With trembling fingers, I picked up the crane, examining the folds. It was his work; I’d recognize it anywhere. The same technique, the same pressed edges done with a fingernail rather than folded carelessly. I spun in a circle, scanning the parking lot.
“Hello?” My voice cracked on the word, sounding small and frightened in the vast emptiness of the lot.
Only silence answered me.
I fumbled with my keys, dropping them twice before managing to unlock the car door. Once inside, I slammed it shut and hit the lock button repeatedly, as if it would protect me better than once. The crane sat on my passenger seat, inoffensive yet terrifying in its perfect simplicity.
It was paper, just a folded piece of paper. It could be anyone. It could be a coincidence. I rationalized, but my racing heart knew better. I knew his work. Leo had found me, as he promised.
I was paranoid driving home, constantly checking the rearview mirror, searching for headlights that followed too closely or turned when I turned. I took three wrong turns deliberately, doubling back and circling blocks before finally heading to Raina’s.
An ocean and half a continent separated me from Argentina. There was no way Leo tracked me here to this specific town or parking lot.
Yet as I gathered my things to head inside, my gaze fell on the white crane again. I snatched the crane, intending to throw it away, but something stopped me. Evidence, I’d need proof. I dropped it into my purse instead. Unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching me.
I arrived earlythe next morning, hoping the routine of data entry would calm the jitters that kept me up most of the night. The basement felt like a sanctuary after hours of jumping at every creak in Raina’s house, after checking window locks, and wedging a chair under my bedroom doorknob like some paranoid character in a bad thriller. I was being ridiculous. One paper crane didn’t mean Leo had found me. It was probably a weird coincidence, my travel-fried brain making connections that weren’t there. I set my fresh cup of coffee on the desk, my second already this morning, and wiggled the mouse to wake up the ancient computer.
The database program loaded with its usual sluggishness, giving me time to pull the next batch of files from the cabinet. I’d developed a system over the past weeks. It was mind-numbing work, but after last night, mind numbing sounded pretty appealing.
My world stopped when I opened my desk drawer for a pen. Between paper clips and sticky notes was another paper crane.
“No, no, no.” I stood abruptly. My coffee mug slipped, crashing to the concrete floor, hot liquid splashing up to my ankles. I barely registered the heat or the noise, eyes locked on the delicate paper bird.
Leo had appeared the second day, “coincidentally” staying at the same hostel. His smile when he spotted me had sent warning bells ringing, but I’d ignored them, telling myself I was overreacting. The world was small. Not to mention, he was a tour guide, so it made sense we would have crossed paths multiple times.
“The universe wants us together,” he’d said, presenting me with a pressed crane tucked into a handmade card.
Now, staring at the identical bird in my desk drawer, a drawer I knew was empty of anything but office supplies yesterday, sent a cold dread sliding down my spine.
I slammed the drawer shut, breathing hard, barely noticing the wet spots on my legs. He was here. Somehow, he was here inside this building, inside my workspace. The thought made my stomach lurch. I grabbed several tissues from the box on my desk, blotting at the coffee spill while my mind raced. Should I tell Langston? What would I say? “Hey, boss, I need you to deal with my international stalker now too.”
I gathered the broken pieces of the mug through the fog of panic. I needed to calm down. Think logically. There had to be another explanation. Maybe?—
My email pinged with a message from Tamika.Staff meeting in ten. Bring your data report.
Shit. The weekly review. I completely forgot. I blew out air. I couldn’t fall apart now. I’d get through the meeting, then figure out what to do about the crane. Maybe I’d talk to Martinez. He was ex-police and might know how to handle this kind of situation without making me sound completely unhinged.
After dumping the broken mug in the trash, I deliberately avoided looking at the drawer as I grabbed my notebook and headed upstairs. Upstairs, the office was busy, as everyone headed to the conference room for the meeting. Friday morning energy was amplified by the prospect of the weekend. I nodded at Reed as I passed his desk, forcing a smile.
The coffee station near the conference room was crowded, with several people grabbing a last-minute caffeine fix before the meeting. I hung back, waiting for my turn, desperately needing something to replace the cup I’d lost.
“Here. Take mine. You look like you need it more than I do.” Diane offered, pushing a Styrofoam cup into my hands.
“Thanks. Are you sure?” I asked, grateful for the warmth against my still-trembling fingers.
“Yeah, take it. Just don’t tell anyone I have a heart,” she joked, moving toward the conference room.
As I reached for a sugar packet, my hand froze mid-air. There, next to the sugar, was another paper crane. My vision narrowed as I stared at another fucking bird! I picked it up. This couldn’t be happening, not here, not in the safety of this office surrounded by people.
“You okay?” Someone, maybe Martinez, touched my shoulder, but their voice sounded distant, underwater.
“Just… need some air,” I heard myself say.
I turned away from the counter, abandoning the coffee, moving toward the exit on legs that felt disconnected from my body. The conference room door opened, and Langston and Tamika emerged, both looking at me with confusion as I pushed past them toward the back door.
“Meeting’s about to start,” Tamika reminded, but I was already shoving the door open, gulping at the outside air like I was surfacing from deep water.
The parking lot blurred before my eyes, as the ground tilted beneath my feet. I staggered toward the dumpster area hidden from view of the office windows, needing a moment to pull myself together before I completely lost it in front of everyone. My knees gave out as I slid down against the dumpster, the cold metal pressing against my back through my thin blouse.
