Chapter 7 #2
“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure, but I’m here now, so it must be what fate wants.” His smirk doesn’t move.
I’m unable to contain the snort. What a load of bullshit. “Or I was here minding my own business, and you decided to interrupt it.”
“Sassy,” he draws out. “I love it. As far as minding my own business goes, I would if your boyfriend were here to look after you. But he’s not, so I decided to fill the seat.”
“Fill the seat as my boyfriend?” I ask completely dumbfounded. He’s making my skin crawl by talking in circles and not answering my question. Red flags are pinging all over my brain.
“If the shoe fits.” He shrugs.
The shoe doesn’t fucking fit.
“Are you waiting for a drink?” I ask, trying to change the subject as I plan how to ditch this guy and get the fuck out of here.
“No.”
Okay… “Then what are you doing here?”
“I was walking by and saw you in the window. From the look on your face, I knew I had to stop in and check on you.”
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I try to scarf down my sandwich as fast as I can without it looking suspicious. I need to get the fuck out of here.
“Well, this has been nice, but I need to get to work,” I say through a mouth full of food as I’m swallowing my last bite while I abruptly stand up and grab my coffee.
“Until next time, Bronwyn.” The man smiles as he inclines his head toward me.
I rush out of there as fast as my legs will take me without breaking into a run. I can feel his eyes on me until the door shuts behind me.
He was lying through his teeth because I would have seen him walk by the window, and I never did.
How did a man who I’ve never met before know my name?
By the time I make it to the store to open, I’m a wreck.
Normally, I would love being by myself as I open everything up. I’m free to play whatever music I want and can just vibe out. But after what just happened at The Drip? I’m one more thing away from a full-blown crash out.
I was on edge the entire walk here, thinking I was being followed without even knowing it. What other explanation is there for that happening? I’ve seen enough true-crime documentaries. I know how this ends. I feel like a fucking idiot for being a victim of it now. This should be my Super Bowl.
What did I do to deserve this? All I’ve done is stick my head down, mind my business, and try to make a better life for myself.
It’s been hard and challenging. There’s been more times than I would like to admit that I’ve wanted to throw in the towel, but I’m still standing.
And I think it’s worth mentioning that I’ve done all of this legally.
And look where that’s got me?
I’m late on rent because of my shitty dad.
I walked in on someone, who I’m pretty sure is connected to the mafia, holding a cut-off hand in the restaurant below me.
Said mafia man keeps showing up in my life when I would like him to just go away.
And to put the cherry on top, I now have a mystery man who knows my name popping up in a place I didn’t know I was being followed to. Can my life get any crazier?
“You want me to get started on stocking these?” Nate asks from behind me, making me jump as I let out a scream.
“Jesus Christ,” I gasp as I try to catch my breath. My hand moves over the left side of my chest in a poor attempt to calm my racing heart. “Make a sound next time, will you?”
“Sorry, I thought you heard me come in. I said hi to you and everything,” Nate says, looking at me with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, why?” I rush to answer as I shift around uncomfortably.
Does he know what’s going on?
Nate makes a point of looking around the store. “You haven’t done much of anything. Not that I’m complaining. You work your ass off, and you’re always covering mine, but usually you have everything down to the register ready to go. You sure you’re okay?”
Shit.
He’s right. I haven’t done anything but turn on the lights in this place.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. This place takes like two seconds to open. It’s never made sense to me why we have to be here an hour before. Have a rough night?”
“Uh, no,” I lie as I turn on the register. “I got sucked into the world of video games.”
“Ah.” Nate nods his head with a smile. “A world that’s a blessing and a curse. There’s beauty in the escape, but madness in the time that lapses in the real world while you’re gone.”
He hit the nail on the head with that one. “That there is.”
The rest of the day passes by without anything else weird happening, but that didn’t stop me from looking over my shoulder every thirty seconds. Part of me kept expecting the man from The Drip to come waltzing into AFK like he owned the place, looking for me.
If he were able to find out my name, what else does he know about me?
I can’t shake the feeling that he’s out there somewhere, watching and waiting for me.
“Alright, this is the last time I’m going to ask, and then I’ll leave it alone,” Nate says as he approaches me.
I’m standing at the front of the store, staring out onto the street.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been staring out the window like you’re waiting for a treasure map to appear that will lead you to the best loot of your life. ”
I force a small smile as I turn my attention to him to see the concern back on his face, not matching his lighthearted tone. “I think I just need to sleep. Would you care if I dip out early?”
“Go for it.” Nate waves his hand in the air. “I owe you.”
“Thanks, Nate.”
I hoped the walk home would clear my head and get me out of the funk my life has put me in, but it didn’t. If anything, it made it worse.
Even locked away inside my tiny studio apartment, I still don’t feel safe. I feel on edge, watching for the next knife to drop.