3

Abi watched the vapor of her thick, foggy breath as it bellowed out and dissipated like steam from a runaway train. The straps of her handbag pressed into the flesh on her palms as she gripped tight and prepared to swing. It contained all her life, from her makeup to her wallet and to everything else she cared about. It was a mess, but it was heavy enough to do some serious damage.

And right now, it was all she had.

Abi watched as her would-be attacker appeared out of the shadows, stepping into the fog of her heavy breath. He had slowed, knowing the chase was at an end. Abi prepared to scream, to fight to her last breath. Then she saw her attacker’s face and quickly began to regret running away.

It was Robert. And he looked even more nervous and sweaty than he had before.

He just stared at her, and she stared right back. He was the last person she had expected to see, and although she knew she should have been relieved, the more she stared and the more awkward it became, the more she wished he had been a violent mugger after all.

“Robert?” she said eventually. “What—” Only then did she see that he was holding her phone in one hand and her shoes in the other.

Her phone wasn’t in her handbag after all. She must have left it in the restaurant, and he was returning it, along with the shoes she had left in her wake.

It all clicked into place and she felt embarrassed for running away. She also felt a spark of anger at him for running after her when she was alone in a park at night. What was she supposed to think?

“Oh, thank—thank you.” She calmly took her phone and the shoes, holding his stare as she did so. “You’re so kind.” That’s what she said, and judging by the smile on his face, she knew that’s what he believed. But that’s not what she thought. The words going through her head contained a little more disbelief and a lot more cursing.

But as quickly as those words formed, they began to fade. She reasoned with herself. Partly because she wanted to, partly because at that moment he looked like a small child begging for love. Robert had somewhat beady eyes that always seemed to be downcast, but at that moment, they looked like the eyes of a submissive puppy, and they seemed to be growing wider and wider as she stared into them. He looked a little unsure of himself, no doubt sensing her fear and pondering the ridiculousness of what had just happened.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I just—I saw you run, and I just wanted to give you your phone and make sure you were safe.”

By chasing me through a park at midnight?

“I understand,” she lied.

“I tried shouting to you but—” he shrugged. “You mustn’t have heard.”

Maybe I was too busy shitting myself and waiting for death.

“And then the shoes …” he continued, trailing off, his eyes lowered, avoiding the panic-stricken elephant in the room.

She grimaced as another flare of anger rose in her and then quickly subsided, this time overridden by pity.

“Do you want me to accompany you home?” he asked.

“No, it’s—”

“I have the car just at the entrance,” he interjected. “I’m actually going this way; we can just walk back and—”

“No. The taxi driver is waiting for me around the corner,” Abi said. It was the first thing that came to mind, and she blurted it out. She wanted to avoid getting into a car with him, she wanted to get away from him. And just in case he was planning to rape her, mug her, or kill her, she also wanted to let him know that now probably wasn’t a good time.

Robert seemed confused, and she couldn’t blame him.

“He said he couldn’t meet me outside the restaurant,” she added, deciding to run with the lie. “You know what taxi drivers are like.”

Robert nodded, an instinctive reaction that accompanied a smile. “So, goodnight then?”

Abi nodded. “Yes. It was great seeing you again.” She scrunched up her face. “I mean, because that’s the second time I said that, not because we just saw each other again.” She smiled. “Even though we did.”

He moved in for a kiss, Abi reached out and shook his hand. Squeezing a little more firmly than intended.

It’s a good thing he’s weird, Abi thought to herself. Otherwise, I’d feel like an idiot right now.

Robert turned and left and Abi watched him go. When he had disappeared out of view, into the darkness, she looked down at her feet and then at her phone. She slowly shook her head, not sure whether she should be angry at herself or at Robert.

She dropped her phone into her pocket, slipped on her shoes, and continued on her journey home, walking at a brisk pace in case Robert changed his mind and decided to walk her to her nonexistent taxi.