Anon's Stalker

Chapter 2

Ghoti

That evening you get a message from your friend.
"wifey is getting cabin fever so we are going out on friday"
"youre invited and so are some of her friends"
"show up"
"someone is coming that i want you to meet"
You don't have anything else going on and he is adamant.
You decide it would be best to go.

"sure where at?"

"fox and hound on the corner of 5th and preston at 6"
The rest of the week goes smoothly, unfortunately. You start noticing mainstays on your morning run.
Chiefly being the speedy cheetah, the greyhound, the doberman, and her family.
By the end of the week you find yourself fantasizing about the greyhound and the doberman. You feel a little bad about the doberman being that shes already happily married.
Friday evening comes and you walk into the bar and spot your friend David at a table flanked by his labrador wife Pam and a wolf girl you don't recognize sitting across from them.
"Anon! Hope you're well."
"Davie! Good to see you again! Pam, hope you're having a good evening."
Pam responds with a wave and a smile as you sit next to David.
David motions to the wolf girl. "Anon this is Brianne, one of Pam's friends."
Is this the girl your supposed to meet?
She holds up a hand in a wave. "Hey Anon."
Her palm is big enough to cover your face.
You notice her shirt emblazoned with the text "this is what a humanist looks like".
Well she certainly isn't your stalker.
Another let down but you don't let it show.

"Brianne, I don't think we've met before."

"Well I'm usually at the campaign office for the orange party, I'm working with the campaign this season on voter outreach.
She smiles conceitedly. "You could also find me at any of the men's rights rallies around the city. I've even helped organize some of them!"
She's laying it on thick. Too bad its entirely not what you're into.

"Sorry, demonstrations aren't really my thing."

You look over at David who has just finished conferring with Pam over her phone. "Looks like Kacia should be here soon."
"Oh good, she's so much fun!" Brianne doesn't seem entirely sincere.
Brianne starts off about some recent scandal where an actress was accused of molesting an actor.
David stands up and interrupts her. "How about I get us started. I'm gonna grab a pitcher."
He abandons you to your fate of listening to Brianne complain about a very lucky guy.
You do your best to look attentive.
Shes rather animated and every time she makes a sudden move her tits shake under her shirt.
You really wish she was as interested in pounding you into a bed as she was about 'men's rights'.
What a shame.
About the same time you see David walking back to the table with cups and a pitcher of beer Pam waves to someone behind you.
You turn to see a cheetah moving towards your table.
She's smartly dressed in a sleeveless sweater over a button up short sleeve collared shirt with a colorful, almost gaudy bow tie.
You catch her grey eyes for a moment before they're diverted to Pam.
She sits at the head of the table between you and Brianne.
Pam leans across David towards the cheetah as he sets the beer pitcher in the middle of the table and divvies out the cups. "Kacia how have you been?"
You grab the pitcher and pour yourself a drink. Kacia pushes her cup near yours and you pour for her too.
"How's work? A little bit of stress, glad its finally the weekend. You know how it is."
You point the pitcher at Brianne's cup and look at her questioningly. Instead of accepting she takes the pitcher from you and pours her own drink.
Pam replies: "Oh no, I hope it's still working out for you."
Brianne's unfinished tirade seems to be forgotten, thank goodness.
"No, I'm doing well. I just had to help someone today with a task she was struggling with, normal work stuff.
The evening goes on smoothly from there.
Whenever Brianne tried to bring up politics the conversation would get quickly changed.
She would huff a bit but no one wants to hear that.
Kacia was pretty quiet at first but after a couple drinks she livened up.
You noticed that when she would talk she seemed to look around between the party but never really made eye contact with you. She would look over your shoulder or past you more than at you.
She would also fidget with her bow tie whenever she didn't know what to say.
After a few rounds shes loosened up and starts to focus more on you.
Of course she still didn't make eye contact. She would look at her drink, you hands, your chest, or past you but eye contact was fleeting at best.
The questions were all very surface level, as if she were going down a checklist.
What do you do for work?
You work at an accounting firm. It's boring but it pays the bills. She works IT at a law office. The partners were the worst at using computers and the most demanding.
Hobbies?
You like reviewing movies online. You saw the new Night of the Long Claws recently. That seemed to elicit second hand embarrassment from her. You read books too. She plays games. You both enjoy running.
Where did you come from?
You grew up here, the only child of a fox and a man. She grew up a few sectors west but moved to the coast in middle school when her mom found a better job in the city.
She went to college for architecture first but switched to comp-sci. You went to school just to defer assignment and ended up putting your math skills into the easiest job field you could land, accounting.
When Brianne overheard your answer she tried to say something but in rare fashion Kacia spoke over her to ask you "Hey what kind of books do you read?"

"Mostly fantasy. Westerns are my recent binge."

"You mean like the old stuff from before? Banned books?"
You aren't really sure what shes talking about.

"No, like stuff about the conquest of the badlands and middle territories. Souped up dust eater cars roaring across the wastes, that kind of thing."

She has a look of sudden understanding "Ooh."
You both let it slide.
Brianne sulks a bit at being ignored but Pam and David keep her entertained.
Kacia monopolizes your attention.
She's nice, a bit quirky in her responses sometimes but otherwise nice.
You find yourself wanting to know what makes her tick.
The evening eventually winds down and the five of you spill out onto the street corner.

"Well Pam was your cabin fever sated tonight?"

She looks at you in confusion for a moment but then laughs. "Haha, is that what David said to get you out here?"
You all say your goodbyes. Brianne goes in her own direction. Pam and David head down the street towards their car. You step to the curb to hail a taxi.
"Hey Anon?"
You turn to see that Kacia has stuck around.
She's nervous but the liquid courage is doing a lot for her. Shes actually making eye contact.
"I really liked talking to you this evening. Do you think we could meet up again? Maybe for coffee?"
She is fiddling with her bow tie again.
Past her you see Pam and David have slowed down and are watching you.
Kacia is definitely asking you on a date.
David gives you a thumbs up.
It would be rude to say yes when you're waiting to get scooped up by your secret stalker.
You expect that to come soon.

"Sorry I'm not sure if that would work out for me."

You can see her visibly deflate. "Oh, alright then. Have a good night."
She awkwardly hurries off in her own direction.
David stands down the road arms out stretched and palms up as if to say "What the fuck, man?"
Why would he want you to meet Kacia if he knows someone else is going to pick you up soon?
A taxi pulls up and climb in, still confused.
A few moments later you phone buzzes at you.
a text from David.
"idiot"
"should have said yes"

"she wanted a date"
"what am i gonna do, start seeing her knowing ill be snatched away? rude"

"giving you details would ruin it but i need you to trust me"

"is she even still interested?"

"kacia? im sure."

"no the mystery girl"

"yes"
A few moments pass.
"ok im going to fix this"
"we are going bowling tomorrow. this time say yes when she asks you out."
"assuming you like her enough to say yes but with how much you were talking today i think its obvious"

"shes nice enough that i don't want to hurt her by dating while planning to get picked up by someone else"

"THEN SAY YES"
"PART OF THE PLAN"
The confusion stays with you all night until you go to bed.
Is Kacia just an actor in David's scheme?
He wouldn't put that much effort into it.