die for you

Chapter 1

September 2022

"Hey, do you wanna come over tonight? My mom is away and I don't want to be alone," Tara says to Eliza over the phone. She begins making some mac n' cheese for dinner.

"Let me ask my mom," Eliza states, while drying her wet hair. She's just getting done showering after the team's afternoon weight lifting session. She jumps off her bed and runs to the staircase, her mom and twin brother, Wes, downstairs, "Hey Mom! Can I go to Tara's?"

Tara chuckles at Eliza. She thinks it's cute how she asks her mom to come over. With Tara being the only child in the house and her mom away on business trips all the time, she never has to ask.

"Can it wait until after dinner? I'm almost done with the chicken," Judy calls back.

"Yeah!" Eliza yells back, "Thank you!" She adds. She brings the phone back to her ear, "After dinner I can come over."

Tara rolls her eyes playfully, pretending she didn't just hear the whole conversation, "Okay, I'm making mac n' cheese if you're still hungry when you get here."

"Okay! See you soon, bye!" Eliza says. She hangs up the phone. Tara puts her phone on the counter and stirs the noodles in the pot.

Ten minutes later, her home phone starts ringing. Tara finds it odd since no one really uses a home phone anymore. She looks at the caller ID, and it reads "Unknown Name." She presses the button to end the call and walks back over to the stove. She's in the middle of a text conversation with Amber.

Amber: U know how I feel ab Eliza.

Tara sighs. Amber accidentally found out that Eliza is gay when Tara mentioned it. She made Amber promise Eliza that she wouldn't tell and she did anyway. Although, since she found out, she's been more protective of Tara. Some might even say possessive.

Tara: Eliza hasn't given u any reason to be worried
Tara: plus i would tell her if she's getting too close

She sends the text and Amber responds right away.

Amber: K.

Tara grabs her inhaler and takes a puff of the medicated air. The home phone rings again. The same caller. Tara decides to change the conversation with Amber, hoping to calm her down.

Tara: Fucking landline won't stop ringing.

Amber: Maybe it's your other girlfriend.

Tara rolls her eyes and walks over to the phone. This time she picks it up and answers, "Hello?"

"Hello," An unfamiliar male voice replies, "Is Cristina there?"

"No, she's not available," Tara sighs with annoyance, "May I take a message?"

"Uh, yeah, well, um...." The man stutters, "Yeah, sorry. I'm a friend from her group ——"

Tara grabs an ottoman from her living room to grab the key to the liquor cabinet. Although Eliza doesn't drink, she doesn't mind when Tara does during their hang outs. She just chooses to drink soda or water instead.

"Oh, shit."

Tara grins, "From her shit?"

"Um... Look, just tell her I'm from group," He says, "I'm Charlie. She's got my number."

Tara reaches up on a bookshelf, with the help of the ottoman, and finds the key, "Oh, she goes to your group?"

"I shouldn't have, um... Look, just tell her Charlie called."