STELLA
One step forward,two steps back.
That summed up my relationship with Christian.
I’d thought we were making real progress. Considering how easily he’d shut me out after dinner at Dante’s, that wasn’t the case.
I didn’t hold a grudge often, but it’d been a week since we returned to D.C., and I still hadn’t shaken off all my hurt.
There was nothing more upsetting than considering someone a friend only to realize they didn’t feel the same way about you. The uneven balance in any relationship made my skin tight.
Drop it, Stella. I don’t want to talk about it.
It wasn’t like I’d asked him to spill his deepest, darkest secrets. Dante knew what happened with Magda and Vivian, so it couldn’t bethat bad.
Granted, I didn’t have as long of a history with Christian as he did, but still.
I swiped my card at the self-checkout counter with more force than necessary.
I’d visited Maura that morning and stopped by the grocery store to pick up more wheatgrass powder for my smoothies on the way home.
Pro tip: Don’t grocery shop when frustrated.
I came in for the powder and was leaving with two bags of popcorn, a pint of ice cream, a king-size chocolate bar, and a six-pack of Greek yogurt.
The air conditioning was on full blast, but a deeper, eerier chill swept over my skin when I turned to leave.
Every hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end.
The roar of blood in my ears drowned out every other noise as I scanned my surroundings with a white knuckle grip on my phone.
I didn’t see anyone suspicious, but the ominous shift in the air was so tangible I tasted it in the back of my throat.
Someone’s watching you. The soft, singsong warning drifted through my head.
And that someone wasn’t Brock, whose presence was invisible but always warm and reassuring.
A shiver rattled down my spine.
I hadn’t heard from my stalker since the break-in nor had I received any updates from Christian. I hadn’t asked for them; part of me didn’t want to know.
Out of sight, out of mind, except that obviously wasn’t true.
Whoever the creep was, he was out there, probably waiting for another opportunity to pounce.
I hadn’t mentioned my move on social media, but I was still living in the same building. If they could break into my apartment…
Stop it. He cannot break into Christian’s house.
He couldn’t hurt me when I was in public, either. Brock was there. I couldn’t see him, but he was
It’s fine. You’re fine.
Still, I forced my legs to move and walked as quickly as I could back to the Mirage.
The chill evaporated beneath the blaze of the afternoon soon. By the time I locked the door of Christian’s apartment behind me, I almost felt silly for how a mere sensation paralyzed me in the middle of a crowded grocery store in broad daylight.
It’s fine. You’re fine.
I twisted my necklace around my finger and dragged slow, deep breaths through my lungs until the vestiges of fear cleared.
Yes, my stalker was out there, but he couldn’t get to me.
I may have been upset with Christian right now, but I trusted him to protect me.
He’d find the stalker soon. Then the whole situation would blow over and I could return to my normal life.
I was sure of it.
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