Torturous

Persistence

•Y/N: Your Name
•E/C: Eye Color
•H/L: Hair Color
•H/T: Hair Thickness (Thin / Thick)

Author's POV:

A weight seems to lift right off of both Y/N and Richard's shoulders upon exiting the police station. The questioning had been rather nerve racking, especially in the teen's fragile state. She had to go into a room all on her own, while Rich had waited for her in a separate area for her to finish. His assurance had been helpful, though. Little did she know, he was having troubles himself, sitting among the very people that could arrest him for his "special art".

Thankfully, the time seemed to fly by, and the two were out of there in no time. Y/N's talk with the authorities had been good for one thing, though. She has a clearer mindset and had managed to calm down about the situation. However, with that problem out of the way, another arose. Rich turned out to be quite... clingy.

"So, I was thinking I should probably walk you home. You might feel a little safer that way," he suggests with a smile, but his tone was a bit too cheery. It didn't seem like he was going just to make her feel safe, so it put her on edge. She was thankful for his presence today, however, so she chose to let him down gently.

"No, that's all right. You've done more than enough for me already. I'm sure you have plenty of other things to do today anyway."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I have plenty of time for you, Y/N," he persists, but the way he worded it make her stomach clench. Again, it seemed like there was more to him just walking her home.

"Really, it's fine, Rich. I can manage on my own." Y/N forces a smile upon her lips, but the infatuated male saw no difference from her real ones. "Thank you so much for listening to me earlier. I really appreciate it." When the girl goes to walk away, the male follows, making her heart sink. He wasn't just going to let her go like she hoped.

"I insist. I wouldn't feel right letting you walk on your own after knowing there's a killer on the loose." Holding in a groan, Y/N continues walking with the man at her side. Rich stands so close to her that she tried to side-step away only for the space between them to disappear again. She had to escape this. Perhaps being more firm would get the message through loud and clear? She breathes deeply before attempting to get away yet again.

"Rich, it was nice to have some company under the terrible circumstances. I got really lucky bumping into you, but-" before she could say the rest, the man jumped on her words with bright eyes and a large smile.

"It was lucky to meet again, wasn't it? Almost like the universe was pulling us together!" Richard bends forward, coming closer to the teen's face. Y/N stares at the blonde with wide eyes, while leaning away some to gain more space between them. A nervous laugh escapes her lips before she looks away from his light brown eyes.

'Okay, this is definitely getting weird. How do I get out of this?' Looking around, she found that the streets are nearly empty, and the police station is awhile back now.

"I-I should really get home," she excuses before walking quicker. Richard's smile fades upon seeing the look of panic on her face. Eyes narrowed in determination, he speeds up to match her pace, causing the poor girl's heart to start pounding rapidly in her chest.

'Oh, s***! Oh, s***! What do I do?!'

"But, I thought we were walking together?" That was it. No more being nice. Clearly, she had to be more straightforward. Rich stops after Y/N does. The female looks up at him with an almost frightened look in her E/C orbs.