Maya
Focus, Maya.
Nobody cares about the crush you have on the man sitting next to you.
I cleared my throat. “Um, hey.”
Yeah, this was going to be awkward.
Of course, he remembered me. In high school, my crush on him ran so deep that I wrote his name on my shoes with my favorite teal blue marker (the same color as his eyes).
“Mr. Martin said someone is stalking you.” He was holding a small notepad and a pen. “Is it anyone you know?”
“Yes. No.” I sighed. “What I mean is, I don’t really know him. We were on our first date last night.”
“How did you meet?” He lifted the pen and wrote something down.
“Online.” I dropped my head and closed my eyes, ready for a shitty comeback about online dating, but he didn’t make a comment about how we met.
“When the date ended, did he bring you home?”
“No. I had my car. We met at the restaurant.” A vision of the guy sitting in his car flashed through my mind. The thought sent a cold chill through my whole body.
“Is your address on your dating profile?” He scowled and glanced down at his notepad, then back up at me.
“Um, I don’t think so.” My phone was sitting on the couch cushion beside me. “Let me check.” I had been so focused on how I saw him in the parking lot that it never occurred to me how he got my address.
My hands were shaking at the thought. I felt so dumb. Why didn’t I call the cops sooner?
“Here.” Billy reached for my phone. “Let me help you.”
“Thanks.” I clasped my hands together and took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “How could I be so stupid?” I whispered the question. I never meant for Billy to hear me.
“You’re not, Maya.” He handed the phone back to me. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Is my address in my profile?” I rubbed the palms of my hands back and forth.
“No.” He rested the notepad and pen on his leg. “Unfortunately, this is not uncommon.” He rested his right hand on his thigh. “I know there are a lot of good stories about online dating, but there are also way too many that take a dark turn.”
“Does this mean I have to move?” I had only been in my apartment for less than a year. The thought of packing way too many boxes and moving again made my heart rate increase.
“No.” He smiled. “We need to have someone watch your place and see if he comes back. Our first goal is to stop him, so he doesn’t do this to anyone else.”
I looked over at Lola. “I think I love the idea of you staying at my place finally.”
Lola hopped up from the living room chair and sat down beside me on the couch. “Me, too.” She reached for my hand and held it tightly between her own.
Billy nodded and stood. “Would you be okay with going back to your apartment right now? I’d like to take a look around.”
“Sure. That’s okay.” I stood. “A word of caution, though. My cat, Mocha, seems to think we have nine lives, too.”
Billy laughed. “It sounds like you had an eventful night with your cat and the potential stalker.”
“Eventful is a perfect word to use.” I rolled my eyes.
He started to make his way toward the front door, but stopped halfway there. “We went to the same school, right?”
“Yeah.” Oh, great, this was the moment I was hoping wouldn’t happen.
“And, didn’t you work at Donut Time a few years ago?” He scowled. “I think I remember seeing you there.”
Awesome. He saw me. “I did.”
He smiled. “I thought that was you.”
I closed my eyes, wishing everything was back to normal and I was home, safe with my cat.
“I’m glad Mr. Martin called. It’s good to see you again, Maya.” He opened the door to leave. “I’ll see you over at your place in a few minutes.”
My eyes flew open, and my breath hitched in my chest. What just happened?
He closed the door behind him, and I spun around to face Lola. We grabbed each other’s hands and burst out laughing.
At the same time, we said, “It’s good to see you again, Maya.”
AUTHOR NOTE:
I love the mix of comedy and suspense. It feels fun. Should we have Billy stay in his car and watch Maya’s place, or should he camp out in her apartment?