I gasped. It was as if the DJ was referring to me. I shook my head. That mysterious man was among the reason why I’m stressed. I did not get to question my employees in the hotel because when we reviewed the CCTV footage in the control room, his face did not appear. It did not even show that he approached me. The video clearly showed that I was alone when I went back to the banquet hall. There was also no evidence about the night when I was attacked at the office. And it was driving me insane. I could not even tell anyone about it.
In this age and time, who would believe me anyway? And God… what was that creature? Where did he come from? Was the stranger dealing with those kinds of people all these time? Because he did not seem faze at all when he saw the creepy guy.
I did not see the stranger again after he vanished. That was four nights ago. It was like he was expecting me to forget what happened that night but I didn’t. Everything was as clear as water in my memory. I remember all of it. Even the fear and the tension. Thanks to that, I make sure to leave right on the dot nowadays. The mere idea of being alone in my office still creeps me out that’s why I now have to ask my secretary to join me inside my office.
I’ve been having nightmares about that creature. I would have freaked out if not for the stranger’s face that would pop up each time. And he would turn those nightmares into normal dreams. Because even in those dreams, he would show up to save me.
But there were no traces of him anywhere.
It was as if my imagination just played a huge trick on me twice, especially when the staff told me that they did not remember seeing the guy. I described him to them but it did not work. I even started to doubt if someone meddled with the footage. I wanted to keep investigating because deep inside, despite the stranger’s warning, I still wanted to see him again. But I didn’t know where to begin. There weren’t any leads at all. There also weren’t any incident reported inside the hotel.
The guy was also a victim. He was wounded the first time we met. He should coordinate with the hotel management himself so we could do something about it. But to my disappointment, he did not show up again. And it seems that he had no plans of showing up anymore.
But what if the reason for his wounds were the very creature who attacked me? Could that be the reason why he did not reach out? Because he knew it would be futile? Despite my job position, what could I do anyway if the attackers were those creatures? My frustration came back.
“I love to see the ocean’s beauty and the moon that shines above. Alone in the sand, looking at the stars, wishing someday I would find true love. Would it be nice to see the morning with the one you love the most? Would it be nice to say good night to the one you hold so close to your heart?”
“I think so, too,” I whispered while listening to the lyrics of the song. It was my first time listening to it but it sounded nice. It was suddenly making me wish to have somebody to be with right at this minute. It would have been nice to have someone to look at the stars with, to have someone whom I could reveal all my innermost thoughts to other than my best friend, someone who would hold my hand and quietly embrace me at times like this, and someone who would not attempt to sugarcoat things just to make me feel better.
I glanced at the window and looked up at the sky. For the first time, I found myself thankful for the traffic. It made me change my mind.
The DJ was right. I had a really stressful day. I might as well buy myself my favorite pizza and ice cream as a reward for getting through another epic day. I would answer all the calls and emails tomorrow. I would think of another plan tomorrow. Now that I’m out of the office, this night, this time, was mine. And mine alone.
“Would it be nice to hold someone so dear, near your heart? Would it be nice to hear I love you from the one you love? The wind that blows the dove is the wind that blows my love. Hope it’ll find its way to you wherever you are…”
I sighed. I love you. Those used to be empty words for me. I’ve heard that many times from the men who courted me. But these past few days, despite my busy schedule, I would find myself thinking about those words. And each time I would think about love, a specific face would immediately pop in my mind.
When the rain poured, I raised the volume of the radio and glanced around. My eyes widened when I saw the mysterious guy from the hotel before. I even opened the window to make sure it was him. He came out of the famous bakeshop and was about to ride on his motorbike when he stopped to look at the waiting shed.
My vision was twenty-twenty. Aside from that, I could see things clearly outside because of the lamp posts and the lights from different establishments. That’s why I’m sure that he was the same guy who told me that I should be wary of him. It was rare to see a face that good looking that’s why I can’t make a mistake about it.
The guy ran towards the old woman who were selling rags. To my surprise, he bought all of the rags and gave his umbrella to the old woman including the breads that he bought. And then he came back to his motorbike while carrying all the rags which he just put in his compartment.