CATASTROPHE CAREN (Completed) ✔

24: Hunting Dave

Throughout the night, Caren thought long and hard about her next line of action. Even though Dylan told her it was a good idea to involve the police now that she knew who the culprit was, she didn't feel like it was the right thing to do just yet.

In the morning, she decided to call in sick to work because she came up with a plan that might end up taking the greater part of her day.

She was getting dressed when her phone started ringing. She looked amd saw that it was Dylan.

"Hey Dylan, good morning!"

"Morning Dear! Did you sleep well?"

"Yes... Kind of."

"Kind of? Well I don't really need to ask why do I? I'm sure it's because of that Dave guy."

"Yes it is! I know you said I should hand him over to the cops, but think of all the pain and embarrassment I would cause him if truly, he's innocent of all this. I'm just a little bit torn on what to do."

"You're over stressing yourself on this issue. I don't think he'll suffer any pain... maybe it might be a little bit embarrassing but you don't really have much of a choice do you? Think of everything you've been through because of that video. The person who put it out certainly never considered how you'd feel knowing that a part of you that you intended to keep away from the eyes of the world is now out in the open. Not to mention the way the people that you held in high esteem treated you because of it. No one thought about you or your feelings!"

"Aw, you're right Dylan. You're absolutely right. But at the end of the day, I am who I am. The fact that no one considered me doesn't mean I have to do the same to the next person. Imagine if everyone on earth acted the same way? That means this world would be a 100 times more tougher than it already is."

"True! I guess we can't all behave or act the same way. So what do you intend to do now?"

Caren told him the plans she had for the day and her reasons behind it. Even though Dylan was not fully on board with her idea, he was anxious to know how it will all end.

Thanks to Olivia, Caren found out that Dave had the day off work. According to her, he was the type of person who enjoyed spending his free time staying active by doing things like riding his bike or going for long walks. Caren knew that if she was going to see him in person, even if it was just for a split second, she had to exercise some patience.

By 8am, the taxi dropped her in front of the building he lives in. The apartment complex looked pretty nice and the location was proof that it might be super expensive.

There was a coffee shop right across the street from the apartment complex so she went there to wait. She got in and positioned herself close to the window while she fixed her eyes on the entrance the Dave's building. She kept herself busy with a cup of coffee and a piece of cake while she looked through Dave's pictures on social media from time to time.

An hour had passed and Caren was getting a little bit tired of just sitting around. She was about to get up and leave when she spotted someone, a man with a bun exit the building. She took out her phone and looked at the Dave's pictures one more time.

"That's definitely him!" She said sotto voce as she continued watching him. He had on a navy blue tracksuit and white sneakers which made her assume he was going for a run. He stopped to adjust his headphones after which he took a few more steps before he started jogging.

"I better follow him!" She got up and quickly walked out of the coffee shop. "Let's see what you're up to shall we?" She drew her jeans higher and started walking briskly, on the opposite side of the street.

She followed him all the way for about 15 minutes before he finally came to a halt.

"Oh, dear God! Can't remember the last time I walked this fast." She said panting. "At least I'm sure of one thing now, stalking people is definitely not a job for me!" She rolled her eyes and found a wall to lean on.

She watched him go into a library and about 5 minutes later, he came out with 2 books in his hand.

He took a few steps forward, but as Caren picked up her pace to follow him, he made a quick turn and started crossing over to her lane.

"Shit!" She panicked as she saw him coming and tried to dodge on the corner of a building but ended up crashing into a woman carrying some boxes.

"Hey, look at what you've done you idiot! Are you blind?" The woman screamed.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Ma'am. It was a mistake." Caren cried out as she tried to arrange the boxes by placing one on top the other.

"Don't touch my boxes! Get out of here!" The woman yelled.

"Okay, okay! I'm really sorry please!" Caren said and ran all the way to the other corner without looking back

"Oh God! I wonder if he saw me!" She panted.

Immediately the woman left, she ran back to the corner of the building next to the street and searched around with her eyes for Dave but unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it! I lost him!" She scratched her head. She battled with the thought of handing him over to the police as a suspect but to what end? So far, he didn't seem like the type of guy that had nothing better to do but film people and sabotage relationships. Though Olivia thought different of him, Caren didn't think it was enough to accuse him of doing something so horrendous just because he's a computer wizard and has a crush on her.

"Ugh! All this stalking has done is make me thirsty." She sighed as she headed for the coffeehouse she spotted down the street.

"Please can I get a bottle of water?" She asked the waiter standing behind the counter.

"Sure! Would you like anything else?" He asked.

"Do you have chocolate cake?"

"Yes we do Ma'am!"

"Great! I'll have that and a cup of coffee with cream if you don't mind." She smiled.

"A cup of coffee with cream, a chocolate cake and a bottle of water coming right up. Please have a seat Ma'am."

"Thank you! Please, if you don't mind handing me the bottle of water now, I'm dying of thirst."

"Sure!" He turned around and got a bottle of water out of the fridge. He put it on a tray with a glass cup and some napkins. "I'll lead you to your seat Ma'am." He emerged from behind the counter and walked to the nearest available table and set the tray down. "Here you go Ma'am. The rest of your order will be with you shortly." He smiled.

"Excellent service. Thank you!" She smiled back.

"You're welcome." He said and walked away.

She reached for the bottle of water and opened it. She was about to drink from it when she felt a presence appear behind her.

"Caren!?" The person called out.

She turned around and lo and behold, it was Dave.

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