Lina couldn't concentrate.
Every day, the teachers' words seemed like a distant fog. The car incident haunted her.
"That's what I wanted you to think."
That sentence was incredibly confusing. Flattering, unsettling, both, or what?
Her friends chatted around her in the cafeteria, but she couldn't hear a thing. She didn't even know what she was eating anymore. She glanced at her phone. No messages.
"Are you waiting for someone?" asked Maya, her best friend, a mischievous smile on her lips.
"No, no," Lina lied.
But a few seconds later…
Ding.
A message.
Unknown number.
Ethan:
"You were prettier than I thought."
Her heart skipped a beat.
He had waited all day before writing to her. As if he had let her grow impatient. As if it were all calculated.
Her fingers trembled slightly when he replied.
Lina: "Are you spying on me, or... do you have a good memory?" The answer came quickly. Ethan: "I didn't take my eyes off you." A shiver ran through her.
It's more than pleasant, more than frightening.
Both again.
Starry sky
In her small apartment, Lina tried to read, then to draw, but nothing worked.
Her cell phone vibrated every fifteen minutes.
What are you reading?
Are you alone?
You should go to bed earlier.
I'm still thinking about you.
He wasn't really asking questions. He was just filling the space.
She finally fell asleep, phone in hand.
The next day, September 12th. Ding. CONVOLUTION - ETHAN
ETHAN: I'll give you a ride to campus.
She sat bolt upright.
Downstairs
She rushed to the window.
It was the same black car parked in front of her building. As if he knew where she lived. As if it wasn't strange.
Her heart was pounding.
An inner voice whispered to her, "Don't go."
She grabbed her coat.
She got out.
He was waiting for her, leaning against the car. Exactly like the first time.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Hello, Lina…"
"How did you get my address?" she finally managed to ask.
He looked her straight in the eyes.
"I always find what I'm looking for."
He opened the car door for her.
She stood motionless for a moment. Perhaps it was time to run away.
But the truth was...
She got into the car. Exactly like the first time. As if she'd never had a choice.