Psychotic (A Harry Styles Fanfiction)

Chapter 10

"Ugh," I groaned, not at James' arrival but more so at the timing of it. Why was he so early?

"I guess that's my cue to leave, good luck!" She told me before swinging open the apartment door. She rushed past James as she greeted him with a quick hello, then continued to scurry away down the hall. We would continue that conversation later, I told myself, whether she liked it or not.

With the acceptance that I would have to hold off on uncovering the Cynthia Porter mystery for now, I faced James and his warm grin. He wore dark dress pants and a white button-up shirt, the clothing adorning his body wonderfully.

"Hi Rose," he greeted. "You look lovely."

"Thanks, so do you," I told him, my cheeks immediately heating up at the realization that I just said that out loud. James looked down and laughed modestly, if a laugh could even be modest.

"You ready to go?" He asked. I nodded, shutting the door behind me as James and I walked side by side.

"Sorry I got here so early, I just wanted to make sure we got there on time to get a table."

"It's okay," I said. "I was ready anyway."

We continued to make small talk all the way to the restaurant, mostly just chatting about the weather and his car. Well it wasn't his, he told me, it was his brother's. He was just borrowing it for the night. We talked about work a little, too, and I thought about bringing up Cynthia to see if James could shed any light on the subject, but I decided against it. Like Kelsey said, I just needed to have fun tonight.

And that's what I planned to do when we parked; have fun. The only legal parking spot was a small ways away from the restaurant, so we had to walk there. But as I stepped out of the vehicle I noticed a man in a black coat standing on the sidewalk. The reason I took note of the figure was the mystery of it; his hood was pulled up over his head, the dark of the night concealing his face as he stood against a building, almost out of sight as if he were part of the dark shadows. I just thought it was odd, that he was so hidden like that. But I didn't think think much about it as James and I walked towards the restaurant.

He had tried to offer me his jacket once more but I declined. Last time I hadn't even remembered to give it back until the week later, and it wasn't that cold out. We mostly walked the short distance in silence with London's usual bustling roar quieting as the day faded into darkness. I subconsciously looked over my shoulder to confirm the thought, seeing if there was anyone along the streets; but I wish I hadn't.

Because he was there. Just a couple steps away, far enough that he was amongst the shadows but I could still make out his silhouette. The man that had been standing where we parked. My heart jumped in my chest as I quickened my pace, but then I told myself to calm down. I was getting so jumpy lately with everything going on. Maybe this man was just headed in the same direction.

But as our strides continued I could still make out his footsteps, not daring to look back. We turned a sharp corner, James still talking but I wasn't really focused on the conversation at the moment.

The man turned the corner too.

"James?" I asked abruptly, interrupting him.

"Yeah?"

"How close are we to the restaurant?" 

"It's right up there," he told me, pointing towards a sign just a few buildings away.

I nodded, eager to get there quickly. I didn't want to worry James with our possible "stalker" because it could really be nothing; I just had a chilling feeling about it. I could almost feel him behind me, walking in sync with James and I like a lion stalking it's prey.