They must have worked together on a fire or something before. Whatever, all I want to do is find the person responsible for this.
I look at Liam, and grab his hand before stepping inside. Things are strewn all over the living room, every drawer opened, and everything pulled out onto the floor. The tv is left on the wall, which I find odd.
“Who would go through so much trouble and not take anything?” I ask.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out, ma’am.”
Liam walks with me to the back of the house to my bedroom, which is even worse off. My clothes are all off their hangers, and on the floor.
I drop to my knees, bawling, knowing someone has come into my house, and gone through all my things. There is a purpose to all this and I just need to figure out what that is.
“It appears they were looking for something. This wasn’t a typical burglary. Do you notice anything missing?”
“I’m honestly not sure, sir,” I reply, my mind not working properly right now.
“Well, we’ve taken some fingerprint samples, and maybe that will point us in the direction of the person. We’ll be in touch.”
The officer leaves my home, and Liam remains by my side. I stand in awe of the shape of my house, and knowing how long it is going to take to get everything organized again.
Why would anyone break into my house? I try to think of anything of value they could’ve taken but there’s nothing. I don’t have any expensive jewelry. What could they have been looking for? This unsettles me even more.
I begin picking up clothes off my closet floor, and putting them back on their respective hangers. I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight, so might as well start picking up. It’s going to take forever to clean all this mess up. Liam stands there and watches me for a moment, before he starts to put things back into my dresser.
“You know, you don’t have to do this tonight.”
“Gotta do something to keep my mind occupied. Or else, I’m gonna break down. I feel violated. None of this makes sense.”
“Are you sure there’s no one you can think of that would want to hurt you? Nothing they could have been after? I agree with Scott, it’s abnormal for someone to break in and not take anything.”
I slump down onto the bottom of my closet, and close my eyes. Does he think I’m keeping something from him? Why would I not help the cops find the person responsible?
“No, no one. Maybe they came to the wrong house? Maybe it was supposed to be my neighbor’s house or something? I don't know what to tell you.”
My agitation is getting worse, and all I want to do is curl up into a ball and cry. How am I ever going to feel safe in my home again? One thing’s for certain, I won’t be able to sleep tonight, even with Liam here.
We continue hanging everything back up until the closet is done.
“Listen, I’ll worry about the living room.”
This man has only known me for two weeks, yet he is already so invested in my life. Not that I’m complaining. I could truly see a future with Liam, and that scared me shitless.
He ushers me into the kitchen, which remains untouched, and pours a glass of wine. “Drink this. I’ll work on the living room. Try to calm your nerves.”
After tonight, I’ll be looking for a new place. It doesn’t even feel like home anymore, and there is no way I would be able to keep sleeping in that bed, or coming home to this house after what just happened.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a duplex open right now, would you?” I ask.
“I wish we did. You could always come stay at my place. Up to you.”
I sip on my wine, trying to forget and basking in the glory of Liam Jackson in a pair of grey sweatpants hanging off his hips perfectly.