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QUINTON
Using the sharpened blade of my pocketknife, I cut away the tape wrapped around the top of the beat-up box. Even with expedited shipping, this took forever to get here. I’ve been waiting for the package for weeks, and now that I’ve finally got it, I find the outside damaged. If they broke my shit, I’m returning it with some C4 tucked inside.
Dropping the knife on the table next to me, I eagerly pull open the box and start taking out its content. Lucky for Amazon, the cameras inside are all undamaged. I inspect each one and connect them to my phone. After I try both out and know they are working, I check the time. Aspen should still be at class for another hour, which gives me enough time to install these.
If I can’t physically be with her, I can at least watch her.
Dropping the small devices in my pocket, I grab her keycard from my desk and head out. When I get to her door, I unlock it and slip inside without anyone giving me a second glance.
As soon as I’m inside, her unique scent fills my senses, and for a moment, I think she is here. I flip on the light switch to find the room empty, and I hate how disappointment creeps its way into my core.
I make quick work setting up one of the tiny cameras in the vent above her bed. The second camera is a little harder to hide since there is not much in the small room to use.
Scanning the cramped space, my eyes catch on a corner tile in the ceiling that’s coming loose, and I wonder if I can use it. Pulling her desk chair across the room, I climb up on it and loosen the tile more. Small debris falls to the floor as I gently wiggle at the corner, but I finally get it apart enough to tuck the camera inside.
I check the feed on my phone before I hop off the chair and place it back where I found it.
Just as I’m about to reach for the doorknob, someone swipes a card on the other side, and the lock disengages.
Fuck.
I quickly step to the side and let the door hide me as it opens. Aspen hobbles inside, trying to get her backpack off while balancing on one foot.
I sneak up behind her. “Need some help?”
She lets out a loud shriek, flailing her arm and almost hitting me with her crutches. Her quick movement makes her lose balance, but I grab her arm before she falls over.
“What the hell! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“Maybe.” I smirk. “Sit down before you kill yourself.” I push her down on her bed. She sits, still clutching her chest as I close the door to her room.
“Now, you want to help me?” She scowls. An image of her struggling to get up earlier pops into my head, and a dagger of guilt embeds itself in my chest. An apology sits at the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it down.
“What do you want?” Aspen questions when I spin back around. Her eyes are guarded, just like the rest of her. It’s almost like she expects me to attack her any minute now. Though I understand why she acts like this, it bothers me.
“Just came to check on you,” I lie. “Wanted to make sure you’re not withering away from jealousy.”
Aspen rolls her eyes so hard her whole head moves with it. “I’ll survive.”
“Are you admitting to it?”
“Of being jealous? Of course, I am,” she admits openly. “I’m jealous of a lot of things, but I won’t die from it.” Kicking off her one shoe, she lifts her legs onto the bed and turns away from me. “Close the door on your way out, please.”
“Since you asked so nicely,” I grit out, annoyed by the way I feel as I listen to her defeated voice.
I want to tell her I didn’t sleep with Anja, that I haven’t slept with anyone, but that would defeat the purpose.
I want her to hurt.
Fighting the urge to crawl in the bed with her, I leave and head back to my apartment. As soon as I’m back in my room, I flop down on my bed and pull up the video feed on my phone. Her room appears on my screen, and excitement sparks in my chest. Not only that, but there is a satisfaction that comes with seeing her, knowing what she is doing when she thinks no one can see her.
For a while, she simply lies in her bed, curled up on her side, just as I left her. When I think she must have fallen asleep, she turns around to lie on her back. Her red-rimmed eyes tell me she’s been crying, and the satisfied excitement I was feeling turns sour.
She wipes her tears away with the back of her hand and reaches for a book on her nightstand. She spends the next hour reading, and I watch her turn every page with wonder. She is so immersed in the book, she probably doesn’t realize the facial expressions she is making.
Aspen flinches when her phone suddenly rings, breaking the silence in her room. She closes her book and reaches for the ringing device.
“Hey, Mom,” she answers the video call with a guarded smile.
