A Stranger In My Home

Chapter 17

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Jason asked as he parked outside the college where Julie’s English exam was going to take place.

It had been two weeks since the explosion, and they hadn’t heard a peep from Derek. The Sheriff’s Department was still investigating, but had no leads on her stalker. Julie suspected they’d decided that Jason was the most likely suspect and therefore weren’t trying all that hard to crack Derek’s so-called alibi.

Jason had wanted to confront Derek himself, but Julie had begged him not to. They couldn’t risk Derek pressing charges. Instead, they’d tried to resume a normal life – with the exception that Jason drove her everywhere and only left her when there were other people around.

Julie had started to feel like she was behind bars and Jason was the guard assigned to make sure she didn’t leave the confines of the prison walls, but she couldn’t tell him that. It would sound ungrateful, or like she was accusing him of smothering her, which he wasn’t. She spent every night in his arms, and she felt safe there. She just wished she could drive her own car – which had now been fixed – and walk down the street without having to look over her shoulder. Jason wasn’t the one keeping her locked up – it was Derek.

“I’ll be fine,” Julie smiled and squeezed Jason’s knee. “Unless I fail miserably, in which case I’ll probably need a boatload of ice cream tonight,” she joked.

She’d been to a few classes to prepare for the exam, and she’d kept her interactions with Logan short. Sophie had suggested she and Jason come over some time, and Julie had promised they’d think about it, but truth was, she was terrified to make friends. If Derek couldn’t get to her, maybe he’d go after the people she cared about.

“Call me when you’re finished, all right?” he said and Julie leaned in to kiss him briefly.

“Promise.”

-

“Julie? Do you have a second?” Logan called out and Julie turned to see him jogging towards her.

“Um…” she hadn’t called Jason yet, having only just gotten out of the examination room, so he wasn’t waiting for her. “Sure.”

“My office?” he suggested.

She shrugged but let him guide her towards the faculty section.

“Coffee?” he offered as they stepped inside his office, which was overflowing with books and papers. “Sorry, it’s a bit disorganized,” he chuckled when he saw Julie looking around in wonder at the mess. How did he find anything in here?

“I’m fine,” she said to the coffee.

“Have a seat,” he gestured to a chair close to her and sat himself down behind his desk. “I just wanted to catch up. I noticed you left the examination room early… was the test too hard, or…?”

“Actually,” Julie said and tucked a stray hair behind her ear self-consciously, “I’m a fast writer and I knew what I wanted to say on most of the points, so…”

“Oh. Well, that’s good. I was just worried you had a lot on your mind, and…”

“I’m fine,” she cut him off. “Is that all?”

“No. Julie… I wanted to apologize. I think I may have overstepped when I… well, I shouldn’t have meddled in your affairs. I had no right to ask about your relationship…”

“Professor Henn… Logan,” she amended after a pleading look from him. “My life is complicated, to say the least, and I don’t mean to be rude, but…”