A Short Story: Susan's Addiction

Almost three weeks had come and gone since the beginning of Susan’s disturbing addiction. Each day was the same, she would wake up in her funeral home of an apartment with a feeling of strange, inexplicable purpose. Later on, she would sit at her table, pretending to flip through the morning paper while discreetly observing Mary and Jonathan. Evidently, they never seemed to take notice, perhaps they were too enthralled with each other to see what was happening. They would sit together, drinking extravagant coffee and eating fresh blueberry scones, completely unaware of Susan’s prying eyes. Accordingly, when they would leave Susan would wait a customary two minutes before pursuing them.
Amid the three week span, she must have toured at least

“I see,” he said after a pause
His eyes wandered back to Mary and Jonathan. “Do you know them,?” he asked, looking into her eyes again. “N... No, I don't know them,” she said, looking away from him. “ Well, then let's go introduce ourselves.”
Susan froze in her seat, unable to release a single breath. What could she do but go with him? He was a detective, a detective who clearly knew more than he let on.
Her body seemed to move without her consent, like her own body was betraying her and dragging her and to their mutual destruction.
Suddenly, a strong hand gripped her arm, keeping her from getting away. Leaning against the wall was Mary, shining like a diamond in the musty church; she illuminated the room, revealing the cracks and imperfections in the woodwork, hidden from view previously. As they approached, she turned to acknowledge them with a warm red smile and luminous green eyes that scanned Susan up and down, but showed no evidence of recognition in their depths. “Hello!” she said, with same charismatic voice Susan had heard so many times. “Are you two

“I’m happy too!” Mary replied
“Oh, I've got to go help set up the punch table, I'll see you two around!”
As she walked away her blue coat trailed behind her like butterfly wings. Susan stood in silence waiting for her sense of feeling to return to her. When she found her senses again, she noticed how tight the hand around her arm was. He finally relinquished her and they walked back to their seats. “Did you like her?” he asked “I suppose...” Susan replied
They sat in silence for about a minute, Thomas’s eyes piercing the back of her head as she focused intently at the wall to the right of them. She knew she could not avoid him anymore and she turned to meet his gaze.
“I know what you've been doing, Susan” he said slowly. “You've been stalking that poor couple”
Two conflicting emotions flooded Susan, one was utter despair and the other, smaller one was relief. He finally just said it. The dam of truth had finally been breached and the water was flowing freely.
She wanted nothing more than to confess and be free from all this, the coffee shop, the church, Mary, and Jon but she just couldn't do it. “I don’t know what you mean” she said, her voice suddenly sturdy and