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I laugh at her antics. “I could never forget about you. You’re too memorable.” I gesture to her.
She has bright pink hair. And I meanbright, hot pink. I have no idea how she maintains it so it stays so vibrant. She has tattoos on both arms and her chest. They are all colored and bright, as well. She has a septum piercing that fits her face perfectly. Her nails are always done. She dresses in black most days, and it’s such a contrast compared to her personality and everything else, it shocks you.
Definitely could never forget her. If not for her looks, adding in her undeniable beauty, she has the most amazing personality.
“Well Pres,” she says, and I roll my eyes. My name is Presley, but she insists on the nickname. “You won’t ever forget me because I’ve already claimed you as my bestie.” She leans over and bops my nose, then laughs when I try to bat her finger away but fail miserably. “Anyway, want your usual?”
I nod with a grin. “You know me.”
She laughs. “Duh. Bestie, remember?”
I watch from my table as Raven puts in my order with the kitchen and checks on some tables of other guests before coming back over to mine.
She pops down across from me and gives me a serious look. “Anything new?”
I sigh and glance around the diner before looking at her again. “No. Nothing new, I promise. It only happened that one time.”
Raven stares me down before nodding her head. “Alright. I’ll let it go. But you have to promise to tell me if anything else happens.”
I feel sweat gathering on my palms as I nod and agree that I will tell her. But the latest note burns in my purse that sits next to me. There is no escaping this. But Raven doesn’t ever need to get dragged into it.
Two months ago, I left my hometown and everything I knew to get away from my husband. The only reason I was able to leave Ben is because I blackmailed him. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I knew it needed to be done. He left me alone until about a month ago. And since then, he has been leaving notes and basically stalking me.
I try to play it cool and pretend it doesn’t affect me since I know he is watching me, but every night now I sleep in my closet and usually cry myself to sleep.
About a week ago, Raven dropped by unannounced to see me, and there had been a note taped to the door. Raven read it and has since been worried about me and wants to know who it was from, but I haven’t told her. I just explained it was some silly prank, but she won’t let it go. Although it seems that now my fake bravado about it is paying off, and she seems to be letting it go.
She taps her fingers on the table, pursing her lips before standing up to tend to other customers. “Good. I want you safe, girlie.”
“I know. I’ll see you around, ‘kay?” I flash a smile, but inside, I can’t help but feel uneasy. She doesn’t know the notes keep coming, and that’s how it’s going to stay. She doesn’t need to get involved in Ben’s mess.
After I eat, I say goodbye to Raven and head back to my apartment. I have a car, but I prefer to walk to the diner especially when it’s nice out like today. Plus, it’s only about a five-minute walk, and there are trees all around, lining the sidewalks and in everyone’s yards as I pass the quaint homes that are on the same street as my apartment.
When I get home, I take a long bath and then get ready for bed. It’s only eight in the evening, but I’m a twenty-nine-year-old grandma, apparently. As I’m getting into bed, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I get a weird tingly feeling running down my spine as if someone is watching me, but when I turn around, no one is there.
You’re just tired, Presley. Go to sleep.It’s just me here. Everything is fine.
I shake my head and grab the blankets and pillows off my bed. Taking them into the closet, I make a floor bed and curl to sleep in here. The last few days I have been feeling like someone is watching me, but from inside of my apartment. It made me paranoid enough that I tore my apartment apart looking at everything. I didn’t know what I thought I’d find, but there was nothing that seemed off.
Like I said, everything is fine.
The next morning when I wake up, I get ready to go job hunting. I have money left from when I moved two months ago, but I need to get a job and start saving. I won’t be able to work for long. As soon as the thought comes, I feel the flutter and then a tiny push on my tummy.
I smile down at my belly and rub the tiny bump that is showing. “Good morning, my sweetling. I see you are wide awake now. Hungry?”
I whip up some breakfast. Usually, I stick with light foods so I avoid getting sick as much as possible. But today, I make waffles, eggs, and bacon. I sit down and find myself humming along with the music playing from the old-style radio I have set up on the counter.
I fell in love with this place the moment I saw it online. I moved two hours away, so I had to go off of the online images, and I am so glad I picked this one. It’s upstairs, and there is no one above me, so the ceilings are high with large windows lining the far wall in the living room. They overlook an extensive park that has walking trails. It’s an open floor plan, two bedrooms, one bath.
I still haven’t gotten a lot of furniture yet. I’ve always had everything I wanted my whole life, and something about starting over in more ways than one has been appealing to me. So I’ve been going to thrift stores when I can.
Which is where I found my table. It’s circular with four chairs. It’s rustic brown wood, and the chair seats are upholstered, but they had an ugly fabric on them, so I took it off and got new fabric to put on. Now it’s a cream color for the seat cushions. I was so proud of myself. I’ve never done things like that before, and I Googled and watched videos and did it with no help, and it turned out great. It holds a different kind of pride for me.
My life has never been bad. I grew up with wealthy parents. They set me up to get married when I was eighteen. I was very lucky and got to help decide who I would court. My parents were strict, but they trusted me. I ended up marrying my childhood friend Benjamin. We got married at twenty after courting for two years, both of us halfway through college. He was in law school, and I was getting my business degree.
Our lives were full. Always staying busy working, schoolwork, family events. Ben liked to have control, which I didn’t mind. He was never mean to me and always took care of me. My parents didn’t love it because I missed some family events because he had other prearranged plans we couldn’t miss.
But then my parents started to get distant with us. They never wanted to come over when we had meals planned and invited them. After a while, they stopped calling altogether, and I rarely heard from them. When I tried reaching out to my mom, she told me we just had different lives and hung up on me. I was so hurt I didn’t know how to handle it. It was the first bad thing to ever happen in my life.
