Strawberry soda at night

CHAPTER 4. encounters and secrets

''Oy, you found it.'' The old owner leaned over, ''Why didn't you say anything? Here, take the one you bought.'' He reached to hand the replacement over. Eva knew for a one hundred percent fact that she did not return the yellow one, yet couldn't do much except laugh somewhat awkwardly while accepting the umbrella which she had just bought.

''That's it.. I'm not crazy and I am not losing it.'' Eva walked on the side of the road and held the closed umbrella in a tight fist. The feeling which had been creeping for the past few days was soaring again. The feeling on the back of your skin, as if a spider made it's way up towards your neck. Being watched by it's many eyes.

Eva walked with her usual speed, relaxed, despite the amount of daylight getting shortened and the streetlights quite far away from each other being the only source of guidance. Once beside the local bookstore, she looked up from underneath the eyebrows, stealthily making sure she kept facing forward, towards the spherical mirror attached on the pole of a streetlight, and without a doubt—

A few more steps before turning right..

Five more steps before turning left..

No windows, no reflections. The umbrella held like a proper baseball bat with 10 pale white knuckles attached to it.

And as the steps tailing her got closer, Eva filled the lungs with air, positioned her legs ready with loose knees — and with a swift, clean force she struck out from behind the corner with a strong swing, hitting a man wearing all black straight at his neck so vigorously that the umbrella nearly cracked in half. The stranger lost his balance for a moment, letting out a painful groan.

''Stalking is not a good look you know.'' Eva gritted her teeth and got ready for his next move. She had aimed for the head, but the man proved to be taller than anticipated based on the uneven view of the mirror, ''Well? I know you've been tracking me..'' She placed one leg behind in case she needed to dodge a fist herself.

The man rubbed the side of his neck, covered under a hood. With another low groan, searching his voice back, he began to slowly turn his head to face Eva, edging her to prepare the hold on the umbrella once again.

But before she could see his face, he quickly turned to look behind them as a group of drunken men could be heard approaching, giving their performance of a lifetime with the 90s' pop hits. Before Eva could be able to react, the stranger hoisted her with one arm and swung her behind the corner of the wall along with him.

Eva yelped, about to stab him with the umbrella in a rather critical spot, but this time he proved to be faster, grabbing the unconventional, yet strangely durable weapon and brought it up against the brick wall along with her arm. As Eva shot her gaze up, her eyes fierce from anger, she was met with those familiar black set of orbs staring down at her. Those filled in calm, still and untouched surface and the endless depth of a midnight lake.

Only one set of eyes ever made her feel as such.

''You were always able to make a weapon out of anything..'' His voice sounded hoarse and damaged as he let go of the weapon.

''Josh..'' In that moment, Eva let go of the umbrella, it hitting the cobblestones of the alleyway. She reached the hand up slowly to touch his cheek. A gentle touch with only the tips of her fingers brushing, a touch he did not try and avoid. Eyes about to start filling her jaw clenched, and with a quick jerk —

she grabbed a fistful of his pitch black hair and yanked it down hard, taking his head down with it as he fell on one knee, ''YOU! Son of a BITCH!'' She let the steam out and threw herself against the wall with a huge exhausted huff, ''For seven whole years i've not heard a single word from you! So, what? Now you order your men in black come after me? And what're we stalking now?! How about a simple hello? Heck, a few years back I would've even..'' She couldn't go on anymore, followed with a sniff of a wrinkled nose, refusing to look at his direction again.