"John, you scared me! I was already wondering where you guys were" I whined, feeling relieved upon seeing him.
"What happened to you? Why are you limping, Emma?" John asked, concerned.
"I'll tell you later. Do you have a car outside right now?" I asked eagerly.
"Yeah, but what happened?" John inquired, his face worried.
"Please don't ask me now, just give me a ride. I want to see my mother" I said, my voice almost trembling.
"Sure, Sure. Let's go!" John replied, seeming to understand my situation from my trembling voice. He walked quickly, but then turned back and noticed my slow limp.
"Fuck! I'm sorry, I forgot" John said while pointing at my feet. His voice high engulfed with embarrassment.
"Come on, put your arm around me," John said abruptly, after returning to me. I immediately put my arm over his shoulders, and he supported my back. A rush of comfort washed over me as my weight lessened on my injured ankle. I genuinely smiled at John for his kindness. I could see why he was Aston's best friend.
"I sprained my right ankle." I told him as we almost reached the car.
"Oh dear, you should've been careful. But I guess it's a good way to make Aston your slave. Let him pick you up and do everything for you. I can't wait to see him all lovey-dovey and serving you" John said with amuse sparkling his face as we reached the car.
"Shut up, John!" I replied, holding onto the car door and kicked his leg with my sprained ankle, which caused me pain.
"Ouch! I thought you sprained your ankle" John said mockingly. His eyes furrowed when I glared him.
"I don't want him to be my slave" I muttered, sighing loudly as John helped me settle into the car.
"I know deep inside you want him to be your slave, your man" John interjected, but I cut him off, not wanting to entertain his comment because he would keep going on and on.
"Save it for yourself and speed up! We're heading to Ambais, you know the directions?" I replied, my tone serious. Ambais was where my mom worked as the head manager of that real estate company. I couldn't wait to make sure she was doing well.
"Well, yeah! Why are we going there?" John whined, but I was too preoccupied to answer. I tried calling my mom again, but she didn't pick up, which was unusual. My heart started pounding faster, and a wave of anxiety creeped into me.
"Emma! Are you alright?" John's voice snapped me out of my world.
"I-I don't know. No. Please, speed up!" I stammered, my words quivering. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision of the road ahead.
*Phone ringing*
I glanced down at my phone, a single tear rolling down my face. It was my mother calling. Relief flooded through me, and I answered the call abruptly.
"Mom, are you okay? Where are you? I'm coming to you right now" I blurted out as tears continued to flow.
"Emma, calm down! I'm fine. I'm at work, love. Why are you crying? Is something wrong?" Hearing her voice, I felt a rush of relief knowing she was okay.
"Yes, everything's alright. It's just that you didn't answer your call, and it worried me so much" I explained, my voice choked with emotion.
"I was attending a meeting, which dragged on longer than I expected. Each person shared their perspective on the recent company crash. Don't cry and take a deep breath" said mother.
I placed my hand on my chest, taking a deep breath, feeling reassured and grateful for my mother's safety.
"Stay safe and keep..." I stopped, breaking my words as I glanced at John, not wanting him to overhear what I was going to say next.
"I love you, just stay safe" I whispered, cutting my words short. Slowly, my heartbeat returned to normal, and a sense of relief swept through me as I turned off the call.
Just then, I looked at John and was taken aback by the sudden change in his demeanor. His face grew serious, his hazel eyes widened, as if he had just stumbled upon a life-altering realization. It was hard to believe that this was the same cheerful John, known for his lively expressions. I couldn't help but laugh out loudly.
"What?" I managed to ask between laughs as he kept staring.
"Seriously, just a moment ago you were all serious and now it's like a laughing demon possessed you" John remarked, his face startled. I sighed and passed him a slight smile.
"Well, be grateful that this demon didn't kill you for your nonstop questioning. And TURN AROUND THE CAR, we are not going to Ambais now" I said.
