Burn the light

Chapter 5

I walk a few steps making sure to keep my head down. Trying to blend in with the environment. Maybe if I am discreet, this person will leave me alone.

I hear the door opening and I accelerate my pace.

"It is just me."

My body seems to recognize this voice faster than my brain because I stop abruptly. I don't feel like I know who that voice belongs to. I courageously look behind me. 

My eyes don't have to adjust to the sight of the silhouette in the dark since he is under the street light. He is dressed less formally, abandoning the suit for a sweater and pants. Still black. It seems to be his signature color.

The reason I did not recognize his voice was that he talked in a calm sort of soothing way.

His hands are close to his body and he makes no move towards me until I decide to take a few steps to reduce the distance between us.

"Sorry. I didn't know it was you. You scared me."

"It was not my intention. I apologize."

I sit on the bench and look at my phone to see if Matthew has called me back but he did not.

He is looking at me and for once I don't feel like he can interpret my thoughts. I can thank the darkness of the night for that. In the dark, you can hide anything.

"Wanna sit?" I offer.

"It's late. You should go home."

I sigh. I wish I could go home. I am so tired.

"I can't. I forgot my key at my friend's apartment."

"Then call him."

It is official, he really thinks I am an idiot. First, he thinks I don't know what a book is and now he states the obvious as if I have not tried already.

"I already did. He won't wake up."

"Then call someone else."

"My other friend is not answering his phone as well."

He sits next to me.

"You should not stay outside at that time of the night."

"It's a small town. Nothing happens here."

"Which makes it even more dangerous."

"I don't see why."

In a small town, there is less crime.

"No one is outside. You could disappear without anyone noticing it."

The area is empty. Street lights are not new and thus their brightness have faded throughout the years. Only one household in the close building next to us seems to be awake. The restaurant I sat in front of is closed. No one is here. Not even a cat.

He is probably right, if something were to happen, no one would notice.

"Is it one of your plans for the night?" I ask nonchalantly.

"You don't seem afraid."

"I am not. You won't do anything to me."

"How can you be so sure?"

I turn towards him. I look at his face. His facial features are hard but his eyes are not. He seems to look at me with curiosity.

In boarding highschool, I went outside with a classmate after curfew. We went into town and stumbled unto a man that looks double our age. He followed us for a short distance asking us to halt so he could ask a question. He became more aggressive each second that went by so we decided to stop and listen to him so that he would leave us alone.