Laura
I turned around and froze. There he was, standing right in front of me. Only he wasn't the Man in black anymore. He wore off- white linen pants and a bright shirt. It was the perfect counterpoint to his sun - kissed skin. He pulled his sun glasses lower down his nose and fixed me with that cold stare of his again. He called out the bartender in italian. As soon as the mysterious man arrived, the man behind the counter had pointed ignored everyone else, standing at attention and waiting bit my stalker's order. Hidden behind my sunglasses, i felt especially courageous and gitsy today - furious and hungover.
"Why do i get the feeling you're following me?" I asked, crossing my arms. He raised his right hand and slowly took my glasses off to see my eyes. It felt like he was taking away my shield. Suddenly i was out in the open.
"It's not a feeling," he said looking me straight in the eyes. "It's not a coincidence, either. Happy twenty seventh birthday, laura. May they coming year be the best in your life," he whisphered, and placed a delicate kiss on my cheek. I was so shocked that i just stood there, dumbfounded and mute. How did he know my age? And how the hell did he find on the other end of town? The bartender's voice shook me of out the train of thought, i turned his way. He was just setting a bottle of rose Moët with a single candle on the counter. "Goddamn it!" I spun to face the mysterious man who had vanished in the meantime. Again.
"Well, well," karolina said with a smile, approaching the bar. "we were supposed to have a glass of prosseco and suddenly i find a bottle of champagne waiting for me".
I shrugged and scanned my surroundings nervously in search of the man in black, but he wasn't there. I pulled out a credit card and offered it to the bartender. In mangaled English he refused the payments assuring me the tab had been paid. Karolina graced him with a charming smile, grabbed the cooler with the bottle and cups and went straight to the pool. I blew out the candle on the cupcake and followed her. I was pissed off, to say the least the least. But also disoriented and intrigued. There were dozens of different scenarios playing out in my head, suggesting different personalities for the mysterious man. The first thing that came to my mind was that he was some kind of pervet. But it didn't entirely agree with the image of the breathtakingly handsome italian - he was probably spending more time trying to avoid admirers than actively seeking them out. Judging by his expensive shoes and clothes, he was far from broke. And he had mentioned something about checking guests in the club. So my next theory was that he was the manager there. But that wouldn't explain what he was doing at the hotel. I shook my head trying to get rid of the nagging thoughts, and reached for a cup.
"What do i care? I thought sipping the champagne. It must have been a coincidence after all. When we finished the bottle, the guys arrived, looking happy.
" so what about lunch?" Martin asked with a satisfied grin. The champagne i had drunk today and last evening made me combative. I was furious about his care free attitude.