Chapter 76
~MILLIE~
‘He extended the meeting.’ I read Danny’s message as our car slowed to a crawl in front of Damian’s office.
It’s already nighttime. The glittering city lights of Roslin City cut through the darkness of the night. After only a few days of staying at Clarke Bay, I’m already acquainted with peaceful nights where insects sang as they welcomed the night.
“You sure you don’t want us to wait with you?” Candice asked from the passenger side, her husband Aaron humming, conforming with her notion.
Aaron picked us up from the airport and though my stomach had been in knots since the plane landed on the tarmac, I knew they needed time for themselves.
This was the longest time they’d been separated since they got married. For my sake, the two kept their hands off each other, but Aaron kept kissing Candice’s hand throughout the drive, shooting her meaningful glances when I wasn’t looking.
“I’ll be fine.” I smiled, slinging my backpack over my shoulder, a hand hovering over the door handle. “Damian will be out in a few minutes, anyway.”
“Millie…” worry clouded Candice’s face. She’s coming from a good spot, but they worry too much. Rome and Natalie were already behind bars, and a warrant awaited Aidan if he ever showed his face in Roslin City. All is good, I kept telling this to myself. I can’t live in fear forever. My friends need to understand that, too.
Putting on a brave face, I said, “Can… I’ll be fine, really. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I reached over the seat and squeezed her shoulder. She placed a warm hand over mine, squeezing
back. “Thanks for the ride, Aaron.”
“Sure. Give us a call if anything…” he trailed off, considering his following words. “Just anything.”..
I giggled. “Thanks, guys.”
I slid out of the car before I changed my mind and took on their offer.
All is good. All is good.
Chapter 76
The warm air of the city-smacked me in the face the moment my sneakers touched the ground. The clamor of vehicles flooding the street and the ocean of pedestrians sucked me in. A man almost knocked me over. Cursing under my breath as I gained my footing, I turned to look at him, but he already disappeared through the crowd. In my line of sight, a guy with a broad shoulder, six feet in height, wearing a black hoodie stood out in the throng of pedestrians. All the air left my lungs when he looked at the side, smirking menacingly.
His hood shadowed half of his face. Something about him looks oddly familiar. Flashes of everything Rome did to me came rushing back at me at full speed.
My heart drummed in my chest. Everything was magnified, as though someone dropped a huge magnifying glass before me.
The loud roar of a car startled me. I looked to the side. A driver was arguing with a kid, tucking a skateboard under his arm. When I looked in front of me again, the guy in the black hood was already gone.
Suddenly lightheaded, the lights from the buildings became too bright, blinding me.
‘I have a bad feeling about this.’ Andrea’s voice echoed in my head. ‘Roslin City is not a good place for you.’
I s t a g g e r e d backward, reaching for Candice and Aaron’s car for support, but only grabbed air. Their car’s tail light was already a few meters away, merging with the traffic.
People’s voices intensified. The lights became brighter, and the ground under my shoes turned jelly. Knees buckling, I s t a g g e r e d forward aimlessly, bumping into everyone in my path.
‘Why was I going against the traffic of people?’
Gripping the strap of my bag as though it was my only lifeline, I made a beeline for the nearest door on the sidewalk, beating a woman from reaching the door k no b.
Murmuring a timid apology, I walked past her inside the building, chest heaving as though I had finally made it up to the surface of the ocean, filling my lungs with air after almost drowning.
Someone knocked me from behind, pushing past me inside the cafe. She was the one from the door, glaring at me as she headed for the counter.
Chapter 76
Swallowing hard, I took deep breaths and exhaled through my nose, my haywire senses slowly calming down.
I took in my surroundings. I was in a cafeteria. It was spa io u s with a second level, and the railings were made of glass. Across from where I stood was a counter; the woman at the end of the line, the door lady, threw a daggered glare in my direction.
My feet were made of lead. I forced them to move behind the door lady, waiting in line. She huffed, tipped her chin forward, and grumbled something under her breath.
I focused on her anger, basking in it just to keep my mind working, and then I contemplated what had just happened. I’ve never had an episode like that before. It’s like my body isn’t mine, and I’m watching someone lose their focus while their anxiety gets the best of them.
‘Must be all the worrying Candice and Andrea embedding themselves in my head.’ I stared at the board behind the counter, unseeing whatever was written on it.
The Door Lady shoulder passed me as she headed for the empty table at the corner of the
cafe.
I glared back at her, pinning her with all the annoyance bubbling inside me. ‘She wants a glaring contest? I have a lot of anger inside me right now. Bring it on.’
After ordering a latte, I settled in the seat closest to the exit with the view of Damian’s building. Caressing the building made of glass with my eyes, the words ‘House of Black’ were as bright as the Polaris in the expanse of towering buildings perched towards the sky.
My knees bobbed under the table, and I kept staring at my phone now and then, anxiously waiting for Danny’s message. When he texted me that they were already on their way down to the basement parking lot, I abandoned my untouched ‘coffee and headed for the exit, my hands freezing at the door.
I stared at the crowded street on the other side of the glass door, the bustling street I needed to cross before reaching Damian’s building.
“That door won’t open on its own.” I looked over my shoulder, meeting Door Lady’s glare. She sounded bored, huffing, as she rolled her eyes at me.
‘Why does she have to be in my business all the freaking time?’ Irritated, I opened the door
Chapter 76
and stepped out into the open air, putting all my focus on taking each step.
My senses were heightened again, from the mother scolding a kid in front of the cafe to the lovers giggling behind them. I tipped my chin up and concentrated on the pedestrian street sign, using the tiny, red human figure as a beacon to keep my anxiety at bay.
Waiting with the cluster of people to cross the street, the hair on the back of my neck rose. The feeling of someone watching me from behind sent chills spiraling down my spine.
I looked over my shoulder, gaze foggy, as my heart slammed on my ribcage.
The throng of people dragged me across the street while I craned my neck, anxiously peering over my shoulder as we reached the other side.
“Millie, calm the f u c k down!” I hissed, berating myself for falling into this fear in my head. “Now I’m f u c ki n g talking to myself?!”
Pausing for a moment, I did another set of deep breaths, willing my pulse to calm down. and my blood to stop freaking rush in my head.
I hate being terrified of things I don’t even know what, like the monsters under my bed
when I was still a child.
I thought of pink ponies flying over the clouds. Mom said I should think of happy or silly things when I am scared. It eased the pounding in my ears for a while, and with my anxiety toning down, my senses slowly sharpened. Through the ocean of people on the street side, one man stood out. He was looking right at me, his shadowed eyes spearing through my soul.
He’s wearing a black hoodie, and I can’t see his entire face, but his smile told me this wasn’t like the monsters beneath my bed. He knew me, and the slow stretch of a menacing smile on his lips was a testament to that.
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