Carter sat on the couch Jonah left her on, the untouched chocolate milk still in her hand. The churning in her stomach wouldn't allow a sip of the drink, and so she set the chill glass on the coaster of the coffee table in front of her.
She pressed her palms on her knees, leaning forward as she considered her options. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't share the same feelings for Jonah as he clearly did for her. He had saved her tonight and so many others. He was always around the corner with a snack or a kindly shake to the shoulder. Had she led him on accepting these kind gestures?
He had stopped touching Carter when she asked him too. He took the time to make her a drink before he left to take a shower. He wasn't a bad person.
Carter used her nails to scratch her biceps. A black object in her peripheral vision caught her attention, and sticking our between the couch cushion and armrest where Jonah had been sitting, Carter noticed his cell phone.
Does Mark know she's here? Carter reached her hand towards the phone, but hesitated a moment before grabbing it. Jonah was offering his home to her- she couldn't repay him by snooping through his things.
It's important. Carter told herself, then snatched the phone. She opened the homescreen, and sighed in relief she noticed the phone was unlocked. Smart Lock, it said on the bottom. The device recognized Jonah's wifi.
Carter opened his texts first. Mark's contact was second from the top, under someone named Kevin. She tapped Mark's name, though there was no mention of her.
Most recently, Mark had texted Jonah. "Carlos got the promotion" he said
Jonah responded a minute later. "Shit! Want to come over and play pool? Get your mind off things"
Though Mark never replied. Imagine if Mark had come to Jonah's instead of coming home, Carter thought. Maybe then things wouldn't be as they are. Carter tapped on the recent apps key on the bottom left of Jonah's phone, intent on closing his text app as so he won't know Carter had opened it. But something else snagged her attention.
His gallery was an app he recently opened, and Carter noticed herself in the preview. Closing Jonah's messages, Carter switched to the Gallery. The two most recent pictures were of her sleeping on his couch.
She was fully clothed in the first one, but by the second she had her shirt pulled up to her chin- exposing her naked bruised torso to the camera.
Carter's eyebrows furrowed together as her heart hit the floor. What is this? She thought to herself. Anxiety and confusion rittled her stomach. Is he providing evidence of what Mark did to me? She asked herself, wracking her brain for an explanation. Any explanation.
He wouldn't... Carter glanced into the hallway Jonah had dissapeared into. She could still hear the shower running.
Carter scrolled further down his Gallery. Photos were sparse, being mostly of food or DIY projects around the house.
For a moment Carter felt hopeful there were no more photos of her. Though it was short lived, as again she found her sleeping face.
This time she was on the couch at home- she recognized her clothes and bruise-free body from the night she went to the pool with Cole and Vee.
Carter opened one of the several preview images she saw of herself, only to drop the phone to the floor in shock. Her hands trembled and Carter curled into herself. She had been almost entirely undressed in the photo and Jonah's hand held her thigh tightly.
How did I not wake up? Carter asked herself. How did I not realize?
Carter launched to her feet and paced into the kitchen as her eyes welled and throat became tight. She turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on her face. No more crying. No more crying. Stop being such a baby- he's not here to hurt you. No more crying.
