The following day, a strange atmosphere hung over the office, a subtle shift I couldn't place.
Maybe it was just me, still vibrating with the nervous energy of seeing Wesley again.
Lunch break arrived, and Mr. White, as expected, asked me to retrieve his food.
I sighed, grabbed my bag, and headed outside the building. That was when I saw it: a stunning, intimidatingly expensive car parked on the curb.
Who owned something like that in this neighborhood? A part of me, the part that remembered Wesley's ride the day before, felt a chill.
I pretended I hadn't seen it and walked toward the cafe.
I returned with two lunches—one for my boss, one for my empty stomach.
As I walked out of the restaurant, I saw the same expensive car parked nearby again.
Okay, that's creepy. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Coincidence? Or something darker?
I tried my best to stay calm and started walking. The car engine roared to life. I slowed my pace, and the car moved slowly beside me, matching me step for step.
I picked up my pace to a fast walk, and the car sped up with me. What? Am I being hunted by a car? The thought was absurd, but my heart hammered against my ribs. It was an undeniably beautiful car, though.
Lilith, now is not the time to be admiring luxury vehicles.
I broke into a sprint. The car lunged after me, a silent, powerful predator.
I felt like I ran around the entire country. Panic set in. I needed to call someone, leave a trace. I dialed Joyce.
"Hey, Lilith, what's up?" she answered, sounding cheerful.
"Joyce, Joyce, listen to me," I gasped, running past a row of unfamiliar shops.
"I think I'm being hunted by an evil car."
"What? Lilith, is this some kind of joke?"
"Joyce, you have to believe me! I'm being chased by a hunted, but expensive,
car!"
"Lilith, did you drink again?" she asked, exasperated.
"What, why on Earth would I drink on a hot Thursday morning? Joyce, I'm not lying, you have to believe me! But if you don't believe me, it's fine, but I want you to know that I love you and Nathaniel, and my Mom, but not my Dad and brother. Joyce, if you don't hear from me in the next one hour, please report it to the police!"
I hung up, heart pounding against my ribs, and kept running.
But my luck ran out, the car swerved, cutting me off completely. The driver stayed inside.
I didn't hesitate. I pulled a pepper spray from my back pocket, a gift from Joyce years ago that I'd never used.
I pointed it at the driver's side window with a shaking hand.
"I... I have a pepper spray... and... and I'm not afraid to use it!" I yelled at the tinted glass.
The back passenger door opened slowly, and a man in a white suit stepped out.
I couldn't see his face; a stark white hat shadowed his features. He walked slowly toward me while I took cautious steps back.
"I... I'm warning you," I threatened, "I won't be responsible for the choice I'm about to take right now!"
He didn't listen. He just kept walking. He reached out and grabbed my arm.
Panicked, I reacted instantly. I sprayed the entire canister of pepper spray directly into the gap between his hat and his face.
The man screamed in pain. A familiar voice, though distorted by agony.
I reached out and ripped the white hat off his head to see the one face I least expected.
"Wesley."
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you!" I scrambled backward, horrified.
"Do you always do this to people who want to talk to you?" Wesley gasped, clawing at his burning eyes.
"No!" I said.
"Then why in God's name do you have a pepper spray?" he demanded.
"It's to protect myself!" I said defensively.
"From what exactly?"
"From stalkers! Hold on a sec, why the heck are you following me? Do you have any idea how frightening that is?"
"I just wanted to talk to you," he insisted.
"By stalking me?"
"I'm not stalking you. I stopped by your office today because I wanted to talk, and when you looked at my car, I thought you knew I was the one. When you left the office, I thought you were taking me to a more private place!" His eyes were bright red and streaming tears.
"Private? For heaven's sake, I thought you were trying to kidnap me or something! Please, could you not do this next time?"
"Sure," he mumbled, wincing.
"Now, what did you want to talk about?"
"It's your Mom. She's currently ill and she wishes to see you."
A new kind of panic replaced the adrenaline.
"What... what happened to her?"
"She was diagnosed with leukemia, also known as cancer of the blood."
"What? How? What did the doctor say?"
"Well, it seems to me that she would need to undergo chemotherapy and a blood transfusion."
"Oh, my God, I can't believe this is happening."
"I'd send you the location so you could go and visit her," Wesley said, finally calming down a little.
"Th... thank you, Wesley."
"It's no problem."
I turned to leave, the lunches for Mr. White and me completely forgotten on the sidewalk.
"Lilith, let me give you a ride to the office. I figured you have no idea where you are right now."
As much as I wanted to object to getting back into his intimidating car, he was right. I was completely lost.
I agreed, and we both got into the car. I sat down, the gravity of the news pushing out every other thought.
"Lilith, don't worry, everything would be fine," he said softly, his voice still a little raw.
I looked at him and forced a weak smile. I noticed his eyes were still bright red and swollen.
"Your eyes..."
"Don't worry, I'd go to the hospital once I drop you off," Wesley said.
I managed another small smile. A few minutes later, my phone rang. It was Joyce.
"Lilith, where are you?" Joyce asked, her voice laced with worry, likely having relayed my panicked message to Nathaniel.
"Huh?" I was still in a daze.
"You said you were being chased! Where are you right now?" Nathaniel's voice sounded over the speaker.
"Um... there's no need to worry. I'm fine. And Joyce was right, my imagination was playing tricks on me," I lied smoothly, glancing at Wesley.
"Thank God! You made us worry!" Nathaniel said, relieved.
"I'd call you guys when I get home," I promised.
"Alright," Joyce said, and hung up.
I asked Wesley to drop me off three buildings away from the office—I didn't want the spectacle.
"Lilith, take care of yourself."
I nodded, the weight of the world suddenly very heavy on my shoulders, and left his dark, cool car to walk back to my mundane, messy life.