Chapter 5: The Missed Date
825 Words
Chloe stared at her phone long after the call had ended.
No missed call.
No text.
Nothing.
She wasn’t sure why it bothered her.
It wasn’t like Liam owed her anything.
They’d only met a handful of times.
Still…
Asking someone out and disappearing in the middle of the conversation wasn’t exactly polite.
Emma walked into the living room carrying two bowls of ice cream.
“You look like someone canceled your wedding.”
Chloe laughed.
“It’s not that serious.”
Emma handed her a bowl before dropping onto the couch.
“So, what happened?”
“Remember that guy I told you about?”
“The mysterious coffee customer?”
“Yeah.”
“What about him?”
“He called.”
Emma nearly dropped her spoon.
“He called?”
“He asked me to dinner.”
“And?”
“The call disconnected before I answered.”
Emma narrowed her eyes.
“Did he call back?”
“No.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Either he’s playing games…”
She paused dramatically.
“…or something interrupted him.”
Chloe rolled her eyes.
“You’ve watched too many crime shows.”
“Maybe.”
Emma pointed her spoon toward Chloe.
“But if he doesn’t call back tomorrow, forget him.”
Chloe nodded.
“I wasn’t planning on waiting around.”
She meant it.
Or at least she wanted to.
⸻
The next morning arrived with clear skies and unbearable heat.
The café was already busy when Chloe clocked in.
By ten o’clock, she’d served countless customers.
None of them were Liam.
She hated that she’d noticed.
Around noon, the café door opened.
Her heart skipped.
Then immediately settled.
Not Liam.
Instead, a man in a navy-blue shirt stepped inside.
Tall.
Blond.
Familiar.
It took Chloe a second to place him.
The man she’d seen talking to Liam outside Blackwood Financial.
He looked around before walking toward the counter.
“Table for one?” Chloe asked politely.
He smiled.
“Actually… I’m looking for someone.”
“Who?”
“You.”
She blinked.
“I’m sorry?”
“My name is Aiden.”
He offered his hand.
“I believe we’ve seen each other before.”
She hesitated before shaking it.
“Outside the office building.”
He nodded.
“I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself.”
“How do you know Liam?”
“We’ve known each other a long time.”
Friends?
Brothers?
Coworkers?
She couldn’t quite tell.
“You can sit anywhere you’d like,” Chloe said.
Aiden chose a booth near the window.
When she returned to take his order, he closed the menu.
“I’m not really here for lunch.”
That made her pause.
“Then why are you here?”
“I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?”
“For Liam.”
Her eyebrows knitted together.
“What did he do?”
“He had to leave suddenly last night.”
“So it wasn’t intentional.”
“No.”
Aiden’s expression grew serious.
“If he hurt your feelings…”
“He didn’t.”
“…he’d regret it.”
There was something odd about the way he said it.
Almost protective.
Before Chloe could respond, the café television switched from music to breaking news.
Everyone looked up.
BREAKING NEWS
A hiker had gone missing overnight in a protected forest just outside the city.
Police were asking residents to avoid the area until further notice.
The screen briefly showed helicopter footage of dense woodland surrounded by flashing patrol cars.
Aiden stared at the television.
Every trace of warmth disappeared from his face.
“Excuse me.”
He stood so quickly his chair scraped across the floor.
Without waiting for his order, he hurried outside.
Curious, Chloe glanced through the window.
A black motorcycle pulled up to the curb.
Aiden climbed on before speeding away.
She watched until he disappeared into traffic.
“That’s weird,” Mia muttered behind her.
“What is?”
“The guy forgot his wallet.”
She held up a dark leather wallet left behind on the table.
“I’ll catch him.”
Chloe grabbed it and hurried outside.
She scanned the street.
No motorcycle.
No Aiden.
Just crowds moving along the sidewalk.
Then she noticed something lying beside the curb.
A silver pendant.
It must have fallen from Aiden’s pocket.
She picked it up.
It felt unusually warm in her hand.
The pendant was shaped like a crescent moon, and engraved on the back was a single symbol she had never seen before.
As Chloe turned it over, a cold shiver raced down her spine.
She had the unmistakable feeling…
Someone was watching her.
Slowly, she looked across the street.
Standing between two parked cars was Liam.
His eyes weren’t on her.
They were fixed on the pendant in her hand.
For the first time since she’d met him…
He looked afraid.
- Writer