John's concerned voice probed me with questions, but I couldn't reveal the true situation my mother and I were in. I assured him that my tension stemmed from my mother not picking up the call. He poked fun at me for being so worked up over something small, and I found myself defending my actions. Eventually, our conversation shifted to other topics about Boston. John dropped me at my house and helped me walk to the door as I limped due to my sprained ankle and saw me off.
I managed to change into my sleepwear, opting for silk shorts instead of trousers to avoid the pain of putting my leg through a pant leg as my ankle was bundled in compression bandages. I settled into bed, opened my hands and legs hardly with my injury at far most distance, finding heavenly comfort in this position that eased the strain on my body. Thoughts of the black Mustang sent a chill down my spine. I vowed to uncover the identity of the stalkers once I was back on my feet. It annoyed me to think that I'd have to spend my next day at home just to get rid of this stupid sprain.
Suddenly, a startled voice shattered my soundfull sleep. I opened my eyes and found my mother standing right in front of my bedroom door.
"What happened, Emma? How did it happen? Does it hurt?" my mother asked as she approached me, her eyebrows raised in fret.
"It's nothing, mother, just a little sprain I got while running at the university" I replied calmly.
"You should've told me. I would've come back from work right away. Oh, my poor child" she said, expressing her concern.
"It's nothing, mother. You shouldn't worry about it!" I reassured her. She sat at the edge of my bed, and I adjusted my position to make space for her. Suddenly, she hugged me, and I felt a warm sense of happiness. Her presence, her fragrance, were my addiction. I hugged her back, finding relief in her embrace. Slowly, she pulled back and looked at me, her face filled with distress.
"What really happened when you asked me if I was fine earlier in the mid-noon?" she asked. I couldn't bring myself to tell her about being stalked as it would only cause her unnecessary worry.
"I was worried because you weren't picking up the call. I thought something bad might have happened to you.." I replied and didn't feel much guilty as my words weren't fully deceptive but just that they concealed the true backstory. Mother trusted my words and then we talked about her work.
The next morning was chilly and bright, filling me with a sense of freshness. Mother tried her best not to leave for work on accounts of my sprained ankle but I didn't let her miss work to help me. Although, the pain wasn't as severe as yesterday but I still couldn't walk properly. However, I insisted on managing it myself.
The clock struck 3 in the mid-afternoon as I finished watching a movie, then I rested my back on the three seater sofa when my eyes averted towards the rarely visited room, which was just beside the main door, containing old belongings and furniture my mother brought with her, curiosity sparked within me that I may find something evident regarding people involved in my father's death and the reason for the haunting presence of stalkers in our life.
I stood up and made my way to the room, only to find it locked. Doubt initially arose, but it confirmed my suspicion that there must be something my mother wanted to protect. I searched for the keys in the kitchen and found them on the key hanger. Holding the bunch of keys tightly, I tried the first one, and to my relief, the lock clicked open.
Darkness greeted me as I entered the room, with only a faint stream of light creeping in through the window. My eyes drawn to a collection of old canvases that my dad had gifted my mom. It brought a sense of warmth thinking that she still cherished them as she also hanged one of the canvas in her room.
My attention shifted to a cupboard beside the window. I opened it and caught a glimpse of the contents inside: weathered 90s albums, a dusty disc organizer, and something else that I couldn't distinguish in the darkness. I walked towards the window and pulled aside the curtains to let in more light.
I walked back to the cupboard and gasped the life out of me as I caught the sight of half buffed shoulder of a guy. Fear gripped me, and I covered my mouth to stay quiet. Unable to see his face, my mind raced with thoughts of a potential stalker or worse, a stalker holding a gun. As he tilted, his fingers scratched the back of his head, I stood frozen in shock when I discerned my cowardly state, I decided to approach the window for a closer look on the guy. With each of my limping steps, my heart raced.
"What the fuck?"
"Aston! What is he doing here?" I exclaimed in frustration and let out a sigh of relief, berating myself for letting fear get the best of me.