Chapter 2 Episode 2: Putting Me On Suspense

Ana's Point of View

Come and sit with me? Is that seriously the first thing he will say to me?

No way will that happen. I am working for goodness' sake.

"That wasn't a question." He said and walked away without waiting for a response. It was almost like he knew I was about to turn him down.

I was dumbfounded as I watched him walk to the far end of the shop and sit at a booth that seemed way too small to accommodate his body size.

When he finally got somewhat comfortable, he turned towards me and started staring at me as always.

I turned towards Tommy, and he nodded to me that I could go.

I almost missed my step with how much he was watching my every move. I felt so nervous and nude.

"Did you just take permission from that boy before you could come and sit with me?"

The way he questioned me and stared at me made me want to shrink and hide myself away for all eternity.

"No, I just wanted him to cover for me, I wasn't asking for his permission."

"Good" he said, like he was truly pleased to hear that, and somehow I found myself not wanting to be obnoxious or even exasperate him.

"What is your name?" He asked, after an excruciating, deafening silence.

"Ana, Ana Reign," I answered nervously.

"Okay Ana, my name is Red". It was almost like I saw a silver lining dancing around his blue eyes when he said my name, or perhaps I was imagining things.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Ana?" He inquired out of the blue and I think I saw the silver lining dancing again.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend," I said immediately. He smiled and showed off his perfect white teeth whilst handing me his phone.

"Let me have your number." I collected his phone, typed my number and handed the phone back, then he stood up towering over me.

"I am sorry, but I have to leave now. I will see you soon." He was about to leave when he stopped and said!

"Oh Ana, you are not allowed to have a boyfriend." With that, he turned and left the shop without sparing me another glance.

I was still seated there with my mouth hanging open in shock at what he said.

"I am not allowed to have a boyfriend," are you kidding me? I thought as I sighed and went back to serve the guest that had just arrived.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful and the shop was utterly hollow.

I was getting ready to leave when the bell jingled and my best friend walked in.

After what happened, I forgot we had plans to spend the rest of the evening together. It was our Wednesday night ritual.

"Hey girl, how are you?" She asked cheerfully. She's always been a bubbly person.

"I am fine, how are you?" I asked, faking a smile.

"No, you're not, but don't worry you are going to tell me all about it over ice cream."

That kind of cheered me up a little bit. I love ice cream. I packed up, and we finally stepped out into the cold air.

"Delmock" is a serene city, so people relish hanging out at night.

There are so many people outside right now walking and others driving, it's just a really beautiful evening.

Monica and I walked quietly holding hands to our favorite ice cream shop.

I ordered my favorite Rocky Road ice cream whilst she ordered her butter pecan ice cream.

"Now that we are having our ice cream can you tell me why you have that crestfallen look on your face?"

"What happened today?" She inquired whilst we were taking a stroll.

"The most unclear thing happened today," I said, before taking a spoon of my Rocky Road ice cream.

"Red showed up today."

"Red? That's a quaint name, don't you think? By the way, who is Red?"

"My creepy stalker, he spoke to me today." She stopped and smiled at me before asking!

"Give me all the details, honey, now!

We finally got to the park and sat on one of the benches.

"Well, he asked me to sit with him in one of the booths, then he asked for my name, asked if I had a boyfriend, and when I said no, he took my number."

I explained in a breath and went back to eating my ice cream.

"I don't see anything wrong in all he said or why exactly you're upset," she pointed out.

"Oh yeah, well when he was about to leave, he turned to me and said, in his words;

"Oh Ana, you are not allowed to have a boyfriend."

"How is that? For some reason I am upset," I said breathlessly before finishing up my ice cream.

When I looked up at Nika, she was staring back at me with wide eyes.

"That is a quirky thing to say, or perhaps he likes you so much, and he is just trying to mark space."

She said, while laughing at her own words, and before I could stop myself I was laughing too.

After our little chat at the park, we went back to my place to finish off the night with late-night movies and pizza.

Since Monica was around, my parents didn't hassle me, we were having a truckload of fun watching movies and eating pizza until she said;

"Since you have an admirer now, I think you should change the way you dress and wear a little make-up."

"What? Are you crazy? You know I love the way I dress, and you know why". I reckoned with a stern face.

"I know why, but it doesn't smell like him anymore, so what's the point? You seriously need to consider changing your style."

"You have a beautiful body that no one can see because you are always heavily clouded and hiding it in all these oversized drab outfits."I looked at her with a sad face and tears running down my cheeks.

"Hey don't cry, I am not trying to make you sad, you know you are beautiful regardless. I just think it will help with your poise, but it's totally fine. You can keep wearing it for now," she said whilst wiping my face.

"I know you are right, it's just so difficult to move on, you know, I can't envisage myself in anything else other than his clothes."

"It's okay, forget I said anything. I am certain you will make the right decision when the time comes."

With that, we continued watching our movie, but it wasn't long before we both slept off.

Nika left immediately after having breakfast with my family. I was about to clear the table when Dad say:

"I hope you have considered what we discussed, and you are ready to do what we want."

"I have no inkling why you guys are hell-bent on Red's problem, but it's fine, I will make friends with him," I said whilst dumping dishes in the sink.

"Red, is that his name?" He inquired curiously.

"Yes, that is his name," I replied before dashing up to my room to avoid them asking me more questions.

But not before hearing them whisper about something as I climbed the stairs.

I plopped on the bed and immediately checked my phone for missed calls or text messages from Red, but I got nothing.

"Why get my number if you don't use it?" I grumbled.

I decided to check the internet. Perhaps I would see him on and off social media, but I have got nothing still. That's so unclear.

"Red is an eccentric guy," I said out loud.