Page 11 of The Villain

Such a tease.

I need to get a few things off my plate so I can give him the attention he deserves. My mind is crowded with all of the things I need to get done.

I have to finish packing up my stuff and get it all in the storage unit. My purchase on the house has been accepted but I have to wait until everything is finalized before I move in. They said it might take a month. That doesn’t mean I get to sit back and relax. Half my shit is still halfway across the US right now and it isn’t packed up properly. Not to mention my truck.

But he’s always right behind me, muddying my thought processes. So close I can smell his addicting cologne and hovering. I didn’t realize he was taller than me but it figures somehow. He’s upped his game into intimidation. It’s cute.

I don’t write anything on his cup this time and I don’t acknowledge him hiding behind the dumpster in the alley. Let him feel the tease this time. I can gloat while I refocus on what I need to get done so my time can be spent watching him without distractions.

Shade

“I’ve followed all your fucking rules. I’ve kept in touch every day, sometimes twice. Call your dog off me.”

“I was hoping you could be friends. She’s doing so well with you,” Tera pouts at my furious words and leaves me speechless.

“I’m not making friends with your psycho buddy,” I can’t keep the disbelief out of my voice. Is she crazy? I’m already obsessed enough. Tera knows how I get about attention and South is unrelenting. It’s feeding that need in me like no one ever has and that’s fucking scary. Tera can’t possibly want me clinging to her oldest best friend like a leech.

“Oh,” she says sadly. “Shade, I know she can care about you. She’s already started-”

That’s it. I’m taking this into my own hands. For my own sanity if nothing else.

I hang up and get ready for the day. I leave the blinds open so she can see me every time I pass the windows. She watches me without a change in her expression. I feel like I’m performing for her. It doesn’t bother me as much as it should.

I’m fucking preening at the attention like a god damn peacock.

I’ve been following her closer, breathing down her neck at stop lights. I’m practically stepping on the back of her shoes like a school kid but she never acknowledges me. She’ll stare at me nonstop from a distance, but as soon as I’m close it’s like I stop existing. I’m a ghost to her and it’s driving me insane. I’m tired of being a shade for everyone to ignore.

Why I want her to acknowledge me I don’t know. Has my need for attention gotten so bad that a complete stranger will do?

I’m starting to be attracted to someone I don’t know. Seeing her every day lets me know that I’m not alone, even if I’m not acknowledged. She’s here for me, that counts for something in my fucked-up mind. I have to stop this before I really start losing it and beg her to talk to me.

It doesn’t help that I’ve started noticing things about her. Her hair color reminds me of an anime character, especially when she wears the twin buns and I can see the long slope of her pale neck. She’s always fully covered in loose tops or jackets that conceal her body unless the wind is hitting her. I’ve started looking forward to windy days just to see her ass.

I have yet to see her face up close but every time I get near her I can smell some kind of perfume or shampoo that I can’t place. I know it has coconuts in it but other than that, it’s eluding me. I’ve been trying to find it online without anything to go on which is pointless but amusing. Just smelling it on the wind is starting to get to me. I start looking for her, even in my apartment. It’s a little difficult to follow that close to someone and not jab them in the back with a hard on.

I can’t build a relationship with a psychotic woman. I’ve had enough drama in my life to last me to eternity. I do not need constant attention. All the work I’ve been doing with Dr. Robinson is going to get flushed down the toilet by one woman with a staring problem.

I could always hit and quit. The idea of it bothers me though. Probably because this is Tera’s friend and she should be on the no touching list. I refuse to call it a ban on principle.

I give myself a pep talk at the door and pop my neck to relieve some tension. I’m a dick. I can do this. I’ve killed people with less tension than this. How hard is it to threaten one scrawny woman away from me?

I start my walk to the coffee shop, shoulders tense and glancing over my shoulder to make sure she’s there. I know she is but the temptation to turn around and talk to her is getting intense. I’m not going to promote Tera’s save the psycho foundation. I’m not going to give in to these thoughts about her either.

I slip into an alley and wait. She passes me without breaking stride. I slip out behind her, so close she has to feel me there. I adjust my walk to not step on her because she doesn’t speed up. She’s not even startled, like she knew where I was the entire time and was expecting it.

It’s her shampoo, I’m convinced. Fuck me, I’m never going to get that smell out of my head now.

We stop at a crosswalk and I lean closer, breathing into her ear. My voice comes out cold and harsh when I speak.

“Stop. Following. Me.”

I stay in the same position, breathing in her sun warmed coconut and flowers scent until the light changes and we cross. She doesn’t acknowledge me at all. How can I be this affected by her presence and she doesn’t care?

Fucking say something to me!

No. I have to stop this before it gets worse.

I drop away when she goes inside. I tap my fingers on the table she normally sets my drink on, waiting for her to come back out so I can harass her more. I can’t tell if I’m doing it to get her to leave or to make her acknowledge me at this point.

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