Chapter 4

But, it wasn’t a creation of her imagination as she thought! Her ears didn’t fool her!

Eric shouted to her to wait, but she had already gone in her car and left. All this time, Rebecca held his arm tight to ensure that he wouldn’t run after that woman who had just left. He hadn’t even managed to learn her name. He was so close!

Damn! He only needed a few more minutes.

“Let me go.” He shouted at Rebecca and pulled his hand to free himself.

“Why are you so heartless with me?” She told him in a mellifluous voice.

He looked at her and gritted his teeth. “I hate when she speaks in that way! Her behavior irritates me so much! I don’t like that kind of woman.” He thought and then said to her:

“How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t see you that way? You are a beautiful woman, but I can’t fall in love with you. You must finally understand this and move on with your life. And stop bothering me.”

Rebecca looked at him seductively and approached him slowly and sensually. It was for sure that she wouldn’t give up so easily. She wanted this man from when she saw him in that pub. She was with her friends and Eric with his. She had noticed him from the first moment. She had singled him out from all the other men there, staring at him all night. Eric had spotted her and quickly realized that she was trying hard to get his attention. He could see that she was a beautiful woman, but she wasn’t the type of woman who would fall in love with, definitely no! He preferred the simplier girls. He didn’t like the divas, and Rebecca was one of them.

Since that night, she had been chasing him and had made sure to learn things about him, but he remained indifferent to her moves to attract him.

Especially now that she bent down his ear:

“How many times do I have to tell you that you are the only man that I am interested in?” she whispered to him.

He moved away from her. Her persistence had begun to become displeasing. He was tired of sending her out and kept coming back.

“I have to close.” He curtly told her. He took his things, turned off the lights, and went outside.

“Will you came out, or should I lock you in?” He said to her. She had remained motionless looking at him ... somehow. Her gaze was untraceable, but he couldn’t deal with it at the moment. It was a full day! He was tired and quite annoyed.

“Yes, I’m coming. I was absent-minded.” She told him and came out.

“Okay, good night then.” He said coldly and climbed down the stairs.

“Won’t you invite me to come to your place?” asked him. How is it possible that she doesn’t want to understand?

“No.” He replied sharply. She must finally, at some point, understand and leave him alone.

“Can you at least take me to my house? I haven’t come in my car.”

He didn’t want to take her home or anywhere else. But neither had the heart to leave her alone so late at night.

“Okay, okay.” He said finally.

He was lucky, and at that moment he saw a taxi coming. He whistled and stopped. He grabbed Rebecca by the arm, opened the door, and pushed her inside.

“But…” She started to complain, but he didn’t listen to her.

“Take those forty pounds and drive her to her house, please.” He told to taxi driver. The driver took the money and stepped on the gas.

“Today, I had had a narrow escape. But I am afraid that she will return. I don’t think she will give up so easily.” He thought sick at heart.

He still couldn’t believe his luck that the taxi came just when he wanted it more than anything else.

He got in his car and went home. As soon as he entered, he poured whiskey and sat on the couch. His thought ran back to the unknown red-haired girl.

Bringing everything to the surface so vividly made him feel like he was reliving it all.

He was standing at the supermarket door and saw a car pulling off. But it was half-dark, and he could not see clearly. He only discerned the figure of a woman. She started walking towards him. He had realized that she hadn’t seen him standing there. She was coming furiously and almost fell on the stairs. Overtook her at the last moment before colliding with the ground.

When he held her to avoid falling, he didn’t yet know that she was the same girl who had crashed on him in the afternoon. Nevertheless, her beautiful scent filled his lungs and made his heart beat faster.

When he returned her keys, and his fingers touched her in the afternoon, he had scalded. He had still filled with sensation on his fingers.

She entered the supermarket, and the light of it bathed her. Then, saw her clearly and recognized her! This red hair! He could recognize them everywhere. It’s like she has flames on her head. And those beautiful green eyes of hers that nailed him like shuttles when he saw them for the first time. It was the first time he felt his body react this way to a woman.

He emptied the rest of the whiskey with one sip and got up to put more. He returned to the couch and continued the memory. When asked where she could find the wines, he felt the ground disappear beneath his feet because he thought she had probably intended to spend a special night with her boyfriend.

He elicited a reply from her if he would have company, and told him no. At that moment, he felt so relieved and smiled.

“But now that I am thinking about it, it’s not certain. She may be alone tonight.” He gripped the glass tightly at the thought that it might belong to someone else. “I must find out.”

She was so close to finding out her name. To learn more about her and spend some time together. But Rebecca’s sudden appearance ruined everything for him.

If she hadn’t come, maybe everything would have turned out differently. And the ending would be more pleasant for Eric and Marianne.

When Rebecca made her appearance, he noticed that Marianne’s expression on her face had changed dramatically. She certainly hadn’t welcomed Rebecca’s arrival. He didn’t manage to understand something more because she left again as if somebody was chasing her.

“I have to meet her again… definitely!”

{••••}

I entered the house, closed the door, and leaned on it. My heart was pounding in my chest.

“There is another woman…, there is another woman.” I couldn’t get rid of this voice. I went to the kitchen and picked up the corkscrew to open the bottle of wine I had bought.

I lit a cigarette. I pure some in a glass and drank it in one shot. I refilled the glass, picked it up, and went to sit down on the couch in the living room. My head was spinning from that image of being together. I couldn’t take my mind off that newcomer woman… She was a woman who could easily have anyone she wanted. Why not, Eric? A woman with everything, a beautiful body, a gorgeous face, so well-dressed and elegant. How could he choose me instead?

“I am an idiot who thought for a moment that something could happen between us. Of course, and he has another, would he be ever waiting for me to show up in his life? And yet, the way he looked at me, the way he talked to me.”

I was all confused in my mind.

In the end, I forced myself that all this was just on my mind. A figment of my imagination! I made up my mind to never see him again…

“Oh, I don’t believe it.” Tears were rolling down my cheeks. “How is it ever possible to cry for him? I just saw him once.”

I wiped my burning cheeks and left the glass on the table in front of me. I leaned my head back on the couch and puffed my cigarette. I took out the smoke, and I watched it go up until it seemed that smoke drew his picture. “Am I seeing well?” I wondered and raised my head to give a better look. It was still there.

“Oh, my God. These cannot be happening.” I said and got up furious and dispersed the smoke by my hand. I put off the cigarette with a clumsy movement that ashes spilled out of the ashtray.” It doesn’t matter. I will clean tomorrow.” I thought. I turned off the lights and went to bed.

I closed my eyes and recalled a memory from my mind. At that moment, I grabbed the money from his hand. I did it to remind him of my presence! To get his attention! Now I understand how hopeless it that movement was.

The wine I had drunk helped me to sleep.

My dreams were full of them, Eric and that stranger woman.

We were holding hands and smiling sweetly at each other. We were hugging, filled with happiness. And finally laying on the bed and were kissing each other passionately…

That was a terrible nightmare!

{•••}

She had convinced herself she had lost him before they even started!

That it would be the end of their acquaintance?

Hmm…I don’t think so! 

Because somewhere in the universe, the stars had begun a conspiracy of love!

All you have to do is follow the stars…