Chapter 5: Is He Inlove?
1061 Words
She looks more terrified than shocked, grimly holding her pistol aimed at my shadow, which stands next to another shadow.
"I told you, this is real, not a joke," I said.
"Then you must seek a paranormal expert, not me!" Detective Jones replied intensely, keeping her eyes fixed on the shadow next to mine.
I shook my head before responding to her. "I have, many times, but no one has been able to terminate him or make him vanish."
"Why me?" Lindsay asked, her expression grim.
"I don't know; I feel some kind of connection with you," I said seriously, but Detective Jones took it as a joke.
"Are you serious? What kind of connection? I don't even know how to solve your problem. This doesn't involve any crime that someone like me can solve," she chuckled.
"You got involved because someone complained about him. That should make sense, right?" I said abruptly.
"Mr. Sanchez—"
"Pablo," I insisted, hoping Lindsay would address me by my first name since I wanted our interaction to feel personal.
"Mr. Sanchez," Lindsay repeated as if rejecting my request.
"Okay, fine, let's be civil," I said since Detective Jones wouldn’t agree.
She remained very alert, still holding her pistol, when a splash of water hit her face. She was about to fire her gun when I quickly stopped her.
"W-Wait, don't make a scene. People might get scared if you fire that," I told her, gesturing toward her pistol. Thankfully, she understood.
When she looked at my twin shadow, it was laughing and clutching its tummy— a sign of being overjoyed.
"He's ruining my reputation, Lindsay," I said, using her name rather than addressing her as a detective.
Lindsay looked at me like she was pained by my situation. Deep inside, I felt happy about that; I don’t know why, but I had been drawn to her since the day I opened my door and saw her beautiful face.
"Mr. Sanchez, tell me the worst thing your twin shadow did," she asked, still focused on the other shadow.
"He made fun of my face," I replied.
She immediately frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, he puts makeup on my face like he’s a master at it; I look like Beyoncé," I said, trying to make her smile. She looked at me skeptically. "I’m serious!" I insisted.
She chuckled, her expression grave.
"Sorry for bragging, Detective Jones, but I badly need your help," I said softly.
Lindsay returned my gaze, and her face softened; she might have felt what I was feeling at that moment. To be honest, I really needed her help, but I didn’t know how to ask.
I could tell she felt my sentiment now that she saw my twin shadow and what he was capable of doing.
Lindsay slowly lowered her pistol back to her waist and walked away from the lake. I quickly grabbed her arm, and the moment I touched her hand, I felt something I had never felt before. My heart raced, and everything around us seemed to slow down—exaggerated, perhaps, but it was how I felt.
I was 35, and yet I still felt this sensation of being in love. 'Wait, am I in love?' I asked myself.
"Mr. Sanchez, I am serious. What you need is not a detective like me," Lindsay said, pulling her arm back.
"Okay, fine. I know you don’t need your profession, but I need you here," I replied, and Lindsay looked at me intensely.
"What do you mean, Mr. Sanchez?" she asked, her brow furrowing.
"I don't know how to explain it, but you stole my heart the day you showed up at my door," I admitted. She raised her eyebrows, looking straight into my eyes.
When a second passed, she laughed, taking my words as a joke again. I sighed deeply, which made her stop and give me a serious look.
"Listen, Mr. Sanchez, I don’t have time to play around. I have cases to work on, and I can’t waste time on this kind of—" Lindsay began, but I cut her off.
"Joke? Do you think this is a joke, Lindsay?" I said.
I noticed she fell silent. I expected her to correct me regarding her name.
"Lindsay, I’m in trouble because of my twin shadow. If I can't get rid of him by the time the Lunar event comes, I don't know what will happen," I said, frustration creeping into my voice.
Lindsay turned her back to me and walked a few steps before suddenly stopping and looking back.
"Tell me how can I help you?" she asked.
I was confused and had no answer to her question.
"See? You don’t even know how I can help you," she said, turning her back again.
She was going to leave me when I found the words to say, "I just need you by my side," I shouted, ensuring she heard me. She slowly paused, clearly considering my words. I nearly ran toward her before she could say anything. "I want to clarify that what I said is not a joke," I stated as I saw her about to respond.
Lindsay merely smirked at my earnestness. "You want me by your side? What do you mean by that?" she asked, confused.
"Look, Lindsay, I think I like you," I finally confessed.
She stopped and looked at me.
"I like you, Miss Jones," I whispered.
Lindsay looked at me, disbelief flashing across her face.
"I like you, Miss Jones," I said repeatedly, my voice growing louder with each confession.
Lindsay let out a deep sigh and started walking again, clearly stunned by my admission. I followed her, having already proven the existence of my evil twin. The park was about to close, anyway.
We're in the parking area where we left our car when I decide to start a conversation.
"Hey, do you want to go somewhere else?" I asked her. She looked suspicious as if she thought I was planning something. "I mean, we could hang out a little bit, maybe have some coffee or a snack?"
Lindsay raised her eyebrows and then got into her car. I thought she was going to leave me behind, but she rolled down her window.
"Follow me," she said, and that made me smile the whole time.
- Writer
