Playboy Tactics

Sarah walks out of her apartment building. She looks to her left and then right but like usual there were very few people around the street. She inhales fresh morning air and fixes her hat. Clutching her small bag strap that was hanging across her shoulder she walks towards the main street. She hears someone jogging behind her and before she could turn to look, the person comes beside her

"Boo!" She backs away with horror.

"Oh my! You scared me!" She hits David on his shoulder lightly while he chuckles. "What are you doing here?" She asks him.

"Stalking you of course." Sabrina rolls her eyes and scowls at him. "What? C'mon my home's near from this place I just decided to switch route to jog today." He says, shrugging innocently.

"So you're saying it's a mere coincidence for us to meet at the same time?"

"No, I just waited to see."

"What?! You waited to see me come out?" Her voice filled with disbelief.

"Oops... It slipped out." He says, unapologetically and without a clue of remorse.

"Oh, now I am actually having my doubts on you." He stops suddenly, making her stop by holding her with both shoulders.

"What? Is it too strange to look out for you? Just look at this place." He points his hand behind the street where the street mostly is empty or weird looking men stand around the corner, watching them. "I didn't feel safe here last night and how you can just go on your own every day?"

"David... You can't babysit me."

"But I have decided to."

"What? Look we just met and it doesn't mean you have known me-"

"I need not to, to do something like this."

"What are you? Why are you being...?" Sabrina finds the correct word to say.

"Nice?" David says before she got to complete her sentence and she heaves an exasperated sigh. David chuckles "Hey I know, no need to thank okay?" she rolls her eyes and walks past him. He hurriedly jogs up to her "So where are we going?"

"Not you, it's just me." She tries to walk ahead of him by increasing her pace but she fails when he comes beside her again.

"Of course you... I mean I'll be just clinging." She runs this time to leave him behind but his long legs win against her.

"You are not going to give up are you?" She says in an exasperated tone.

"Nope," He says, popping the 'p'. She heaves a sigh and stops before looking at him. "I don't know what got over me to almost kiss you." She mumbles under her breath.

"I heard that." David pouts.

"You know, you're creeping me out right?"

"Better be me than someone with ugly intentions." He shrugs with an innocent smirk on his face. Sabrina rubs her face before she looks at him again.

"Why are you doing this?" Her expression was serious and intense this time.

"Well... I want to prove something."

"Prove what?!" She snaps.

"To your mother that I am not the kind of a person she thinks of me."

"What? My mother?!"

"Yeah... I know your mother thinks that I am a playboy and someone not to be trusted."

"Wow, aren't you getting ahead with yourself?"

"I don't think so." Sabrina rolls her eyes and starts to walk ahead again when David comes beside her. She walks quietly but the fact that he was beside her with her every move couldn't make her hastier while David enjoyed her grumpiness.

"Okay, you need to stop that!"

"Stop what?" David asks, innocently.

"You know what..."

"What?" he asks, faking an innocently-confused face.

"Staring at me!"

"Oh, this?" He says, directing his thumb towards himself "Oh no, I can't stop looking whenever I find a pretty sight." Sabrina's cheeks redden over his statement and she turns her face away to avoid his stare.

"I guess mother thinks right about you." She mumbles again, shaking her head but enough for David to hear. He chuckles and before he could say anything his phone starts ringing. He stops to pick up his phone but Sabrina chooses to continue walking ahead.

"Hello?" He answers the caller. Sabrina turns to look behind after covering some distance. His expression had turned from amused to suddenly being serious. "Yes dad, I'll be right there... Okay... No, I don't want to discuss that right now... I'll be there. Bye." He hangs up his phone and puts his phone back into his pocket before he looks back at Sabrina again. He jogs up to her and she stays where she had stopped. "You had the chance to run away." He says, reaching towards her.

"I guess you'll be going on your way now so no need for that." She deadpans and starts walking again.

"Not until I take you to Main Street." He says, following beside her.

"But the call sounded urgent."

"Nothing can be more urgent than to leave you in a place like this." Sabrina looks at him from the corner of her eyes and his expression was still the same and not anymore amused.

She didn't know why but his words made her happy and she thought if it rained the next time maybe she wouldn't feel that much lonely again. She smiled to herself, walking down the street along the sidewalk with him.