Page 51 of Written in the Stars
ZANDER
Ican’t believe that even though I told her everything that happened, everything that I caused, she still loves me and wants to be with me. Surely once she’d find out, she’d scream through her tears, cursing me out, leaving me without a second thought.
But she didn’t.
She embraced me. She held and comforted me. She was there for me and she stayed all night and this morning, making sure I was okay. She only left here about fifteen minutes ago to grab some of her things at her sister’s house so she can spend another night here with me.
Before I kissed her goodbye, she grabbed my red and black Glimerton Fire Department hoodie and pulled it over her head, saying this way she’d have my scent with her while she was away and she could feel close to me.
I can’t deny the fact that it brought a smile to my face hearing her say those words. To know she feels as deeply for me as I do for her is amazing; I’m loving every second of this thing we have. Plus, she looked so cute with it on.
Serenity means the world to me, and I know for sure now that it’s okay to let my heart go and fully allow it to feel what it felt all along. There is no need to hold back how I’m feeling about her, and I know that it’s time to let her know what that means.
I walk through my place and step into the kitchen, looking for something to eat. Last night was emotional, and even before I told her the truth last night, I had a hard time swallowing the food; it would not go down easily, so I didn’t eat much. Today was a bit easier, but still, we did little eating. The majority of our time was spent in bed, lying in one another’s arms. It was absolutely perfect and I know it’s exactly how I want to spend the rest of my life: with her, by my side, and in my arms.
As I go to grab the door of the fridge, I catch a glimpse of a cell phone on the table. It’s Serenity’s. She forgot it here.
Crap.
Well, if she needs me before she gets here, she can always call me from her sister’s phone. Hopefully she memorized my number. But maybe she didn’t. With cell phones these days, no one really remembers anyone’s number anymore because it’s so easy to just hit a button to dial a person’s phone. It’s not like it used to be back in the day.
I pull open the door and grab some leftovers from last night. Somehow, amid last night’s chaos, we salvaged some of the food and store it away before it could go bad. I take my container or lo mein and grab a fork out of the drawer next to the sink. Then I walk to the table, where I finally pull out a chair and take a seat on it.
I go to fork the first piece of the noodles, but before I can do so, her phone goes off, alerting me of a text message. I quickly look over and my heart stops. The same unknown number that had been messaging her before is at it again.
Without thinking twice, I drop the fork and pick up her phone to look at the message.
Again, it’s a picture, and this time, my insides turn cold.
There she is, walking toward her car. I stare at the picture for a few moments and sure enough, it’s Serenity in my red and black hoodie.
Whoever it is has been watching her. To know that she was here with me is confirmation of that.
I tap out of the picture and am brought back to the text messaging app, where what I see chills me to the core. A video of the two of us in her car.
I remember that day clearly. I thought she had said no more messages had come through? I thought she said if there had been, she was going to report it.
I take a deep breath and realize that none of this matters now. What matters at this very moment is the fact that someone is still stalking her, keeping track of her every move, and she’s out there on her own.
I need to get to her now; she’s in danger.
Not wasting another moment, I place her cell phone in the pocket of my pants, grab my gray hoodie and my car keys, and speed out the door.
* * *
Ican’t get to her sister’s house fast enough. Even though she doesn’t live that far away, the drive over felt as though it takes hours. When I turn onto her block, I look around for her car, but I don’t see it. Where is she?
Not bothering to waste any more precious time, I pull into the spot closest to Lissa’s house and kill the engine. I race out of the car and up the narrow walkway and ring the bell. After just a few moments, I decide to knock, too.
Lissa comes to the door, laughing with someone on the phone.
As she hangs up, she says, “Hey Zander.” She stands in a plaid store shirt against the doorjamb.
“Lissa, where’s Serenity?”
Her expression changes in an instant. “What do you mean? Didn’t she tell you?”
I furrow my brows. “She said she was coming here to grab a few things and then come back to my place for the night. Where is she?”
