there was one left behind.
"The art style is great! I can't wait to read more!"
I step out of the bus and run. Or actually, I speed-walk, because if I'm being honest, I don't really run. The outdated library, accented with wooden walls, is an easy miss, so I step a few feet back before finally entering it. I scan the room, panting slightly, but I don't see him or anyone for that matter. Is the library even open?
"Hey, dude. What are you doing here?"
I whip my head around to face the familiar voice, but it isn't Blake. I stare at Louis for a moment before approaching him closer with a smile. Just then, I see a head peak through from the back, his luscious brown locks immediately catching my attention.
"Blake!"
He lifts his head from the stack of books he's carrying, and his lips curl up with that genuine smile of his.
"Charlie, what's up?" Blake says, setting the books down on the counter before walking up to me. I catch a glimpse of Louis, who's retreating to the back, and I feel guilty for not even addressing him. Although I don't think he minds, seeing how quickly he pulls out his earbuds from his pocket.
I turn my full attention back to Blake. "Guess what?"
He chuckles, "Did our Web Comic hit a million views already?"
"No way. I wish, though." I say with amusement and grab my phone to show him the comment that's been making me happy for the past half hour.
Blake leans closer with a raised eyebrow, and I hold my breath.
"Hmm. Someone likes our art style, huh?"
I nod, and his smile widens. "Well, technically, it's your art style. They like your art, Blake! Isn't that amazing?"
Blake hums in agreement with a soft gleam in his eyes. "I can't believe my artwork is getting recoginzed. I'm glad I get to this with you, Charlie."
My heart skips a beat, and my face suddenly feels warm, but I manage to find my voice, keeping myself from an embarrassing moment. "I'm also glad. I'm thrilled. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make my dream a reality."
I feel so vulnerable right now, my voice raw with honesty, and for a moment, I cringe at myself, but then Blake's voice breaks me from my trance.
"There is no need to thank me. If anything, I should thank you. I have never even considered publishing my work online. But now that I did, it feels amazing."
It's getting really hot in here, and for some reason, my heart is racing. It hasn't stopped since earlier. Blake's tone and words stir something within me and make me feel warm and weird. The good kind of weird, though.
"I'm sorry for interrupting. Actually, I'm not. But Blake, you have some work to do, remember?" Louis says, shooting a glare at Blake. I hadn't even noticed him coming over.
Blake rolls his eyes. "As if you're doing any work, blondie."
Louis smacks his chest. "I told you to stop calling me that!"
I clutch my chest, trying to keep my heart beat at bay and take a step back from them. "Sorry for coming unannounced. I'll be on my way then to let you two work."
Blake's annoyance disappears as he turns to look at me. "You can stay. It's not like we have any customers right now."
I know. The place remained empty ever since I entered. However, I don't want to be a bother while they're working. So, I flash Blake a reassuring smile. "We can hang out another time. I'll let you guys work."
Blake doesn't seem to be satisfied, but he relents. Louis patted me on the shoulder before I left, telling me to join them for a drink again next Friday. I accept without thinking twice.
"You have a nice car," I say as I step into the passenger seat.
I look over to my left, finding Blake in his usual light brown trousers matched with a maroon polo shirt. The musk scent of his cologne is wafting through the entire car, and it tingles my nostrils.
I buckle up and turn my eyes to the road. "Thanks for the lift. You didn't have to, though."
Blake's voice rumbles through the air as he starts the car. "It's fine. It's really no bother."
"But still…" my voice goes quiet, but I quickly clear my throat. "Is it really okay if I join you guys again? I'm not intruding again, am I?"
"Again? Charlie, no. Not at all." Blake answers almost immediately. "Louis even invited you, remember? And the more the merrier. Just enjoy and have fun!"
I nod, squeezing my palms together. "I promise I won't drink as much as last time."
Blake genuinely laughs. "Hey, I told you it's fine. Really. I'll take care of you. Don't worry."
My cheeks burn up. "Thanks…"
I really don't want to bother him again like last time, but Blake's carefree demeanour makes me want to rely on him. No, I promised not to make a fool of myself. Not in front of him or his friends.
So, the moment we step into the bar, I go ahead and order myself a mocktail. It's good and tastes like fruit punch. Definitely a win. Blake and I are a tad early, so we sit and wait for the others to arrive. I look around, taking in the atmosphere and vibe of this bar. It's clearly a whole different vibe than the one we went to last time. More people are present, which makes it much louder. And not to mention, there's a karaoke bar that's below us. It's different but not necessarily bad. I'm still not used to this kind of environment. I think Blake noticed and even offered for us to go to a different place. I naturally decline his kind gesture since I don't want to be bothersome. And since, oddly enough, I don't feel uncomfortable as long as Blake is with me. His presence seems to help calm me down.
