Witness to a Love Story

Thirty-One: Totally Not A Stalker

I don't know how, but I managed not go snooping through Merrick's glove compartment. Somehow, he bared even more of an appearance to a corpse after that meeting with his grandfather. As horrible as I can be, I'm not one to kick someone who's already down.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." I mutter to myself as I adorn myself in dark clothing.

It's the day after tomorrow and I talked to Jay. Jay wasn't willing to tell me who Sean's boyfriend is, but he was all too happy to brag about going on a date with Sharon this Sunday. I'm not the jealous type, not in the least bit. I'm just curious as to why Jay is so fascinated with Sharon. So, I'm not going to stalk them or anything. I'm simply going to be in the same area as them on a date of my own.

My phone buzzes with a text. I glance over at it. It's Merrick telling me he's outside. "Well, this is it, Bea." I tell myself in the mirror. I finish putting my hair in a ponytail and fix my black knit sweater before heading outside.

"Since when did you become a stalker?" Merrick inquires as I get in the car.

"I'm not a stalker." I complain to him. "Now take me to 3rd street and Filmore. They are dining out at the restaurant with the outdoor plaza."

Merrick gives me a look. "There's a lot like that."

I roll my eyes. "It's nice looking with decent people and doesn't serve alcohol. I think it's Italian." I tell him a little bit more about the restaurant. Merrick shakes his head and just drives.

I might have forgotten the name, but I do remember the large neon sign outside of the building along with small, grand staircase leading to the entrance. I hit Merrick's arm and point it out to him. Soon, we are parked and walking over to the building.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Merrick asks as he keeps a brisk pace besides me.

I nod my head. Jay had pulled up a picture of the venue on his phone to show me where he was taking Sharon. Still, Jay in a fancy restaurant like this? It's hard to believe and I don't blame Merrick for doubting.

We enter the restaurant and I'm a little flabbergasted from the dazzling staff to the intricate decor of the restaurant. Everything is so nice and shiny. It baffles me that a restaurant this grand exists in the desert. I wasn't used to the treatment the waitress was giving me and Merrick as she led us to a booth in the corner. Merrick is used to it, though, and functions normally.

I hear Merrick muffle a cursed chuckle and that's enough to bring me out of my daze. I fix my eyes on him for possibly the first time tonight. Merrick looks like he belongs here with his black button up, black slacks, and dress shoes. His hair is fixed to that of ultimate sexiness and his grey eyes sparkle with amusement from me. I turn away and look out at the ground of dinners when I spot Jay and Sharon in the center. I kick Merrick under the table and nod my head at them. "There they are," I whisper.

Merrick holds back his cry of pain. "Why do you always do that?" He whispers back at me.

I shrug. Merrick and I whisper back and forth, arguing obviously, before someone joins our conversation. "Why are we whispering?" It's our waitress and she's even leaned down a little.

I go to open my mouth to give her some sort of explanation, but Merrick speaks up before I can say anything. "Oh! I'm sorry. My girlfriend is an idiot." Merrick says calmly in his regular voice. I shoot him a glare briefly before covering up my disgust with a smile. Girlfriend? Ugh.

The waitress eats it up, though, and giggles at us. As much as I distrust Merrick, I let him order for the both of us because I couldn't pronounce half of the names on the menu. After taking our order, the waitress leaves and I remember why we are here. My eyes are pulled to Jay and Sharon's table. Sharon just said something and Jay is shaking his head and chuckling. I can tell because I've seen him do it enough times. A low growl emanates from my throat and genuine concerns shows on Merrick's face.

"Easy there, tiger. I thought you didn't like Jay?" Merrick approaches the topic carefully.

'Jay's my friend, though. And I hate that bitch Sharon. Look at her! She's practically throwing herself at him and touching him every chance she gets. She just brushed her hand against his!' Is what I wanna cry out to Merrick, but instead I clear my throat. I look away to my left and stare idly at the decorum of the restaurant. "I like Jay, but only as a friend." I mumble to mostly myself. Merrick decides against prying farther and leaves me to stew.

The rest of the even went smooth, if smooth means me tailgating Jay while dragging Merrick along. The succubus brought Jay to the theaters after dinner. They watched this play, but I was more focused on them than the show. They sat next to each other and held hands, Sharon even rested her head against Jay's shoulder at one point. From there they toured this late night museum and Jay was completely enraptured with the small Picasso section. Who knew Jay had such a love for art? As midnight is fast approaching, the young couple finds themselves at a park.

Merrick and I sit up a small hill, hidden behind some bushes and a large tree. Jay and Sharon are sitting on swings about fifty feet away from us. Maybe a hundred, I'm not good at distance. All night they seemed to have had a good time. They have been talking the entire time, laughing and smiling at each other. A small pain in my heart seems to be slowly spreading, destroying my insides as a frightening thought takes hold.

Maybe I don't know Jay as well as I thought I did? I didn't know he like Picasso so much. And it's hard for me to keep a conversation going with Jay without getting pissed at him for something stupid. Plus, holding his hand and being so close to Jay? There's no way I'll ever be able to do that, yet Sharon can do it all so flawlessly.

I sigh as my heart gives into defeat. Crumbling down, I lean against Merrick and give him an apologetic look. He's been such a great sport tonight. Merrick gives me a lopsided smile. Do you think he knows, Bea? Nudging me, he offers to take me home.

I shake my head. "I'm not giving up just yet, Sexy." I tell him as I turn my attention back to the 'happy' couple. A fresh new pain spreads through my heart as I see Jay and Sharon inching closer and closer on the swings. Both of their eyes show someone who's awe-struck.

Merrick grabs my wrist and I both gasp and instinctively pull it away. His eyes go wide and he stares down at the ground. My eyes linger on Merrick for a little bit as he looks back up. Is this pity tugging at my heart? Now way am I giving in and forgiving this sexy, remorseful bastard just because he's giving me puppy dog eyes.

"Does it still hurt?" He asks and I can hear how guilty he feels. I shake my head and don't tell him how my wrist is actually sprained. "That's good. You know, I really didn't mean to grab you that hard."

I smile a little. "I know." Honestly, that's the truth. I'm a bit scared of Shamin, too. There's just no telling what he's capable of. So, I guess I can understand his over-reaction.

He sits up excited. "So we can leave now?"

I laugh dryly. "Hell no."

Merrick stands up, crosses his arms, and stares down at me. "Listen, Bea, it's late. It's time to stop being a stalker and go home." He says in a sad attempt to tell me what to do.

The rebel inside me is activated and I get up as well. He's not the only one that can stand. My emerald eyes bore into his smoky ones. "I. Am. Not. A. Stalker." The conversation becomes a stare down quickly.

We stay like that for a few seconds or minutes, challenging each other with our eyes to do something, anything. Merrick scoffs at me and suddenly my leg has a mind of its own. It gives a hard kick straight to Merrick's shin, completely ignoring the fact that we are on a hill. Did I mention it's steep? Merrick loses his footing and goes tumbling down the hill. He lands on his ass near the swing set, aka Jay and Sharon who were mere inches from a fatal kiss.

"Oh, shit!" I take off towards the parking lot, ditching Merrick. Did I really just blow our cover over something so dumb?