“Ha, funny. No, that part is going great. It’s just… this,” I say as I slide the envelope towards her, and she takes the piece of card out.
“What the hell is this?”
“This is quite clearly Danny,” I tell her.
“Jeez, doesn’t this guy get the hint?”
“Apparently not,” I say with another loud sigh, and she simply sits back in the chair and huffs out a laugh.
“I don’t see the funny side,” I say to her, as I wait for her to clue me in on why she thinks this is all hilarious.
“You don’t? Because I think maybe you should, otherwise you’re gonna get all wrapped up in that head of yours, and, honey, I know how dramatic you can be,” she says with a smile, and I roll my eyes at her. “Look, you’re thinking about this way too hard. So what, you’ve got a bit of an unhinged ex. Haven’t we all?”
“Oh gee, that makes me feel so much better,” I say sarcastically.
“All I’m saying is that you need to not let this eat you up. Things are going great for you right now, so don’t let that fucking idiot ruin it for you.”
“And the fact that he tells me to leave? Should I really just ignore it?” I say, feeling exasperated.
“Yeah, okay, he’s one hell of a loose cannon, but come on, are you really going to let this affect you when you know it’ll all blow over?”
“I guess you could be right.”
“Look, if anything else happens, then fine, maybe worry a little, but in the meantime, just try to let it go, because you have everything to live for right now.”
I smile at her as I feel some of the stress leave my body. “I knew you’d make me feel better about things.”
“It’s what I do,” she says as she stands and then tells me, “Now get up and let’s get lunch. I’m feeling like I need a big bowl of cheesy fries to get me through the afternoon.”
* * *
Unknown number:
Watch your back.
Unknown number:
I’m coming for you.
Unknown number:
Ignorance is bliss… until it isn’t.
“It’s her,” Caleb says as he stares angrily at the policeman that we sit across from. The messages started coming in quick succession, and as much as I didn’t want to involve the police, when another letter came through with droplets of blood on them, I knew that we couldn’t continue to ignore it anymore.
“Sir, we will absolutely pay her a visit and ask her some questions, but in the meantime, I need you to keep calm.” Caleb is convinced that Bliss is the one doing this, what with her visiting him a couple of weeks ago and all of this starting up just after, he thinks it’s too convenient., especially when the one message actually says ‘bliss’, even if it isn’t in the context of her name. My money was on Danny, but now, I’m not so sure.
“Keep calm? How calm would you be if this was happening to your wife or girlfriend?” Caleb fumes, and I place my hand on his arm to try and help soothe him somewhat. I’m a little more numb to it all than Caleb, because I just haven’t got the energy to do anything else. My life really has been like a damn rollercoaster, but the one constant keeping me going is Caleb. Since we got back on track, he’s been there, calming me, loving me, vowing to protect me, and now it’s my turn to keep him calm.
“I understand your frustration, sir, but please let us do our job,” the officer says, and I gently squeeze Caleb’s arm. He turns to look at me and I give him a small smile as I see the worry swirling in his eyes.
More questions later and we’re leaving the police station, me safely tucked under Caleb’s arm as we walk back to the car. The advice we’ve been given is to carry on as normal. That will be easier said than done, but we have to try. So I will still be going to work, as will Caleb, and in actual fact, I don’t think he’s going to let me out of his sight for a while, or at least until we find out exactly who is behind the sinister messages.
“Fucking cops get on my nerves,” Caleb says when he gets in the driver’s seat of the car after making sure I got in safely––because clearly him being able to see me get in wasn’t enough. I get it, and I kind of like it, his protective nature, the way he wants to shield me from any harm… pretty damn hot actually.
“I know, but we have to just keep living as normal and wait,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders.
“What we need is a fucking hitman.”