The Secret Admirer (CYOA)

(Content warning: cursing, violence)

"Dear, Cecilia.

Your love is an endless motion in my heart

If time cruelly passes by, dividing us apart

When the distance torments us 

My love will always remain your shining light"

Love, Q."

You delete the email right away and report it as SPAM, turn to PG 1

Your curiosity got the best of you, you respond right away. PG 2

PG 1

You walk over and share details of the weird email to your best friend Jenny whose sitting in her own cubicle. She laughs at you and calls you the "office slut". You don't find it amusing and roll your eyes.

"Relax, bitch. Are we still going to BLITZ this evening? I got the Champaign on lock-down. Please do not cancel this time, you're always canceling.".

"Fine. I'll go" you assure her, but you may come up with an excuse later.

Later that evening, you come home lethargic from the long hours worked, but you're off the next few days so you want to relax and let the tension out. 

You cancel the plan, screw it. There's a new season of your favorite show on, might as well binge it and devour the cookie dough ice cream you left in your freezer two days ago. Jenny can't hold her liquor anyways. You tell her you had an emergency and promise her next time. Turn to PG 3

When are you going out again? You can't keep living a dull routine life, living to survive, but not really living. You put some flashy outfit on and hope for the best. Turn to PG 4

PG 2

You eagerly write to your secret admirer methodically to try and divulge any information about him.

"Hi Q. That poem was pretty good. Though it was on the melodramatic side. I'm sure your creative writing classes have finally paid off, lol. So how do you know me?"

You click send and a few minutes another email pops up.

"Cecilia. I'm glad you liked it. I've never taken a writing class but, I've been in love with you since you started at the firm. You looked so beautiful in that red skirt yesterday. - xo - Q"

"Yeah that's not creepy at all...So who do I know from this job with those initials, Quill?... Quentin?... I don't have a freaking clue... "

You write another email to try and bait him. Turn to PG 5

You're tired of all this BS. You have better things to do, hit SPAM. Hang out with Jenny, she invited you to this new club called BLITZ earlier. Turn to PG 4

PG 3

OK, this ones good. You're two episodes in and you already feel the effects of the sugar kicking in. You're a little jittery, but you're enjoying this show. You lounge around in an oversize T-shirt and some raggedy basketball shorts and scavenge the fridge for real food.

"Shit, now I'm craving a chicken sandwich.".

You quickly grab your phone to order from your food app but find a missed text message from an unknown number.

"Cecilia, I can't stand another second without you, my love.".

You toss your phone against the bed.

"What the hell, man." You're stricken with Goosebumps and swallow your spit. "This isn't funny. If it's Jenny making a joke, I'm going to kill her. I'm so pissed". 

You text Jenny right away. "I hate you! Real funny!"

Suddenly you hear a knock on the door. But, who could it be this late?

"Who is it!?" you shout.

"Open up, it's Jenny." She sounds upset.

Her voice is muffled but its Jenny's voice. You look through the peephole to find a phone pointing in the other end.

"Stupid Jenny...". 

You open the door but keep the chain lock is in place, to your surprise you find a tall man standing on the doorway holding out a bag of food and a bouquet of red roses. He looked familiar, but can't place where you've seen him.

"Can I help... you?"

"Cecilia" he smiled biting his lips and grinning as big as he could.

"I brought dinner." he said.

You look terrified and flustered to see him. "Uh..."

"Cecilia, it's Q. You never answered my email, so I figured I'd stop by and tell you how I really feel". 

You try to slam the door but it hits a hammer he poked inside.

"Stop it! You creep!" you scream. "Get out or I'm calling the police!"

He uses the end of the hammer and raises it up to yank the chain out. You try to push the door shut but he pushes it back much harder.

"Celia, please don't fight it. I brought your favorite, a chicken sandwich and a lemonade." He smiled.

You're backing away reaching for a blunt object. You only find your hair straightener and desperately launch it at him, it dents the wall behind him.

"Oh, c'mon Cecilia. Now you're making me angry." He tosses the bags to the couch.

"Help! Somebody!"

"Ceeellliiiiiaaaaaa" he mocked. 

"Who the fuck are you man. GET OUT!!"

"Cecilia. You don't remember me?" he smiled and shut the door behind him.

"You said I was cute in the elevator. You remember? With your friend Jenny. I work on the second floor." You keep screaming but you know your neighbors are usually never home on a Friday night. You trip on a step leading towards the kitchen and hit your head. He walks over and pulls you up by your arms. You struggle but he holds you tight and sits you on the couch besides him.

"How did you get a recording of Jenny?" you demanded, tears already forming.

