Stranger Danger

I was sitting on my bed relishing the calmness that was in the house.

My date with Jordan was a few days ago. He took me to a restaurant, and we actually had a good time. I honestly did not expect him to be so easygoing and fun.

"And then Xander kicked the door open and left the entire meeting shocked!" he finished his story. We were sharing stories about our friends.

"No way!" I was laughing so hard. Thank god we were in a more secluded room, or else the entire restaurant would be looking at me funnily.

"What about you? No fun stories?" he asked and after looking back at my and Evie's lives, I replied with a story of mine.

"Well, there was this one time, when Evie and I were really young, and she was over at our place with her parents. We didn't have much fun back then, because our parents -mostly hers- were obsessed with 'proper manners'" I said imitating Helen Harrison as best as I could, "and we never did stuff like tea parties and dress-up. So we sneaked out of the living room and went through my mother's makeup and wardrobe. When they found us, almost two hours later, I remember my mother screaming and almost fainting, not only because of the mess we had caused but also because we had broken at least ten pairs of her most expensive heels, not to mention the fact that we had spread makeup on her Persian carpet, destroying both the carpet and the makeup..." I finished the story and a smile made its way to my face at the memory.

"Remind me to congratulate your mother for putting up with you!" Jordan said after he calmed down.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

"I am! I'm just saying that anyone who can put up with this and not give their child up for adoption is a saint!" he replied laughing.

All I can say is that our friendly date was perfect. Even though I don't want to admit it, I have to say that Jordan is really not that bad and it was fun. After meeting Alexander I expected his best friend to be quite different, but as it turns out I actually like spending time with Jordan.

Who would have thought!

Yesterday he called and we went out for some coffee and enjoyed the cold. I swear the weather these days is so frustrating. One day it's hot enough to walk around in shorts and then the next you need boots to get out of the house.

Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time. We talked about almost everything, our childhood, our college years, and even our plans for the future. I've learned quite a bit about him and it just made me appreciate him more. He is kind and funny, and despite his player-ish ways, I think he has a sweet spot for his family, as well as his best friend.

And after all that I am now looking at my phone screen, staring at Jordan's contact, contemplating whether or not to call him.

I didn't want to sound clingy and appear needy... I personally despise people who like that. But if I am honest, we have spent so much time together these past few days that his presence, his voice, and his eyes have all grown on me... I have this urge inside to call him, to see him, to find myself near him...

God! I sound like some lovesick puppy. And God knows I'm not one.

I shouldn't call... But what if I should?

Suddenly, I hear noises downstairs.

I call out to check whether my mother or father is at the door, but I receive no answer. Cautiously, I step out of my room and make my way downstairs. Once I step into the living room, I come face to face with a man dressed in total black. His face was covered by a mask and he wore large leather gloves. He was looking through the drawers in our living room concentrated as if he was looking for something specific. I was about to call the police or at least call for the guards when the notification sound on my phone went off. He quickly looks around and when he sees me, he rushes to get me and I start running towards the front door.

A hand grabs me by the waist and stops my movements instantly. The man grabs me and tries to immobilize me, but I can't stop thrashing around trying to get out of his grip.

His black mask makes it impossible for me to see his face, but I know for a fact he's not here to have a bloody tea party with me. He either wants to rape me or just stop me from calling the police.

"STAY STILL!" he yells and grabs my hands roughly.

"LET ME GO!"

For a moment I stop, assessing the situation I'm in. I am not strong enough to beat him, so there are very few options. He has straddled me in order to restrain me, leaving himself exposed in a way only men can be. In a rushed movement I lift up my knee and kick him and the moment he removes his arms I get up and run as fast as I possibly can. I get out the door and that's when I realize I don't have my car keys on me. For that matter, I have nothing on me, only my phone.

I fish it out of my pocket and call the first person I see in my contacts.

"Angel?" I hear the voice say.

Jordan!

"I need help! There- There was someone in my house, and now I'm running, and there's no one around here." I say and my sobs cut me off. That's when I noticed I was crying. I heard shuffling on the other end of the line.

"I'll be there in a few. Keep moving and go towards the small gas station, ok? The one that's on the way to your house?" Jordan requested and I just nodded, trying to convince myself that I'm going to be fine.

"Angel? Are you there?" Jordan said. His voice made his worry more evident.

"Yeah... I'll see you in a bit," I said and hang up.

I ran and ran and all I saw were trees. Not even one car passed by. I felt so utterly lost right now. How can this happen?

Suddenly, I heard the engine of a car and turned around to see Jordan's black BMW speeding toward me. Fresh tears of relief started spilling and a few seconds later the car stopped and Jordan practically jumped out the door and ran to me.

"I am so glad you're safe..." was the thing that left his lips when he reached me.

I couldn't speak. I simply hugged him tightly, holding on to him as if my life depended on it.

"It's going to be fine, I'm here now, ok? Now, let's get out of here."