Erotimaniac

"You look beautiful today, sweetie," Ethan said as he stared at Emiko from

afar.

Ethan sat in the driver's seat of his car in the parking lot beside the diner.

The sky was overcast with clouds, rain poured onto the city and cascaded

down the windshield, but he could still see the love of his life in the eatery.

Emiko, unaware of her stalker's presence, smiled as she helped her

patrons. She was molested by Ethan only two weeks earlier, but she didn't

realize it. Despite the frigid weather and the special circumstances of the

day, she still wore her plain uniform with pride – what a woman.

Why was the day special? Well, it was November 26, 2016. According to

her Facebook profile page, it was Emiko's birthday.

Ethan said, "You look beautiful everyday, but... you're shining today.

Twenty-one years old... You turn 21 today, princess. That's special. It's very

special. It's when we become real adults. I... I brought you something to

celebrate. I hope you like it."

He nervously smiled as he patted his chest. He hid Emiko's gift in his

coat's interior pocket – just thinking about it made him feel giddy. He took a

deep breath, then he climbed out of the car. He pulled his coat over his head

and jogged to the entrance of the diner. The bell chime echoed through the

eatery as the door swung open.

Ethan glanced around the diner, searching for his love. A few patrons

lingered in the booths, the tables, and the bar. It wasn't as busy as before,

though. Emiko had conveniently retreated into the kitchen before he

arrived, too.

Another waitress, a brunette woman, beckoned to Ethan and said, "You

can seat yourself, sir. I'll be right with you."

Ethan nodded and followed her directions. He didn't want her as his

waitress for the day, but he didn't want to cause a scene, either. He sat at the

last booth to the left – the same booth where he first met Emiko. It seemed

appropriate.

As he twiddled his thumbs and stared at the table, Ethan whispered,

"Emiko, Emiko... Come on out. Please, come out. Just tell them we're friends. Tell them we're really good friends. Please, come out and talk to

me. Come–"

"Sorry for the wait," the brunette waitress said as she approached the

booth. The peppy woman smiled and said, "My name is Patricia. You can

call me 'Patty' if you'd like. I'll be your server today. I can get you a drink

now while you look over the menu. What will it be?"

Ethan responded, "No, um... No offense, but I'd really like it if Emiko

served me – Emiko Takahashi. Can you send her out here? Please?"

Patty furrowed her brow, baffled by the customer's request. She had

never had someone ask for a specific waitress at the diner. She glanced over

at the kitchen, then back at Ethan.

She said, "Emmy is on her break right now."

"I can wait."

"O–Okay. Well, I'll... I'll ask her to come see you as soon as she's free.

Let me know if you need anything in the meantime."

"Thank you, miss. Again, no offense. I just prefer Emiko's service."

"Okay..."

As Patty departed from the kitchen, Ethan simpered like a misbehaving

child. He pulled his coat open and peeked into his pocket. He hid a black

ring box in the pocket. There was a 10-karat white gold diamond promise

ring inside of the box. He considered purchasing something more

expensive, but he didn't want to appear 'obsessive' around Emiko.

"What are you doing here?" Emiko asked as she stood beside the booth,

her arms crossed as she tapped her foot like a disappointed parent.

Ethan said, "Emiko, it's good to see you. I was–"

"I thought we were done with this?" Emiko interrupted in an uncertain

tone.

"Done with what?"

"Done with this. I don't understand what you're doing here. I don't even

want you to be here, either. I... I just don't want to see you, okay? I don't

want to be mean, but... I don't want to see you. That's all. Please, leave."

Caught off guard by Emiko's hostility, Ethan responded, "I... I

understand the problem, Emiko. You have to say that because..." He leaned

closer and whispered, "Because they're listening and they don't want us to

be together. But, I know we're meant to be together. I understand, Emiko. I

know how to play their game."

Emiko stared at Ethan with a furrowed brow – curious, baffled, terrified.

She was conflicted by a mishmash of emotions. She was afraid of Ethan's

unhinged mind, but she also pitied the young man. She couldn't conjure the

words to respond to his bizarre claims.

Ethan smirked and whispered, "Listen, we can just tell everyone we're

friends until we're ready to tell them the truth. Okay? Everything will be

fine that way. Trust me."

Grimacing, Emiko responded, "I don't know what you're talking about,

but you're really starting to scare me. I think you should leave before we

have to call the cops."

"The cops? Why?"

"Please, leave before–"

Ethan held his index finger over his lips and waved his other hand –

shush. He could see Emiko was about to scream for help. He believed she

was trying to play the role of a reluctant lover. She was playing it a bit too

authentically for his liking, but he forgave her.

