Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 107

“Gender can help us weed out some of the female fans; then it’s just down to luck with who’s left.” No sooner said than done; after lunch, Wallis and | hit the road to the resort's fan meet-and-greet.

This was my first time crashing a big-time concept artist’s fan event, and boy, was it buzzing. A bunch of fresh-faced kids were clutching FreeMan’s artwork, patiently queuing up.

Every now and then, I’d spot a few older faces — either too nerdy or just riding the hype train — none of them seemed to gel with FreeMan himself.

To top off our bad luck, the security at the entrance made it crystal clear that the invite Wallis was holding was only good for one person.

Wallis dropped a few choice words, “That scalper swore to me it was good for two.”

After a bit of back-and-forth, we decided Wallis would go undercover — she’d got more chops when it came to sizing people up. And me? | was tasked with stakeout duty outside.

“If he’s got a peeping tom streak, he might duck out early. Keep an eye on the back door, and hit me up the moment you spot anyone fishy.”

Wallis‘ street smarts cracked me up, but | replied earnestly, “You got it, President Lott. Consider it done.” So, | grabbed a coffee and parked myself by the back door, ready to wait for the rabbit to hit the trap.

As time ticked by and the meet was halfway through, | hadn’t spotted any shady characters. Just then, | heard someone say, “Move, move, come on, let’s go!”

Following the commotion, | saw a loaded trolley barreling out of the service elevator not too far from me. In its path stood a toddler, no more than three years old.

Without a second thought, | dashed over and scooped up the little munchkin. At the same time, a sharp pain shot through my back, and | saw stars.

“Watch out!”

Accrisp voice rang in my ear, and contrary to my expectation of getting slammed by the cargo, nothing happened. | cracked my eyes open and looked up to see a young, innocent face beside me, blocking the falling objects from the trolley.

There stood a twenty-something lad with granny-gray hair, rocking a pair of deep red over—ear headphones, fair skin, and sparkling eyes that seemed to twinkle with starlight when he glanced my way.

“Are you okay, Miss?”

13:32

Before | could respond, the kid in my arms burst into terrified sobs. When the parents rushed over and realized | had played the hero, they insisted on treating me to a meal.

“You're too kind. It was this young man’s bravery that saved the day.” | said, glancing at the guy next to me, “He’s the one we should be thanking.”

After a bit of negotiation, the parents suggested coffee, and | ended up sitting in the waiting area with our young hero. That was when my phone rang — it was Wallis. Turning away discreetly, | answered the call.

“Xaviera, just got the intel - FreeMan is a lefty with a tiny black mole between his thumb and index.” Wallis said, pumped, “Keep an eye out for guys like that.”

| murmured a careful acknowledgment, turned back around, and caught the guy in front of me deftly tapping on his phone with his left hand, which gave me pause.

Taking a closer look, sure enough, there was a sesame-sized black mole on his hand. So, | ventured, “FreeMan?”