The Familiar Stranger Novels & Stories

I stare at him curiously, I have no memory of that but, I will take his word for it. I relax in front of him. “So, where are you headed?” “St. Johns Shopping center” I tell the stranger He smiles “I will give you a ride.” I thanked him, and seat myself in the nice car. There is something about him that is familiar but, my brain is hurting like it is trying to tell me. I feel so unsettled. “I apologize, I feel like somehow, I do know you; I do not know why though? You do feel familiar, if I think about it, my brain starts to hurt like it is trying to remember something long forgotten. Does that make sense?” He stares at me while driving.

“Fuck. I can’t believe she’s gone, you know? I close my eyes and I see her, I hear her voice….I can smell her perfume from the jacket I was wearing the last time we hugged, you know? And everything is already falling apart with her absence and I……I’m sorry I’m bothering you with all this shit-” “No. It’s fine. I promise. Just get it all out”, she says from the sofa as she takes another hit before passing it to him; “I’m your stoner therapist”. That gets a genuine chuckle out of him. He runs his hands through his jet-black hair, pushing away the hair from his face. Something about that motion reminds Lenny of Hannah.

Naomi stepped slightly in front of Ama. The stranger noticed. His smile widened. “A reasonable reaction.” Ama's instincts screamed. Run. Immediately. Yet she remained where she was. Because something about the man felt familiar. Not him specifically. The energy surrounding him. The impossible certainty. The quiet confidence. Like someone who understood far more than he should. The stranger's gaze settled on Ama. “It's been a long time.” Ama frowned. “We've never met.” The man's expression softened. “Not in this life.”

he said advancing towards me grinning evily "and now that you've come crawling back in going to show you exactly what I'd do to those who stab me in the back" carrrrlllllooooossssssss noooooooooo gasps I jolted up drenched in sweat it was all a dream, thank heavens I wasn't back to that lunatic, I was here finally free of that monster, I'm here with a new one. one whom I know nothing about..... way to go Scarlett you've done it again....... you've made bad choices on men.... again I know I kind of panicked when nona told me all of those things about valerio... but I didn't expect it to bring back this nightmare, but I do know one thing tho, I am not sleeping on the same bed with that strange

When she finally climbed into bed, she didn’t sleep. The next morning, Maya went about her routine as if she hadn’t stood frozen for half the night with a stranger on the other side of her door. She dressed in loose jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt. She didn’t wear makeup, didn’t fix her curls, didn’t even bother with breakfast. The hallway outside smelled like floor cleaner and old wood. The apartment across from hers had the blinds down, but through a small slit she saw a light flicker on. Then off. She didn’t stop walking.

flashback end. She became emotional as she remembered she had given her first time to a total stranger, she hurried to the bathroom to get change, and after a while, she sneaked out of the room. When she got home, so lucky her aunt had left for work that morning, she hurried to her bathroom to take a hot and long shower, she sat down in the tub as the shower was tumbling on her body, and she cried bitterly regretting her actions. Two days later, Jayden was sitting quietly in his large exclusive office that was made with interior design. He was taken aback by what happened to him at that clubhouse he went to with his brothers.

A few heartbeats later, she stepped away from him and realized that her audience had left. “That wasn’t so bad after all,” Ellen said, turning back to face the handsome stranger in front of her. The events of the last few minutes had sobered her up a bit. The handsome stranger looked stunned as he stared at her. His face was hardened in anger, and stepping towards her, he raised up his right hand.

I heard bones crack and an agonizing scream followed. I ignored it, staggering towards the sweet scent. When I got to the stranger, he dropped something that landed with a big thud and a mesmerizing set of seafoam eyes turned to me. My breath hitched. It carried the same intensity I felt everywhere I went. His features, the silver streaked hair looked so damn familiar. I knew this man… but my mind was not cooperating. It wouldn't tell me who he was or how I knew him. “You…” My hands latched onto his collar. “Freakinnnnnng stalkerrr…” I yanked him closer to me and the action made me stagger, almost losing my footing. “You smell so nice…”

He was not Derek. Fuck. I stopped. “Oh,” I said. “I’m so sorry. I thought you were someone else.” I backed away. This stranger had been following me. Whoever he was, his intentions were not good. The man was scruffy. He looked more like a street person than someone who’d be driving a high-end SUV. His hair was lank. His face was pale and sweating, his eyes dark, pupils huge in spite of the bright afternoon sunlight. And he looked… familiar. I’d seen him somewhere, knew him somehow.

I can’t leave him. They say time is a healer, I say bitterly. “They lied.” Flashes of lightning, illuminating the grave lines. It is then that I can see it--a figure standing in the cemetery. High and straight, carrying an umbrella. I freeze. The face of the stranger is in the shadows, yet there is something familiar about the manner in which he is standing. Broad shoulders. Straight posture. Watching. I blink, and he’s gone. A chill runs through me. Perhaps, it is my mind playing tricks once again. Perhaps it is grief that has finally made me insane.