A Storm Is Brewing

Stolen Chances

Exactly one week to the day, Leah and I were attending the Law Awards, an annual event that we had attended many times. We spoke of rejecting the invitation but instead decided not to bow down to the person who was so clearly trying to intimidate me. The night was a success—well, at first anyway. After watching the awards ceremony, we headed to the after party to mingle with the guests; unbeknownst to us, my stalker was right across the room from us, about to make an appearance.

"Sophie!" A familiar voice bellowed as arms were thrown around me.
"God, it's been ages. How're you, Laura?"
"I'm good; this must be Leah?" She smiled in Leah's direction.

Leah's hand gripped my waist, a frown on her face as she let out a stern hello.

"Am I interrupting? Sorry, I tend to show up when I'm not wanted." Laura chuckled before making her way back to the dance floor.
"What was that all about?" I scoffed at Leah.
"That's her." Leah swallowed.
"What's who?"
"She's the one tormenting you." Leah's eyes narrowed.
"Laura?" I chuckled.
"Yes, Sophie." Leah said sternly.
"We can't talk about this here." I said, trying to pull Leah outside.
"No. I'm confronting her. How dare she do this to you? How fucking dare she!" Leah said through gritted teeth.
"Le, please. Not here. Please, babe."
"Fine." She held her hands up, walking ahead of me.

I knew she was angry at me, and I understood why. She wouldn't understand why I wouldn't just immediately be angry at Laura and trust that Leah had good reason to believe it was her. This wasn't possible, though; Laura held such a high position in the justice system as a judge, and I had to be sure that I could successfully link her to the stalking so I could lodge a complaint through the appropriate channels. The car journey home was silent; Leah decided the view from the window was more enticing than me. I let out a sigh under my breath, disappointed at how tonight had ended, prompting Leah to reach her hand across to my lap and interlock my fingers. I suppose that was her way of saying I'm mad at the situation, not at you.

"Le, what makes you think it's her?" I asked as I pulled a drink from the fridge.
"I'm not kissing myself, babe. That sentence made my stomach churn when I saw the two of you on New Year's Eve. We were in the toilets; you tried to run away from me, but I called you just in time. Do you remember?"
"Of course I do."
"She came in just as I tried to tell you that I wished I'd been with you at Christmas."
"Yeah, I remember that too."
"She said it's nearly 12. I'm not kissing myself, babe. You hugged me and told me that she was a joker. That hug was the thing that made me go after you. Kiss you at 12."
"I remember, Le. It doesn't make sense, though; it seems like a coincidence. Lots of people call each other babe; it doesn't tie in with the Myrtle thing." I sighed.
"God, Sophie! Does it have to? The Law Associates logo, the wording of the message, and the lilies that she will have seen in your office when she was at the opening. Fireworks! Fucking fireworks. New Year's Eve! What do you see in London on New Year's Eve?!" Leah was now shouting loudly.
"Why're you shouting at me?" I asked quietly.
"Because you are wanting to connect things that don't need connecting! What is it? Is she too pretty to be a stalker? Was she going to kiss you that night on New Year's Eve? Is that why you're so afraid for me to confront her? Have you been with her?" Leah started ranting.
"You promised. You promised you wouldn't do this to me. I trusted you with this; I trusted you to understand."

I hadn't really given her any reason for this, though, she hadn't technically done anything wrong.

"I'm going to bed." Leah said, flapping her hands in the air.

As she left the room, my mind started to wander. Could this be Laura? Who better to ask than Paula, someone who worked closely with Laura throughout her career? Did Paula know? Who can I even trust right now?