*****
After thinking about what his granddad said, Blaine decided to engage with his mystery woman. Not only was he curious about her, but now that his granddad thought she might be a magic user, he knew she would be discovered eventually and he didn’t’ want it to be the wrong people. Then there was that little tidbit about similar souls. Blaine wasn’t sure what that meant, but he intended on finding out.
So then began his stalker-like behavior. Referring to it that way wasn’t something he liked to do, but he couldn’t lie to himself, and he couldn’t not do it. He began to follow her more steadily but made sure to stay in the open, hoping to lessen the prowler like feeling it gave him. He would stand against buildings, casually watching her as she went to lunch or sit a few seats away from her on the subway ride to and from work. She didn’t notice at first but eventually he could see she was catching on. Her gaze caught his a few times, but he wasn’t ready to talk to her yet, still unsure of how to approach her with unbelievable stories of real magic. So once he knew he was spotted, he’d slip away into the shadows.
Inspiration finally hit late one night when he was on-line discussing some things with a few of the other MysticSeekers. They had a forum that was hidden in the depths of the dark web. Only those who knew about it could even find it. He decided to send her a message that would give her limited access to the site. She’d be able to explore, hopefully piquing her interest enough to inquire on her own, but keeping the groups secrets still hidden until he knew if he could trust her or not. As much as he felt he could trust her, he still had a group to protect.
If the invitation to the forum didn’t work out, he knew there was a magic show later that week in the city and he was sure she would be attending; slipping her a business card might be a good idea too.
Satisfied with some sort of plan, Blaine continued his week, working with his granddad on some research and trying to stay away from Katherine. His magnetic attraction to her was intense but she was involved with another man and he wasn’t the type of guy to interfere. Besides, he definitely didn’t want to get arrested for stalking. He e-mailed her the link to the website and waited, checking multiple times a day for any sort of response from her. By the time the magic show rolled around, she still hadn’t posted anything so he wasn’t sure what that meant. Had she received the message? Did she think it was bogus or was she turned off by the site? All of his unanswered questions made him that much more eager for the show later that evening.
When he handed his ticket over and practically ran into the theater, he breathed out a sigh of relief to see his girl down in the front row, patiently awaiting the performance. Confirming that she was safe and sound, Blaine was able to take his seat and enjoy the show. His eyes stayed glued to the back of her head though. Once the magician preformed his final act and the audience stood, Katherine stood as well, making her way toward the back of the theater just as she always did. This time Blaine was ready. He stepped out into the aisle just behind her, pulling a business card from his pocket and reaching toward her to slip it in. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he froze. He was reaching for her back pocket, the same one that was encasing her shapely hips and butt. With that thought, there was a brief lapse in his rational thinking. He began to imagine what she looked like without those jeans and it did things to him that weren’t proper for public. Shaking his head, he realized he would need to use a little magic. He scanned the area, saw that everyone was still engrossed in what was happening on the stage or with gathering their children. Certain he wouldn’t be spotted; he flicked the card from his fingers, watched it do a flip or two in the small space between them, and then zapped it into her back pocket.
Happy with himself for doing the right thing and not allowing his behavior to cross the line into total creepiness, he turned to leave but before he could turn around or pull back, one of the other audience members bumped him from behind, sending him right into Katherine’s back. “Jesus!” he heard her exclaim as he reached out instinctively to stop her from falling, uttering a mumbled “sorry” when his hand made contact with her skin. She jerked away and stalked off but he was too busy staring down at his hands to notice. There was a tingling feeling spreading through his fingertips into his palms, almost as if he had been zapped by an electrical outlet – not too much power but enough to give him pause. It felt similar to when he conjured his magic, but still different, something he’d never felt before. He stood frozen in the middle of the aisle trying to figure out what the feeling was until someone bumped into him once again, bringing him back to where he was.
As Blaine made his way home, he couldn’t shake the odd feelings he’d experienced. Not only had he felt a weird electrical current run through him, but he also sensed a nervousness and fear from Katherine. It worried him more than he wanted to admit. So much so that he made a decision. He couldn’t wait for her to contact him much longer. Even though he didn’t know her, he felt a connection to her and the idea of her being scared or vulnerable wasn’t something he could sit back and allow. Before he went to bed, he decided he’d give her another few days and if she still hadn’t found the clues he’d left her, he’d call her.