Obsession (8 page)

Well, after the moment when for Rick it was all over, the woman continued to consider him her boyfriend and showed up uninvited at his house and office.  Rick was not really worried then, but Monica’s behavior was causing him a lot of other problems.  His colleagues and friends were constantly joking about her
love
for him, and a few of his female acquaintances were feeling harassed by her.

By the time Rick met Allison, things had calmed down considerably, and he had started hoping that all was over.  Monica, however, had other plans.  She had never stopped following him around, just had become better at it.  She knew his program, and followed him everywhere he would go.  There were nights when she stood in her car in front of his house, waiting for him to pass near the window, so that she could see him for just a moment.

And then Allison arrived!  This new woman was an unexpected complication in her well designed plan to get Rick back.  She was different from the other women Rick knew, and she was very different from Monica.  That made her especially dangerous.

Monica needed to learn about her, she needed to know her better that anyone, so that she could fight against her.  Unaware of the danger, Rick and Allison were slowly falling in love.

And now, after all that Monica had done to keep Rick away from her, she dared to come here and tell Monica that she would never have Rick again.  How mistaken she was!  There was nothing in this life able to keep her away from him.  Not even a woman like Allison.

Monica stood up and carefully dressed in her own clothes.  She had seen the officer at the door, but she was also determined to get out of here.  She walked carefully to the door, and took a position near it, waiting for the right moment.  After a while, the officer was called to the nearby desk, and Monica used his distraction to exit the room and walk to the end of the corridor.  She was still a little dizzy from the accident, but there was no way that she was stopping now.

She took the stairs down to the parking lot, and waited for a taxi to come her way.  The long drive to the motel she was currently staying at gave her the time to think things over, and decide about her next move.

A new plan was already forming in her mind, and she felt the adrenaline rise in her veins.  Allison would be surprised to see how much Monica really cared for Rick, and what she was capable of doing for him.  And Rick?  Rick would finally see who really loved him.

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Chapter 13

“I would never stop, I would never let you go...” 
Monica’s Diary
.

Allison arrived at the precinct half an hour later, to find Rick waiting for her just outside it.  She gave him a warm hug.  The evidence against him having been dismissed, Rick was a free man once again.  It always surprised her how safe and happy she felt in his arms.  There was some kind of magic emanating from him, which had a lot to do with his kindness and understanding.

Allison understood well Monica’s obsession with the guy, as she could see herself in the same position.  Surely not stalking him and his girlfriend, but wanting him back and hoping for that to happen.  She, however, did not understand Monica’s delusions and detachment from reality.  It was one thing to want someone so badly that it hurts, and completely another to stalk him and make his life a living hell.

“I am starving,” Rick said against the soft skin of her neck.  “Let’s go eat something.”

“I am so glad that you are out,” Allison sobbed.

“And I am glad that you are okay, and Monica is finally behind bars,” Rick said, really hoping that this would happen.  Monica had proven to be very dangerous, and he still feared that she might find some new way to hurt them.

“She is hurt, you know?”  Allison informed him. 

“Did you speak with her?”  Rick waited for Allison’s confirmation, and continued, “I want you to tell me all about it.”

They went to a small family restaurant that served excellent Italian food, and ordered some carbonara.  Allison watched him eat for a while, and then started narrating the events from today.  She knew that it was important for Rick to know everything that happened, especially after spending the last few hours in jail.

“When you call me to say that the police are keeping you in, I get so angry that I was not thinking straight.  So, I went out with the car and started driving to all the places that I usually go.  I hoped that Monica would be out there, looking for me.  After a while, I saw her driving behind me, and called the police to let them know where she was.  Then I lured her into a side street, but I underestimated her hatred, as she did not hesitate to try and run me off the road again.”

Allison took a break here, reliving the horror of those few seconds, when it had become obvious that Monica’s intentions were dangerous.  The woman was past the stalking period, and had escalated to physical harm.  There had been no one around to help her at that moment, and Allison had been sorry for ever taking the risk to come out and face Monica alone.

“Anyway, I was able to return her the favor, and it was Monica’s car that crashed into the wall.  She was hurt, but not so badly, as I was expecting when I saw the blood.  The doctor said that she can leave the hospital after 24 hours.”

“I do not want to see the woman again, but I am glad that she was not hurt very bad.  Really, I just want Monica to leave us alone.”  Rick expressed his opinion on the subject, now that he had finished his meal.

“I spoke with her, and learned that Monica had a really bad childhood, after her parents died.  I think that after that she focused on her career and forgot all about the simple joys in life.  When she spoke about you, all she had to say was that you were perfect for each other, that I was not for you, that you and I were too different...”

“I think that Monica has some kind of an ideal man in her head that she has to have at all costs.  I suppose your kindness and success in business had convinced her that you are that man.  Now she is unable to go past the thought that she had you and now I have you.”  Allison continued her tale, still unsure of how Monica’s mind was working.

“Yes, I thought that much,” Rick agreed with her.  “What else did she tell you?”

“Do you know that she had already planned everything about your wedding?  She even bought the dress!”  Allison shook her head, still unable to conceive Monica’s actions.

“She did what?”  Rick choked on his drink.  “That must be the reason why a few people congratulated me on my future wedding.  I always thought that they confused me with someone else.”

“No,” Allison assured him.  “Monica had it all planned out and if I understood well, she still thinks that the wedding is on.”

“She is really disturbed then,” Rick said, feeling really sorry for the young and beautiful woman that had her whole life in front of her, but was not able to look past some old obsession.

“I tried to tell her that everything between you and her is over, but she chose not to listen to me.  Rick, I think that you should go to the hospital and talk to her again.”  Allison took his hand and pleaded with him to understand her motives.  “Monica needs some kind of shock to help her return to reality, and I think that you are the only human being able to do that.”

