Love Games

Sixteen: The Boss

As I contemplate my decision, Emma comes out of the room, visibly exhausted, with dishevelled hair and dark circles under her eyes.

Had I missed it before, or had she been hiding her stress these past few days?

She had always seemed cheerful and composed, but now that we were living together, I was beginning to see the true extent of her struggles.

She looked at me. "Up so early or not on the afternoon shift today?" she asks wearily, meeting my gaze with a yawn.

Oh, to be in her shoes.

Her worries, though different, seemed far less overwhelming than mine.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep. Dave stopped by the bookshop yesterday," I reply, turning away briefly to take a sip of water.

My heart is pounding in my chest, a constant drumbeat since Dave revealed the truth about Jack.

"What did he want?" Emma asks as she joins me at the table.

"He said he'd gambled away our savings and because he couldn't pay off the debt, he... he pawned me, sold me, I don't know," I confess, the words feeling hollow as they pour out. I'm running out of energy, drained by the weight of it all.

"You were right, to stay away from Jack," I murmur to Emma, meeting her eyes earnestly.

She had warned me, and now I understood why.

"He's dangerous. What are you going to do?" Emma asks, concern etched into her features.

"I don't know. Whatever I decide, I can't seem to escape his reach, he has connections everywhere, in the police, in security," I reply, feeling completely lost.

How could I have let things get so far?

Emma's brow furrows in worry as she listens, her expression a mixture of sympathy and concern. "You're not in this alone. We'll figure something out," she assures me, placing a reassuring hand on mine.

I nod weakly, grateful for Emma's support in the midst of the chaos.

Together we sit in uneasy silence, each lost in our own thoughts.

The weight of my decisions weighs heavily on me, the consequences looming large.

As the morning light filters through the window, casting shadows across the room, I realise that the time for indecision is over.

I must face Jack and whatever lies ahead with all the courage and determination I can muster.

But as I steel myself for what's to come, there's a glimmer of hope - that together, Emma and I can find a way out of this tangled web and reclaim our lives from the grasp of darkness.

When Emma is near, I feel a strange calm.

After I get dressed, I hear Emma in the kitchen, the clatter of dishes mingling with the early morning silence.

I settle down on the sofa, but fatigue washes over me like a tidal wave - I am running on empty.

If a few days ago I was consumed by thoughts of Jack and his plans, now my mind drifts back to the recurring nightmares that haunt my sleep.

Scenes of being chased, bloodied and terrified, flash through my mind like a relentless horror film.

A ringing breaks through my dream - a persistent sound that pulls me back to reality.

Startled, I jerk awake to the sound of my alarm clock.

Who set my alarm?
What's happening?
Am I out of time?