Kristal Anderson
"See I knew he'd be the killer," Laughter erupted from both of us, the room was filled with echoes of a sound that had become so foreign these past few months.
It all sounded like music to my ears, it was raw and beautiful and it pained me that my father had the ability to take that away from us.
"You cheated, you must have!" Aunt Jenna managed to get out through her laughter.
"That's what a loser would say, now come on," I held my hand out to her, "pay up," I smirked. She rolled her eyes reluctantly pulling out the $50 bill holding it out to me just like we had previously agreed.
"Well I still think you cheated," She crossed her arms putting on a serious face.
I snatched the money from her grip and leaned in, placing a kiss on her cheek, "Don't be a sore loser," That seemed to be enough to bring her smile back brighter and bigger than ever.
Movie nights with aunt Jenna were always a much needed sense of normalcy every once in a while. Every single time I felt lighter afterwards, there was always a small glimmer of hope left inside me, hope that this period in our lives would all be ancient history.
Every single time we made sure to bring something new to our movie nights, today for instance; at the beginning of the season of our current show we decided to bet on who the killer was and I won like I had won most of our bets in the past. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Aunt Jenna was letting me win just to make me feel better about this whole situation.
The screen to her phone lit up and the room was suddenly filled with her ringtone. She picked up her phone before I had the chance to read the name of the caller.
The smile on her face faded the moment her eyes met the screen and worry grew in the pit of my stomach at the shift in her expression, my mind instantly going to the worst case scenarios. It felt like a bucket of ice cold water being dumped on me washing away all the hope for normalcy.
"I-is everything okay?" I asked.
She blinked and brought her gaze back to mine, she registered the look of worry on my face and her smile was back on her face faster than I could blink, "Everything is fine Kris, um I just have to take this," She got up, "we should order pizza to finish this movie night on a good note," She added changing the subject but I didn't miss the slight edge to her voice but I nodded anyway.
I got up as well, "I'm gonna go have a quick shower in the meantime," I told her with a brief smile, she was shutting the door to the bathroom before I could hear her response.
Aunt Jenna had secrets.
It was obvious. Even a three-year-old could tell that.
We had always been very close and open with one another, always so transparent with one another. She never made me feel awkward about sharing details of my life; high school crushes for instance or past boyfriends, I tried my best to behave in the same manner but there were aspects of her life that seemed to be locked away for no one to find.
Like the random phone calls she got every once in a while, I've noticed the way the color drained from her face every time but I've gotten nothing out of her.
The fancy food delivery service that delivered our food once every two weeks was another mystery; the black SUV parked in our driveway at the exact same time, no logos to be found on it or on the grocery bags they brought. All she'd told me about it was that it was an elite food delivery service.
I guess rich people just don't like logos.
When I worked at RVP, half of my salary went towards helping with the billsâ it wasn't much but it helped lift some the burden off of aunt Jenna, even if it was just a little bitâ now that I was forced to stop, the burden fell completely on her.
I knew aunt Jenna, I knew that she'd do whatever it took to protect me, no matter what it took. So, I couldn't help but reason to the little voice inside my head telling me that she was involved with something dangerous and possibly illegal just to give me the privilege of living in hiding without having to worry about my next meal or how I'd pay my bills at the end of the month.
The guiltiness was clawing at my insides and eating me from the inside out. I would not be able to live with myself if whatever she was involved with started to catch up to her.
I could not handle losing her.
And I might have lied a bit when I said that I was transparent with aunt Jenna.
There was one thing I was keeping from her.
Him.
There he was; getting out of his car in his work clothes, a white dress shirt, a black tie going along with his black pants and shoes. The few stubborn strands of his hair seemed to have permanent residence on his forehead despite the copious amounts of gel in his hair.
I was supposed to be in the shower but my reading nook was calling for me. People-watching was so ingrained in my daily routine that I couldn't go a day without knowing what was happening outside these walls.
And he just so happened to be there.
And I just so happened to particularly enjoy watching him.
Not in a creepy way.
I just found myself particularly mesmerized and intrigued by him, I found myself wondering where he was, where he worked andâ
Okay, maybe it was a little creepy.
Oh my gosh, was I turning into a stalker?
I had to stop this.
But he appeared at his window, staring right at me before I could find the will to pull my curtain shut. A marker and papers in hand. Like he knew I'd be there. He smiled and waved. I returned the gesture with more ease than I'd like to admit.
You're a terrible stalker you know? He held up the first piece of paper.
I chuckled, shaking my head, I was at my desk and back with my paper and marker.
How so?
You make it really obvious. It takes away from the suspense element
Well if I'm a stalker then you're my enabler
How so?
This. You're talking to me and egging me like you want me to stalk you
That earned what seemed to be a chuckle from him.
Perhaps I do
I chuckled, shaking my head and I didn't miss the heat crawling up my neck settling itself on my cheeks.
Okay then, I'll be sure to amp up my stalking techniques
The dimples on his cheeks that appeared when he laughed brought a new look to his face, it made him look free and at peace and beautiful. So fucking beautiful.
That would be rather appreciated
Heels clicking on our wooden floor towards my room wiped the smile off my face, my heart seemed to have detached itself and fallen towards the balls of my feet.
I was scrambling to hide the papers and marker under the pillow on my nook before gripping onto my curtain and shutting it not before I registered the look of worry and confusion on Aiden's face. But I shut it anyway.
I shut it just as Aunt Jenna entered the room, I was up on my feet trying to look as normal as I possibly could given the circumstances.
"Hey Kris, you never told me what you wanted on your pizza," She said, glancing up at me from her phone.
"O-oh," I cursed myself for being so bad at acting normal in a situation that was anything but normal. I cleared my throat and started again, "I'll have spinach, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers and olives," She listened intently typing away at her phone.
Was I, a twenty-four year old woman, behaving like a teenager caught doing something they shouldn't have been doing by their parents? Yes, yes I was.
But I knew how overprotective she had gotten since my father got out of jail. If she knew I was talking to the new neighbor, it would just be another thing for her to worry about, another thing she would feel like she needed to protect me from if she didn't deem him to be a good person.
I was already a big enough burden for her to carry.
Another chapter done!!!
How are we feeling about the story so far?
Hope you're enjoying yourself!
Love,
J