“No,” I say.
“Not so loud,” he replies.
“This is my apartment. I'll be as loud or as quiet as I want,” I fire back.
“You need to learn obedience.”
“Take your obedience and shove it. I’m not in little space anymore. This is real and I want real answers. Who are you and what the hell’s going on?”
“If you let me in I’ll tell you.”
“You’ll tell me while you...” I pause, getting closer to the window and see that he’s standing on the decorative ledge on our floor, the third floor, clutching a downspout. “Are you kidding me?”
“You won’t let me in, but I can’t stay out here.”
“You’re not coming in.”
“Just tell me if anyone is out in front of my apartment then.”
“What?”
“I’m coming in,” he says. I prepare the pepper spray, stepping back and taking a wider stance ready to let it loose.
Waiting.
Still waiting.
Suddenly there’s a knock on my door and I squeeze the trigger of the canister, yelling, “Die!”
“Why are you so jumpy?” he asks. “Open the door before someone sees me.”
“No.”
“Listen, we need to talk.”
“You can talk through the door.”
“If I’m seen by the wrong people I’m in trouble, and I’m sorry but I don’t want you seen here with me right now or else you might be in trouble too.”
“Great.”
“Listen. There’s a late night showing of a movie every night at a theater a couple streets over called Grand Cinema.”
“Original.”
“Yeah, and not very grand. I’ll be in the back row tonight. It’s a public place so there’s nothing I can do to harm you. The guy running the projection thing, or whatever it’s called these days, will be right behind us, and there will be probably twenty-five people or so sitting in there. Bring what’s left of your pepper spray and meet me there.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Ok, don’t meet me, but I’ll be there. If I don’t see you then don’t expect to see me anytime soon…but count on seeing me again as soon as I can. Remember, you’re mine.”
I pause, taking it all in. “Daniel, wait,” I say, but nothing comes back. I don’t want to open the door, but I don’t not want to open it either.
Just this morning we were doing light age play like I read about on my Kindle and now we’re switching to spy play? This is a genre jump I’m not ready for, and certainly not familiar with.
Nor am I familiar with the feelings I have for this man.
Do I want answers or do I want the alternative? And no matter what he’s not going to let me go. The man thinks he has a claim on me, and as much as I hate to admit it at this point he’s the only one in my nineteen years who has ever wanted me this bad, or at all for that reason.