"Long time no see, baby."
I started at the sound of the voice, and as the words registered in my brain, I froze. My phone slipped from my hand as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge. It couldn't be...it was simply impossible. But there wa...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Just trust me, baby. It'll all be okay. I promise." The familiar dark eyes didn't smile with his lips. "Find someone better than me and settle down like you've always wanted. Forget we ever happened."
The cop to my left cleared his throat. Time was up. For no explicable reason, I didn't get to my feet as the door burst open. Two armed men entered, throwing a bag over his head and pressing a gun to the base of his scalp. I screamed as the gun went off, but instead of the banging sound the gun should have made as the bullet exited the chamber, a loud, rhythmic, beeping noise jolted through the air.
Drawing a sharp breath and sitting quickly upright, I reached for my phone to silence my blaring alarm. A sheen of sweat coated my skin, and the events of the dream replayed in my mind. The setting had been different this time, but the premise was always the same: he always died and left me alone.
Wiping the back of my hand across my sweaty forehead, I tried to convince myself that the wretched job was actually worth getting out of bed. With a sigh, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and resisting the strong pull of the warmth and comfort of the mattress and blankets, I got up. Snatching my glasses off the bedside table and blinking at the exhausting gray of my surroundings, I moved into the bathroom.
Shutting the door, I flipped on the light and mechanically squirted toothpaste onto my toothbrush. The familiar, minty-fresh flavor was no longer as rejuvenating as it had once been, but rather, it was just another component of my daily routine. I briefly considered finding a different brand, but there was still the majority of the tube left to be used, and I couldn't justify the expense of changing it simply because it no longer pleased me.
Grabbing the usual black dress pants and a white blouse out of the closet, I turned on the shower—but not too hot, because the electric bill was already too high from trying to keep the drafty apartment temperate. Quickly scrubbing my goose pimpled skin, I climbed out of the shower, dried off, and put on the usual clothes. Combing through my hair, I cracked the door open.
"Aaron, time to get up." I called into the bedroom, slipping back into the bathroom without waiting for a response.
Plugging in the hair dryer and straightener, I styled my long hair in the usual manner and, not for the first time, I found myself missing the freedom of my shorter, naturally worn hair from my high school days. Aaron preferred my hair long, but I couldn't help looking at myself and feeling drab and old as I clipped on my singular pair of gold earrings and necklace—a fifth anniversary present. It didn't feel like I'd been married even that long, but then again, tomorrow was my twenty-seventh birthday. My body and mind felt far older than that, however.
Shoving the thoughts aside, I realized I was going to be late and applied my makeup with quick, practiced ease—something I'd had to acquire after getting this new job. Stepping into my black pumps, I walked back into the bedroom and grabbed my slightly worn purse. Surprisingly, Aaron had actually gotten up when I called him—was it the first time since we'd been married? I didn't have the luxury to stop and ponder as I ran to the pantry cabinet and grabbed a granola bar to eat on the bus.
