'A stranger sat at her table, claiming to be her soulmate.'


That's how I'm sure someone else would explain how it all started. A bystander, watching, maybe concerned, but remaining in the sidelines nonetheless.


I looked up from my fries to find that I was no longer alone at my table. Sitting across from me was a man, not the worst looking guy, but looks never really matter when you say something that insane to a stranger. I considered saying something, but what do you even say in this situation? Was this some sort of weird attempt at flirting?


"Did you hear me? You're my soulmate, Mimi." He spoke up again, breaking the silence and doubling down.


"Oh! Are... You a fan..?" I glanced around, and nobody was really keeping an eye on us after the initial statement. He referred to me by the name I go by online, when I make my videos. It was hard to tell if that made it better or worse.


"I'm more than a fan, I'm in love with you. I saw you here and knew it was a sign that we were meant to be together."

He had a very intense look on his face, as if he was simply stating objective facts instead of borderline harassment. I must have had an uncomfortable look on my face because he suddenly looked a little upset; it made me a want to sit farther away.


"Aren't you going to give me your number? I said I'm in love with you, Mimi." He was definitely pressuring me, but I would have rathered give my number to a brick wall than this guy.

Its unfortunately not that unusual for guys to expect my number when doing the bare minimum of flirting or after buying me a drink, but usually there was more people around, a safe and public setting. This setting was definitely public, but there wasn't as many people as what I would have preferred.


"No, no thank you... I don't even know you.."

I had meant to sound far more confident, but I didn't want this guy to snap at me.


"But I know you, that's enough! I can tell you about me right now!" He was definitely getting upset. I felt relieved that there was a person or two staring our way; it felt like a safety net was cast over me.


"I have to go now, sorry." I got up and bundled my food. I didn't care if I had to eat it cold anymore. I didn't have an appetite right now anyway. To my disappointment, he got up too. He even started walking out with me. I told him to leave me alone, but he didn't respond, just silently stopped walking. At first I felt like that was the end of it, but when I turned a corner, I saw him following from a distance from the corner of my eye.

'This couldn't be happening', I told myself; but it was. I grabbed my phone and pressed a random contact, panicking and just needing anyone to listen. After a few rings, I heard the voice of my brother.


"Hey, what's up?" He sounded a bit distracted, he was probably at work right now; better make this quick then.


"Hey, man, I'm walking on Cull Avenue, I think I'm being followed."


"Followed?" I could practically hear him sit more upright.


"Yea, there was this guy that approached me, he said he was a fan of me, and-"


"Oh, you're fine then?" Not only did he cut me off before I could say the worse of it, but he confused me.


"What? No, I said I'm being followed by a fan, are you even listening?" I was trying my best to not let the panic seep in too much, but who wouldn't freak out a little?


"Yea, yea, I'm listening, but if it's just a fan, it's no big deal. Just sign an autograph or whatever. You signed up for this kinda stuff when you started posting as Mimi, you gotta deal with it. See you at dinner."


Before I could even say anything, he hung up on me. I took a random turn to see if I was still being followed, and if before wasn't proof of it, this surely was: he was getting closer, a look of malicious determination on his face. Not to sound cliche, but the way he looked at me like a target instead of a person gave me shudders. Was he following me home? Was he just trying to corner and force me to give him my number? Or worse?

All this fear I felt, and my brother dismissed it all. I couldn't believe it. How could someone who says they're a good person get dismissive when someone they love tells them they're being harassed? I decided that maybe I could call the police, but God knows they wouldn't do anything.

It was getting dark, and I couldn't stay out here. I couldn't go home either. I tried to find somewhere to duck into, hide in a bathroom or something, but all the stores were starting to close up for the night. I found a 24 hour convenience store still open and nearly ran to get inside.

Sure enough, as I reached the woman manning the register, I looked up into the camera monitor and saw the man follow me into the store, pretending to browse the aisles once he saw we weren't alone.


"Hi, can I help you?" The woman smiled softly, her eyes asking about my worried appearance.


"Hi... That man was following me.. can you help me..? Please." I didn't mean to sound like I was on the verge of tears, but at least he didn't hear me. The woman, taking me seriously, reached over and put a hand on mine.

"Of course, I have a car and my shift is ending soon. Does that sound good?"


I nodded of course, and vowed to stay out of this area for a long time.



(The end.)