Captivated by my Captor

Suspicion

For as long as Lily could remember, her father had always been paranoid about everything. If there was something as simple as a snap outside their house, he would hastily seize his weapon and listen intently for any further harbingers of danger. When he came to the conclusion that it was most likely an animal, he would set his gun down and esconce himself on the couch, attempting to reassure himself that it was nothing. Lily was never sure why; all she knew was that he made it his mission to protect her at all times, no matter the risk. And although she had ventured to discover why he was so precautionary, she was always given a very vague reply.

"That's how dads are supposed to be, Lily."

So she believed it. Why wouldn't she? It was a plausible explanation; her mother had passed away when she was young, and after all, she was just a girl. Her father has conditioned her to think that females were the one who had to be protected, even though something deep down within her told Lily, that girls could defend themselves just fine. Then again, she only had a male figure in her life. No other input about how girls should be raised.

Today was one of those very rare days where her father let her go out whenever she wanted, as long as the place was public and it was daylight. Lily has no issue with that, she finally got time to herself. It was tiring to have her dad following her around whenever she went as if she was a child. Hell, she was already nineteen.

The brunette took a seat on one of the park benches, observing the trees with admiration and the flowers that budded from the bushes. It was such a beautiful sight to see, especially since she had been stuck in her house for the past week. It was a relief to get a breath of fresh air. She flipped open the novel she held, letting the wind brush past her gracefully. She hadn't noticed somebody who stood nearby, observing her carefully. They wore a black jacket, its hood up to stay covert. The female didn't realize somebody was positioned by the tree until the spot of black hit her peripheral vision piqued her interest. Who was wearing such a thick garment on a hot day?

The figure quickly moved away in an attempt to be sly, however Lily had already seen them. She wasn't the slightest bit suspicious, though; somebody was trying to prank her, or simply have fun. She'd seen it before, and wouldn't be surprised if it were to happen to her. Without a second thought, she averted her gaze back to her novel and resumed reading. It wasn't unto; perhaps fifteen minutes later, that the figure still hadn't moved. She begun to grow a bit annoyed, since it was a pet peeve of hers when people stare at her. Lily closed her book and stood, opting to go ahead and sit somewhere else.

Yet the figure sill lingered near. As she moved, they moved. One bench, one tree. Another bench, another tree. The girl figured she'd had enough and ended up leaving the park all together- although even that didn't seem to get rid of the creeper. He- who Lily now concluded was a male due to his body shape- entered a black sedan, proceeding to follow the young girl as she begun making her way back home. Luckily, it was near; as soon as she turned the corner, she bolted for her house, not bothering to look back once.

The sound of tired skidding against the asphalt reached her ears, causing her to run even faster. Her heart thudded against her rib cage, practically threatening to burst. This had to be a coincidence. Perhaps they mistook her for someone else. Maybe they were just trying to scare her- that's what most of the immature boys in her neighborhood did anyway. Even if that was the case, Lily kept running until she reached her front porch, and by then, she was a sweating, panting mess.

After she caught her breath, she spun around and searched desperately for any suspicious cars, exhaling sharply in relief when she found none in sight. She plopped down on one of the chairs situated on the porch, fanning herself with the book in her hand.

"Maybe I should try out for track in college." She said to herself, a triumphant grin, etching itself across her lips. After reflecting on how great her running skills were, she entered her house, deciding not to tell her father about what just happened. Knowing him, he would most likely freak out and blow it out of proportion-ultimately resulting in her not being able to go out at all, and Lily wasn't sure she could take that. It wasn't even a big deal anyways.

"Hey, dad, I'm home!" She called out, not waiting for a reply as she kicked off her shoes and jogged up the stairs. She tossed the book on her bed and slipped off the cardigan she wore, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail. A set of footsteps made their way to her room, catching Lily slightly off guard.

"Hey, sweetie. You're home early- everything alright?" Her father inquired, folding his arms across his chest and arching a brow in concern. The brunette squinted and gave him an incredulous look before rummaging through a stack of papers on her desk, searching for the first few pages of a story she was writing.

"Yeah, it was just hot so I decided to come back. I can read here anyway. How come?"

"I was just making sure. Don't want anything to happen to you." He gave her a reassuring smile before pressing a kiss to her forehead, instantly reclining away in slight disgust. "Uh... honey? Why do you taste like...?"

"Sweat?" Lily finished off casually, taking a seat on her mattress. "I wanted to go for a run. It's all good, dad, relax. I'll take a shower later."

Her father simply nodded, giving her a slight shrug before turning away. Dinner will be ready soon. I'll call you once it's done."

"Okay, dad, thanks!" Lily exclaimed, flipping through some pages of her unfinished novel, the day's events already in the back of her mind. All she was focused on was completing her book.

However, she was unaware of a black sedan parked three houses down from hers, waiting for her next move.