2 The Stalker

*Flashback*

"Hey, that's us after 4 years," he points at a family of four playing near the stream. I blush, looking at the family on our faces in replacement of the family.

"Do you think so?" I asked.

" Yes babe, do you think we won't go that far? Do you think I'll let you go and be with someone else? not on my watch, that's not going to happen, baby, never." He winked at me and confessed how much he loved me.

"Oh I forget how you can be so nostalgic ", I said while kissing him on his cheek and giggling a little.

"Yes, honey I'm your Mr romàntico ", then we both laughed.

*End of flashback*

How can he be so brutal as to leave me for someone else? I didn't notice my tears crawling down my cheeks when a little girl loomed and wiped my tears.

She bent down and whispered into my ear, "You have to be strong, never allow yourself to break down like this."

At times, I even thought death would be a solution, but listening to what she had to say, gave me courage to put myself first.

It's already getting dark and I'm starting to worry about why Jason hasn't called yet. My phone rings and it's him. I answered it with excitement as I walked back to my apartment while on call with Jason.

" Hey, Jason, "I said.

"Hey, Emma! I'm sorry I couldn't call earlier, I was so busy. You know how it is", he says.

"Well, not exactly. I don't know how it feels to be young and rich", I chuckled.

"Well, Missy, it turns out that grief is making you stronger". He mocks with a peal of soft laughter.

"Look who's talking now" I teased.

"Let's quit this, I know you won't stop now, you won Emma Griffin," he chuckled softly.

"haha! Look who's scared now". I stuck my tongue out as if he was watching me.

"It's good to hear you laugh again, I guess you can now pay me for being a good therapist," he says.

"Get lost, Jay, I'm never paying a rich guy like you ".

"We both know, I helped you a lot, so pay me now ?" he jokes.

"Anyway, I'm starting my internship tomorrow," I said.

"Looks like somebody got lucky".

" You think?".

"Damn sure," he says.

"Anyway, carry on with your work, I've got lectures at 5:00 am tomorrow."

"It looks like someone will be tangled up tomorrow Goodnight," I said while unlocking my apartment door and closing it behind me.

I'm not famished, so I guess I might just skip dinner for today. I dragged my feet to my bedroom.

Having this phone call with Jason made me feel better, he always finds ways of making me laugh at the end of the day.

He's been such an understanding friend. He will always remain that way. I hope so at least, I wish he wasn't in Paris and maybe we could go out to watch movies because it's his kind of thing. But talking to him through the phone just feels like he's close and yet so far.

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Finishing all my classes and getting ready to go home, I heard a voice calling me from behind. I turned to meet Jessica Duff, my best friend since high school. Words are not even to describe how pretty she is and yet so talkative.

" I heard you needed some company?" she says.

"Who said so?" I chuckled with a frown.

" Take a guess," she says.

"Let me guess Jason?" a small smile forms on my lips.

"Well yeah, if you want me to spend a night with you I..." I cut her off before finishing her sentence.

" It's fine Jessica, I'll be fine alone. Besides, if I need something from you, I know where to get you," I chuckled.

"She girl, don't drag me to the club 'cause I won't budge," she teases.

***

After she left, I decided to walk myself back to my apartment, since it was one of the Emir's routines.

Sometimes Emir would park his car in the parking lot and just walk me home. He would even force me to walk because he loved long straws.

I can't help but think of him. Will this feeling fade away?

It's now a habit of mine to walk back home because I have got used to it.

I don't know why I have a weird feeling that someone is spying on me. Since I got to college now, I still have the same feeling that someone is watching me. I don't try to show the person behind me that I know he/she is following me, so I reduce my walking pace a bit.

Just as I turned around to see who it was, no one seemed to be behind me except for a couple walking behind me holding hands. Am I hallucinating? I ask myself.

I continue walking. I don't know why I'm smiling off hastily but it feels good at the moment, smiling for no good reason.

Is it because I have Emir in mind or because of how safe I'm feeling after panicking for no reason that someone was spying on me? I get back into my building and greet the guard as always and walk over to the elevator instead of using the stairs.