Amongst the heavy noises and the blaring lights, I somehow catch a glimpse of Jayson and Louis approaching us.
"Look at you two. All settled in without us, I see," Louis says in a teasing manner as he takes the seat across from us.
Jayson takes the seat next to him, facing Blake with a curt nod. He eyes my drink for a moment before looking me in the eyes. "What are you drinking? A Mojito?"
"No. Well, yes. Apparently, it's the mocktail version."
Louis snorts and elbows me, his eyes filled with amusement. "No alcohol tonight? Boring!"
"Louis, shut it." Blake glares at him.
"What?" Louis holds his hands up in mock-surrender. "I'm just saying. It's boring without alcohol. Right, Jay Jay?"
Jayson's gaze flickers to Louis momentarily before he occupies himself with the drink menu. Louis orders two bottles of beer, and Jayson chooses the house gin. I feel so out of place with my fruit drink. But then again, this is better than me getting drunk from just one or two drinks.
"I heard your Web Comic is finally online. Congratulations!" Jayson says, clinking his glass with Blake's.
Louis chimes in. "Oh, yeah. Congrats!"
My lips curl into a smile, feeling all fuzzy. "Thank you!"
Blake leans forward, his gaze directed at me. "So, how are our views? Followers and likes?"
I've been keeping track of that almost every single day, and there are no pleasant surprises, and I can't help but frown. "Not that well, actually. We still only have about twenty views, two likes and that one comment."
Blake's eyes widen in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? It's been almost two weeks."
"Maybe you guys just suck," Louis says teasingly. Both Jayson and Blake shoot him a death glare, but I just laugh. I know Louis said it with no malice and quite frankly, our comic isn't the best out there, but it's also not garbage. Although it doesn't change the fact that it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth every time I check our dashboard.
After smacking Louis on the head, Jayson turns to me, his voice much softer as he speaks. "You should definitely advertise it more."
I tilt my head at him. "Advertise? What do you mean? We don't really have that kind of money."
"Who says you have to spend any money?" Jayson replies confidently. "Just promote your Web Comic on social media. Create an account and "stick" to the algorithm or something."
He may say that with ease, but I honestly have no idea what he's talking about. I look over to Blake with a blank face and he just shrugs.
Jayson narrows his eyes at us. "Don't tell me you guys haven't thought about that yet?"
We both shake our heads.
Jayson lets out a deep sigh, sounding like a disappointed parent. "You two can't seriously just create a comic out of the blue and expect people to read it! Publishing it is great and all, but to leave it just at that, is not the way to go! You actively have to create a fanbase and promote your work to gain readers. As a matter of fact, you should have already marketed your comic way before it was even published online."
"I see. Yeah, that makes sense." I say and start mindlessly playing with the straw in my drink. I haven't really thought about that. I'm such an idiot.
Blake rubs my back, a solemn expression on his face. "It's okay, Charlie. We can start promoting our work now. We might be a bit behind. But it's better late than never, am I right?"
I nod with a sigh. "I don't really use social media. I'm not sure how to promote our work."
Blake releases a sigh as well, cupping the back of his neck. "Actually, me neither. I mean, I do use social media, but not for marketing purposes."
I slump in my seat, feeling like a truck had hit me. But instead of dying and getting reincarnated into another world like some isekai anime, I'm hit with reality instead. I should have known none of this was going to be easy, it is a rocky road ahead after all. I'm not sure how Blake feels about it, but I, for one, don't care that much for fame or if we make money from our work. All I care about is that our comic gets recognized, in hopes that people will read it and enjoy it as much as we enjoy creating it. But that is just wishful thinking on my part.
Jayson releases a heavy sigh, and both Blake and I turn to him.
"I'll help you," He says.
My eyes widen. "Huh?"
"Charlie, he said he'll help," Blake says with a little chuckle.
Yeah, I understand that. "But why? You won't get anything out of this."
Jayson shrugs, folding his arms. "Just consider it as helping out a friend. And Blake would have probably begged me to do this anyway. It's no big deal. This can be a good practice."
While Blake is busy smacking his friend on the shoulder, I just drift into renewed hope. Jayson proceeds to explain to me that he is taking a marketing class and how he's interested in going in-depth. This is perfect! Oh, and he called me his friend. I'm glad to be seemingly accepted into Blake's friend group. Now that I think about it, Blake has not really met my friends yet. I mean, he's acquainted with Charlotte and Finn since we have to work on the project together. And my only other friend is Luke. Maybe I should introduce them to each other soon.