The Vipers Temptation | Completed (edited)

Chapter 3 - The Start Of A Shitshow

"It is your twenty-seventh birthday, you cannot just stay home in your pajamas eating Ben and Jerry's ice cream while rewatching Sweet Home Alabama and Grease," Tamara complains over the phone.

"I just don't feel like getting all dressed up and going out. I'm getting closer to thirty. I feel too old now."

"You did not just say that!" Tamara's worst nightmare is turning thirty.

"T, why don't you come over?"

"It's a Saturday night." But it's my birthday I want to say.

"Hold on, someone's at my door. Call you back."

Making my way over to the door, I grab a fuzzy blanket off the back of the couch to wrap around my tank top and shorts and slippy socks.

A peek through the hole shows my infuriating neighbor.

"I know your home."

Slowly I open the door to see him holding a big box. I tilt my head in confusion, "Do you plan on shipping my body?"

"Very funny, it's a package for you. I grabbed it on the way up. May I come in to drop it off?" That is oddly nice of him.

"Sure..." I eye him suspiciously as he walks into the kitchen and places the package on the table. "Well thanks."

I grab the scissor to open the package and notice Nico is still standing next to my table. "I heard tomorrow's your birthday."

"I'm not even going to ask how you know," I grumble.

"Big plans?"

"Hanging out here."

I start cutting open the box. "That's it? No going out or clubs?"

"I'm more of a low-key person," I mutter distracted as I try to make sense of what is in the box.

"Sweatpants and movie marathon?" Am I that predictable?

Carefully I pull out a plastic wrapped object and drop it with a slight scream. My hands shake as I bring them up to my hair trying to breathe.

Nico is there in a flash glancing into the box before cursing. I slowly rock my body trying to calm down until Nico appears in front of me and grabs my forearms. "Look at me," he says sharply, and it works. "You are safe. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, okay?"

After a few minutes of staring into his eyes and breathing I start to feel calm and safe enough to speak, "Is that really a..."

"Human hand? It seems so. I'm going to grab something from my apartment quick and then I'll be right back, okay?"

I start to grip him harder, "No."

"I promise you. Close your eyes and count to sixty."

I nod then close my eyes. By the time I reached fifty-seven, I felt his comforting touch on my shoulder. "I'm back."

I watch as he puts on a pair of black gloves before moving towards the box. Thankfully he doesn't pull out the hand again. "There's a note."

"You read it."

Nico clears his throat, "To my dearest Calliope, I removed the hand of a man that thought he could touch what's mine. Let this be a message to everyone that you are still mine and will forever be mine. With love."

Tears stream down my cheeks as I shake. He found me. Again. Nico grabs me to save me from crashing into the floor and carries me over to the couch and just holds me as I sob.

"He...found....me." I bury my face in Nico's neck as he rubs my back and makes soothing sounds. Now if someone had told me yesterday that I'd be cuddled up in my neighbors' arms crying my eyes out, I would have laughed my eyes out.