Chapter 6

Once the door was closed, she leaned her head against it. She had a heavy heart with confusion, a tired body, and a buzz from her phone. She looked down at the screen. Blocked Number: "This won't end the way you think. We are not done, Jennifer." Her hands trembled. And this time, she couldn't just assume it was spam. It was close to midnight when Jennifer's phone started screaming for attention. She lay curled up on her couch beneath a thin blanket, staring at the TV with no interest in whatever it was showing. The volume was down, playing some re-run she couldn't care less about. Her mind was not on the screen; it was still processing the threatening messages, Devlin, and Byron's concerned eyes earlier. It nearly made her jump. Her first thought was Devlin again. Her heart pounded. But looking at the screen, she calmed down slightly. Byron calling... She hesitated with her thumb hovering over the vibrant green icon. She had not expected another call this soon. Part of her had hoped she might. She picked up. "Hey," she said softly, almost unsure. "Hi." Byron's voice was low, deep, and calm. Like always. "Sorry if I woke you." "No, I wasn't sleeping. Just... ranging." A beat of silence passed. "Me too," he said. "I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I thought, what the hell? I'll call you." Jennifer smiled faintly. "I'm glad you did." Another pause. Comfortable this time. "You okay?" he asked. She inhaled deeply. "Not really- but I'm trying." "Do you want to talk about it?" She chewed her lower lip. "Please, everything frightens me. Devlin frightens me. These feelings I don't understand frighten me. Letting go feels like I'm betraying myself if I move on from this. But it's also like slowly drowning if I don't." Byron was quiet for a moment. "You're not betraying anybody," he finally said. "You are surviving. That's okay." She closed her eyes. The blanket covered Jennifer in the warmth of his words. And then they were on the phone for hours: starting from silence, soft breaths, occasional laughter, moving on to stories. Remembrances. She told him about her childhood dog that chewed up all her shoes. He recounted that fateful day in middle school when he tried to impress a girl and ended up breaking his arm instead. She laughed so hard that she needed to wipe her eyes dry from tears. It was the first time in months that she felt that way: light. Free. "You have a beautiful laugh," Byron said. Jennifer flushed at the fact that he could not see her. "I forgot I could still laugh like that," she whispered. "You should do it more often," he said kindly. It made her heart thump furiously, but she could not tell it why. At 2 a.m. they were still on the phone talking. "Instead of talking on the phone," Byron said suddenly, "I'd possibly be back sitting next to your door again." Jennifer smiled. "Why?" "Because I can't stop thinking about you, and I know it's probably not fair to say that. But it's really true." She fell silent. A lump formed in her throat with emotions. "Is it strange that I want to hear that? Even though I am not ready?" "No," he said. "It merely means that you are actually honest." "Byron... I'm scared," Jennifer sighed. "I understand," he said. "But all I want is just a chance to make you feel safe." There was a pain in her heart. She asked, "Accompany me to the bookstore tomorrow?" "Of course." "Promise?" "Promise." As Jennifer said goodnight and hung up the receiver, she stared at a blank ceiling. It was a true smile. She was smiling. For long, she had not felt like that, and just about to slip into sleep, her phone buzzed again. Her stomach was in knots, Her hands trembled as she picked it up. Blocked Number: "You think you're safe? He can't protect you from me." Scared the hell out of Jennifer and wiped her smile clean away. She sat up, gasping with this one, and saved the message. She was through with acting like it wasn't happening. Jennifer was staring at the message now, fingers clenching tightly around the phone. The light of the screen washed over her pale face in the dark, and for a moment, she thought she could hardly breathe. The words felt like icy drops of water sliding down her spine. She had received other messages like this before vague threats, disturbing taunts but all had been deleted. She told herself it might have been someone just needing to have a bit of fun. Perhaps even Devlin with his cruel streak. But now after the entire series of events, after feeling something again with Byron this message felt unlike the others. More real. Hands shaking, she opened the gallery and took a screenshot. Then another screenshot. Saving the number even though it was blocked, she prayed the police would figure it out later. This time, she would not ignore it. Jennifer stood up from the couch to go and lock all the windows and doors in the apartment. She checked them all twice. And then a third time. Her heart beat so loudly with the sound echoing in her ears. The image of Devlin’s face earlier filled the void in her thoughts: the sunken black eyes, the tortured look, one that had yet to give her an apology. Could it be him? Had he really fallen that low? In the kitchen, she started pouring herself a glass of water, her fingers struggling with the weight of the cup. All she could think about was Byron. His voice still stayed in her ears. The way he said her name. The way he made her feel acknowledged, even through all her mess. Should she inform him about it? No. Not for the time being. Not until she got more answers. But tomorrow, she will go to the bookstore, as she had promised. For protection, perhaps. Then again, maybe a part of her needed to feel safe again.