For the past month, someone has been following me. I've known from the very first day that it's a girl. She's about 25 or 26 years old, with long hair, and we're about the same height - 188 cm. Most of the time, I see her in the library where I spend most of my time. According to the library's register, her name is Nami. I remember reading it there once.
My name is Jed, and I've been living in this city for the past three years. I came here for my graduation, and this is my final year - my third year. I've always kept out of trouble and avoided unnecessary complications. That's why I've never confronted her to ask why she's been following me. I figured I could endure it for just six more days. Once my results are out, I'll return home and finally live in peace.
One day, as I sat in the library, something unexpected happened. Nami got up from her seat and walked directly toward me. She sat down in the chair opposite mine.
Why is she sitting here? I thought to myself, feeling uneasy. I decided to leave and began to get up.
"Sit down," she said firmly, her voice calm but commanding.
"Do you know me?" I asked, trying to sound composed.
"Why? Is it necessary for me to know you just to shoot you?" she replied.
To my shock, she pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at me. My mind raced - was she insane?
"You think I'll be scared of that toy?" I tried to sound brave, but my voice wavered.
She laughed, a chilling sound that echoed in the quiet library. "Toy?" she said mockingly. She took out a single bullet and held it up. "This one's extra. The rest are already loaded in the gun. If you even try to run, I'll empty all of them into you."
My heart was pounding, my palms clammy. Fear gripped me, but I managed to ask, "Why are you doing this? Tell me!"
She leaned back slightly, her eyes locked on mine. "I've been waiting for days, hoping you'd sit in this corner - someplace quiet, where we can talk without interruptions. Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions," she said, her voice strangely calm.
I didn't know what to think. Was this some kind of twisted game? What questions could she possibly have for me?
"Do you know Ava?" she asked me, her voice sharp and direct.
"Yes, I know her. But what's your connection with her?" I asked, staring into her intense eyes.
"January 15 was the last time I spoke to her - at 8:30 PM. Our conversation was perfectly normal. After that, her phone stopped working. I haven't heard from her or seen her since," Nami said, her voice trembling slightly. "Tell me, what happened between you two that night?"
"I don't know you, and I don't owe you any explanation," I replied, trying to mask my unease.
"Don't try to dodge my question! I've been waiting for her to call me every single day. Just answer me!" Her eyes filled with tears as her voice cracked.
Before I could respond, a staff member came over and asked us to leave the library due to the disturbance we were causing. Nami grabbed my wrist, dragging me outside to the parking lot, stopping by her car.
"Tell me where she is. If you've done something to her, confess now, or I swear I'll kill you!" she shouted, gripping my collar, her anger palpable.
"Are you insane? What do you think I could've done to her? She was my friend!" I yelled, pushing her hands off me.
"Get in the car," she ordered, unlocking the door. Reluctantly, I got in, and she followed, slamming the door shut.
"Now, tell me everything," she demanded, her voice quieter but no less intense.
I sighed, my head spinning with emotions. "Ava was the daughter of my mom's friend. I was a year younger than her. It was her mom's idea for me to attend the same college as Ava, so I stayed with her when I moved here. We knew each other, but our relationship was nothing extraordinary - just normal friends. We'd watch TV together, eat meals, and gossip occasionally. Nothing more."
"Did she tell you where she was going after January 15? Or what she was doing?" Nami pressed.
"She'd already completed her degree and was preparing for a course abroad. She wanted to achieve something meaningful in life," I explained. "Like I said, we weren't that close. In many ways, we were strangers living under the same roof. But what about you? What was your relationship with her that you're ready to kill for her?"
Nami's expression softened, and she looked away. "We were friends for two years. But over time… I fell in love with her. I loved spending time with her, planning trips, talking for hours. I miss her so much," she admitted, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Wait… you're in love with her?" I asked, shocked. "You're a girl! How could you - "
She interrupted me, her voice heavy with emotion. "That night, when I last spoke to her, she was so happy. She talked about you the whole time. She told me she loved you. She admired everything about you - your habits, your quirks. She'd never said anything like that before. I was heartbroken, but I respected her feelings. So why, Jed? If she was so happy, why did she leave? Why is she gone?"
Her voice broke, and tears streamed down her face.
Suddenly, I broke down too. The weight of everything I'd been holding in was too much. I cried uncontrollably, my body shaking with sobs.
"Why are you crying? What happened? Tell me!" Nami asked, panicking.
Through my tears, I began to explain, "She never told me she loved me. Not once. That night, after everything that happened, she left me a letter saying, 'Take care of yourself. I'm going away for a while.' Why didn't she just tell me? Why didn't she give me a chance to stop her?"
"What happened that night between you two? Tell me everything," Nami demanded, her voice a mix of anger and desperation.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself as the memories of that night came flooding back.
"I had a terrible day. I was kicked out of my music band. My classmates stole my compositions and claimed them as their own. When I confronted them, it turned into a fight, and I got beaten up. Angry and humiliated, I went back to the apartment. Ava was there, sitting on the couch with a book in her hand. I didn't say a word and just hid under my blanket, trying to sleep.
She noticed something was wrong. She came over, sat beside me, and asked, 'What happened? How did you get hurt?' I ignored her, but she wouldn't leave me alone. She pulled me up, tended to my wounds, and said, 'You don't look good when you fight, Jed. Please don't do this to yourself.'
Her kindness broke me. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I told her everything - about the betrayal, the fight, and how worthless I felt. She hugged me tightly and said, 'It's going to be okay. You'll get through this.'
After that, she told me to rest. I fell asleep, but when I woke up a few hours later, the room was dark. I realized she was lying next to me, still awake. When she saw me wake up, she smiled softly and said, 'You should eat something. Let's have dinner.'
I refused. I told her to go back to her room, but she insisted on staying with me. 'I'll stay right here,' she said. Her eyes were so full of concern that I couldn't argue.
For a moment, we just stared at each other. I reached out, running my fingers gently through her hair. I could feel her breath, and I don't know what came over me, but I whispered, 'Ava, can I kiss you?'
She didn't say anything, just looked at me. As I gently ran my fingers through her hair, I leaned closer, drawn to her warmth. I kissed her softly, unable to hold back my feelings any longer. I teased her tongue, her neck, her body In that moment, I wasn't just with Ava - I was completely lost in her presence. Her scent, her voice softly whispering my name, and the way she looked at me - it all drove me crazy.
That night, we shared something deeply intimate, something I had never experienced before. It felt like we belonged to each other completely, as if nothing else in the world mattered. For that one night, everything felt perfect, as though time itself had stopped for us.
But the next morning, she was gone. All that was left was a letter: 'Take care of yourself, Jed. I'm going away for a while.' I thought… I thought she did it out of pity, that she stayed with me because she felt sorry for me. So I tried to forget her, to move on. But now…"
I broke off, my voice cracking. "Now I don't know what to think."
Nami stared at me, her face a mix of disbelief and anger. Suddenly, she pulled out her gun and pointed it at my head.
"How dare you?!" she shouted, her voice trembling with rage.
Wait for the next chapter……..