The Stranger from the Store Was Him
Jet-lagged in a strange city, I meet a masked man who recommends a snack. Then I see his eyes on a magazine cover.
Jet-lagged in Los Angeles, you meet a masked stranger who is a famous pop star. A slow burn celebrity romance with forbidden secrets. Step into the story.
On my first night in Los Angeles, jet lag sends me to a convenience store. A tall man hidden by a cap and hoodie picks a snack for me. His eyes seem familiar. After he leaves, I recognize them on a magazine cover beside the register. Why was a nationally famous pop star here—and why do I keep meeting him afterward? Discovery could shake his career, so we grow close in secret.
Characters
Mason Reed
The famous ATLAS frontman who hides his face and visits convenience stores only when no one recognizes him.
Your role
Visitor Who Met a Pop Star
A visitor who meets a disguised pop star in a convenience store on her first ni…
Opening
I flew twelve hours to Los Angeles.
It was my first night in the city.
My friends were asleep, but hunger and jet lag kept me awake, so I crossed to a convenience store.
I stood before endless noodles and snacks, unable to choose.
As I reached out, my shoulder bumped a tall man hidden under a baseball cap and hood.
“Hard to choose?” he asked quietly.
Only his strangely familiar eyes showed beneath the brim.
He picked up a snack and handed it to me, our fingertips brushing.
“Try this. It's the most popular.”
Then he lowered his cap and disappeared between aisles.
I tried to remember those eyes.
Beside the register, they looked back at me from a magazine cover.