FATAL ATTRACTION | n. jones

FIVE.

5:44 p.m.
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Katana looked in her refrigerator as she tried to decide what she wanted to eat for dinner while Zion was in her room taking a nap. They barely saw each other due to her schedule conflicting with his job and studio time. Knowing that neither of them had to work tomorrow, Katana invited her boyfriend over as soon she had got off from work around three, but of course, he stayed out of her presence a little while longer due to him getting off at five.

Despite doing everything she could to clear her mind, the memory of Montell popping up at the boutique continued to find itself as the primary thought. Ever since he left she had been worried. Katana remembered getting the job after she broke up with him. Maybe he had seen her walk in one day or maybe one of her friends told someone else and the word got back to her ex. Whatever the case was, it set off alarms in her head yet she tuned them out. She knew that Montell would never hurt her, however, when she saw him earlier, it seemed like he wasn't in his right mind. Katana did not want to be alone if he decided to prove she was right.

Remembering what she told herself she was going to cook that morning, Katana grabbed the ground beef from the bottom of the refrigerator and shut the door with her hip. She placed the meat on the counter then stood on her tiptoes so she could reach the spaghetti and the sauce.

A random noise caught her attention making her turn her head so quickly she heard her neck crack. She stopped breathing so she could listen better. It took a few seconds, but after realizing that the sound she heard was the refrigerator, Katana laughed at herself and turned towards the sink. She filled a pot with water then placed it on the stove, turning it up high so the water could boil quicker. Katana turned around to get the frying pan for the meatballs but nearly fell out when she came face to face with Zion.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? Silent feet having ass! Ima need to put a bell on you or something!" Katana yelled as her hand flew to her chest.

"Yeah yeah, I was just trying to make sure your fight or flight was working." Zion laughed and pulled her into a hug. "You need help with anything?" He asked after looking around and noticing the ingredients for tonight's meal. He grabbed a soda from the fridge as Katana grabbed the pan she was going to get before he decided to scare her.

"Nah, I got it. Besides, the last time you called yourself helping me you almost burned the whole building down." Katana laughed.

Zion sucked his teeth and he walked over to Katana to get a better view of her cooking process. His mouth watered at the thought of the meal he would be eating within a matter of minutes. "I told you that wasn't my fault."

"Then who's fault was it?" Katana asked and looked over her shoulder at Zion who stared back in silence.

"I- um, ya know... I'ma just go watch TV." Zion pointed behind him as he backed out of the kitchen.

"You go do that." Katana laughed as she turned back towards her pot and added the spaghetti to the boiling water. She continued cooking while occasionally looking out the window across the room. The streetlights had started to come on yet she could still see kids playing.

The apartment was almost quiet, but the
boiling water, frying meatballs, and the sound of the television added prevented Katana from having complete silence. Not that she minded. Matter of fact, she found herself concentrating on those three sounds. She eventually noticed a noise coming from the front door that the sounds inside of her apartment could not distract her from. Maybe she was hearing things. Zion was sitting near the door yet he acted like he didn't hear a thing.

Katana walked over to the window by the door and looked out of it. She didn't see anything but a bunch of kids playing outside when they knew damn well they were supposed to be inside before the streetlights came on. She didn't see anything or anyone near her door, but she was so sure that the noise had come from over here.

"You good?" Zion asked, turning his gaze from the action movie on the screen to his girlfriend.

"Yeah... I'm good." She replied as backed away from the window and walked back to the kitchen to tend to her food before it got overcooked.

Katana tried to take her mind off of the so-called noise she thought she heard, but she failed miserably. Her own mind had her spooked.

"It's just those badass kids," was a repeated thought as she continued cooking, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to believe it.