Never Have I Been Afraid of My Own Photos

Text Message: Today 6:54 AM

[I'll come to pick you up from the apt now. The dress code is something bright but is close to white. See the included address of the party venue in this txt: 3193 Larsen Residence, Manhattan, NY.]

Eva couldn't keep her sight from Edward's text message just this morning. It was harder and more painful to have an unsettled fight with a best friend than with a romantic partner.

If Edward is experiencing such complicated feelings as regret and confusion, imagine how much more others must be.

They would genuinely experience anger, irritation, and sadness when their questions got no response, particularly if the loss was caused by an unacceptable decision.

She understands where Edward is coming from, but there's no time for their childish fight because there's only an hour left before the start of the evening party.

Eva's logical reasoning tells her to attend it, despite the fact that her intuition tells her not to. Edward's opinion about her going or not to the meeting was something she gave some consideration to.

Until an unexpected notification on her phone interrupted her deep thoughts. Could it be Edward? Are they cool with each other now?

Before she could even read the message, she struggled to remove it from her coat pocket.

It was not, however, a text message.

Instead, it was a picture of her seated on a bench at the subway station, taken from her left side.

"What the hell?"

Shivers engulfing her body, she sat up straight and checked the photo once more. In an effort to find anyone suspicious, she turned her attention to the left side.

A second message then came, and when she opened it, she saw another image of herself, this time taken from the right side as she was looking to the left.

Eva rose from her seat and began searching for the person who was attempting to prank her, with her hand clutching the phone in terror.

There was, however, no one looking weird aside from her being frantic.

She checked her phone again and saw that the mysterious contact had stopped sending her messages.

Eva is the type of woman that is bold and unyielding, especially when she is fighting for something she believes in.

Fear, on the other hand, cannot be taken away from a normal person, especially when the enemy is difficult to identify.

"The next subway train is about to arrive at platform 1 going to Manhattan, New York."

Following the announcement, Eva hurried to board the train and remained alert to her surroundings.

On her way to board the train, she accidentally bumped into a rude man, causing a small fuss.

"What the hell, bitch?!"

Eva gave him a casual glance and then walked away, ignoring him entirely.

She knows that dealing with useless human beings is a waste of time; she has important—well, not really important—meetings to attend to.

And reality sets in after she boards the train.

She searched inside her handbag right away and discovered that her phone was already missing.

"Fucking—"

The train's doors had already closed when she attempted to leave, so it was too late for her to get off. And she couldn't believe she had just come across a pickpocket.

Eva discreetly sat down on one of the available seats and thought about the unfortunate things that were happening in her life.

They were bittersweet.

"I believe this is yours."

A man in a pair of black pants and a white long sleeves handed Eva the missing phone.

She surprisingly glanced at the man and recognized him because of his slightly fuller cheeks. He has significant dimples, and when his lips are even slightly parted, they resemble a heart.

"Johnny?"

He answered with a smile, confirming Eva's question. Then, he asked her in return, "Is this seat taken?"

Eva shook her head, still looking into Johnny's face. Her reaction showed how surprised she was to have run into him by chance and not because he looked different now.

Johnny was the epitome of cuteness when they were younger, and that fact hasn't changed, except he's grown a little more manly and mature.

 As he took a seat next to her, he couldn't help but smile. He then turned to face her and gave her a proper look.

"How are you doing, honey?"

"I'm good," she replied while taking the phone from Johnny. "How did you get my phone?"

"I'm pretty sure someone bumped into you on purpose, taking what they need from you," he replied.

"You seem to have a great sight for quick hands," she said. "Unless you're also…"

Johnny Martin Levi, 27, is one of the skilled pickpockets in the streets of New York, wherein out of 1,000 tourists or locals there, 50 to 100 people will be his successful targets for five to eight hours.

"You're still good at guessing, Eva."

"No way." Eva finds it hard to believe his peculiar confession. "Why did you end up becoming this way?"

"It's just a hobby. And I suppose that when I was younger, I had a lot of practice stealing my mother's necklace and returning them without her knowing."

"You have such a dangerous hobby," she responded with an amused grin.

"It is dangerous… but only if you're caught." With the memories coming back, Johnny couldn't help but grin at his mischievousness.

The two discussed their life experiences the entire time they were on the train, acting as if nothing had gone wrong or hurt them in the past.

Johnny told her that his family's casino faced bankruptcy a year after Eva's disappearance, which sounded dubious.

"Did they mention the cause of it in any way?" Eva questioned him out of concern.

"My father was never honest with us about the financial problem," Johnny explained. "However, I overheard him mention that Sir Emmanuel had something to do with the bankruptcy." 

Eva furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief, somehow feeling bothered after hearing what Johnny told her.

'How is my father involved?', she thought.