Him.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I lay in bed trying to sum up the events of the previous night. The clock on the bedside table read “10:24”. I groaned as a propped myself up on my elbows, the light coming from the window straining my eyes. I decided to get up and make my way downstairs to see if another note from my mother waited for me. However, to my surprise, my mum was home for once and sat on the couch reading the newspaper. “Hello stranger” I said to her. She jumped and turned around, her face lighting up. “Hey you! How was last night?” I didn’t bother with the details about the eventful night and just replied with a simple “not bad”

My mum was a young and single parent. She had me when she was just 15 and my dad left us when I was just a few weeks old. She was a fairly plain person and she never really made much of herself which was a shame, but this morning, she looked different. She had her blonde hair pulled around to one side and had a full face of make up on. She was wearing a low-cut blouse and tight jeans. “You look nice” I commented. She smiled, her cheeks slightly blushing. “Well, I heard a knock at the door this morning and looked out of my bedroom window to see this rather handsome young man” my heart stopped.

“Yeah?” I questioned. “So I went downstairs and opened the door. He introduced himself as “Harry” and said that he was looking for you” she winked. My cheeks blushed scarlet. “I said that you were still asleep after last night, but I let him in anyway, he seems lovely Bell!” she cooed. “So where did he go? What did you do? Where is he now?” I gushed. “He came in and sat with me in the lounge for a while, he’s crazy about you. When did you meet?” I chose not to reply as my mum continued to spill the events of her morning to me.

“He had to leave after an hour but I gave him your number to call you later today!” The guy who I had been so attracted to since yesterday morning, the guy who was clearly older than me, the guy who was gorgeous who had beautiful eyes was chasing after me, and now had my number. Excitement rushed through me with a hint of nerves as well. What was I supposed to do now? What if Harry really was dangerous and what if that was going to put me in danger? What if Harry’s actions with Ryan now put me in danger?

“So has he text you?!” my mum broke the silence. I hadn’t even checked my phone this morning but my heart suddenly stopped as a turned and ran back up the stairs. When I reached my bedroom, I threw myself across the bed and reached for my phone that lay on the table next to it. I unlocked it and scrolled through to find 3 new messages. Jenna. Amber. Unknown number. I quickly glanced through the messages. “Have you seen any more of Harry?! I saw him leave the same time as you last night, did he give you a lift? Tb soon, Jen!x” “Didn’t see you leave last night but I’m a mess this morning, hope you’re okay. Amber. X” and now for the ‘unknown’ number. “If Harry comes near me again, that will be the end of you both. Fuck off you frigid bitch.” I could only guess that this text was from Ryan. I chose to ignore it but felt disappointed that I had no text from Harry.

***

It was now well into night time and for a Saturday night, I was quite disappointed that I had no plans. My mum was once again called into work and I was to spend the night alone again with the cat. I had nothing to do but see what was on the television again. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the television, my mind kept wandering to Harry and thinking about how his dazzling green eyes locked on mine. It gave me butterflies when I thought about him picking me up and carrying me to safety. How could someone so gorgeous be interested in helping me? Plain old boring Bella.

I decided to try and shake off my thoughts by going on a walk outside. Even though after last night I was still shaken up by the events with Ryan and Harry, I still felt that I would be okay if I went on a short walk around the block. I went upstairs and began to undress from my joggers and vest top. I peered into my wardrobe to find a pair of jeans and I quickly tugged them on, realising that my curtains were open and my room was on the front of the house so anyone walking past would be able to see me. I quickly grabbed a top from my draws and tugged it on over my black and white laced bra. I looked into the long mirror on the door and yawned, realising just how tired I was. I tugged my jacket on and my light brown boots and even hooked a scarf around my neck.

My phone buzzed on my bed and I ignored it, thinking it wouldn’t be important. I picked my phone up without reading the text message and tucked it into the pocket of my jacket. I quickly turned the light off and headed downstairs to the door.

***

After the walk I had been on, I got back to the house, realising that I hadn’t locked it. “Shit.” I cursed underneath my breath. I walked cautiously inside hoping that no one had been able to get into the house and thankfully, nothing seemed to be disturbed. I quickly undressed from my coat, scarf and boots and left them in the hall by the front door. I could feel the ice-cold floor beneath my bare feet which gave me chills over my whole body. Even though everything in the house seemed to be okay, I still felt slightly on edge.

I went upstairs to my bedroom to retrieve my joggers that I had left on the floor to get re-changed but something stopped me in my tracks. As I reached the top of my stairs, I could hear someone rummaging through my draws in the room to my right. I was not alone, someone was in my house.