I glance briefly over at the two-dozen long stem roses on the edge of our kitchen table. “We went on one date.”
Her arms fold on the table in front of her. “Do you plan on going on another?”
I mirror her body language, not meaning to copy her, but I don’t care for her tone. “I guess, yeah. If he asks me.” It’s quiet for long moments, as we look at one another across the dependable surface.
“Don’t bring him here again,” she declares, then stands with her drink.
“Wait… what? Why?!” I spin in my chair and watch with confusion as she grabs her work bag and slings it over her shoulder. Is she not going to answer me?
She reaches for the front door before turning and speaking. “If you’ve ever cared about our friendship, you will do this one thing I ask.”
The inside of my throat feels thick, making it difficult to swallow or even respond. She just stares at me as my mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out. I’m dumbfounded! Shocked! My parents telling me what to do is expected, but from Andrea?! I shake my head with confusion. “Why?” My question comes off more as a plea. My roommate. My best friend. My once, ride or die, groans with frustration as she opens the door to our apartment, steps through, and slams it shut.
Jeez Louise! What’s crawled up her butt?! Imagine if I told her that someone has been following me, leaving me messages and gifts over the past few weeks! I have no fucking idea why she has such a vendetta against Eamon. I mean, she doesn’t even know the guy! Okay… I may not know him much better but still. Could the man in question be the one playing all these mind games with me? He literally came out of nowhere and has been showering me with attention. It sort of adds up. Do I want it to be him? I do seem to be going along with everything, all the same. Does that make me the insane one or him? You know what… it doesn’t matter. Either way, being vague with Andrea was a necessity, because I have no doubt, she would lock me in my room and feed me burnt waffles under the crack of my door for the rest of my life.
Thinking back to other guys I’ve been with during my college days, doesn’t exactly validate my choice in men. I was seeing someone who kind of dealt drugs. One time he was so high, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He brought me back to his place. I tried to leave. He forced himself on me. It wasn’t our first time together and I was his girlfriend at the time, but I said no. I didn’t like it when he wasn’t himself. I dumped him once he sobered up. Consent is important. I felt taken advantage of.Like my power was stripped away. I remember that night I went to Andrea’s. She lived in a rinky-dink apartment before we lived together. I was extremely upset. Crying and shaking, I told her everything. Well, like some freaky coincidence the next day, he wasn’t in class. One of his buyers told me he had moved back to Connecticut. Like overnight! Even his social media was gone. I never saw or heard from him again. That week, Andrea and I got this apartment together. She’s been my guardian angel ever since. My heart aches when I think about how loyal and fierce a friend she is. I never want to take that for granted, but I don’t want to be controlled either.
This weekend is the Craft Bazaar, so I spend what little time I had left tagging and organizing all the projects I plan to display in my booth. Andrea, like the celestial being she is, had my custom sign ready. Even managing to borrow a folding table from one of her jobs. I sit on my bed surrounded by piles of clothes, tags, and accessories, when I feel a sudden vibration. I move and shift heaps, searching for my phone that has somehow become buried. Finally extracting it from a collection of shirts, I see a message notification from anUnknown number. I let out a slow controlled breath as I slide my finger across the screen.
Unknown: Long stem roses? Very cliché.
My fingers hover over the keyboard, ready to respond. Wait… Why would Eamon have a different number than the one I have saved? I consider for a moment before I type back. Maybe it’s a burner phone? My thumbs dance along the keyboard, then I hit the send arrow.
Cindel: So is a bed full of candy!
I hold my breath as I await a response. Please be Eamon, I repeated again and again to myself. Dots appear indicating their typing, then the message pops through.
Unknown: Perhaps… but you seemed to have appreciated the walking stick.
I forget how to breathe. This couldn’t be the same man. Could it? Eamon never asked me about my injured foot when I returned. Is he clever enough to…
Another message appears breaking my train of thought.
Unknown: Be a good girl and wear your earbud. See you soon, Princess.
I stare at the thread of messages, rereading each word. As if a tiny fire has been ignited inside me, I switch over to the thread of messages with“It’s Eamon Actually.”I can’t find any similarities between the two. Different pet names, conversations, mannerisms! It’s viable that there are two different people. Instead of turning my phone off or changing my number, I let myself be in charge. I click the button to add the contact and save this number as:THESTALKER.Whomever this may be, I’m not going to sit ideally by and let them make my life into some kind of sport. Thanks to growing up with an older brother, I’m competitive. “Game, set, match,” I say aloud.
Tonight was a little unusual at The Black Sheep. Connor wasn’t on the schedule, and I haven’t seen Eamon all night. Not wanting my stalker to have an upper hand, I wore the damn earbud. If more things seem to go wrong when I don’t wear it, perhaps having it in would be beneficial. I manned the helm with Brittany, who seemed to be warming up to the idea that this position was thrust upon me, along with the two new girls who were hired recently. They were friendly and attentive tothe customers, while not too shy to ask questions if they didn’t understand something. I believe they make a great addition to the team.
At some point during the night, Eamon’s buddies take up residence at the bar. They keep to themselves after ordering a round from Brittany. I was popping in and out of the back, keeping on top of Connor’s barback duties, when I hear an unusual commotion on the floor. I emerge from the back to find one of the new girls, Leslie, arguing with a customer. The large man’s face and shirt appear to be dripping wet with an empty mug lying on the table beside him. The man, much larger than the new girl, towers over her. Before I could think better of it, I quickly put myself between the two, since it’s my job as manager to settle these matters and protect my staff. I didn’t plan on what I would do once I was here. Standing even shorter than Leslie, I had to look straight up, to see the face of the brutish, beer drenched man.
“Bitch needs to learn her place!” the bearded man slurred.
Leslie yells back from behind me. “Slapping my ass does not make me get your drink faster, fuck face!”
Jesus! I liked Leslie, but shush! His face turns a deeper shade of plum from the slander, causing him to push toward Leslie. Placing my hands up and stepping back, I attempted to create distance between the drunkard and us, but instead he grabs my wrist in response and squeezes.
“This deaf little cunt won’t listen, either!” The grotesque man holds up my arm to his friends at the table, making them cackle. His hold on me was too tight.
Suddenly, I feel his hand release. I step back with Leslie in tow, attempting to make sense of what is unfolding. Bodies moving, I was taken aback when the pig of a man was on his knees with Dax holding onto his contorted arm. The vial man wailed like an animal caught in a trap, begging to be released.Dax just held him like that, looking at me before he all but dragged the drunkard with him, out the front bar door. Garron’s usual playful nature was long gone. He commands the room, beginning by rounding up the horrid man’s friends and instantly escorting them out. Luckily, they don’t object. Garron is intense when he’s like this.
Brittany and Leslie were soon on me, asking me if I was okay. The other new hire, Maya, notices me rubbing my wrist and takes off to retrieve ice. I am a little shaken up, but turn to Leslie to make sure she is okay, seeing how she was the one man handled on my watch. There is still an hour til closing, however Garron marches back into the bar, flipping on and off the bar’s lights and hollering for everyone to go home. Can he do that?
Garron jumps right in, helping with closing tasks as if he’s done this before. I wasn’t going to object, as it allowed the girls and I to close up in record time. Dax didn’t return. I hope he’s okay. The belligerent drunk was the size of a house! As we are getting ready to lock up, my phone vibrates. I pull it from my bag and read the message.
It’s Eamon Actually: Are you okay?
I smile to myself, knowing that his friends are the ones who likely reported the incident to him.
