LURKING IN THE DARK

Strange Occurrence

"Hi."

"Hello."

Sarah replied to a tall and slender lady standing in front of her with a tray of food.

She had a very pretty face and a perfect banging body that one could easily notice with the body-hugging gown she was wearing.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

She asked with a smile Sarah found to be a bit weird.

"Yes, I mind ma'am. I am here with my husband, who is over there to get us something to eat too."

Sarah replied, pointing at her husband who was just starting to walk towards their table with a tray of food.

"Oh, your husband."

She replied, forcing a smile.

"Is there a problem?"

Sarah questioned her.

"No, I will just find somewhere else to sit."

She replied and walked over to another table.

"What's the matter?"

Collins, who had noticed the red-headed lady before she left for another table, questioned Sarah.

"I don't know. She wanted to sit with me, but I told her you were with me already before she decided to leave. I can't deny the fact that she is weird though."

With a sarcastic chuckle, Collins replied.

"That might not be the case. She probably just wants to be friends with you."

"You think so?"

She asked, taking a sip from the juice her husband had brought while still staring at the red-headed lady, who now seemed to be having a tough time with her phone, angrily pressing it.

"I still think she is weird."

Sarah whispered back to her husband.

"Stop staring at her, Sarah."

Collins said, putting the fork in his hand halfway into his mouth while still trying to understand why his wife was staring at a total stranger that way.

"Okay!" She replied, giggling.

"Well, we need to eat and take enough rest before our flight this evening. I don't want to risk being tired throughout our journey."

She said, with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Well, if for one thing, Collins knows his wife to be someone that loves adventures and traveling. It's even because of her they decided to start traveling to different countries every year.

"Where is the camera, Collins?"

Sarah asked her husband in a rather calm tone.

.

"Camera? We didn't bring a camera Sarah."

Collins replied, followed by a sharp surprised look on his face.

"Ugh, Collins, so you wouldn't have brought one if I didn't?"

"Totally forgot Sarah."

He replied, not believing himself to have actually forgotten to bring a camera.

" Never mind… I knew you didn't take it, so I left one in your bag while we were arranging.

Not having a camera will be bad for our adventure… you know. "

She sipped her drink while looking at her husband sassily, as if to let him know he had almost fumbled.

"I cannot afford to miss every highlight there is to capture."

She said, looking at her husband straight in the eyes as if trying to pass a message.

"At least you left one in my bag. So we are still good to go."

Collins replied to his wife playfully, bending his head a little and looking sideways.

"I can't believe I forgot to bring the damn camera."

He whispered to himself, nodding his head in slight disbelief.

**************************************************

After about 30 minutes of chit-chatting, Collins and Sarah decided to move back to their hotel room to relax before their flight.

"We meet again!"

The red-headed lady who had earlier approached Sarah exclaimed, opening her teeth wide enough for them to see her thirty-two teeth, which might actually be thirty-one, due to the obvious tooth missing in front.

Her smile became awkward when she realized she didn't get back any replies but only hard stares instead.

Reluctantly, Sarah replied, "Hi... again."

" Ahem! I see you are heading towards that room. "

The red-headed lady said, pointing at the door Collins and Sarah were about to enter.

"Is that your room?"

She asked, still pointing at the door.

"Yes, any problem?."

Sarah replied this time with a clear mean look.

"Oh no. Just thinking about it being a coincidence."

"That what?"

Sarah asked, trying to understand what the annoying lady in front of her was trying to pull.

"That your room is next to mine."

She said, her gray eyes shifting to look at Collins while keeping a really wild smile on her face.

"Oh…"

Sarah said aloud, turning to her husband as if to see if he was sensing what she was sensing.

"It must be fate bringing us together."

The red-headed lady continued.

"You have a meeting here right? I saw some groups of people moving towards the conference room, so..."

"No, we aren't here for any meetings, Mrs..."

Collins interrupted the red-headed lady, pausing for a moment with an expression that depicted he was trying to get her name.

"Miss Stephanie."

