(Arata)
Dipping in curiosity I opened the message to see what he had sent.
{Knocking.....Desperate Princess....Are you there?}
A smile crept up on my lips. Seemed like it would be fun to interact with him.
I contemplated what to say, not wanting to come off as too desperate although it was so evident from my name.
Facepalm moment.
I eagerly typed back.
{I am} Quickly hitting send I impatiently waited for his response.
Three dots appeared on the screen, meaning he was typing. For unknown reasons, my pulse quickened and my eyes wouldn’t waver from my phone.
His message finally flashed on my screen and I eagerly read, forgetting that I was still in my office.
{Desperate Princess, you have been chosen for the meetup. Proceed with your answer and let me know if you are available this Saturday.}
Excitement ran in my very veins as I formulated a response. But several questions erupted in my mind.
What if he was a serial killer who lured girls like this and killed them?
No, no, in these modern times, it would have been all over the news that a bunch of girls went missing while trying to hook up with an internet celebrity.
He wouldn’t risk it. Men like him cared deeply about their reputation. Besides I could take care of myself.
Another question jumped into my brain.
What if he lived on some other continent? Was I desperate enough to go meet a random man I had recently started following?
Maybe, yes.
I needed a thrill and life was too short to let such opportunities pass. I had already wasted three years with Andy.
Collecting my thoughts, I began typing.
{How can I trust you? What’s a surety that you won’t turn out to be a sadistic serial killer?} And hit sent.
A thrilling excitement whorled through me, waiting for his response. The three dots instantly appeared followed by his response a minute later.
{You wouldn’t be texting and following me sweetie if you were this afraid. You willingly decided to meet me when you signed up. My goal is to open up a world you have never experienced before. Help you ride out your wildest fantasies, not kill you. What fun will one be as a corpse? They can’t even moan. Still to curb your fears, we will meet at a neutral venue. If you are interested, let me know, and I will share the address.}
He sent me a not-very ominous message, it chilled my bones. Like a gripping vine, an unfiltered excitement set its headquarters in the pit of my stomach.
An exhilaration like I had never experienced before rushed through me and I typed.
{I am in, where are you located?}
His reply was instant and it wasn’t what I had anticipated.
{I will be where you want me to be. State your city and I will arrange the place accordingly.}
Of course, he won’t reveal anything about himself. It was all part of his secret charm.
{Marica City.}
I didn’t have to wait much for his answer.
{Velvet Haven Club, Executive Room Blue. Wear something blue and put on a fancy mask. 8 pm on Saturday Night. Who is your favourite anime character?}
That was quick, and I could only assume that he was from Marica City, or at least he knew the city well enough to be that quick with the answer. My favourite anime character? Did he assume I watched anime?
Oh!
Then I remembered my profile picture was of Sasha from Attack On Titan. Obviously, he assumed I was into anime.
{Ken Kanegi from Tokyo Ghoul. I will be there.} I typed with my heart hammering in my chest and my cheeks shaming the strawberries.
{Twisted Rider will be waiting and at your service.}
He sent the final message with a mask emoji and my insides shuddered. I had loved Andy but this level of excitement was lacking in our relationship. The thrill of merely thinking about meeting a masked man was twisting my insides as if I had been put into a grinder and being whirled around.
Bizarre of the most bizarre, this had to be it.
Swiping the side, I clicked the phone shut and began gathering my stuff with a silly smile on my face. Saturday was around the corner and I was going shopping before that.
’Wear something blue.’ Men preferred black or red on women. This was a strange choice of colour.
Melancholy and loneliness, that’s how I always associated this colour. I was more into vibrant colours, like red, pink and purple. Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to go for a change.
By the time I packed up and headed out of my office, Karsten was already standing by the elevator, ready to leave.
He turned and his forehead just creased a fraction as I walked over to him.
"I thought you had already left."
’No, sir, I was setting up a secret date with a masked man whom I had just seen a few days ago on the internet. He might be a serial killer but his luring voice and body are so inviting that I wish to risk all my sane instincts and go meet him. Since my fucking fiancé cheated on me and married another woman, I have become slightly unhinged and want a thrill instead of boring everyday life.’ The little monologue ranted in my brain as I put on my fake professional smile and answered.
"I was just packing up."
The elevator dinged and the door opened. Like a gentleman which he was probably not, he offered me to enter first.
"After you, Miss Arata."
With a nod, I entered the elevator, and Karsten stepped inside, too; the elevator door closed, trapping us inside.
I stood in a corner and Karsten towered beside me with his right hand in his pant’s pocket and his coat on his arm.
I clutched my bag’s handle tightly. I wasn’t very fond of closed spaces like elevators. The plunging glass cubicle could very well be falling to my death.
His scent permeated the very air around us.
Why did he always smell so nice? Unknowingly I sucked in a breath, longer than usual and then another.
Like a potent male, the ones my mom loved writing about. He could easily be the male lead in one of her stories.
"It’s a limited edition, Elipse Embers," he said subtly.
Confused, I asked. "What is?"
And his head turned and obsidian eyes flickered towards me. Mocking amusement I found swimming in them.
"My cologne."