The Stalker Chronicles by Electa Rome Parks Page A

me in mid-sentence. She looked ice cold. A chill ran down my spine.
    â€œIs anything wrong? Did I say something to offend you?”
    â€œNo, go on. I’m listening,” she said, with a bit of attitude lingering in her tone.
    â€œI was saying that I’m simply happy that he was able to turn tragedy into triumph. He deserves this success. He really does. Xavier has worked extremely hard over the years, nothing was handed to him, and it finally paid off.”
    â€œSounds like it has. You should be proud of your friend.”
    â€œI’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to meet him soon.”
    â€œI would love to. I can hardly wait. Actually, I’m looking forward to it,” she cooed.
    The remainder of the night was uneventful but nice. Milan and I talked—well, mostly I talked—as we attempted to get to know each other a little better. There was a comfortable and unassuming quality she projected. I soon discovered that Milan had the unique ability to draw out personal information. I felt totally relaxed and at ease telling her about my early years, growing up in the mean streets of Houston. She took it all in, looked fascinated, hung on my every word. After a mouthwatering meal, we walked out of the restaurant hand in hand. I just knew I had found an exceptional lady, and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

Chapter 16
    Xavier
    Most people have heard the saying about how you can talk about a person and eventually talk them up. Well, I thought that was what I did with Kendall. I had been thinking so much about her lately that I thought her up.
    I was shopping, something I absolutely hate, for a shirt in a department store at the Galleria mall and made a detour through the men’s cologne department. When I glanced up from checking my cell phone messages, Kendall was standing less than fifty feet directly in front of me. I did a double take, because I thought I was seeing things. When I looked again, she was still there.
    My heart literally skipped a few beats. At that moment, I realized I still had feelings for her. Deep inside, I had always known I still did. However, there was something about a man’s ego that sometimes kept him from admitting certain truths to himself. Even though I was dead wrong to cheat on her, she still walked out on me. Kendall didn’t try to work it out; instead, she chose to leave by breaking up. She literally threw the four-carat platinum engagement ring I’d bought her in my face after a few choice words, walked away, and never looked back. Today was my first time seeing her face-to-face since the breakup over two years ago.
    Kendall turned and spotted me staring. For just a split second, a smile appeared on her beautiful face and her eyes revealed she was happy to see me. Just as quickly, her true feelings vanished as she pulled them back in. Her emotional shield went back up. Our eyes locked for a few seconds, until a distinguished-looking dude walked up and placed his hands around her tiny waist. She instantly looked away, averted her eyes, and giggled at something he whispered in her ear. She lovingly touched his cheek, and he leaned into her hand.
    I turned away, because I felt like I was intruding on an intimate encounter. I was the odd man out. At that moment, I realized our time together had passed and nothing could ever be the same. Too much had been tarnished in the midst of my lies and betrayal.
    When I turned around, Kendall was still standing there, looking at me expectantly. I walked over and closed the small distance between us. It felt like a mile separated us. As I closed the gap, I wasn’t exactly sure how the mini reunion would play out.
    â€œHello, Kendall. How are you?” I managed to ask and kept a genuine-looking smile on my face at the same time.
    To my surprise, she leaned in for a hug, wrapping her slim arms around my neck for a warm, brief embrace. All this while her husband—at least I assumed he