A Chance to be Loved

Chapter 23 - Wrong Move

"It wasn't me Sam," said Vince. I looked so desperate in front of him which caused him to laugh while writing something at the back of a receipt. "Here you go, look closely. My penmanship is quite too far from the penmanship on those sticky notes," he said. "But I saw you yesterday, you were sitting here and you looked like you were searching for something when you held this flower vase," I said. "I was trying to fix the flowers because they were disarranged. Though it's artificial, I just felt like I needed to make it look pleasant."

"But you were writing, how would you explain that?" I asked. "I was writing my application letter for a part time job. I need to save money for college soon. Wait, were you spying on me?" Vince said while pointing at me. "Of course not!" I protested.

"So, how did you know all of that?"

"Alright, you got me. I was here yesterday and after we left this table, I saw you sitting here. I wasn't spying, it was just a coincidence," I confessed. I couldn't believe that the person who had been replying to my notes wasn't Vince. I embarrassed myself so much in front of him. I hope he wouldn't mind it and I'm certain that I'm going back to square one in finding the mystery guy behind those notes. Will I ever find him though?

Vince decided to walk me home when we were done in the coffee shop. The cold breeze made me shiver a bit which caused Vince to hand me his jacket. "You can wear it for a while," he said. "Thank you. I'll return it later," I said while looking at him. "You know what, this place is still frightening me."

"Is it because of what happened to you before?" he responded. "Yes, it's been years but sometimes it's still haunting me even in my sleep," I tried to feign a smile while we were walking."You're still taking the long course? I know this way is closest to your flat," he said. "Stay close to me Sam," he added when a group of men suddenly appeared in front of us. "Umm okay," I answered. "They're gone now," Vince said to me while looking back at them. "That's a relief. Anyway, you asked me a while ago if I'm still taking the long course. Yes, I'm still taking it whenever I go to the bookshop or coffee shop. I don't really mind taking the long course as long as I feel safe. Oh, that was quick, there's my building now," I said while pointing at the building from a distance. "We took the shortcut, that's why," he said while laughing. I felt somehow relieved knowing that Vince walked me home but whenever I'm alone, I can still remember what happened to me in the past.

Few days after I first met Vince something horrible happened to me. I was walking home from my part time job when a group of men approached me. "Hey you! Wanna go out with me? Let's grab some beer and enjoy the night," one of them said. I put my hand on my chest as I said "Sorry but I don't drink." I started walking fast but they were able to keep up with my pace. One of them reached for my hand and pulled me, "Don't you know that it's rude to refuse an offer? Come on! Have some fun! Just one bottle of beer!" A sudden tension covered my whole body, "Let go of my hand!" I screamed as I pulled my hand away. "You're quite feisty huh! I like that but nobody can say no to me!" Then he started caressing my face. As soon as I got a chance to escape, I started to hyperventilate. "Heee...lllpppp, heeelllllppppp meee!" I said while catching my breath. I tried so hard to keep calm but my body froze. Inside my head I'm screaming "Please help me!" Why is the world so cruel to me?

Just when I thought I was hopeless, I saw some passersby a few meters away from us. I started waving my hand to catch their attention but they didn't see me. I was frightened which caused me to burst into tears. "Why are you crying princess? Come with me and I'll make you happy," the guy said and then they all laughed. "Please let me go now! I don't know you and I have nothing to do with you!" I sobbed. "Maybe after one bottle tonight, I'm so lonely right now that I need some company. Just act normal as we go and you'll be fine" he said while touching my face then he smirked. "Come on boys, let's make her happier tonight." As we strolled along the streets, I saw passersby so I started waving my hand again. I heard the little boy say "Mum, look, bad guys." He was pointing his finger in my direction. His mum saw me as tears fell down from my eyes and then I mouthed "Help me, please!"