Amara couldn't shake the strange feeling that had been gnawing at her all. After the unsettling photo the night before, she had done her best to distract herself by going to work the following morning. The office buzzed with its usual hum. Phones ringing, keyboards clicking, the soft murmur of conversations but the noise barely registered as Amara sat at her desk, her mind a tangled mess of thoughts.
The photo. The unknown number. And the strange man with violet eyes. She hadn't heard from him again, but she knew something had changed.
Her phone buzzed on the desk, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Talbot, her boss.
"Amara, we need to talk about the gala. Can you meet me at the cafe around noon? It's important."
Her heart skipped a beat. Talbot hadn't reported to work. She had completely forgotten about the gala until now. The last time they spoke about it, Talbot had been excited to attend with her, but Amara hadn't shown up to their planned meeting the previous evening. She felt a twinge of guilt, but the thought of the mysterious events from last evening made her hesitate.
She stared at the message for a moment, wondering how to respond. Part of her wanted to tell him what had happened, but the other part of her wasn't ready. Not yet. She wasn't sure how to explain the chaos that had taken over her life in the past 24 hours, especially to her boss.
Taking a deep breath, Amara tapped out a quick response: "I'll meet you there."
She wasn't sure why, but something about Talbot's message felt different today almost urgent. With that thought lingering, she grabbed her belongings and made her way to the cafe.
When Amara arrived, she found Talbot sitting at a corner table, his usual calm demeanor in place, but there was something in his eyes a quiet expectation as if he were waiting for her to explain herself.
She sat across from him, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She had no idea what Talbot wanted to talk about, but she knew it had something to do with the gala.
"You didn't show up yesterday." Talbot said, his voice steady but laced with curiosity. "I was starting to think you'd backed out completely."
Amara paused, unsure of how to begin. She couldn't just tell him she was trying to make sense of the strange events that had taken place. She couldn't explain the picture that had been sent to her or the man she felt like she was losing herself to in her dreams.
"I… I'm sorry," she started, her voice unsteady. "Something came up last minute. I couldn't make it. But I really wanted to be there."
Talbot's expression softened, and he gave her a small smile. "I understand. It's just… Well, I wanted to talk to you about the gala. We need to finalize the details. You know, the event is tomorrow night, and it's important that we represent the company well."
The conversation shifted to more professional matters, but Amara couldn't fully focus. Her mind kept drifting back to the strange feeling that had followed her throughout the day—the nagging sense that someone, somewhere, was watching her. And the violet-eyed man who lingered in her thoughts.
But it was the photo from the night before that still haunted her. How had someone gotten so close to her? She hadn't noticed anyone on her way into the apartment. No one had followed her. But there it was—a picture of her standing at her front door, taken from behind.
As Talbot continued talking, Amara's thoughts grew distant. She forced herself to nod along, listening, but the truth was she was no longer fully present.
When the meeting ended, she stood to leave, her mind still on the photo. She needed answers, but she wasn't sure where to start.
"I'll see you tomorrow night, Amara," Talbot said, his voice bringing her back to the moment.
She nodded, offering him a small smile. "Yes. I'll be there."