With Love, Your Killer (COMPLETED)

Chapter Nine

16th October, 2015 (Eleven Days after the Murder).

08:15 PM.

Alyson gawked as she stepped into Ian’s apartment.

“You could perform surgery in here,” she teased.

It was true. The house was, in a word, sterile. The walls were perfectly white, and the rug was a clear, clean dark grey. The lighting was dim, and the tables shone even from where she stood. It was a spacious space, and was divided into a living room, a little dining area, and a kitchen at the back.

The living area was minimalist, with only a white leather couch and a small stool. There was a coat rack beside a mirror by the entrance. He did not even have a TV! The kitchen on the other hand, had black cabinets, a refrigerator, microwave, and cooking gas, the bare essentials. The dining area was at the side of the living room, with a glassy rectangular table and four chairs. The presence of about four paintings well-spaced on the wall was the only redeeming quality on what would have otherwise been a lifeless bachelor’s house.

“You’ve always known I think better in clean environments,” he replied. She caught a whiff of his cologne and wondered how someone could smell so good, as he helped her remove her coat, and placed it on the rack by the wall.

Her situation with Ian had not improved, especially since he walked in on her and Bob in the bakery. As much as she didn’t want to, she had been anxiously waiting for the dinner with him. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smoothed out her little white dress. The full, long sleeves made her appear ethereal and graceful. Her hair fell straight down her shoulders with a little parting to the left that covered a bit of her face. The dark lipstick she wore matched her dark purple heels.

She took off her shoes as he led her to the dining area. The rug was incredibly soft, and tickled her feet a little. She thanked him as he pulled out a chair for her to sit. She appreciated the gesture – he had always been a gentleman. He walked over to the kitchen and brought back two wine glasses. Alyson could not tell if he was nervous, but she was petrified. She watched him as he filled the cups with red wine. His normally perfectly styled hair was tousled, like he just rolled out of bed. His dark blue shirt was slightly open at the neck and complemented his dark pants. He was also barefoot. He looked charming and relaxed.

He handed her a glass and sat on the chair facing her. Alyson looked at the food laid out before them. Roasted turkey, spaghetti and meatballs, sausages, and some sort of salad.

“Did you make all this yourself?” she asked.

“Yeah. I did it to impress you,” he admitted as he laid out their plates.

“It looks really good,” she complimented.

They had their meal in silence. But as the clock ticked and the minutes went by, Alyson wondered why she had come. Whatever happened between them was in the past. With his visits to her, the calls, and now the date, they were wandering on dangerous territory. She knew revisiting their bitter past was like playing with fire, with at least one of them getting burned. She mentally slapped herself for accepting his invitation, but outwardly maintained her demure smile.

After dinner, they sauntered back to the couch. He refilled their glasses and sat down beside her as he handed her the wine. Her stomach did little flips without her consent as he stared at her intently.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked nervously.

“I feel we need to talk about some long overdue issues.”

“I’ll definitely need more wine,” she joked as she filled her glass to the brim.

“I didn’t like seeing you with Bob,” he stated.