Insane - Who Are You To Judge? (Gripping Psychological Thriller)

Chapter 36 - Avery

He stares at me, smug. Ravishing in my wide-eyed expression. He ruffs up his ash blonde hair and taunts me. "Well, Avery are you going to just stand there gawking at this gorgeous face? Or are you going to say something?"

My jaw locks and I grind my teeth together. I'm not sure if my reaction is due to fear or rage.

"You've still got another thirteen years on your sentence," I finally say. "How'd you swing getting out so early?"

"Technically three years," he corrects me, "until I would be eligible for parole. But," he lifts himself out of my chair, "I was just such a good inmate that they let me out early for good behaviour. After all, it's not like I am any real threat to society. Unlike you."

Julian creeps towards me, so dauntingly that he makes the floorboards groan in a way that they never have before. As he approaches, the blood flees from my brain and the spiders are going frantically up and down my arms and spine.

I roll my eyes and relax my posture, trying to keep up my pretence of confidence. "What do you want, Julian? Do you want me to say I'm sorry? Do you want me to tell you how much I've missed you? Because I'm not and I haven't." I tilt my head up so that my eyes meet his as he comes closer to me. "Truth be told, I haven't given you a second of my time in seven years."

He clasps both hands to his chest and contorts his face. "Oh Avery. That hurts, truly it does."

His body is so close to mine that I feel the heat radiating off his skin. I take in a deep breath and his aftershave fills my nostrils. As it does, a sea of memories flood through my mind. He still wears the same earthy fragrance he did when we first met. It's a subtle scent, you have to be up close to notice it, but it has a true grit that is impossible to resist.

"But I don't want your apology." He breathes into my ear. My heart skips with every word, his breath makes me catch mine and I feel paralysed by his presence. Even the flickering streetlamp right outside my house is jarred by him.

He hovers there, only for a few seconds but it seems eternal. The electricity between us vibrates through the room, causing the lights to short-circuit. Every time he inhales, our bodies touch briefly and each time it shocks me. Everything around us fades out into darkness and I am unable to turn away. In fact, my body doesn't want to turn away, caught in the spell of his emerald eyes.

Suddenly the connection cuts off and reality seeps back in. He strolls around the room again and I clear my throat, glancing down at my trembling floor. I wish it would stop , it's making it very difficult to keep my balance.

"So, tell me, Buttercup, what's been going on with Avery? I've noticed your alter ego has been up to no good as always, but I want to know what's been going on with you."

I know Julian well enough to know that he's just stalling – he doesn't care for small talk. I just need to figure out what he's really doing here.

"Well, after I finished my master's, I got a job as a pharma rep. I'm great at it, obviously –"

He muffles a laugh into his hand, interrupting me. "Now, now, are you really going to take me for a ride? Come on, Buttercup, haven't we been through enough to be honest with each other?" I play dumb, unwilling to swim up and place myself on his hook. "You don't think I've been sitting around playing video games in my half-way house, do you? No, I've been learning your new routine – it's quite different from seven years ago."

After gesturing a one minute with his hand, Julian marches into the kitchen. I'm blown off my feet slightly by a sudden gust of wind as the air rushes after him. I don't follow; as much as my body wants to join the air, my head knows better. I hear clashing of glasses, opening and closing of cupboards, before he returns with a beer bottle in his hand.