See no evil - The awakening

I see you

He'd had four chances to kill me in 25 years. My math was right so my logic had to be too. He wasn't trying to kill me. I know I said I was smart and this is not my smartest deduction yet, but for a person who writes stories for a living, this didn't seem like a murder mystery story, or at least not my murder. Yet.

I thought he had to believe I was forgetting him, and that's why he didn't feel the need to kill me. I hadn't told anyone about him, or at least nobody who believed me, I hadn't written about him. He was as good as forgotten in my mind. But the question that I couldn't answer was, if he really believed me, why keep track of me? He clearly had, he knew my name, he knew it was my birthday and where I lived, so he was intrigued at least to do that.

My first thought of seeing him every 10 years was clearly off, as only 5 years had passed since I saw him last, so when would I see him again? That was something I clearly couldn't control. I assumed he killed that woman when I was five, but what if he didn't? What if he wasn't as bad as I had imagined him to be? My mind kept rambling about this man when my phone rang.

– Cas, whats up?

– You called me Steph, so what's up with you?

– Always a charmer, I see the thirties didn't come with new manners.

I faked a laugh and made silence.

– Ok so Luc, what did you think?

– He's a cute dog owner with no manners, he left without saying goodbye.

– Actually, he was in the bathroom when you left, so you have no manners, baby.

– Touché.

– He asked for your number. I gave it to him, did he write?

– Steph, it's 9am.

– Ok, let me know as soon as he does.

This woman and her anxiety, my god.

– Steph... – I wanted to tell her.

– I need to go now baby! Let's talk later!

How the hell could people still go out on a weeknight? I felt as if I had turned 80, not 30. I dragged myself out of bed to the show and tried to become a whole person again. By 10am I was ready to go to my writing place and get some work done. I was on a deadline, my publisher was expecting the first chapters of what I promised was going to be my best book yet. I had it in my mind but just needed to sit down and start writing and Today was that day.

It was a warm spring day, the sun was shining and the air was clear. One of those days where edges of leaves in trees can be seen as sharp as knives. Not a speck of dust in the air. I walked down to Av. Libertador. One of the nicest streets in the world if you ask me. Filled with trees and surrounded by endless parks. I carried my laptop and walked for about 30 minutes till I got to the little cafe I usually go to when I need to be quiet and concentrate in my mind.

I asked for an iced latte which made me feel entitled as it usually did, but I couldn't keep myself from doing it. I sat by the window which was opened and let the cool spring breeze in. I could smell the trees and the fresh cut grass through the window. This book was about destined lovers who became friends and ended up living their lives without ever trying what could have been the greatest love story ever. Till one of them dies, and is reborn, and chooses to choose him as a lover. I start writing and as a placeholder, Luc comes to mind for the main character's name.

Luc, I think and take my phone out from my handbag and look at it, no messages. Luc, I think again, will he write?

I spend most of my morning there, switching between writing and looking at my phone expecting a message from a guy that I don't really know. When I'm about 30 pages in, I text my editor to tell him I'm sending some pages over for him to check and decide is time for a walk. I get out and head to Plaza Chile, a lovely big park near to my home. I look for an empty bench and sit down while I take out the notebook where I write small things I see that can become part of my books.