a perri kiely dream

♡ chapter 16 ♡

Our group noisily arrive, laughing and chattering, Starr and Nathans arms linked together giggerling away like a pair of chipmunks and Mitch was being bullied on how small he was, by geo and liv. Which left me and Perri goggling at the lot and adding in comments every now and then.

We all finally sit down at a rounded table with our mouth watering food. "Hey iz," Starr began, I nodded in response as I greedily shoved the most amazing chicken into my mouth making perri laugh. "Aidan kept asking lots of questions about you at lunch, it was quite weird really. Quite personal too!" I abruptly stop eating causing myself to start choking on my food a bit. "He gives me the creeps. He would not stop asking me questions whilst dancing." I manage to get out, swallowing my marvellous food at last. "Maybe he has a crush on you?" Nathan joins in, groping onto a new piece of gossip. I catch Perris eye and quickly look away again. "But it's a bit weird, all the questions. No one I know does that if you have a crush on someone. And besides he hadn't  known me longer than a minute before he started with the questions." Everyone nodded in agreement and broke off into separate discussions about what Aidan might be up to and what people thought of Ash's choreo.

Half way through the meal I feel my phone vibrate on my leg. Reaching into my pocket and taking it out I gasp when I see who it is. I only gasp loud enough for Perri, who is beside me, to hear. "What's the matter?" He whispers out of the corner of his mouth. I take a deep breath, the horrifying bubble of dread rises back into my body. Carefully, under the table, I show perri the message.

Unknown number:

Hey! Listening to Jess Glynn, your favourite. You should make the most of listening to her, you don't know when it will be your last... -Ally

Perri slowly but surely moves his hand under the table to where my own is and places his on mine, squeezing it tight. "How does he know?" I whisper, just about loud enough for him to hear, my voice quivering a little. Perris hand still tightly closed around mine, out of view from the others, he replies, "I don't know izzy, did he know you listened to it before?" I shake my head. "Well it could have been a lucky guess then. Don't worry about it. It's going to be alright." I nod and both our hands slide away from the warmth and comfort of each other as the others are enquiring our attention.

Perri and Starr take me home later as I don't have my car with me. There is little talk on the way to my house as we are all quite tired. But there is more to the reason why I'm not talking much and maybe why Perri isn't too. I bid them both goodnight and get out the car quickly, just wanting to be with my own thoughts. I can feel Perris eyes on me as I stumble slightly towards my front door. There is a bunch of beautiful orange flowers laid out on the door step which I bend down curiously to pick up. Who on earth would send me flowers? Quickly I read the label and my heart drops like a stone. I hear footsteps on the gravel plod towards me and the muffled voice "you forgot your pho- are you okay?" I panic and quickly swivel my head round, looking up and down the street. No one. Except Perri in front of me clutching onto my phone, looking confused. I shoved my hand forwards, the ripped off label in it. Our hands kind of got muddled together in the exchange an then he was holding my hand for the second time today. I'm not complaining. I feel like if I'm not holding onto something my legs will give way right here, right now. And Perris warm, smooth hand etches some kind of comfort into the building dread and panic. "Just some flowers for my little Isabel , orange. Your favourite colour. Guess who from? I'll give you a clue. I won the battle with your father." Perri read aloud and quickly looked down into my frightened eyes. "It's him," I manage to mumble out. "He's been here. He could be watching us right now." Perri pulled me into a big hug, stroking my hair calmingly. "You don't know for sure that it's him. I'm going to stay with you tonight okay?" I don't say anything, not sure of what to say. Starr is already out the car and Perri explains that something is seriously wrong and that he will tell her another time. We all crowd inside my house and I am immensely great full for their company.

Half an hour later Starr is filled in on everything and we are all sitting in front of the tv staring at the bright orange flowers with hot chocolates in our hands. "Right I'm putting these in the bin," Starr declares and with one swift movement chucks them in it. What a joy to see them disappear. Another half an hour passes and we all go to bed, Starr sleeping downstairs on the sofa, Perri in the spare bedroom next door to me. Me and Perri trudge upstairs after Perri and Starr decide to take it in turns on the sofa and the spare room each night they stay here. I show him to his room which is luckily beautifully neat and smells nice. "It's going to be alright, I'm staying with you until we know your safe. We have a day off tomorrow, we will go to the police." Perri says as I begin to walk out. "I'm alright really. Shocked but alright. Thank you Perri." He smiles at me and I here a tiny voice in my mind telling me to stay with him in his room. I don't want to leave him. I linger there for a few seconds. I decide I'm being silly but I can't resist the urge to give him a quick hug before I leave.