I shut the door behind me and flip the deadbolt lock even though its daylight. My throat is so tight and dry that I can’t swallow. Hysteria pushes its way through my veins. I want to get out of here and never come back.
I go back to my room, find my phone, and press in the numbers for Emma. I have to tell her even if I don’t want to. If she comes back here alone and something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself. Em’s voicemail picks up, since she’s still at work.
I try to say it briefly, but as I’m talking, I think that I sound way too scared for what happened. So someone wrote something nasty on my mirror?
Someone was in your apartment, Anna! My mind snaps back. Shaking my head, I change the reason for the call and tell her a raccoon got in and to be careful when she gets home. I hang up and tap my phone. For some reason, I can’t say it. I can’t admit what happened, yet. At the same time, I don’t want her walking in here at night, alone. I have to do something.
I call his number without thinking. He picks up on the second ring. “Edward?”
His voice sounds surprised, “Anna? What’s going on?”
“Any chance you could come over later? I have an appointment and I don’t want Em alone here.”
He asks what happened. I tell him about the raccoon, and that I’m a little on edge. I don’t know where it came from and the more I think about it, the less likely it seems that it came down the chimney. I wonder if the perv threw it in the apartment when he came in. I fall silent and Edward says something, but I don’t respond. I blink, looking at my mirror.
“I’ll head over now, okay? You sound out of sorts.” I start to protest, but he’s gone. I look at my phone and the screen’s gone black.
I run to the kitchen and get the Windex. I scrub away the letters before anyone else can see them. I pick up my make-up and put it away, but one tube of lipstick is missing. The one that was used to write on the mirror is gone. I can’t think about it. I need Cole. My mind feels like its floating in glue and doesn’t want to think. My thoughts are sluggish. The shakes calm down to a small tremor. I fold my arms over my chest to hide it.
I pace the apartment, looking for signs of entry, but there is nothing. Just the hole in the old chimney. That fireplace was part of the reason why we chose this apartment. Although it doesn’t work, the hearth is really cute. I stare at the busted up wood and the door buzzes.
I check to make sure it’s Edward first, and then let him in. His dark hair is wet like he just took a shower. He’s wearing jeans with a cream colored shirt that’s tucked in neatly at his waist. He looks me over once. “What’s the matter?”
His question makes me want to cry, but I can’t say it. It sounds stupid. I’m crying because there was a nasty word on my mirror. I’m crying because I’m not a whore, but someone thinks I am. Biting my bottom lip, I shake my head and don’t look him in the eye. “Nothing’s wrong, just frazzled. That raccoon scared the hell out of me. I need to finish getting ready. Maybe you can seal up the fireplace? It looks like he came in that way.” Lies, lies, lies. The pit of my stomach twists. I hate lying.
Edward nods and walks away from me, into the living room. I return to my bedroom and feel a little bit better since I’m not alone. I hear Edward moving things and then the sound of wood snapping as he cleans up.
I pull the heated flat iron through my hair, careful not to burn myself. When I finish, I look like a different person. I put on a different outfit than I originally intended. I grab a pair of black leather pants and a tight tank. I put my make-up on darker than usual, trying to hide the fear in my eyes. I don’t want this to ruin my night with Cole. He already has too much on his plate, and in comparison, this seems silly.
Edward wraps his knuckles on my open door. He stands in the open doorway watching me as I apply a coat of mascara. “It’s boarded up.”
“Thanks,” I say, trying not to stab myself in the eye. I hold the wand and glance at him, “Do you mind hanging out until Emma gets here?” I look at the mirror and carefully brush my lashes with the black goop. My hand shakes slightly. I rest it on the dresser and take a breath. Why can’t I calm down?
Edward leans against the door frame and folds his arms over his chest. I can tell that he isn’t going to cooperate unless he knows what’s going on. “What’s this about, Anna? I can tell something’s bothering you. Just tell me. Maybe I can fix it.” His eyes burn a hole in the side of my face. He hated it when I wore makeup when we were dating. He likes that au natural thing going on.
“I don’t want to get into it now, Edward.” I finish and put the make up back in my drawer. I turn to him and say, “Please, do this?”
Edward nods once, but his eyes don’t leave mine. I feel a chill work its way through my body. He never had sex with me and he’s watching me get dressed to have sex with someone else. The way he looks me over makes me nervous, but then again, everything makes me nervous right now. I go to brush past him, when he gently takes me by the elbow and stops me. I turn toward him.
“You’d tell me if you were in trouble, right?” he asks. “We may not be lovers anymore, but I hope you still think of me as a friend.”
Breathing slowly, I feel his fingers on my arm. The contact feels wrong. I turn toward him so his fingers slip away. I want to say that we were never lovers, but I know where he wants this conversation to go, and I don’t want to rehash the past. I want to get to Cole and stay with him until all my apprehension fades away.