Krista hung her keys on the little hook by the door. She set her sunglasses in the hand carved bowl from the Black Forest. The bowl was a gift, unexpected and a little overwhelming. A gift from a guy she'd only gone out with a couple of times. She had honestly tried to give it back. It looked expensive. But this guy had refused, his exact words still stuck in her head. "If I take it back, it will make me think of you. I want you to keep it."

CREEPY.

And this guy, Parker Tinsley, had it all. Good looking, educated, worldly, and money out the wazoo. But he was too cloistering. Called at all hours of the day and night. "Just had to hear your voice." Showed up when she went out with her friends. Things like that had started to mess with the fairy tale.

One night she snapped. "This isn't going to work," she said as he sat just a little too close to her at the bar.

"I think it's working fine."

"Well, I don't. Look, you're a great guy. I'm just not in a hurry. I'm old fashioned. I think we need a break." Silly to phrase it like that, because he might have understood it better if she had just said what she was thinking. Get the fuck away from me, you clingy bastard.

"How long of a break?" He spoke calmly, but she could hear the tension in his voice.

"Until I don't think we need a break anymore." It was a lie. She was done.

He paid for the drinks and walked away without a word. Abrupt and weird. She thought he was going to put up a little bit of a fuss. She went back to the table where her friends were and clinked glasses with them. "Thank God," she toasted.

"You're too damn picky," Rosalind said. "He was cute and crazy about you."

"He was cute, but I think he was just plain crazy."

Her other friend, Sasha, pointed. "Don't be obvious, but take a look over your left shoulder."

Krista glanced and saw him. He was standing still, staring at her. He didn't smile or acknowledge her.


And so it went on like that for weeks. If she went anywhere, he was either already there or showed up within minutes of her arrival. But to Krista, Parker was in the past. He still sent her random emails and called her a handful of times, saying he just needed to hear her voice.

Today she came home to find the light on the answering machine blinking. Krista pushed the button. "You have twenty seven unheard messages. First message. Beep. Hey Krista, it's me, Parker. We need to talk." She hit erase.

Second message. "Hey baby, I really miss you..." Erase.

The next message was Parker. "...Going crazy without you...." She checked the fourth, fifth and sixth messages, all Parker. Each one sounding a little more desperate and demanding. Krista let the final message play, then crossed the room quickly to check the lock on the front door. She jumped when the phone rang. She wasn't sure if she should be pissed or angry. When the machine picked up, she heard her mother's voice.

"Krista, honey, it's mom. I guess you're not home yet. I met a friend of yours at Starbucks today. Parker? He spoke highly of you. Seemed like a nice boy. He must have sat and talked to Marge and I for an hour. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you before I forgot. Love you."

What kind of person left twenty seven messages on their ex-girlfriends machine? A total psycho. Krista grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and filled a glass. She took it into the bathroom with her to enjoy it while she soaked in the tub.

She fell asleep during Leno's G rated monologue only to have the phone wake her.

"Hello," she said, her voice thick with sleep.

"God, I can't believe how sexy you sound at three in the morning." His voice soft and intimate coming through the phone.

"Leave me alone, Parker."

"I met your mom. She's really nice."

"Stop it. I know what you're trying to do, so just stop."

"What am I trying to do, Krista?"

"Get to me through her."

"If I want to get to you, Krista, I sure as hell don't have to go through your mother."

She slammed the phone down, then watched it, tense and waited for him to call back. He didn't.

He continued to leave messages, both on her home phone and her work phone. When she left work and drove home she would circle the block and look for his car. She felt trapped in her own house and stopped going out by herself.

Red roses were delivered to her at work. She was the envy of most of the women. She instinctively bent to smell them. "Why is he doing this?" she asked Sasha.

"He's in love, apparently."

No one thought it was a big deal. She knew they thought she was being a bitch. Any guy who called, sent flowers and constantly told her she was sexy, should be a dream come true. In everyone's' eyes, Parker was a keeper.

"You're too picky," Rosalind teased as she bent over to take in the roses' aroma. "Just give him a second chance. Tell him to take it down a notch or two, see where it goes."

Krista stared at the flowers. "That's not going to happen."

The machine showed eighteen messages. She didn't listen, just hung up her keys and headed for the fridge. She didn't bother with the glass this time.

There was an envelope on her desk after lunch the next day. She withdrew the note and shuddered. "You look good in red." No signature.

Twelve messages on her home machine. All from crazy Parker. "...miss you...did you like the roses...can't wait until I get to see...call later."

