The Stalker

Chapter 9

“Miss are you okay?” Sadie stared at the man whose voice she recognized well. A tall man with a perfect face that she is not familiar with. He’s wearing the purple jacket that she first saw him wearing. She could also smell a whiff of his perfume. She was sure now that this man was her real savior that day. Sadie frowned unknowingly and the man carefully steadied her at her feet and let go of his hold on her shoulders.

            “Sorry, miss.” The man smiled and Sadie saw perfectly white set of teeth. He could pass as a toothpaste endorser. The proportion of every element of his face will make him be the envy of commercial models. Sadie’s daydreaming was interrupted.

            “Excuse me, but you two are blocking the way,” said a middle aged woman who is probably on her way to the women’s toilet.

            “Sorry, ma’am.” The man in front of Sadie moved to her side to let the woman pass. That is the time she was able to gather her thoughts and finally reply to her savior.

            “I’m okay. Thank you for your help, again. If I’m not mistaken, you may have saved me at school.” Sadie saw a tinge of smile on the man’s face but he covered it by faking a cough.

            “I’m not sure. But if ever that’s true, I’ll try to always be around when someone bumps into you.” Sadie couldn’t help but smile at his attempt to break the ice.

            “Thanks. I’m Sadie.” She offered her hand to him and he took it on his big warm hand.

            “What a surprise. I’m William and it’s really nice to finally meet you, Sadie. My friend and I actually came her to meet you.” Alarm bells rang at her ears with the realization and she immediately let go of his hand. Her smile faded in a snap. She cursed at herself for feeling something towards the guy that her cousin has been crushing on.

            “Is there something wrong with what I said?” His forehead creased and he looked concerned.

Sadie forced a smile and replied, “no, I was just surprised that’s all. Come on, let’s join my cousin and Mason at the table.” Sadie smiled at him once more and then walked back towards their table. She walked faster than usual even though she’s not sure if William is already on her heels. She fanned herself and had a few deep breaths before she reached the area where their two companions can see her.

            When she was near the table, Mason stood up and waited for her to sit down before he returned to his seat.

            “We already ordered for you. William went to the...Oh, there he is.” Mason was about to introduce his friend when William sat on the couch beside him.

            “We met already. Some guy bumped into her and I was coincidentally there to help her.”

            “Are you okay?” It was Harley who asked.

            “Yeah, I’m fine.” She smiled at her and looked behind to check whether their order is coming. She felt awkward being with them that moment. She stood up and excused herself.

            “I’m craving for something sweet. What do you want to eat? It’s my treat, remember?”

            Her three companions looked at each other and then Harley said, “See, I told you she’s supposed to pay. They already paid for the drinks and was about to buy something to eat but I just stopped them.”

            “Oh. I’ll just pay for the food then. What do you want?” Sadie asked but avoided William’s gaze.

            “Just a slice of chocolate cake for me,” was Harley’s response.

            “Will and I will just share with a banana bread slice.”

            “Nope. I don’t want to share. Come on, I’ll go with you so I can choose.” William stood up and walked towards the counter without even waiting for Sadie.

            “He must have been so hungry.” Was Mason’s reply. Sadie nodded and then took careful steps toward the counter where William is. He looked so intimidating with his purple hoodie emphasizing his broad shoulders. Sadie scolded at herself for thinking like that. When she reached the blue counter enhanced with silver lining and crystals, she greeted the familiar barista who was about to take their order. William was scanning the variety of pastries and bread at the glass display.

            “Hi. Two chocolate cake slices, one banana bread slice and...”

“I’ll just have the pistachio cake, please.” He said without looking at Sadie. He walked sideways then stood closely beside her and slid his card to the counter, obviously still wanting to pay for their food. She sighed and tried to push his arm and his card aside. He didn’t even budge. She let go of his arm and looked at him exasperatingly with a frown on her face. She was momentarily caught off guard with the way he was staring at her. It was like he was looking inside her soul. She closed her eyes and protested.

            “But it’s my treat today. I wanted to thank you for saving my life...” Sadie looked back at his face and she felt lost from his intent gaze.

            “Knowing that you’re safe is a reward itself. Just think of this as our acquaintance party.” He winked at her and took the card from the barista after completing their transaction. Sadie looked like a fish out of the water. She couldn’t control the opening of her mouth as she watched him confidently walk back to their table.

            Sadie took a deep breath and looked at the surroundings. She closed her eyes and focused on the relaxing music.

            “Ms. Sadie, we’ll just bring the orders to your table.” The manager of the cafe politely advised her. She said her thanks and walked back to be with her cousin and new acquaintances.

            When she reached the table, William was already telling some random story and her cousin’s eyes glittered with excitement while staring at him. They didn’t mind her when she sat down. Sadie had another call and she had to excuse herself once again. This time she went outside.

            “It’s my free day today, why do you keep on calling me every 10 minutes? You said you just wanted to check earlier which dress I prefer for the awards ceremony this weekend? What is this about now?” Sadie asked her manager who was chuckling at the other end of the line. She and Hansel are so comfortable with each other that he could let her mood and temper slide just like that. She moved to the side of the door to give way to other customers that are now coming in. She noted that office workers also come in the cafe after their working hours. Some of the customers that came in are wearing suits and office dresses. Sadie sat down at the concrete plant box beside the door and massaged her calves that started to hurt because of her heels. She should not have agreed with Harley’s idea to change her comfy shoes to stylish boots.

She rolled her eyes at his response.

            “You have an emergency appointment later at 8. It was just confirmed to me now. It’s a script reading for a teen drama that you’ve been wanting to be in for a while now. It’s urgent because the company neglected to inform us before hand that you were the one chosen for the role. I didn’t ask to reschedule since I know you’re free right now.” She was relieved that the long explanation was done.

            “Which one?”

            “The one where you wanted to act like a love struck teenager because you thought you will never experience this in real life.”

            “Aargggh. Why do you have to say it in such a way that it insinuates that I’m dying to be in a relationship?” She groaned. Sadie massaged her temples now that her calves seemed to feel relieved. She raised one of her leg and looked at the boots she’s wearing with three-inch heels. If William had not caught her, she might have even sprained an ankle. She closed her eyes and tried to erase that memory from her mind.

            “I know you don’t want that right now but now that you’re going to be co-star on this series, I know you’re going to experiment on having one so that you’ll effectively portray your role.”

            Hansel really knows her well and that was what she does with every role that she plays in movies and series. No matter how small the role, she makes sure that she do her research and immerse herself in the life of that person or character.

            “I’ll pick you up at 7.”

            “Okay.”

            “And Sadie? Don’t pick some random guy that will serve as your research. Find someone you can trust but you can disperse easily. Don’t give me unnecessary headache to think about.”

            At that exact moment, the door opened and someone that may be a good prospect came out. His red shirt stood out because of his pale complexion.

            “Okay. Your wish is my command, dear manager. See you later.”

            Sadie ended the call and smiled at Mason. She sighed. She knew that William could not be her choice because of Harley. She would just have to settle with this one.

            “Hi Mason, are you looking for me?”

            Those seven words started everything for Mason and Sadie.