"Oh, Jenny? She was nice enough to record it for me."

His arms are now around your shoulders, you close your eyes hoping for it to be over.

"What did you do..."

He brings out the recording of Jenny again and forces you to look at her pleading. You start bawling again.

"Don't worry, Cecilia. You won't need to deal with her negativity anymore..."

He smiled again patting your head and running his fingers through your hair. You squirm and shrug away from him. After a few minutes of sitting by him, you convince him to let you walk over to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. He allows it but watches you closely. 

Grab the knife you left inside with the pieces of watermelon on the plates. Use it to run towards the creep and stab him as many times as you can. Turn to PG 6

Run towards the door and try to make an escape, if you don't get far you can yell loud enough to alert someone in the neighborhood. Turn to PG 7

Pg 4

You're ready to have a good time. So you put on a cute outfit and meet your friend Jenny outside night club BLITZ. You wait at the sidewalk behind a long line of people eagerly trying to get in. Jenny had filled two water bottles half-way with a pink liquid. She demands that you chug it while you wait in the long line. 

"Excuse me, do you know if this clubs any good?" an attractive man smiles at you passing by. He looked familiar but you can't place where. 

Jenny nudges you with her shoulders and smiles.

"Uh, Yeah it's not too bad. I mean the music kind of sucks, but then again who cares if you're drunk enough, right?" you laugh.

"That's true! They could be playing some honky-tonk shit and I'd be getting into it". His smile is a perfect set of white teeth aligned to form dimples on his cheeks. You laugh and smile back at him. 

"Well, maybe I'll see you around in there." he says. "Start warming up those line dancing moves" You giggle as he walks away towards the end of the line.

"Damn Cecilia, you still got it, look at you. He's cute too.. You should have asked him to stay".

"I know, I totally dropped the ball...".

Later that evening, you're dancing with your friends having a good time when you finally tire yourself out and head over to the bar.

"Hey, it's the pre-gamer. The man from outside of the club is sitting on a stool. "Let me buy you a drink" he says. He gestures over to a bartender whose struggling to catch up from the busy night. Several other people are hounding for his attention and waving out money.

"So I pegged you for a Margarita type, Cecilia?"

"Uh, wait... heh... How did you know my name?"

He pauses. "Oh I heard your friend out there yelling it out".

"Oh, OK" you laugh.

You ask for a Tequila on the rocks with lime. Turn to PG 8

"No thank you. I'm just sobering up..." Turn to PG 9

PG 5

He won't budge, but says he wants to meet you tonight. You decide to finally ignore the emails and call it a night to spend the evening alone and relax, Turn to PG 3

Your secret admirer won't give up his real name and you realize you'd rather stop wasting time on immature men. You send an email back, "Please don't contact me again" and you set out to meet Jenny at the club tonight. Turn to PG 4

PG 6

"You son of a bitch!", you run as fast as you could holding out the cutting knife to protect yourself. You're able to jab him deep once on his shoulders. He screams and pushes you away. You stumble over the coffee table and hit your head hard on the kitchen counter.

"If you don't want me, you'll have no one". He stomps on you repeatedly and removes the blade from his shoulder to finish the job, leaving his gash open and bleeding out.

The next day, he checks himself into ER. He spends seven days in intensive care to prepare for the coronary artery bypass surgery. Most of the colleagues at work including your manager surprise him with a welcome sign that includes a cake when he returns bandaged up.

Jenny and your body were never found. There is a missing person report filed by your family and coworkers. The police suspect foul play, but Q is not one of the suspects considered in the investigation, instead a few of your ex-boyfriends. 

PG 7

"Help!" you scream, holding out the door knob and barely unlocking the door as fast as you could. He runs over and pulls you by the shirt ripping it. You're able to release yourself from his clutches and continue yelling outside.

"Help!" I need HELP!" Please! Somebody!"

It's dark outside now and noisy. Your neighbors aren't home, but someone takes notice across the street, they turn the porch light on and peak through the blinds. Q punches you as hard as he could and you fall back on the floor unconscious, then notices the porch light flickered off. 

Q then drags you back inside the house and closes the door. He walks over to the witness and finds an old man inside who had already called the police. Q bludgeons the poor old man with a vase he finds in his dining room and carries him out hidden.

He quickly walked back to your house and shoves your body in the trunk besides the old man in his vehicle.

After several days on a county-wide man-hunt, the police gather enough evidence to find Q's identification. He's caught on one of the neighbors cameras going into the old man's house. Your bodies are found in an unmarked grave several weeks later in a secluded park away from the city.

