A Job With Him

Safe And Sound

I woke up to feel someone stroking my right cheek. It felt so soothing, so warm, so comforting. I squinted and opened my eyes slowly. There I saw Josh's glassy eyes and his hand was touching the area where the attacker punched me at. He realised that I was awake and quickly wiped away his tears.

"Amber, are you okay? How do you feel?" He asked. I heard his voice crack and I felt the sadness in his voice. I nodded my head and tried to give a small smile. But since my cheek hurt so much, I winced when I felt the pain. Josh saw this and sighed. He looked like he was about to break down again.

"Amber, I... I'm so sorry. I should've stayed with you. I... I..." A tear fell from his eye. I sighed and tried to get up. Josh saw what I was doing and hurriedly laid me back down. "You should rest. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet," he said, not meeting my eyes. I touched his hand that was on my right shoulder and reassured him that I was alright.

"But... you got punched, because I didn't come on time. You were attacked because I wasn't with you. Yo-"

"You know what I really want now Josh? A hug from my boyfriend who has saved me three times. Please, stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault," I cut him off and he finally made eye contact with me.

"Three times? Isn't this only the second?" He questioned. I tried to give a little smile again. It was a little easier this time but I felt the pain afterwards and rubbed my cheek as I answered him. "Nope, you saved me from committing suicide in junior college. If those photos got out, I don't think I would've been able to live the rest of my life in peace. So don't say that you are the reason I'm getting hurt. You're the reason I'm even living right now."

Josh's mouth finally went up to a grin. He then embraced me and said determinedly, "We'll find the killer, I'll make sure of it." I squeezed Josh's body even tighter and smiled.

"Ms Lee, are you alright?" Officer Zeph asked as he entered the room breathless. I replied with a nod and he started the investigation.

After I described everything that happened, he looked at me from his notepad.

"You said that you pulled his mask off. Did you see his face?" I shook my head and told him that the attacker looked away before I could even get a glance at him.

At that moment, "I did, and you won't need to worry about finding his identity. We knew him in junior college." Josh spoke up which surprised both the officer and me. Officer Zeph then asked him who it was.

He sighed and replied, "He was Matthew Neo, my best friend." Officer Zeph didn't know who he was but my mouth became agape. The serial killer who was attempting to murder me all along was Matthew? But why? Wait...

"That's why he said that..." I mumbled and now it was Josh's turn to be taken aback as well. I then went on to explain what he told me back in the washroom. Josh attentively listened to me and sighed.

"That's right, he really loved Melissa back then. But since she seemed happier with Wayne, he didn't disrupt their relationship. Why is he after you because of what she did though?" I thought about his question, puzzled by what Matthew told me as well. As we were thinking, a sudden realization hit me.

"After the entire school found out about Melissa and Wayne, I remember some of my classmates criticizing them. They kept spreading gossip and I think that was what Matthew meant by them hurting Melissa. They were talking behind her back and he heard everything."

Everything was finally making sense. Officer Zeph then said that he will find Matthew and make sure he serves his crimes. He then left to share this new information with the rest of his team.