A Mad Man's Clause

17|The Steps Beyond

She'd been on auto-pilot that morning; agreeing to a lunch date with Elsa and Lily, the other woman present during their night out, doling out giggles and smiles whenever necessary, forcing down whatever was on her plate.  So far she was getting away with it or at least she thought she was. 

"You're distracted." It was profound statement but it did not fully capture the state of her mind which was still stuck in the lounge room reliving the last vestiges of the night. Distracted was a poor choice of word to use in this context. 

"I'm sorry." she apologized all the same. "I did not get much sleep last night." 

"Are you sure it's just that?" This came from Lily. "I know we just met but you can talk to us, Elsa and I." 

Mai appreciated the concern swimming across their faces. It made her almost want to dive in. Almost but how could she confide in them a problem she wasn't even sure existed. Someone may have broken into their home and took nothing but left instead a photo of a man that looked exactly like her husband. He got mad, stomped out and she hasn't seen him since. What could they possibly make of it when even she still could not wrap her mind around it. 

With every fibre of her being, she brought forth a reassuring smile and said, "Yes, I'm fine. I just need more sleep." They were not convinced but she appreciated their not prying any further. "Thank you for inviting me out although I'm being a sour companion." 

Elsa reached out and laid a comforting hand over hers, "You're our friend now, there's no need to thank us." The gesture brought her more comfort than she'd expected. 

The lunch date went on without a hitch. Mai made sure to fix her mood and it worked. Their conversation turned more delightful. They parted ways with promises to meet soon. 

Mai walked down the sidewalk, hands buried deep in the pockets of her jacket. A quick glance showed she had half an hour to spare before her therapy session. She'd purposely chosen to withhold this bit of information  from her companions solely because she wanted to be alone for a while before she went in. 

The sun hid behind winter clouds and the chill was bearable. She could afford to take a casual walk around the boulevard. This was also an effort to get her emotions in check and her thoughts in order. Hours have passed and not a single word from Henry. She was still in the early stage of being worried sick about him. Marge had no idea when she asked this morning and it was unlikely Rowen did either so she did not bother to ask when he fetched her earlier in the morning. 

She could never shake her ill-luck, could she? 

"A penny for your thoughts?" A breathy voice lured her attention away from her head, making her realise she was not as alone as she believed she was.   A charming face sporting a satisfying grin looked down at her. A swift recognition had her halting her steps. He stopped as well, taking a spot in front of her this time. 

"You recognise me." he stated far too happily.

Of course she did. Only a blind foolish bat would not recognise danger when it stared them squarely in the face, quite literally. In an abundance of light, the man from the club looked even more brilliantly handsome and inherently smug. It rubbed her the wrong way quite frankly. 

"Were you following me?" she asked, taking a defensive stance almost immediately.

He chuckled, "You left me with very little choice. You never gave me your name the first time we met." 

"So you decided to stalk me?"  

He chuckled again, finding her increasingly amusing. "That is certainly not my mode of operation. I typically pay people to do that." Mai's senses heightened and frown deepened. She took an involuntarily step backwards. He continued, "But no, I was neither stalking you nor paid someone to do so. This is all a coincidence. A truly pleasant one at that."