The red-headed replied, still smiling widely while at the same time looking at Collins like she caught something that interested her in his eyes.

She then made a move to shake him when Sarah called out to her with a serious look on her face.

"Miss Stephanie? I am sorry, but we are here for more important things than just exchanging pleasantries with you."

Her voice tightened, showing she is starting to get angry.

"We aren't here for any meetings. We are actually preparing to go...."

"Yeah, we are just here to relax and go catch fun, Miss."

Collins interrupted Sarah and abruptly tried to end the discussion with the strange woman standing in front of them.

"Nice meeting you by the way."

Stephanie replied, waving at Collins.

"Yeah."

The couple headed into their room, with Stephanie still standing and watching the couple head over to their room before going to hers.

"What was that about honey?"

Collins queried his wife, locking the door from behind.

"I don't know either. You said earlier that she might have just wanted to be friends with me at the table while we were eating, but it is looking like something else now. I am starting to suspect her. "

"Sweetheart, I am not even talking about her being weird or any other thing you might seem to notice. What I am concerned about is that you were trying to answer her question of why we are here in the hotel by saying we are here to go on a vacation. Don't you know it's wrong to divulge information to strangers just like that Sarah. We don't know her from anywhere Sarah."

Collins said it with a frown.

"God... I know.. I.. Well, you are right. I am sorry. I was just …" Sarah still stuttering was interrupted by Collins.

"Are you okay?"

Collins who had a frown on his face earlier, replaced it with a look of worry as his wife began to pace up and down.

"Yes, I am. I am just suspecting this lady. Why are we coincidentally meeting her here again? I also saw the way she was looking at you. I hate it!"

Sarah replied, now visibly angry.

"What?! I don't get you girl... How was she looking at me? .. She obviously was seeing me up close for the first time and wanted to greet me well since she might as well have figured out I am the man you were referring to as your husband.

It's something any regular person will do. Why worrying yourself like this?"

"It's not like I wish to worry unnecessarily, but I am still standing on the fact that I think she is up to something. Maybe it is you she is after."

"Me?! … Now this is sounding ridiculous. I don't even know her from anywhere, Sarah. Why will she be after me?"

Collins questioned his wife, obviously getting irritated by the comment she just made.

"I am sorry. Not trying to make you get annoyed by saying that. It's just what I noticed.

You know you are a really handsome man... I might probably tilt to thay side when thinking. It's inevitable ! I mean... Which wife won't think that way?"

Sarah said lowering her head in a way that showed she was shy of meeting her husband's gaze.

"What?!"

Collins exclaimed, a little laugh escaping from his mouth.

"What did you say, dear?"

He asked her.

"You heard me, babe, and you know I am not lying."

She looked back at him, worry written all over her face.

"You are seriously saying and doing all these now?"

Collins asked, still surprised.

"Nothing like that can ever happen, Sarah, if you think a woman will snatch me from you. I am not expecting you to even say that. Don't you trust me anymore?"

"I do. Just being suspicious of that woman, that's all. It's not that I don't trust you."

"Okay... okay. Stop with all of this. Don't let that ruin our vacation, please."

Collins said while Sarah nodded her head in agreement, smiling at her husband and resting on his chest.

After resting for about two hours in each other's arms, the alarm from Sarah's phone disrupted their rest, signaling to them that it was time to move to the airport.

While moving their bags out, Sarah immediately brought out the camera and took a picture of them and the hotel room while she vlogged as they moved the bags out of their room.

**************************************************

"Collins! Say cheese!"

"Cheeseeee!"

Collins mouthed along with Sarah, making their teeth all appear as they took multiple pictures.

They had their bags checked in earlier, and all passengers are now ready to board the plane.

After taking a few pictures outside, they both headed in, greeting other passengers already seated as they walked past them and over to their seats.

Sarah, who sat close to the window of the plane with all smiles, called the attention of her husband to the clouds outside.

" It is such a beautiful sight to behold darling."

Sarah said softly while they both giggled immediately, followed by a third giggle.

"The view is beautiful, isn't it?"