I excuse myself to the restroom with my phone in my hand. We have frequented this restaurant a few times before so I don't need to ask for directions to the restroom. Just as I don't need to ask for directions to the back door of this place.
Our group was seated near the entrance table which was quite visible from the outside through the glass doors. However from that particular position my friends couldn't see me not going into the restroom.
I slip myself through the back door which opens up to a spacious parking lot. The sudden cold air chills my face and i regret leaving my jacket at the table.
The dark night helps me in silently circling back to the front of the restaurant where I stay on the edge of a small alley which is two buildings away from the place we were eating at.
My right shoulder presses into the building as I peek, still staying hidden in the shadows but I catch no one who could be peering inside the eating place to spy on me.
If that person could see I was still with Jimin and texted me to stay away again then it's highly possible that they are currently observing me.
I know I can't stay here for long. My friends would get worried and would start looking up for me. So I have to do something right now if I want to catch my stalker.
Stepping out of the alley my feet land on the pavement of the main road and cross to the other side of it. From here I take advantage of the avenue trees lining up the side of road. Soft grass crunches under my shoes as I tread towards the entrance of the restaurant so I can get a better view of where I was sitting.
There is a man standing in the shadows a few feet away from me that could me stalker but there's a red light near his face and I realise he's smoking with his back towards the restaurant on the other side.
He's not my guy.
I take two steps forward and notice a girl is standing in between two cars which are parked on this side of road and would have a clear view inside. She has her phone in her hand and is constantly looking into the restaurant.
She's the girl Jimin was with before. The one who looked at me as if she despised my presence.
I refuse to believe she could be my stalker. That this girl who's so beautiful and has a good friendship with Jimin would stoop so low to message me anonymously to intimidate me. But the more I observe, the more she keeps staring at my friend's table.
Taking my phone out I message back to the number hoping against everything that she's not the one I'm suspecting she is and it's all in my head.
Me
I will not stay away from Jimin. Do what you can.
As I type this I fear that what I'm doing can make matters worse. If she's not the stalker then the real one will get agitated. What do they even have that they can use against me?
Just as I hit send, her phone lights up and she quickly open it to look at the notification. Her face turns somber as she reads and begin typing.
I take this moment as my que and stride up to without her even noticing. She's that much concentrated on the device in her hand. Snatching the phone from her hand I watch her face breaking in horror when she sees who has caught her.
Her phone is showing the chat box with the same exchange of messages that are present in my phone. But I didn't even need that. The look of pure terror in her eyes states very clearly that she's my perpetrator.
"If you had something to say to me you could've said it to my face. Did you know stalking a person and threatening them is a punishable offence?"
I keep my composure cool as I say this to her. There is hundreds of things that I want to say to her but that would come out to be too strong. I want to question her calmly and make sure she doesn't do that again to me or anyone.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Are you really gonna play this game with me when the evidence is in my hands?"
"I don't know who you are and I don't care about whatever you're saying. Give my phone back to me."
My composure starts wavering at her plain dismissal. I thought I could calmly handle this situation, talk to her and feed some sense into her brain but she's making it difficult. That frightened look is not on her face anymore. In a few seconds she has become confident and glaring at me like I'm the one who has offended her.
"Look, if you won't be truthful with me. I will report this to police and these days with the advanced technology it won't be difficult to find out that the one who was stalking me was-"
"Aera!"
Jimin calls my name and come sprinting towards us. He didn't come from the entrance and I suspect he used the same alley from where I emerged.
The girl takes the advantage of this distraction and snatches her phone back from my hands and quickly locks it.
"Myeongha, what are you doing here? Actually what are you both doing here?" Jimin asks as comes to stand in front of us with a quizzical expression on his face, looking from Myeongha to me. "And you were supposed to be in the bathroom."
"I came out to catch her. She's the one who's been messaging me about staying away from you."
He looks one more time at the girl beside me and dismisses me with a laugh.
"This girl? Myeongha? You're kidding me right?"
"No I'm not. I even have proo-"
"Jimin this girl came out of nowhere and started yelling at me." Myeongha lies with a distressed expression like I didn't just catch her red-handed.
"Why are you lying? I just saw the texts on your phone. If you're so innocent then why don't you open your phone and show him?"
"Why would I do that? You have no right to ask for my phone. She's so crazy Jimin. Please help me."
Before I can say anything more to her Jimin puts his hand on my shoulder to stop me. "What's gotten into you? Myeongha can't do anything like that. Why would she stalk you and send you threatening messages? You shouldn't accuse someone without knowing."
I can feel my temperature rising not more so at that girl or the situation but at Jimin. He's my friend. He's supposed to side with me instead of lecturing me about morals?
"If that's the case then why was she lurking in front the restaurant from where she could see us all?"
Myeongha answers instead of Jimin. "Do you make everything about yourself? Jimin I was waiting for Bora. She had something to do and we were going to meet here."
Bora must be the other girl who was with Myeongha and chatting up with Jimin when I arrived.
The boy I call my friend looks at me as if he's asking me to give my response to that. As if he doesn't believe me
"You know what? We don't even need to have this meaningless conversation. Just tell her to open her phone and you'll see the chat box where she is threatening me."
"I'm not going to ask anything from her Aera. She's not obligated to show us her phone. She's not the one messaging you. You need to leave her alone."
The chill I felt earlier from the cool air is no more there. In fact I'm burning up with anger. More than anything I'm hurt over the betrayal of Jimin. He doesn't trust me one bit.
"Fine. But don't talk to me ever again Jimin."
"Aera list-"
"Fuck off!"
I turn towards Myeongha, the one who started all this and ruined my whole day. "And you stay away from me. Otherwise I'll report you to police."
I leave them there and move to restuarant to retrieve my bag and jacket and notice that Jimin doesn't stop me once. Angry tears threaten to spill over my eyes and I inhale sharply to stop myself from crying.
I chide myself. No, I will not cry over Jimin.
