The Meeting

Chapter 9- Things that go bump..

The drive home was short, my mind occupied with Damien. I’m such a mess. Never before in my life has a man had this much effect on me. What did he mean by him not being the man for me? I should heed his advice, yet I know that I won’t be able to stay away.

I'm glad to see that our door has been fixed and I see Aria standing in the kitchen making some tea as usual. I'm pretty sure she could be considered an addict.

“Do you ever work Aria?” I throw my jacket and purse onto the couch, flopping down beside them, emotionally and mentally exhausted.

“Actually, I work this afternoon for a couple of hours at the store. You’re one to talk, though. Shouldn’t you be working right now?”

“Damien sent me home,” I respond simply, turning the TV on for some mindless entertainment. Anything to keep my mind off him.

“Trouble in paradise already?” Her eyes narrow as she surveys my face.

“Nope. Just wasn’t a busy day.” I flick through the channels and leave it on some game show. The contestants jump around the stage in celebration of their win and confetti falls from the ceiling like a colorful snow storm.

“Hmmm, why don’t I believe you?”

“Can we just not talk about him for today? I just want one day without drama.” I sigh and lean my head back into the cushions, shaking him from my mind.

“Okay, fine. You got a letter today. No return address.” She picks up a small red envelope and drops it onto the table next to me. I lean over and take it, sliding my finger under the tab. I pull a small business card from the envelope. It’s Hunt’s card. Why would he send me this? I flip the card around and see writing in red marker on the back.

'Must be nice to get paid to get laid - M.'

I feel the blood drain from my face and I stuff the card back inside the envelope so Aria doesn’t see it.

“What is it,” Aria asks, sitting down on the couch next to me and reaching out for it.

“Oh, it’s nothing, just a congratulation card from someone at work.” I stuff the envelope into my purse and out of her reach, dismissing it with a wave.

I should just tell her, but I don’t want her worrying about this. I know exactly what she would say. She would want me to report it to the police, but I can’t just go into the station and show them. They would ask awkward questions and question Damien about it and, possibly, even co-workers. I don’t need to be advertising what I’m doing to the whole world, but things are escalating quickly. First it was a break-in and now this note. What else will they do and how far would they take it? The hairs on the back of my neck prickle with anxiety and a dark face comes to mind.

The night of the break in, when we were getting into the elevator, there was a man leaving. I try to recall his features and remember that he was wearing a hood, which covered most of his face. I remember the sneer and the flash of dark eyes as he pushed past us. It must have been him. I know practically everyone in the building, from the cute guy in apartment 101 to the old lady in 809, and I have never seen a man like him here before.

Aria bursts out laughing at the new show on TV, breaking me out of my reverie. “Wow, this show is awesome! I should probably go get ready for work. Just so you know, I won’t be home tonight. I’m going to be staying over at Brooke's place. I won’t be back until lunch time tomorrow and then I have to work.”

I snap my head around to see her get up and saunter towards her bedroom. The thought of being alone in this apartment makes me very uneasy and I feel like it's probably not a good idea, but I smile at her anyway. “Oh, such a hard work life you have. You can sleep until late morning and wander off to work. You wait until you have an early job like me. Hunt wants me there by 6:30am!”