Chapter 94: Chapter 94

"And so accounting is really getting quite interesting, thanks to tutorials and-"

I'm finding it difficult to listen to what Clarissa is saying because the feeling of being watched is back. I flick my eyes around the cafe nervously. There are two girls in front of us chatting amongst themselves, and to my right is a middle-aged man drinking some beverage and reading the newspaper.

The only other person is sitting in the left corner and he's on the phone arguing with someone from the way he keeps gesticulating. None of these people look harmless, and neither do any of them look like they're watching me, but you never know.

"ALICIA!"

I blink repeatedly and turn my attention back to Clarissa whose face is scrunched up in anger. She's got that hard glint in her eyes and her left eye has begun to twitch.

Uh! Oh! Shit's about to hit the fan now, for sure.

"I'm really sorry, Clar, I'm just out of it now," I say releasing a heavy sigh.

All the anger seems to leak out of her as her eyes soften. She captures my hand in a soft grip and smiles sadly. "I understand what you're going through."

No, she doesn't, at least not since recently. I haven't told her that Ash appeared out of the blue almost giving me a heart attack in the process. I reckon her mum didn't either which is amazing. I know she's giving me the choice of doing that.

Ever since the day Ash appeared and disappeared, once again a week ago, I've been having this prickling sensation of being watched.

The feeling is so crippling that most times all I'm able to do is sit in a corner and hide. It's only when I get into the four walls of the house that I feel safe and I'm able to let down my guard. I nod absently at what Clarissa is saying, the feeling of being watched intensifying.

I can't take it anymore.

Anxiety floods through me as I stand up immediately, almost knocking my chair to the ground in the process. "Look, Clar, I gotta go, you know Mr. Harry doesn't like it when we take too much time during lunch break, and I've got so much work to do."

Clarissa stands as well, worry flaring in her eyes. "Okay, but it's not even been long since you got here, 'Lis, there's still a whole thirty minutes left. Chill out alright."

But I can't. "Look! I'm sorry, okay, but I've gotta go. I'll make it up to you soon, okay."

And with that parting shot, I leave her staring holes in my back. I make my out of the cafe looking left and right to see any suspicious person or movement. The feeling of being watched intensifies and I know without a doubt, someone is watching me.

The question is who.

My heart is beating a mile a minute as I speed-walk across the road. A car horns, making me turn, and just in time too, because it comes speeding toward me making me jump back. My heart is hammering in its cage now as I stand petrified by the side of the road watching as it speeds off without even slowing down. I'm shaking like a leaf now and can't seem to get my feet to obey me.

"Are you okay, lady?" A man's voice speaks behind me and I whip around to see the middle-aged man from the cafe staring at me with a worried expression on his face.

"I....I'm fine, th.. . thank you." Who the fuck am I kidding? I'm definitely not okay.

"Are you sure?" He moves closer to me and raises his hand to touch my face but I move back.

"You look a little green around the edges."

"I said I was fine, mister, you can fuck off now." I don't understand why I spoke to him that way but when I see the hurt flash across his face, I know I made a mistake and need to apologize.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright." I push some loose tendrils of my hair away from my face. "I'm just having a bad day, please excuse me."

I walk off before he can respond and make sure to look well this time before crossing the road and into Harry's Cargo which is situated just across the cafe Clarissa and I met for lunch. As soon as I step into my office, the pile of files on my desk clues me into the fact that I'm not going to leave here early today.

My shoulders droop and I let loose a sigh as I walk to my desk and take a seat. I don't overthink it, I immediately delve into work, forgetting about the niggling feeling of being watched. After what seems like hours, I notice I've gone through half of the pile of files on my desk but when I check the time, I realize it's just been two hours only and it's only a little after two.

Needing to take a short break before my head explodes, I open my drawer and bring out my phone. I didn't take it with me when I went to see Clarissa but as I open it, I see the number of missed calls and text messages from Dan. Ever since that night at the orchestra, he's been extra clingy - coming to see me at the house uninvited and bringing me and Lily little gifts.

I huff to myself and almost put the phone down when I see a notification from an unknown number.

Don't fall down the rabbit hole.

Huh!

What does that mean and who sent this?

I stare, hard, at the message trying to understand it until a memory, sails into my mind. It's so rife, I'm left gasping at the enormity of it. I watched a film with Ash on one of those days when I was pregnant with too much time on my hands. It turned out to be an action flick about a five-man duo robbery gang.

They had a code word they always used amongst themselves before they parted ways. As I stare in horror at my phone, I realize this message is from Ash, and he's telling me to be careful.