Page 18 of Pretty Little Fears

Ihesitantly take a sip, smacking my lips to get a taste of anything foreign.Butthe coffee is surprisingly good.There’snothing that leads me to believe it’s been altered.Ablush creepsacross my face at the thought ofEmmettgenuinely doing something nice for me.It’sunexpected and my stomach is doing somersaults.Idon’t know ifI’mflattered or creeped out.

Ifeel his eyes on me butIdon’t dare look back at him for the remainder of class.Whenthe lecture comes to a close,Ihurry home, not wanting to be caught in his web for the fear of which version of himImight get.Forthe things he’ll make me feel.

SinceIwas caught up in my thoughts this morning,Ididn’t get to go for my morning run.Checkingthe weather, it’s not too chilly out, soIcan sneak in a quick couple of miles.Ineed to blow off steam and an orgasm simply isn’t enough when all my thoughts will forever remain as fantasies.

Theyhave to.Ican’t let my guard down and for what happened withEmmettto happen again.

Ipull my hair up and change into a pair of leggings and a hoodie, then throw on some tennis shoes.Openingthe front door,I'mhit with the crisp chill of the night air.Youcan tell that fall is just around the corner, my favorite time of year.Istep out, do a quick warm-up on the porch, put in my headphones, and take off on my run.

Afterforty-five minutes,I’msweating and my heart is pounding in my chest.Icome to a stop and bend over, placing my hands on my knees while panting.

I’mnot too far from my house soIsettle on walking the rest of the way to let my heart rate slow.It’sa beautiful night.Thechill wafts around me and helps to cool my heated skin.Thedarkened sky is splattered with stars, illuminating my path.

Iwalk through the front door, slip off my shoes, and call out, “I’mhome!Anyonehere?”

WhileIwas home earlier, the house was empty.Surely, someone would be home by now.Yet, no one responds.IguessI’mstill the only one here.Turningaround to face the door,Itriple check the lock and make my way to the bathroom.

Itoss my shoes next to the hamper and quickly undress.Idisconnect my phone from my headset and allow the music to continue to play through the speaker.

I’min the shower in seconds, washing away the perspiration, stress, and unwelcoming thoughts, watching every last bit flow down the drain.Finishingup,Iwrap my towel around my body, then step out, closing the shower door behind me.Iforgot to grab clothes before coming in here, soIdo my skincare in my towel.

Holdingthe towel to my chest with one hand,Iopen the door with my free hand while humming the current song,NonsensebySabrinaCarpenter.AsIwalk into my room, my eyes land on a blood red envelope on my bed, which wasn’t there before.

Ilean my head into the hallway and call out again, “Isanyone home?”ButI’mmet with darkness and utter silence.

Withmy brows furrowed in confusion,Iwalk over to the bed and pick up the blank envelope.Howdid anyone know this was for me?Iturn it over and carefully peel back the flap.There’sa folded letter inside.Ilook up and glance around, paranoid thatI’mbeing watched.Ipinch the paper with two fingers and slowly pull it out, dropping the envelope asIunfold it.

Mymouth drops at the contents of the letter.

“Whatthe fuck,”Iwhisper to the quiet room.

CHAPTER TEN

EMMETT

Follow You - Bring Me The Horizon

IwatchBlairfrom the shadows as she closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath.Sheshould be gone for at least half an hour, giving me enough time to get in, set up the cameras stored in my backpack, and get out.

Mygaze is trained on her as she makes her way down the front porch and puts her headphones in, oblivious to the obsessive shadow lurking nearby.

Blair’sroommates were all tied up in their own obligations, freeing the house and making it way too easy for me to break in.Notto mention, their house is one level, soBlair’sroom is on the first floor.Shenever locks her window.

Iknow becauseI'vefound myself opening it easily and letting myself into her room.Shefeels safe here.Evenwith all of those students disappearing, she puts herself at risk every singlenight.Alocked door does nothing when the windows are fair game.

OnceBlairis out of sight,Ileave my spot within the trees and jog to her window.Pushingit up,Ieventually have enough room to slip inside.Itoss my bag in, plant my feet, carefully swing my legs over, and close her curtain behind me.Itisn’t my first time here and it certainly won’t be my last.Iturn to face the rest of the room.

Walkingto her bedside table,Iunplug her alarm clock.Ishrug my bag off of my shoulders and unzip it.Reachinginside,Ipull out the first camera.It'sa perfect replica of her clock.

Tossingher original into my bag,Iset the alarm to her usual time of 5:30AMand place the new version back down.Movingonto her desk,Iopen up her laptop and it doesn’t take me long to hack into it.Definitelyneed to teach her a thing or two about security.

Hackinginto her webcam,Iconnect a second live stream of her room to my phone.There’sa few more left for me to place.Iwant to be able to see her from every angle.

Allthe time.

Istash one in the main living area inside one of her small decorative plants.Inthe bathroom,Iplaced another hanging hook and move toward her towel rack.Similarto whatIdid with her alarm clock,Ifound an identical match that was equipped with cameras.

Iunscrew the old one and carefully place it down next to me.Afterscrewing in the new rack,Icheck the overall feeds once again.Thescreen quickly fills with different angles ofBlair’sliving space and it sends a tingle down my spine.Thethought of being able to see her wheneverIdesire is invigorating.

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