Insane

Adrenaline

11:27 p.m.

Chloe picks up her pace ever so slightly as she hears the heavy footsteps growing louder. She doesn't want the stranger to know that she has noticed him following her for the past couple of minutes. She doesn't dare turn her head to see his reflection on the dark restaurant glass as they walk past the slightly more crowded part of the neighborhood. No, she hasn't tried the make-four-right-turns trick to confirm her suspicion. She just knows he is following her.

Click, clack. Click, clack.

Chloe's black stilettos keep up with the rhythm of her fast pacing heart. She wraps the black cardigan around her as the cool summer breeze sweep her long, dirty blonde hair off of her face. She is wearing all black, her comfort color. But she is not wearing anything too revealing that screams PROSTITUTE. She didn't think the black romper paired up with her favorite gold watch and a Chanel bag would get her unwanted attention from men. But you never get what you expect from them just like she didn't expect her former boyfriend Jack to treat her the way he did.

Chloe passes a bar, just like the one she was in a few minutes ago, overflowing with people enjoying their Friday night and loud music. This is where she is supposed to be tonight. Drink in one hand and some stranger's neck on the other, as she dances the pain away. She wants to erase the sorrowful memory of the discovery she made that led to the breakup of her and Jack. She is supposed to be in a bar, meeting new strangers, and trying to forget that memory. But that isn't happening. She had decided to leave the bar early to go home because all that trying was tiring her up and made her feel uncomfortable. So instead of watching her best friend Stella get drunk with her third fiancé and forcing herself to dance with someone she didn't know, she left the club 10 minutes ago.

Chloe has to walk one more block until she'll reach her apartment located on the upper east side of Manhattan. She wants to get away from this man as fast as she can and figure out why exactly he is following her. She has been followed before but this time it feels different. She's somehow getting the feeling that he isn't an experienced stalker. He is making it way too obvious that he is following her. Can he possibly want her to know what he is doing? Insane. Whatever is on his mind, she doesn't want to be a part of it.

One. Two. Three. Five. Seven. Eight. Ten. Chloe counts the uneven steps she hurriedly takes, as she climbs the stairs to the brown front door. She reminds herself to remain calm as her hand digs into her bag and pulls out the keys. Click. Once inside, she immediately locks the door and looks through the peephole.

She can barely make out the tall figure illuminated by the dim streetlights behind it. Hands in his black suit pocket, with an expression she can't catch, the stranger continues to stare at the door. She begins to wonder why someone dressed like that would stalk her. 

Chloe shifts uncomfortably because she feels as if he is looking right at her. Past the peephole and through her soul. Her breathing hikes up and she clutches the straps of her handbag and forces herself to look back at him.

Just when Chloe thinks she can no longer bear the feeling of his eyes burning into her, he makes a turn and walks away. Something in her rises as she watches him leave. Disappointment? No that can't be. It has to be relief.

I certainly did not want him to do break into my house and I certainly did not want him to stay any longer either. She reassures herself that she isn't going crazy and still has some sanity left.

                                                                 ***

One hour earlier.

"Come on Chloe, it's been a week already. You need to get over that Jackass and go talk to that cute guy over there. He is all heart-eyes and has been trying to get your attention for the past 30 minutes," Stella whines as she pushes Chloe away from the barstool and towards the crowd.