In a soft tone, Ethan said, "Okay, okay. I didn't realize it had to be that

much of a secret. I get it, though. I'll get out of your hair in a minute and no

one will ever suspect a thing. I... Well, I have a surprise for you. Close your

eyes."

Emiko did the opposite. She glared at Ethan, refusing to even spare a

blink.

A sheepish smile on his face, Ethan shrugged and whispered, "Or

don't..." He pulled the gift out of his pocket, then he opened the ring box.

Balancing the box on his palm, Ethan presented the ring to Emiko and said,

"Happy birthday."

Emiko stared at the expensive ring, then she glanced at Ethan. The ring

caught her off guard – she had never received such an expensive gift from

anyone outside of her family. However, she was more concerned with

Ethan's message: happy birthday. The baffled expression on her face spoke

volumes about her thoughts: how the hell does this man know about my

birthday?

Noticing Emiko's reluctance, Ethan said, "I want you to have this. It

looks expensive, but it really wasn't that much. So, don't worry about the

price or anything like that. It's not an engagement ring, either. It's just a, you

know... a promise ring. Go on, take it."

Emiko said, "No. I don't want your gifts. I don't want anything from you,

sir."

"Wha–What? I don't understand. I did what–"

"How did you even know it was my birthday today? Hmm? I never told

you that. I don't even know you. Have you... Have you been stalking me?"

"No, no, no. I would never do that, Emiko. I just... I... Look, I don't

know what to say. I just wanted to give you a gift for your birthday. That's

all. I didn't think it would bother you. Hell, I didn't want it to bother you.

Why would I want to do something like that to someone like you?"

Emiko shook her head, befuddled. She couldn't read Ethan's intentions.

She understood his words, but she didn't understand the reasoning behind

his actions. He appeared gentle and bashful, but she was not pleased by his

persistent pursuit. She couldn't take any risks. She wasn't trying to hurt him,

but she didn't want to give him any false hope, either.

There was no relationship between the pair – and she had to make that

clear.

Emiko shouted, "Burt! Burt, I need you out here! Now!"

Ethan sighed in disappointment, then he muttered, "Burt... Damn it..."

Burt emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands with a white towel. He

casually marched towards the booth, then he stopped upon spotting Ethan.

The manager clenched his jaw and inhaled deeply through his nose, clearly

frustrated.

Burt asked, "What are you doing here, sir?"

Ethan responded, "I was coming in for a meal and I thought I'd give

Emiko a gift for her birthday."

"It's true," Emiko said. "But, I don't want his gift and I don't want him

here. He's bothering me, just like last time."

"No, I'm not. I just told you that I'm not trying to bother you. I'm trying

to do the opposite. How could you say that about me?"

"That's enough," Burt interrupted in a stern tone. He jabbed his index

finger at Ethan and said, "I want you to get out of my diner. Today,

tomorrow, and the next day. You're not welcome here anymore. You

understand me? I'm calling the cops if I see you anywhere near my diner or

my employees. Get up and get out."

Ethan stared down at the ring box, disappointed. He returned the gift to

his coat pocket, then he stood from his seat. He gazed into Emiko's eyes,begging for a chance to talk without uttering a word – please, don't do this

to me.

Burt grabbed the nape of his neck and pushed him away from the booth.

Ethan lurched towards the center of the diner, barely keeping his balance.

Burt shouted, "Don't look at her like that! Get out of here!"

As he staggered to the exit, Ethan waved at Emiko and said, "I'm sorry. I

didn't want it to be like this. I'm so sorry. I'm going to fix it. I'm going to fix

me. I promise, I'll be a better man in the future. I'll be... I'll finally be good

enough."

Ethan sniveled as he stepped into the rain. He didn't cover his head with

his jacket or his arm. He just shambled to his car – soaked and

disappointed.

As they watched him from the diner, Burt said, "You need to get rid of

that guy, Emmy."

Eyes full of pity, Emiko watched as the sedan peeled out of the parking

lot. She said, "I really don't know him."

"Well, then you should really think about calling the police and making

some sort of report. You don't know what these creeps are capable of until

they actually do something. By then, it's always too late... Go ahead and

take a few minutes for yourself. Holler if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Emiko vacantly stared at the rain cascading on the windows. She thought

about Ethan's bizarre actions while considering Burt's advice. The police

wouldn't be able to protect her at all times, but contacting them would bring

a sense of security to her life. She vowed to call the cops after work.