Page 11 of Your Masked Haunting

Answer it, Mona.

She must mutter a goodbye to the guy because he walks off as she simultaneously swipes and answers my call, lifting the phone to her ear.

“You have my number,” she states, not questions.

Her tone is unreadable, and I’m suddenly terrified that I’ve ruined everything. But I have to remind myself that she answered for a reason. She’s drawn to this connection, just like I am.

Oh God, I should have cleared my throat or something before I called her. What if my voice cracks and I sound like an idiot? It’s fine. I’m fine. This will go great. Besides, I’m too overtaken right now by my emotions to really care.

“I do. I know everything about you, Mona.” Her name effortlessly rolls off of my tongue, like it was always meant to. “I know you don’t have any friends who look like him. I know watching your hands touch his back made me feel a level of jealousy and anger I’ve never felt before.”

Her breathing picks up, and from all the way over here, I can see her cheeks flush. Maybe it’s from the chill in the air, or maybe it’s because she loves how much she affects me. I just appreciate that she hasn’t hung up on me yet.

A smirk drifts across her lips. “You’re here.” It’s not a question or an accusation, but a statement of fact.

My voice becomes breathy and barely audible. “Being this close to you and not touching you is eating me alive. You have no idea.”

She doesn’t waste her words. “How do I lure you out?”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” I challenge.

She grins, biting down on her bottom lip to contain it, giving me the tiniest glimpse of the wall between us coming down, and it has me damn near sprinting across the lawn like Forrest Gump.

Pursing her lips, she finally releases her smile, a real one that creases her eyes and lifts her shoulders. “How else am I supposed to thank you for everything you’ve done? You might be a creep, but I’m still grateful.”

I let the creep comment slide this time because I know she likes our game and is only using it to get under my skin. She can pay for that another time.

“I didn’t want to scare you off,” I tell her honestly. “And once you let me loose, you’re going to have a hard time taming me again.”

She clicks her tongue. “Hmm. We’ll see. Maybe you’re all bark and no bite.”

The deepest chuckle reverberates through my chest and into the phone. “Oh, baby, I’d love to sink my teeth into you, devour you whole. Just say the word.”

She hums. “Hmm. What’s the word? Please?”

I laugh. “Yeah, right. A brat like you actually using manners? I doubt that.”

She giggles. “You son of a⁠—”

I cut her off, the image from a few minutes ago appearing in my mind, clouding my thoughts. We’re addressing that before anything else, or I won’t be able to think straight. “Who was the guy?”

“Bryce?” She scoffs. “He’s covering the rest of my shift for me so I can run an errand. If you’re always watching, then shouldn’t you already know that, Mr. Know-It-All?”

I have a feeling we will always go tit for tat. I love it.

“What errand? You could’ve asked, left a note, and I’d have had it taken care of,” I protest, annoyed that she didn’t try to reach out before. “You didn’t need to ask Bryce for help.”

A sharpness finds her tone. “Oh, when I need something, should I just whisper wherever I’m at and you’ll appear? Like a magical genie? Is that it? Because I doubt that.” A twinge of anger hits her voice, and I know it’s not caused by me, but I’m giving her an outlet for it. And I’d do it all day. “I’ve gone this long by myself. I don’t need you to do anything for me.”

“Mona.” I exhale her name like a whip. “I’m well aware of your crippling independence. But you have me now. Which means you name it and I’ll handle it. Now, tell me what you need.”

She opens and closes her mouth a thousand times while she fights her own defiance before finally giving in. I know it took her more strength than she’ll ever admit to open up and not snap at me. “I found a jumping spider in my room, and she’s starving. So, I need to get some mealworms for her.”

“I’m on it,” I butt in before she even finishes the last word. “Don’t worry about it. Everything will be here within an hour or so. Next.”

“I …” Her words fall by the wayside, and her body stiffens. “Are you bluffing?”

I grin, knowing that slowly, I’ll earn her real trust and her real affection. Right now, she likes the things I do for her, and that’s enough. But by the time we’re done, she’s going to like me for me, the stability and comfort I give her, and love that she doesn’t have to earn or plead for. It’s unconditional and true. The least she deserves.