Psychotic Love (a mafia love story)

Chapter 18

This is a longer chapter compared to the others, so I hope you enjoy.💕

ECHO'S POV

A month has passed since my return home. I haven't heard from Luca and he still hasn't returned my belongings. I thought about calling him for them, but I figured it was better to just leave him in the past. I just use my old phone from freshman year. It's all cracked and glitchy but it works well enough.

I've been moving on pretty well. Though, I do have nightmares every now and then. I wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air, drowning in the memory of Noah's death. I wrap my arms around myself for comfort, but it never works. In the end, I always cry myself into another night of restless sleep. But other than that, I'm doing fine. I picked up a part-time job at Anne's Cafe. I always told myself I'd get a summer job but I never followed through.

I'm working a night shift right now, and it's safe to say I absolutely love this place. The cozy little setting warms my heart. The cafe displays a myriad of warm browns. Holding shades from milk coffee to hickory wood; the setting feels like a woodland in autumn.

My favorite part of the job would probably be Jemma and Xavier. They're my coworkers. I used to see them around school often, but I never got the opportunity to introduce myself. They're amazing. Jemma's a nerdy bookworm and is often caught reading by our manager, Alice.

I love when Jemma tells me about her books. I always thought they'd be about teen romance or mysteries, but boy was I wrong. Innocent portraying Jemma isn't so innocent after all. From what I've been told, her books get pretty spicy.

And Xavier, he's kind of shy but when he opens up, the conversations we have become cavernous. We talk for hours about the things we have in common, like the fact that we both feel like we're walking on eggshells at home. He's also super sweet. I think he might have a bit of a crush on me. He's always making flirtatious jokes and calling me the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. I always thank him and brush his jokes off, they don't bother me, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now.

I have been a bit paranoid lately. I usually walk home after my shifts and I always feel like I'm being watched, preyed upon even. Just last week a black car followed me all the way home. I cut through houses and alleyways to lose them, and luckily, I haven't seen the car since.

Since that happened, I carry pepper spray along with Luca's card. He said to call if I felt something wasn't right, but I don't think I will. It's nice to have it though. It provides me with a sense of security.

"Xavier," I say walking from the back with a set of keys jiggling in my hand. "Alice wants you to lock up tonight."

"Does Alice want me to lock up, or do you want me to lock up?" He raises his brow. His ginger-dyed locs hang in front of his light brown eyes. He always has them in his face for some reason.

I lean over the countertop. "Could you do it, please? I want to make it home before dark. How about this? I'll do all of the cleanings this week." He doesn't look convinced. "And next week," I add.

"Fine, but why have you been so adamant about making it home before dark lately? Are you good?"

I place the keys in his hand.

"I'm fine, I just...don't like the dark." That wasn't a lie. I hate the dark, to this day I sleep with the TV or the lamp on.

I make my way toward the door. "Thanks, Xavier, you're the best." I blow him a cheerful kiss. He looks for it in the air before catching it and placing it in his pocket. I giggle at his playfulness.

The breeze is cool tonight, and unfortunately, daylight has almost depleted.

I grab my pepper spray from my purse so it's ready if needed. My pace quickens as I become hyper-aware of my surroundings. Every sound made sends my head flying in the direction it comes from. The whistling wind does nothing but worsen my nerves. It's eerie.