The next day more messages. She couldn't concentrate at work. Couldn't relax at home. It was like he was out there, just out of sight, watching and waiting.

All it took was one angry sweep of her hand to clear the desk top of all her papers. "Damn it!" Krista swore.

Rosalind raced in. "What on earth is wrong?"

"He keeps calling, leaving message after message. The flowers, this stupid note."

Rosalind took the note and looked up blankly. "How do you know he sent this? If a guy who looked like Parker came in here, every woman in the joint would have heard about it. Besides, it isn't threatening and it isn't signed."

Krista put her hands over her ears. "He won't leave me alone. He keeps calling me, Roz. He won't let up." She looked at her friend. "We broke up three months ago."

Rosalind set about picking the items off the floor and when she was done she turned to Krista. "Tonight, you, me, and Sasha are going to hit the town. You can drink like a fish and leave the driving to me. Tomorrow your headache will be the worst of your problems. Parker will be the last thing on your mind."


True to their word, Rosalind and Sasha kept her glass full all night. She was so drunk she hit the dance floor, still clutching her rum and coke. In her current state, she could dance with abandon. She danced from person to person, just moving through the crowd of blurry faced strangers. Krista giggled as someone's hands encircled her waist. She gave them a lazy smile then froze when they came into focus.

"Awe, shit."

He gave her a hopeful, puppy dog smile and gently steadied her. "Wow, you're wasted."

"Stop calling me. Stop following me. Stop thinking about me."

"Come on, Krista. I thought we had something. I think we still do."

"Four dates is all we had."

He frowned and tried to pull her closer, but she jerked backwards. "You let me make love to you," he said. "Why would you let me do that if we had nothing?"

Krista laughed, it slurred in with her words. "Maybe I was just horny."

He let his eyes drift over her thoughtfully, then he shook his head. "I don't believe that."

"Then let me explain it in a way that you can understand. You, Parker, are like a cute little puppy in a pet store window. Someone buys you, takes you home, and you pee on the rug, chew up their favorite shoes, and jump all over the furniture. Suddenly they realize they may very well be a cat person."

His eyes never left her face. It was remarkable. He looked the same as if she had just told him she loved him. Without warning he grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her roughly. It wasn't a romantic gesture, but then she knew he didn't intend it to be. He pulled back, a cool smile on his face. "Good to see you, Krista. I'll call you later."

She lost her buzz. Absently she touched her mouth, then staggered back to the table and begged her friends to take her home.

Her keys had disappeared. She checked her jacket pockets over and over. They weren't in her purse. "He took my keys. Damn it to hell, he took my keys."

"Stop getting yourself all worked up, Krista. You didn't drive, maybe you left your keys at home. Parker's a nice guy. He just has it bad for you."

"Earth to Sasha, he a psycho. He's stalking me."

She saw Rosalind and Sasha exchange a dubious look. "You didn't exactly stop him from kissing you. You didn't even put up a hand in protest."

"Come in and listen to the messages. I have all of them saved."

Both of her friends reluctantly agreed. She took the hide a key out and unlocked the door. The light on the answering machine wasn't blinking. The digital display showed zero messages.

"I swear there were close to forty messages."

"Okay, Krista, time to go nite nite." Rosalind gave her a maternal smile and started for the door.

Sasha followed Rosalind, but had a more sympathetic look on her face.

Krista checked the hook by the door, her keys were hanging there. She didn't leave them here. Parker had been here. She knew he had been here.

"I'll call in the morning to check on you," Rosalind said. She pulled the door closed behind her as she and Sasha left.

Krista knew how she sounded. She sounded crazy and pathetic. She locked the deadbolt and watched from the window as Sasha's car pulled away.

The phone rang. She knew who it was. Crazy Parker. Trembling she picked it up.

"Good, you made it home safe."

"Leave me alone, Parker, please."

"Krista, relax."

She hugged herself.

"You're trembling," he said gently.

The hairs on her neck and arms stood up. Her eyes burned with tears that would do her no good. She turned around slowly, hoping nothing would be there. But his voice wasn't coming from the phone anymore. He was standing just behind her.

"Alone at last," he sighed.

Crazy, handsome Parker stood just two feet away. He stepped closer, taking the phone from her and pressing the off button.

"Why are you doing this?"

Parker reached out, his fingers drawing a hot tear across her cheek. "I'm persistent," he said. His eyes moved over her face. His lips touched to hers then he drew back.

His handsome smile reassuring her of his sincerity. "I'm very, very persistent."