"Don't ever call me again!" Emily yelled as she got out of a car belonging to a guy who turned out to be the worst date ever.He had offered to give her a lift home in his Mustang, but instead of driving he seemed more focused on sliding his hand under her dress. Emily was not looking for a serious relationship, but she also didn't want some average one-night stand with a guy who seemed interested in her only in the sense of her being a warm female body.The wind blew cold, slapping tiny drops of rain onto her face. She did not regret escaping from that creep's car, but now she had to walk home. She was in the middle of downtown Vancouver, and it would be nearly impossible to catch a taxi. She walked quickly to avoid being stopped by other smarta**es like the guy whose car she had just jumped out of.It's not like she had extremely high expectations, Emily thought moodily as she walked past drunk and excited nightclub goers. She wanted what every girl in her twenties probably want
The man didn't say anything for another second that seemed to last a lifetime. Then his eyebrows drew together in a look of distaste, and Emily thought he was going to tell her to go away and stop bothering him. She couldn't blame him, really. This city was full of con artists who tried to "seek help" from strangers, usually to get money or to trick them into giving away personal information.Suddenly she felt the touch of a soft leather glove on her fingers. He took her hand!"Of course," said the stranger, his voice hoarse. "I hate creeps who follow women to intimidate them.""You don't know the half of it," Emily said, feeling instant relief, not only due to his help but also his sympathy for her situation."Is it the guy in a long jacket with spiky hair?" he asked, looking over her shoulder.Emily nodded. "Is he coming closer?" She couldn't dare to look. It would be better to pretend she didn't even know Josh was here. It would make her date with this guy seem more realistic,
The restaurant was called Mangiamo, and Emily had heard it was one of the best in the city. She caught a glimpse of fine crystal glasses and classical paintings. It looked so tempting. The only problem was, she was a junior designer, not a millionaire. "Uh... do you mind if we choose something simpler?" she asked. "This is way out of my price range.""Do I not look like a man to you? You would insult me if you even mention paying," Byron said sternly. Well, that was quite a difference between him and the date she had earlier, who had been happy to split the bill with her, even though it was a first date and he might have at least tried to impress her by attempting to pay the whole thing. "But it's 1 am already; it's closing," Emily said, noting the restaurant's hours clearly written in the front window. "Not if I can help it," Byron said calmly, "Come on, Emily Danzi. I need a real Italian's opinion on the food here."There were only a couple of customers inside, and they we
"Let's not talk about him anymore," Emily said. "He's a pathetic human being." If Byron had any more compliments, she was hoping to hear those. "You're right," Byron said. "Tell me what you like to do."Emily was feeling a little tipsy, and she happily began to list off all the things she liked."I like designing hair clips, walking dogs," she began."Me too," Byron said. "I like dogs. I don't know how to design hair clips."Emily laughed, accidentally spitting out small bits of food as her fork clattered to the floor. When he said she was unforgettable, she hoped it wasn't because of her bad table manners. Byron seemed unfazed, and he simply called Amadeo over to bring another fork. They went on talking long after they finished their food. In her tipsy mind, Emily wondered how an amazing man like this was still available. He wasn't wearing a wedding ring. But of course, she couldn't assume he was single. He might still have a girlfriend. Whatever it was, she didn't want to k
When Emily woke up the next morning, the events of the previous night seemed like a figment of her imagination. The date with the rich business guy was nice, though. It made her smile as she got out of bed and hurried to get ready for work.In the sobering light of day, she decided it was for the best that nothing futher came of it. Byron may have been charming and heartstoppingly handsome, but his mood swings were not a good sign.Emily grew less and less starry-eyed when the reality of Josh being in town sank in. She didn't know if he was here on a visit or if he had decided to move here just to stalk her, but it was a good idea to report him to the police, or at least get some advice. When she got to the office, she looked for her friend Pam, who worked in sales. They were old university friends, and Pam knew all the details of Emily's life. She would probably love to hear about last night, but sadly she was away at a sales meeting.Emily already knew Pam would be telling her t
Instead of finding the fire exit, Emily nearly ran right into Gordon, the company's assistant manager. "Ah, Emily, I was just looking for you," he said, not even noticing that she was crying and panicking. "I'd like you to correct a few things in the last prototype.""I can't right now," she said quickly. "Sorry, I have to go."But it was too late. Josh appeared on the scene."You think acting like a pea-brained party girl makes you look cool?" he shouted. "Well, it doesn't!"Emily turned away and tried to find somewhere to hide. The assistant manager looked at her, then at the raving man who was invading the office space."I hope you're happy!" Josh went on, "You've made me come all the way here!" He grabbed a chair from the nearest cubicle and threw it against the wall. A few people screamed, while others ran from the room."Young man, please leave the office immediately!" the assistant manager said, trying to look intimidating. Emily finally caught sight of the exit. S
Emily may have been unlucky in love, but she was extremely confident about her career. She could always find another company to work for, but first she needed to go to the police. This Josh situation was getting out of control.Just like most of the people at work, the officers at the station were very sympathetic when she told them the whole story. "It's a tough city to live in, even without being stalked by an ex," said the sergeant, a tired-looking woman in her forties. The whole process of getting a protection order would take much longer than Emily expected, and she would have to appear in court to testify. On the bright side, many people had witnessed the incident of aggression in the office. It would likely be enough to convince the judge that Josh was dangerous."In the meantime," said the sergeant, "you could try to think of a safety plan. Have all your most important personal belongings quickly accessible. If you're really feeling threatened, you could move to a women's
As Emily entered her apartment, she rushed to the window to see if the limo was still there. Just like last night, it was already gone. Now instead of feeling a tiny twinge of regret, all she felt was relief.Her roommate Delsie was watching TV and looked a bit surprised at Emily's running around the place."Hey, is everything okay?" she called out."I think so..." Emily said. She had been in survival mode all day, and this latest encounter made her go into fight or flight mode. She tried to calm her breathing. Things were far from okay, but at least they were manageable for now. Also, she didn't want to get into too many details with Delsie, who could be catty at times."You're being a little mysterious there," Delsie said playfully. "Did you meet someone new? You must have got in pretty late last night."Emily looked inside the fridge to see if she had anything for a comforting dinner. On second thought, she was tired and found a ready-made freezer meal instead. She didn't kno