Q is sentenced for first degree murder and given 25 to life in state prison without possibility of parole. The story trends nation-wide for a moment, the news stories write the headlines, "Three Slain by Obsessed stalker". 

Another unusual story the media covers weeks before the trial is an online forum idolizing the murderer for his looks, some dub "The Handsome Killer".

PG 8

The bartender hands you the drink and you make a toast to your new friend.

"Cheers. So, are you much of a dancer? Um, what was your name again?"

"I dabble" he says tipping the edge of his cup to yours. "Oh, it's Dominiq"

Jenny comes over and grabs your attention. You turn over to her laughing really loud and making jokes. She almost spills your drink but Dominiq grabs it. He hands it back to you after you pick up Jenny from nearly falling on her face. 

You take a sip of the drink and find a couch to sit with Jenny.

"Do not throw up on me, Jenny. I mean it.". Dominiq brings a bottle of water for Jenny to hydrate. You walk out of the club with him and call an uber for Jenny.

"You'll be fine girl..." You assure her. You stay chatting with Dominiq on the sidewalk after watching Jenny depart and texting her roommate to look out for her.

Suddenly it hits you, you start to feel your conscious and inhibition start to deteriorate.

You remember bits and pieces of Dominiq muttering something to you and guiding you to his car.

You put your finger down your throat while he jokes with the strangers about your well-being. You throw up a little by the sidewalk and hope some of the sedatives leave your system. He closes the door on your side and you quickly fall asleep.

You wake up in his bedroom and are laying unconscious but fully clothed. The sounds of water running tell you he's in the shower. You look around to his bedroom that has decorations of motorcycle posters, an acoustic guitar, shelves stacked with whisky bottles and a glass case with a katana on display.

You start to gain a little bit of control but, you're shaking. You remembered the man from the club, but you're too weak to fight him off. Your lack of muscle function deters you from moving around much, but after staring at his wall you grab the guitar hung up and quickly smash the glass case. You pull out the katana sword and point it in front of you. 

"Hey. Hey. Hey, Cecilia." the man runs back and reaches his hands out.

"It's Ok. You had a little too much to drink, don't need to panic " he laughed. "Quit being funny and put the sword down, do you know how much that case ckk-... "

You swung it as fast and hard as you can in a diagonal motion, cutting his fingertips from one of his hands. He screamed and grabbed his wounded hand with the other to stop the bleeding.

"You bitch! I'm gonna-"

You swung once more towards his abdomen and sliced his sides open. He fell back and bled out in a matter of seconds after screaming. You lay back down onto his mattress and fall asleep.

The next morning you're greeted again with the splatters allover the walls and bed. The pungent smells of his body rotting make you gag. You scream startled by the naked dismembered man on the floor in front of you.

After a while, you gain your composure and walk out and call the police.

Jenny helps you cope with the trauma and even attends the therapy sessions with you. After the long investigation and interviews, some news outlets take a particular interest in how empowering the situation was killing the assailant with a sword.

Though, it takes you several years before you can feel confident again having a drink in public.

PG 9

"That's cool, it's good to be hydrated" he says. You try and snub him away because you would rather hang out with your friends instead.

"Well. it was nice meeting you."

"Yep". he stays at the bar drinking his double shot of whisky and spinning his finger on the rim of his glass.

Jenny is starting to get a little too drunk now so you bring her a cup of water to try and sober her up. You walk out of the club with her clinging to your arm. 

You find a food truck parked outside of the club and order food.

"Can you get me a hot dog too?" mumbles Jenny.

"You sure you're gonna eat all this?"

"Oh, I could eat my own pets right now" she said stumbling.

You order an Uber and sit on a bench by the curb after finishing. A car pulls up with dealer plates and a man inside calls out your name.

"Cecilia?" he whispered.

"Dude, you need to add your plates, it's a little undiscerning for the people getting in"

You and Jenny get inside and buckle up.

"You're going the wrong way."

"Hello?!" The uber driver starts picking up speed and reveals himself to be the man from the club. You hear him start to sob and mumble something.

You demand for him to pull over.

"What's the point anymore, Cecilia. If I can't have you?". He opens the door slightly from his side of the car but continues driving down fast towards a bridge that goes over the river by the grassy knoll. He presses his foot on the gas and jumps out at the last minute, letting you and your friend stumble down into the river.

The next morning a jogger finds the broken rails and dials 9-1-1.

The police discover two bodies with alcohol in their blood stream, no motives but initially suspect a suicide. The car had been reported stolen from one of the residents by the club.

It is later suspected to be a potential homicide but nothing ever materializes. There is a clue that is later discovered by reading your work emails but they ultimately don't lead to anyone. The investigation remained a cold case.