Controlled

Chapter 2 - Ricky

Chapter Two: Ricky

The bar was smoky and smelled of stale cigars and whiskey. I usually didn't drink, especially not out in the open and in public, but it seemed to be the only thing to suppress the pain I felt when I thought about Kimberly. I took another sip of my brandy and watched as the bartender as he made his way over to me.

"Need another?" he asked, throwing a towel over his shoulder.

I considered it a moment, then shook my head. "No, thank you."

He nodded as if understanding. "Just let me know if you need anything." Then he walked away.

I finished my drink, then finally left the bar. Being there for three hours proved to become somewhat of a mistake, but as I stepped outside, the cool air hitting my face calmed me down. I walked down the cracked sidewalk, and to where, I wasn't sure. I was never sure anymore. Leaving the Tampa area crossed my mind, and I dwelled on the thought of moving on. Losing Kimberly was painful enough, so why stay somewhere that would just hurt me even more?

Then I saw her.

I watched as she emerged from the movie theater. Her hair was long and brown like smooth chocolate. Her tanned skin glowed, even in this chilly weather. She laughed, and I almost fell over when I saw her smile.

Everything about her was captivating. And I knew right then that I wanted her.

I wanted to claim her as my own. She would be mine, and I would love her more than life itself. Kimberly was just a distant memory now. All I wanted was her. And I decided that I would have her. She would want me as I wanted her, and I was going to make sure of that.

Then, some guy who stood beside her put his arm around her. I felt the anger shooting through me and I could hardly control myself. Then, she moved away from him and waved goodbye. She started walking the way I had just come from, except on the opposite side of the street.

I needed to know where she was going. I needed to know where she lived, what she likes, where she goes to school... everything. But I couldn't meet her yet. No, not yet. I needed to know about her first.

I crossed the street and began following her, staying a safe distance away. Suddenly, she turned around. I panicked and slid into a narrow ally that was beside me. Please, don't let her have seen me, I prayed. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps again. I peered out and saw her walking again, but faster this time. Still keeping my distance, I began following her again.

She turned and crossed the street to the parking lot that was behind the bar I had come out of earlier. A truck full of obnoxious teenagers sped down the road in a red truck, hollering out the window. I frowned bitterly as they drove past. I watched as the girl jumped and dropped her keys. I stepped forward, feeling the urge to retrieve them and hand them to her, but hesitated. I couldn't reveal myself to her just yet, so I stayed in the shadows. She bent down and picked her keys up, then got into her car. I waited until she pulled out of the parking lot, then I stepped out from behind the brick wall and quickly made my way to my own car, which was parked a few spots from where hers was. I turned my car on, then peeled out of the parking lot as fast as I could to catch up to her. It wasn't so hard to do, since there weren't many cars out. I stayed behind her at a distance until she pulled into her neighborhood. She pulled into a driveway and sat in her car. I drove past what I assumed to be her house and parked a few hundred feet from her driveway. I watched in the rearview mirror as she got out of the car and walked into her house.

It took all of my self-control to not jump out of my car to claim her on the spot. The driving urge inside me wanted to take control and steal her away. The frustration was getting to me, but I tried to calm down. She probably didn't like it when someone was frustrated. I would change myself for her, so she could see that I was the one for her. All I wanted was her.

And I would get her. As soon as I knew more about her.

I drove past her house and parked on the opposite side of the street. A light came on from one of the windows, and her shadow appeared in it a few seconds later. No other cars were in the driveway, so I assumed she was home alone.

The thought of meeting her excited me. I wanted her more than anything. But only one thing was holding me back. One thing that was the most important, and the one thing I needed to know the most.

Her name.