Forever Starts Today (Eli x Nozomi)

Chapter 11 - Rescued

For a few days of guarding Nozomi here and there, Eli became more anxious about her feelings. She doesn't know what it is just yet—no, more like, the answer is in the tip of her tongue but she couldn't figure it out. She has been staring at Nozomi whenever they are together, they would eat lunch together, they would go on dates, they would even sleep over each other's houses. Every single day, Eli finds herself getting drawn closer to Nozomi as she slowly breaks down every wall she has built up for all those years when she wasn't dating. The blonde wants to avoid the other but it feels painful whenever she plans to do so. She couldn't help it. She wants to stay close to her ambitions yet that woman brought her down and swept her off of her feet.

That vision she had when she and Nozomi were at the videoke back in their Valentine's Date--it was the vision she had never expected to encounter. Ever since then, she would stay up late, thinking about her. There was never a day when she wouldn't.

Few days later, Eli received a call from Yuri while she was studying on her bed. She picked up her phone and settled it close to her ear, "Hello?"

"Eli, you have to come into my condo. There's something we want you to see and know."

The blonde raised an eyebrow; is this about those stalkers, which Nozomi was being wary of? Right after she had took Nozomi home that day, she immediately consulted Hazeltine and Yuri regarding this, turns out that they will finally do something big about it.

"Is this about those people?"

"Indeed. But there's a risk. We have to lure them in."

"How?"

"Using Nozomi."

Eli's eyes widened and froze upon hearing it. That made her heart skip a beat and her mind went blank simultaneously, she replied, "Why?"

"She knows. She is willing. Don't worry, nothing will happen to her because she will go to you. We had gathered enough evidences to put them into jail for quite some time."

"Really now? Spill."

"The security cameras. They captured them stalking Nozomi everywhere she goes whenever you weren't with her. Now, we just need to set up a trap and reel them in. Be sure to be a great actress on this one for Nozomi will, too."

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle, she finds it amusing that her friends were playing the actual secret agents like the ones they would usually see in movies.

"Alright. When are we going to catch the fishes?"

"Tomorrow. Please don't show yourself today. Nozomi is also at home right now."

Glad that the university is on a holiday today and tomorrow is the weekend.

"Noted. Keep an eye on Nozomi for me."

"Hazeltine is working on it. She's staying with her for today."

"Good."

Eli then hung up and looked at her phone before she stared at it for quite a few moments.

The next day, as Nozomi walked down the street of an almost empty part of the city, the males, who had been stalking her, came to follow her around. Although at first, Nozomi finds this creepy and uncomfortable especially if there are five of them and she doesn't have any means of fighting them all back, but now, she feels calm and level-headed.

As she took a turn towards the alleyway, the men grinned and took this chance to surround her.

Nozomi had to stop her steps when the high wall trapped her in and looked up at it.