The Dons Runaway bride

“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 wanted: someone she could have some laughs with, who liked her personality, who made an effort... and she wouldn’t mind if he good in bed. Why was it she only met men who were either obsessed with her or just wanted to use her for sex? Was there no happy medium?

And speaking of men who were obsessed with her, who was that tall figure walking behind her?

No... it couldn’t be. This night had already turned out disappointing, and there is no way it could get worse. She was just being paranoid. Josh wasn’t here. He was miles away.

The echo of her high-heeled boots grew louder as she left the towers and clubs of downtown and began to cross the long bridge that stretched across the bay.

She looked back just to reassure herself that it wasn’t Josh following her. She nearly lost her footing.

It was him. The boy she thought was cute when they were in high school, but now five years later did not seem so cute anymore because he never stopped following her. She recognized his spiky hair and slightly hunched posture.

Emily tried not to panic even though her heart rate sped up to what seemed like a million beats per minute.

She was already on the bridge, and she decided to cross it. Maybe Josh wouldn’t approach her this time. If she could just keep walking at the same pace, it would be fine.

Some drunk girls ran past her, giggling loudly. She looked back again, and this time it seemed like Josh was catching up to her. Had he been waiting, watching her all this time just to catch her alone?