Was He Stalking Me?

When Lory looked at me by mistake, I raised an eyebrow in skepticism. She pretended not to understand what I was implying while furrowing her brow in confusion. But after that, she deliberately leaned away from Francis.

Was there more going on between the two of them than I initially believed? Was he the unidentified man from the phone call?

As soon as dinner was finished, I sprang up and caught her arm to prevent her from escaping. In order for us to talk alone, I brought her into the kitchen.

"What is happening between you and Francis?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." I could tell she was lying when she turned to look at the ground.

"Why are you lying?"

She groaned and began to murmur. "Fine. You are not allowed to say a word to Nicholas. Francis doesn't want him to know about this. Yet."

My arms were crossed over my chest. I had no intention of keeping my promise.

"Why all the fuss? You guys weren't exactly acting discreetly, either. It was easy to figure out what was happening from where I was seated."

Why would Francis want to hide a relationship from Nicholas?

She laughed. "If the President had entered and sat down at the table, Nicholas wouldn't have noticed. You must have seen how he couldn't take his eyes off you."

She wasn't going to divert me from my plan no matter how happy that sentence made me. "Lory, you are dodging my questions."

"Oh, okay." Her eyes glimmered with excitement as she pulled me close. "Since meeting him at your reception, we have been hanging out. And he is so incredible, Willow. My word he is wonderful."

I returned her grin. I had seen Lory crushing on many people before, but this time, she had a glimmer in her eyes I had never seen before. "What's the issue then? It's a good thing that you two are happy together."

She shook her head and huffed. "I'm not even sure I have wrapped my head around it. Francis thinks Nicholas would be upset if he found out. In a scenario where we break up, Nicholas will be in

"That's just foolish."

"I know!" she whined. She took my hand in hers. "But I agreed with him. I knew I would tell you anyway and Francis knows I can't keep a secret from you for long."

"How about I ease the conversation with Nicholas? Give him some hints so that he isn't surprised?"

"That would be the best course of action. I have a feeling Nicholas would be fine with anyone you told him right now."

I rolled my eyes. "I am happy for you, though. You seem genuinely happy. Is he being nice to you?" I observed her face closely.

Her face lit up at the question. The answer was obvious.

"I'm not even sure where to begin. Since we first met, we have spoken or seen each other every day. He takes me everywhere and sends me flowers. It's incredible."

I laughed. "You've made that clear."

Our conversation was cut short when the others came in. Lory promised to tell me the details of the relationship soon.

Was it possible Lory had found the perfect man just like I had?

.

Sunday was spent relaxing and deciding which gynecologist we wanted to see. Nicholas even called up some of his business associates to ask about the doctors their wives and children had seen previously. After deciding on a doctor, Nicholas requested me to miss Monday classes so he could drive me to the appointment. He assured me that he would get us in no matter what. I refused and told him Tuesday would be better for me. I was very careful not to get behind in my coursework.

Despite his unhappiness, he let me have my way. Now that I thought about it... I should have just gone along with what he wanted.

I was starving between classes on Monday. I walked the short distance from the campus to a neighborhood deli to grab some food. My stomach was growling, and Melody had left me to go alone because she needed to hurry to her next class. I quickly realized I shouldn't have gone alone.

I grabbed a drink and a sandwich and sat at a table outdoors. I was contentedly chewing on something while reading some notes when someone put a hand on my shoulder.

I was surprised to see the man I'd met in the cafe last week when I looked up.

"Look who it is," he chirped. He released my shoulder and took the chair opposite me. "Mind if I join you?" he asked. He was already seated before I could refuse.

What in the... Was this man stalking me?

He took a bite out of his sandwich after opening it. He raised his brow as if he were anticipating my response. I was only interested in escaping and possibly calling the cops.

I looked around. Numerous individuals were present, and it was daytime. It wasn't like he could harm me in front of others.

"Are you alright?" he questioned.

I again turned to face him. "Yes. I am done eating. I've got to go." I started repacking my bag with my belongings as I finished wrapping the last of my lunch.

"Why are you escaping? I wasn't trying to frighten you."

Right. This person made ‘creepy’ look like it was a small offense.

"You didn't frighten me. Just in a rush, really."

I gathered the rest of my belongings and started to leave. I did, however, hear something that made me shiver first.

"Willow, I'll see you soon."

Whether he wanted me to hear it or not was unclear. Or perhaps it was all in my head. I didn't turn around to look. I returned to school as quickly as I could, and I didn't stop until I was inside the building where my next class was being held.

How could he know who I was?

When I previously ran into him, I was certain that I hadn't told him my name. Furthermore, since he knew my name, he was undoubtedly stalking me. Had he intended for me to bump into him early? How the hell had he known where I would be?

I sat down on a bench to take a breath and attempt to understand what was going on with him. I almost called John to just come pick me up early since I was worried.

Even though I knew Nicholas would definitely freak out, I thought about calling him.

I managed to collect myself to finish the day's classes at least. I was constantly on the lookout for anything odd, like someone following me around. I finally felt at ease after lunch when I got into the car with John.

Too bad it didn't last long.

Laura was in the kitchen when I got home, but she wasn't there by herself. There with her was Nicholas' father. His being there surprised me, since he never came to the house since I started living there.

He greeted me as I entered. "Hello, Willow."

"Hi." I grinned at Laura before giving him a nod. He got out of the chair.

"I had hoped to speak with you."

My heart began to race. Despite the fact that we didn't actually know one another all that well, I had never had any problems with Jefferson. I assumed that my worry stemmed from not understanding him. Given that Nicholas and he didn't exactly get along, it seemed unusual for him to want to talk to me in this way.

I was still trying to get Nicholas to open up about their relationship.

"Sure, we can talk. Where do you want to do it?"

He swiveled to face Laura. "Do you mind stepping out to give us some privacy?"

When she caught my eye, I couldn't tell what she was thinking. But when she turned to him again, she nodded. "I will be upstairs if you need me."

Jeff and I both took a seat at the table after I followed him there. I fiddled with my fingers under the table and waited for him to speak. It seemed like a long time passed. I struggled to stay still in my seat even though I wasn't sure what was making me feel so uneasy. I kept looking at the table as if I were waiting for some type of lecture.

The longer the quiet persisted, the angrier I got. I shouldn't feel as though I had to tread carefully in my own house. When I finally looked up, he was observing me.

I questioned, "What did you want to talk about?"

He appeared to be somewhat sad as he clasped his fingers in front of him. "I have some crucial information and I am giving you a chance to explain yourself."

My eyes widened from his accusatory tone.

"What information?" I asked even though I was fairly certain of what was about to happen.