Bitter Heart √

Twenty Six

Skylar's POV

My first instinct was to freak out. And I did, so much so that when the person behind me turned me around, with a strong grip on my arm, I gripped the candle stand in my hands and hit him with it. Not just once, but repeatedly.

I freaked the fuck out.

"Ow! Skylar, what the hell?" Caden hissed at me.

The candle stand fell from my hands in surprise, resulting in a sharp thud as it hit the floor.

"Caden?" My voice came out in a strained whisper. "Oh God, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you! Why the hell are you even sneaking up on me?"

His dark brows pulled into a frown and he was probably about to say something when he jerked his head towards my backdoor, his face clouding with alarm. I followed his gaze despite the uneasy feeling inside me and saw absolutely nothing.

"What are you--" I shut up almost instantly when he directed a menacing glare towards me, something that almost made me cower away from him.

"Lower your voice, Anderson." He whispered and he didn't even have to say it twice.

I nodded as he once again looked over at the backdoor, almost as if expecting someone to barge in any second. That's what scared me the most.

"W-What are you doing here?" I asked him in an even tinier whisper, eyeing him cautiously. "Is someone..." I trailed off then, not really sure what to ask.

What was going on? Why was Caden here? How had he even come inside?

He looked back at me and must've seen the fear on my face since his grip on my arm loosened a little.

"I saw someone in your backyard. Climbing through the fence." Something in his eyes looked troubled. Unsure.

My eyes widened and my heart started beating wildly at the same time.

"What? Why were you even coming here in the first place?" I couldn't help but hiss at him. Was he trying to scare me on purpose? Was this all a setup?

His eyes found mine and he was still frowning, a bit taken aback by my question. "Because you weren't answering my calls."

"And how did you...how did you come inside?"

"The glass windows." Then he narrowed his eyes. "They weren't locked."

So it had been Caden when I heard that loud creak upstairs.

"And...you saw someone?"

"Outside, yes." His gaze kept flickering towards the back door. "Someone with a black hood on."

I suddenly started feeling too hot, not out of embarrassment, but out of fear alone. I think I was starting to hyperventilate too.

Mom had told me to lock the doors and the windows, almost as if she had known somebody was going to break in. She knew someone was coming.

"Is it locked?" Caden asked me, nudging his head towards the back door.

"Yeah. I locked all the doors." I whispered, stepping closer towards his side. "No one can--maybe I should call the police--"

I didn't even get to finish my sentence when the doorknob of the backdoor started rattling like crazy. I nearly jumped in surprise, my heart in my throat as I watched. It felt like just a handful of seconds before the rattling stopped and the door started creaking open. I felt Caden tense up beside me.