Page 15 of Scary Suitor

Therein lies the problem. She’s not asking, but rather opting to avoid me through pathetic means. Instead of taking the subway, she takes a taxi to and from work.

I can understand it; the subway is crowded. But I can’t imagine grimy hands touching my pretty girl because I will set a fire inside the station.

Fire kills diseases.

Destroying all the files in a multi-blade shredder, I wait until the whirring sound dies before opening my phone to find Alina. The red dot flashes on a map, but I’m more intrigued by previous locations.

She’s playing it smart and protecting herself. I know my gift is thoughtful, but she doesn’t. I’m just trying to amplify the stakes and push her to make the game interesting.

Alina doesn’t say it, but I know she subconsciously wants to please me. She went to the police, involving them to improve the thrill.

How could I hold back when she effortlessly makes me happy?

“Are you sure it’s not a joke?”

I take the phone with me to change out of my nightclothes, fitting on casual attire so I don’t stand out. The taped conversation continues between Alina and her friend, talking about the morning Alina opened my red-paper-and-a-white-ribbon gift.

It’s a beautiful necklace, suited for her doe-eyes and slender neck.

“Finny, please, who has the money to buy jewelry and put a Polaroid of a dead person inside as a greeting card?”

The woman snorts between laughter.“I’ve seen worse pranks. But better safe than sorry. What did the cops say?”

Alina’s side is too quiet, tension seeping through the miffed breaths.“A prank.”

Finny bursts out with loud laughter, wheezing hysterically as I hear her hand slapping her knee. This goes on for several long seconds, where Finny interrupts Alina whenever she wants to speak.

My gift is not a prank. The photo is for her eyes only, and the message is clearer than daybreak: I can punish those who wronged her. I’m certain when she goes to work and finds her disgusting pig of a manager not there, she’ll piece the headless body in the Polaroid to the man.

People quit every day for no reason, and some even leave everything behind for a new start. If she doesn’t piece it together, then I can have someone seamlessly fill in the manager role. Nobody bats an eye when employees are replaced.

They exchange other gossips until Alina’s side is interrupted by a knock on her door, someone announcing their name and the reason for their visit. I close out the felonious channel, the phone promptly deleting the memories after each use.

Running a hand through my hair, I smile at the framed picture of Alina. It’s her university photo; she is incredibly adorable with her messy hair and panicked eyes. I’d love to hear the story behind it.

Did she wake up late? Was there an insect by the camera?

I set down the glass of water and stare at the door expectantly. Three rapid knocks thump on the wood, and a man’s voice muffles through it. No words are coherent enough to give context, but I still open the door.

Deep blue, almost black, uniform and a golden badge shining next to the holstered gun. A polite smile plasters on my face naturally as I smoothly ask the cop for his reason on this visit.

“Do you live here, sir?” he asks, peering around my arm.

“I do,” I answer.Fuckingidiot.

What else am I doing in this dingy place?

“Can I see your ID?” The man narrows his eyes, squinting at the relatively empty room.

The fake ID readily nudges my fingers as I drag the plastic from inside my jacket on the rack. He reads the name, marks it down on his notepad, mumbling a string of questions for formality.

“How long have you been living here?” He asks another useless question as if he’s playing detective.

“Long enough,” I say, leaning on the frame to silently decline his request to come inside and look around.

I rented this place for access to Alina, who happens to walk by the moment I say it. She pauses, blinks, and whips her head for a double-take. Her face pales, mouth opening in shock, and sputters a sharp “You!”

The cop snaps his head to her, quizzing our relationship with basic questions.

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