I walked quickly feeling my skin prickle with the same feeling of being watched again. This certain paranoia that I was being watched was unavoidable. I walked a bit fast toward the elevator, pressing the open button with my hand trembling out of fear. As soon as the elevator opened, I quickly entered and pressed the button to go up to the first floor. The elevator dings and opens.

My heart rate picking up in fear, I walked at a brisk pace, reaching my apartment door. I struggled with the keys for a bit and sighed in relief when I heard the familiar click of the lock opening. I pushed open the door, stepping into my warm apartment, closing the door behind me. I leaned my back on the door, taking a deep sigh, allowing myself to breathe properly.

I see my lights and rush to the window if there's any sign of someone watching me, but all I see are city people walking around. I sigh in relief. The moment I was about to turn around, I saw a fixed figure gazing right at my window. I half-opened the curtain to see if my eyes weren't deceiving me.

The figure gets into an expensive car and trust me, none of my neighbors would be driving a car like that, since the only people that live in these apartments are students that can't pay off their rental fee on due dates. So no one here could drive such an expensive car, unless it's stolen or maybe some girl would have been dropped off by her rich boyfriend, but it doesn't look like that person was staring at me.

The car hasn't moved yet and the windows are all tinted so there's no way I can see through, plus it's dark, so there's no way I could identify the figure. I switched my lights off and by the time I did so, the car window was slowly pulled down.

My heart started racing the moment I saw that the guy in the car was looking out my window. I could tell it was a guy, but who could this be "Jason"? Nah, Jason was still in Paris. This was probablyn't him. My heart just keeps beating faster than usual. To my surprise, I wasn't even scared, not even a sign of the goosebumps I get when I am terrified of being Emma Griffin. I open the curtain wider, and by the time I do, my heart stops.

Why am I feeling like this could be the Emir, this couldn't be him? I decided on grabbing a chair from the kitchen and getting a few books. By the time I headed back to the window, the car wasn't gone yet.

I wasn't going to move either unless whoever was in that car was going to move.

After reading for a couple of hours, I looked back at the streets and the same car was still there, as if this was a game of stalking each other.

Then I wasn't going to let this be, gaining my strength and walking out of my room in the middle of the night, I was going to find out who that person could be.

After getting down the stairs and going to the main entrance, I get outside just the moment I'm about to cross the other side of the road. The car was driving off fast.

"You sucker, you're probably going to hit a tree on your way back," I yelled, raising my middle finger and heading back to my apartment.

After taking a shower, I decided to yank some snacks and watch a movie called "After we fall". Honestly, this movie got me thinking of him and me. I chuckled at how everything kept reminding me of him.

He is probably having fun with his new fiance. Thinking of his fiance, she's 5 times better than me, she's rich, and has all the expectations a man would want in a woman, so I get why he left me for her.

Thinking of it earlier, I decided to facetime Jason to see if he was actually in Paris or if he was the spooky stranger that had been keeping watch on me. And when Jason was actually on the line, I could tell he was in his office.

"Hey, you"

" O-oh, hey I called to see if you are still in Paris?" I stuttered.

" Do you think I would lie to Griffin?" he chuckles.

" Nah, mind showing me your office?" I stated.

" Stop acting. Nancy drew. " We both laughed.

" Like, seriously, Emma, what's wrong with you acting weird?"

" I don't know if it's something I should report to the police or ?"

" Why, what's wrong ?" he questions.

" I feel like someone has been keeping an eye on me lately. I saw a creepy, expensive car earlier and I could tell the guy was looking at me from the window. I had the same feeling too on my way from school", I explained.

"U- um, I'll call you back," he says and drops the call, leaving me in awe.

Just like that, he hangs up. Wait, is there something I need to know? I quickly typed a message to him. "Is there something I need to know?"

I got no reply, so I texted back again.

I typed him a message again " Umm hello there you just can't hang up on me like that and won't text back."

Still getting no reply, I decide to call him and I get a busy notification.

Well, this is frightening. Could he be the stalker?