Pretty Birdie

Chapter 8 - The night shift

Monday comes around I don't know if I can bring myself to go into work. What if Xander comes in? At least I'll be working with Anna on the nightshift. Work always goes quickly when I work with her. I lounge around in the morning and slowly get ready after I've had lunch. 5 o'clock comes around quickly and I walk into work. I walk passed Anna who started an hour earlier. She smiles and waves at me whilst she's serving a customer. I dump my bag in the staff room and make my way over to the tills where Anna is.

'Hey' I say

'Oh spill already, What happened on your date? Why did you disappear without saying bye?'

But before I can tell her anything I hear a voice from behind me.

'Hey B. You left your dress at my place Saturday morning.'

I look at Anna who's stood there with her mouth hanging open. I turn back to Wes.

'Hi, thanks. I didn't even realise I'd left it behind' I take the folded dress from Wes's hand and catch the scent of laundry detergent.

'You washed it? I ask him

'Well yeah, it was covered in sick and you left it at mine the whole weekend, it was either wash it or have it stink my flat out for two days.

I blush. 'Sorry'

'It's fine. I just came to give this back to you. I saw you walk in. Anyways I'll catch you later.' Wes turns to leave and when he's out the door Anna turns to me.

'What in the actual hell Birdie! What did you do? What Happened to Xander?'

'It's a long story'

'Good thing we're stuck here for the next 5 hours then'

I proceed to tell her everything that happened after I saw her at the club and then the next morning, when I woke up in Wes's bed. I leave out the bit about the person outside my window, It'll only make her worry.

'Oh my god. Xander is such a creep. I don't understand why he'd do it. It seemed you two were getting on so well'

'I don't know. He seemed so nice before. Now I never want to see him again.'

'Well you won't have to' Anna tells me 'He's not welcome in here anymore. If you see him you give me a shout'

The rest of the shift goes by quickly and before we know it, its the end of the day. We lock the doors and head out the back to get ready to leave.

'I'm so relieved Xander didn't try and come in today' I tell Anna

'Yeah, he's lucky he didn't try. I was ready and waiting for him' she replies and we both have a giggle.

Anna checks her phone.

'Oh crap my taxi's here, they said they'll leave if I'm not there in 2 minutes. Are you OK to lock up by yourself?' she asks

I think about it. I'm definitely a little more anxious about locking up in the dark after what happened at the weekend, but I decide I'll be OK

'Yeah, that's fine. You don't want to miss your taxi' I tell her 'I'll see you later'

'Great, thanks' she says before she darts off out the back door.

I finish Cashing up the tills and grab my bag, ready to leave. Before I open the back door I get the key ready in my hand. I open the door and walk out into the dark and turn to put the key in the lock. I start to feel the anxiety build when the security light doesn't come on and it only gets worse when I look over to the floor and see broken glass laying there. Someone has damaged the light on purpose. I lock the door quickly and chuck the keys in my bag. I start to walk away from the building and out the delivery bay when a shadowy figure comes out of the dark. Its the same silhouette of the person who I saw standing outside my window Saturday. My heart leaps up into my throat. The figure approaches and I can't find the keys in my bag quick enough to let myself back into the building.

'Who's there? What do you want?' I shout

'Miss me?' The person says 'Silly question, I heard the conversation you had with that guy earlier. The one with the tats. You stayed at his place after our date? What's wrong? You'll give it up for him, but not me?'

The figure gets closer, his face illuminated by the moon. Xander has an angry look on his face and I'm scared.

'Who Wes? I didn't sleep with him. I just stayed at his after you drugged me' I snap

'You expect me to believe that? I heard you two talking in the shop today, you whore. I came to apologise because you ignored my text and now I know why'

I start to back up as he walks closer to me, but there's a door behind me. He reaches me. He leans into me and puts both his hands on the door either side of my face.

'Please Xander, don't do this' I practically cry.

'Don't cry baby' he says as he moves one of his hands to my chin and lifts my face so we're looking at each other. 'You'll enjoy it, I promise.