Chapter 11: Anonymous Text

< Shirley >
On my way home after training with Dylan, I received a lunch invitation from my group of best friends. Giddily, I took a shower after I reached home and got ready in a white crop top and denim shorts before heading out.
When I was descending downstairs, I took note that no one was at home. Not even my mom. She was probably at her fashion house. Dad and Adrian were obviously at the office.
Sometimes, I would feel bad that I was the only jobless person in my family, but then it would get swept away by my dream of becoming a car racer. And Dad always told me that it was fine even if I chose to become a housewife. But with my luck, I would probably end up with the worst man alive.
Entering the restaurant where I was supposed to meet up with my friends, I saw them sitting at the corner table.
I waved at them cheerfully and moved towards them. They all started talking all at once.
"You are late, idiot," cursed my closest friend, Violet McKenzie. Shooting daggers at me in her elegant business attire, she really did look intimidating, which she was not at all. She was a harmless kitten like me.
"Finally, you made your appearance," exclaimed Richard, another of my close friends. You know that fortunate bastard that gets lucky every time and managed to escape when the rest of his partners got caught in the act? Yep, that was him.
"I thought you would never show up out of my dreams," sang Grace, which was a lyric of a song composed by her. She was also a music director.
"Since you're late, as a punishment, why don't you sit on my lap, sugar?" flirted Daniel, taking a hold of my hand. He kissed my knuckles, to which I slapped his arm playfully. By the way, he was a harmless businessman who loved teasing me with his flirting more than anything.
"Guys, let her catch a breath first. She seems exhausted," Savannah said, tucking a strand of her jet black hair behind her eyes. You know that super smart, wise kid in every group? That was Savannah for us. She was the one who would provide us VIP medical treatment once she became a doctor.
"Definitely, exhausted by stalking Dylan Lewiston," snorted Eric, my closest male friend. With drop-dead gorgeous looks such as his, it was a shame that he never saw me as more than a friend. Otherwise, I might have fallen for that guy back in my high school. However, I was glad I didn't chase him, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to chunk on my jealousy when he acted with other women.
I was about to reply that I wasn't following Dylan anymore but stopped when I remembered his conditions. I couldn't tell anyone about our current relationship.
"How about I punch you in the face and send you flying back home?" I shot Eric a glare and shoved him to the side to make space for myself.
I felt itchy for not sharing about my encounter with Dylan; it felt like my stomach would combust with all the secrets it was carrying.
"Isn't Ryan coming?" I blurted out, not realizing the awkward situation it would create.
"I called him, but he didn't pick up," Eric murmured quietly beside me.
Ryan was another of my close friends. Actually, the issue was that he confessed his romantic feelings to me last month, on the day of our graduation. Then things got awkward. He stopped attending our group calls and hangouts.
Without a doubt, I had turned him down. Not because he was a bad choice. It was just that I wasn't looking for a relationship. My dreams took priority.
"Because I wanted to surprise you all," spoke up a voice behind me. Without another thought, I got up and pulled Ryan in a hug.
"Glad you came today. I would hate to lose my best friend for something like that," I mumbled.
"Of course, I wouldn't want to lose my silly tigress for something for anything," he replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. But I didn't pry anymore and took our seats to start gossiping after placing our orders.
After finishing my meal, I went to the restroom. On my way back to my friend's table, I was fixing my wristwatch when I bumped into someone in the corridor, leading it to drop on the floor.
"You really are blind, aren't you?"
What were the odds that I would meet Dylan again today? Yet, here he was, standing right in front of me.
"It takes two to make a bump," I retorted. I didn't bump into the air, did I?
"I think the proverb is, it takes two to make a quarrel," he corrected skeptically.
"I know. It just suited the situation better." That was a lie; I had forgotten the actual word.
Dylan rolled his eyes and was about to walk past me, but I stood in front of him and asked, "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you were following me." I let out a dramatic gasp.
"As if I'm workless like you," he scoffed. "I told you earlier I had a meeting."
"Oh, I see. By the way, I'm here with my friends," I chirped. "Don't worry. I didn't spill any beans. My lips are tightly sealed," I assured him enthusiastically.
"I never asked," he said curtly.
I let out a sigh. Dylan could never be nice to me, could he? Just as I thought that Dylan picked up my wristwatch and handed it over to me, without even offering to help me wear it.
I snarled at him and started locking my watch when I noticed him staring at my lips. "What, you want to kiss me?" I hissed without giving it another thought.
"No, your lipstick is a little smudged there," Dylan said, pointing at the corner of my lips.
"Oh, fix it for me, please," I urged, stepping forward, making him take a step back involuntarily at our proximity.
"You can check it in the washroom," he tried to make an excuse.
"The mirrors in the bathroom are broken." I don't know what possessed me to lie but I did. I wanted him to help me, just so I could have the assurance that he wasn't all cruel.
Dylan reluctantly grazed his thumb on the corner of my lips, brushing it softly in order to get the cherry red lipstick off my skin. He was being so gentle. But as soon as he did so, there was a strange fluttering feeling in my chest. Just like the one I got when he fell on top of me in his bedroom.
I parted my lips in order to breathe properly, but it made him remove his hand. "I'm an idiot," he said and took out a paper tissue. Before I could protest, he ran that tissue all over my lip, destroying all the lipstick. "This color doesn't suit you, and use your cellphone next time if there's no mirror instead of asking a man to fix it for you."
"What?" I was dumbfounded at his change of attitude all of a sudden. And did he just say cherry red color lipstick didn't suit me? That looked the best on me. I studied in a fashion university, I knew better than he did.
"Now would you move out of my way?" Dylan derided, and I quickly moved to the side in anger, letting him pass. I decided not to bother with that jerk anymore and put on my lipstick before going back to my friends' table.
"Were you daydreaming about your crushes in the washroom?" Violet teased as I came back. One by one, they all started teasing me. It was somewhere between that time I noticed Dylan actually having a meeting with his business associates.
I was laughing at something Eric said when I received an anonymous text.
Unknown: Seeing you laugh with other men makes me jealous.
I arched an eyebrow at the weird message. I whipped around my head in order to find the person who was trying to prank me.
When I gave up looking around without spotting any suspicious person, my phone buzzed once again.
Unknown: Trying to find me won't do any good. You can never find me. Cause I'm in your heart.
Yeah, right. As if my heart was that big to fit in an entire person inside.
Unknown: You look tired today. What were you up to?
I rolled my eyes and was about to put my phone on the table when it buzzed again. I discreetly took so that my friends wouldn't notice.
Unknown: Don't ignore me. I just want to keep talking to you.
I scoffed and decided not to reply at all unless he said something extremely offensive. He could do whatever he wanted until then.
Unknown: Reply to me.
As if.
Unknown: You're not being very nice, and those who are not nice deserve to be punished.
This guy was pissing me off by this point. Who in the world was he to punish me?
You: Shut up before I find you and teach you a lesson you will remember for the rest of your life.
The next text he sent me hit me like a brick in the head.
Unknown: Good luck with that. But let me tell you about the punishment I decided for you. It's the death of your friends.
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