Krissy
Istretch in the bed, feeling muscles pull that I didn’t even know I had. I hear the shower running and sit up in the bed. Smiling, I think I might surprise him in the shower. I start walking toward the bathroom, naked, when something on his open laptop catches my eye.
I get closer to the desk and bend over, not touching anything, but wanting to get a closer look. I bend down and look at it and sure enough, there’s an icon on his computer that says “Krissy.”
Curiosity gets the better of me and I click on the mouse, scrolling over to my name to open it. What I see guts me.
The file is full of everything about me. Letters between my first boss out of high school and Jared. All of my debt I’ve had over the years, and somehow have gotten paid off or I’ve won some kind of prize that I don’t remember playing for. There’s papers on the building I’m looking at for my studio, and negotiations for its lease. There’s pictures of me from my social media and even a picture of me winning a photography award two years ago. My mind can’t keep up with it all. Everything from my whole last four years are in a little folder on his laptop. I’m trying to read it all and I don’t realize that Jared has come out of the bathroom until he says, “Let me explain, Krissy.”
I jump up from the chair and realize I’m still naked. I spot the robe on the floor and shrug into it. I can’t have this conversation now. Not now.
“I’m going to shower. Then I want to go home,” I tell him and stomp off to the bathroom.
When I come out, twenty minutes later, Jared stands up with his hands out in front of me. “Please, let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. You have stalked me. You have controlled the last four years of my life and I didn’t even know it. How dumb am I? Really, I believed that some prize money paid off my car.” I shake my head. “I’m so stupid.” I stop and point my finger at him. “Did you pull strings for me to win the photography award?”
He instantly shakes his head. “No, no. I promise. You did that on your own.”
I turn my head to the side and eye him speculatively. I shake my head again, unable to wrap my head around it. I start throwing everything into a bag. “I’m leaving, Jared.”
He stops me. “That’s fine. You want to leave. I understand. But I’m flying you home and making sure you get there safely.”
I shrug my shoulders and stomp from the room.
With every stomp through the hotel and the airport, I start to realize that I’m throwing a tantrum. The plane ride home, I’m fuming. I can’t believe that he did all of this. I don’t even know what to believe anymore.
The plane ride is tense and when he tries to talk to me, I completely ignore him. My heart is shattering in my chest and I’m doing everything I can not to break down right now.
Once we land, I grab my bags from his hand. “I’m home safe. You can leave now.”
I turn to walk away and he follows me until we get outside.
“Krissy. Listen, I’m going to make sure you get home. I’m not leaving you like this, then I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want.” He guts me when he says that, but I hold the sob in and nod my head.
A towncar is waiting for us and I slide into the seat. He helps the man stow the luggage and then slides in next to me. I almost tell him where I live and then realize he already knows it.
I lean my head back and close my eyes, ready for this day to already come to an end.
Jared
I know I’ve freaked her out and I don’t know how to fix it. But I know I have to try.
When we stowed the luggage, I asked the driver to take us to the location of the studio she wants. Luckily, she has her eyes closed the whole way and doesn’t realize where we’re going.
She lifts her head when we park. “Jared, what are we doing here?”
I get out of the car and lean in, holding my hand out for her. “Let me show you something.”
She eyes my hand but doesn’t move.
“Please, this will be the last thing I ask of you.”
She ignores my hand and slides from the car.
I open the door to her studio and stand back, letting her walk in first.
As soon as she walks in, she gasps and her hands go to her mouth. Already tears are streaming down her face.