Rick agreed with her reluctantly, and after paying for their meal, they headed for the hospital.  The officer was still standing in front of her room, but when Rick opened the door, the bed was empty, and Monica was nowhere to be found.

She had escaped!

The officer was really surprised to see the room empty, and explained to them that after Allison left her, no one had either entered or exited that room.  He called the detective assigned to the case, and explained the situation.

Rick and Allison were asked to wait for detective Martinez to arrive, and they sat down in the corridor.  Rick took her hand in his, and started to massage it gently, giving Allison a new kind of comfort.

“She is again out there...”  Allison said out loud what both of them were thinking.  This sick woman who had tried two times to kill Allison was once again free to do so.  The fear was too strong to be dismissed, and all Allison could think about was the dark promise she saw in Monica’s eyes.

“I would never let her touch you again.”  Rick promised her.

“I wonder if that would be enough...”  Allison expressed her deepest fear.

At that moment, detective Martinez appeared in front of them, and thanked them for waiting for him.  He went to speak to the officer first and take his statement, before returning to the two of them.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?” he asked them.  “Because I am dying for one.”

They agreed, and all three of them walked to the hospital cafeteria.  The detective waited for the coffee to be served, before asking the question they all knew was coming.

“What are you two doing here?” Detective Martinez asked with a serious expression on his face.

Allison was the one that answered him, after stopping Rick.  “After I talked to the woman, I realized that she is still living in the illusion that Rick is going to marry her.  I told Rick about it, and we decided that the best thing to do is for him to tell her that nothing is going to happen between them.”

“Right,” the detective said.  “How did you leave her?  I understood that you were the last one seeing her in her room.”

“Yes,” Allison confirmed.  “The officer said that no one had gone inside after me.  Monica was very agitated, and she refused to hear a word of what I was saying.  She told me a little about her childhood, and the way she saw her relationship with Rick.  Then she described the wedding she has been planning for the both of them, and dismissed me as just an obstacle on their way to real happiness.  She was completely delusional and very determined to have it all her way.”

“From what I heard from her colleagues and neighbors, this kind of behavior is not something new to her.  I am sorry you became the victims of her sick obsession.  We are going to look for her, but I recommend for you to be careful and call me immediately, if you see her again.”

Allison and Rick promised to do just that, and thanked the detective for his help and support.

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

Chapter 14

“Some people say that love is simply a feeling that we like so much that we spend our lives chasing after it.  I think that love is more than that, love is an essential part of me and without it, I am only a half person, and feel like a wounded bird...” 
Monica’s Diary
.

After leaving the hospital, Rick drove them to a secluded place in the park, and they spent the next hour talking and looking at the beautiful woods around them.  Monica was constantly in their minds, but they both knew that she would never be able to change the way they felt for each other.

The hardship that Monica had brought into their lives was bringing them closer than ever.  Allison was feeling that Rick was someone she could love and spent her life with, while Rick already planned their future together.  Neither of them considered leaving the other because of what Monica did or said.

Rick found really funny the way she continued to consider him hers, after all she had seen and imagined happening between him and Allison.  All their friends, especially Liz, were considering them a steady couple with a future in front of them.

And here was Monica, the only woman in Rick’s life who refused to listen to him and comprehend that between them it was over.  He remembered only too well the multiple times she showed up at his house, behaving as if nothing was done or said before.  Monica had been acting as if he never told her that it was over.

But now here was Allison.  Allison, who was slowly falling asleep near him.  She was all Monica wasn’t and yet, Rick loved her more than any other woman in his life.  His thoughts became hectic, and he felt the sleep overpowering his tired mind.

Rick woke up in the corner of the backseat of the car, Allison’s head in his lap.  It was still dark outside, but the moon was illuminating the woods and the clearing in front of them.  Rick moved his head against the window, and peered over the front seat to see the clock in the dash: 3:45 am. They were not going anywhere any time soon, that was for sure.

The front window was cracked for fresh air, but his corner of the car was warm and quiet, and Allison had a blanket pulled up under her chin.  Allison was on her back, her face turned towards Rick’s belly, one hand resting on his stomach, and the other tucked behind Rick’s back.  Rick shifted carefully, trying not to dislodge her, and snuggled deeper into his coat.  Allison’s head now was right against his crotch, warm and heavy, and he could not help himself, and rolled his hips up slowly, smiling to himself, pressing the soft bulge against Allison’s cheek.

Allison stirred, murmuring something under her nose, and Rick stopped.  He was half-hard in his jeans, just from the heat of Allison’s body and the thought of her mouth.  Rick moved his hand through her long hair to quiet her. 

Allison moved again, and Rick watched her eyes blink open in the dark.  Allison squinted up at him, nuzzled her face against Rick’s stomach, and started to shift back.  She ran right into the hardening line of Rick’s erection, and Rick saw the shadow of her smile.

“Allison,” Rick breathed a plea and a warning at the same time.  Allison just smiled at him, a brief flash of white teeth, and unfastened his belt.  Rick’s hand disobeyed him, and slid over Allison’s breasts, gently massaging them.

His hand was obvious under the blanket, and it sent a thrill down his back at the lack of secrecy. He was going to have sex with Allison in the backseat of the car, while they were sitting in the middle of the park, completely in the open. 

Allison eased her other hand up the inseam of Rick’s pants and cupped him through the denim.  Rick canted his hips forwards, sliding down in his seat, struggling to control his breathing.  He squeezed his fingers lightly, and Allison muffled a gasp into Rick’s stomach.  Her breath was hot and soaked right through Rick’s skirt to his skin.  Rick wanted to kiss her, lick her mouth open, and get inside, but he had to satisfy himself with tugging Allison’s hair until she looked up, and licking his lower lip while Allison watched.