Spooked

*JAMIRA*

Ayana and I talked and laughed as she recounted the events from her date and everything that happened afterwards. That girl still hadn’t changed.

“Okay, but why didn’t you call me? I would’ve picked you up.”

“Girl you too busy playing house with that man all up in your business.”

“You see where that got me.”

We both laughed.

“Speaking of that, how’s the baby?”

“He’s fine. I’m just ready for him to come already.”

“Just hang in there girl.”

I smiled. It’s amazing how a simple phrase can make you feel better than you did before. Even though I was happy to be talking to Ayana, my mind stayed on Eric.

Ever since Kacie left he’s been down in the dumps.

I thought if I surprised him at work, he’d feel at least a little better. Then Walt was acting strange like he didn’t want to be bothered.

Eric would never say it, but I could tell he felt that the whole interaction was…off.

“Hello, hello?”

Her voice pulled me away from my thoughts. For a moment I’d forgotten I was on the phone.

“Hello? My bad, I was just thinking about something.”

“Oh… well what are you about to do?”

“I think I’m gonna go back home.”

“Good. I’ll see you there.”

“Wait, hold on—“

She hung up. That heifer hung up in my face. I drove home, and as usual, the ride was peaceful.

At least it was until my phone rang and the name across the screen made my skin crawl as if little insects were making their way all over my body.

I gripped my steering wheel and tried to focus on the road as I let it go to voicemail.

Everything was fine until a few seconds later the phone rang again.

It was the same person.

I kept my focus on the road as the hair on the back of my neck stood up. This was not simple discomfort. This was not pregnancy. This…was something darker. Trauma.

Not from the phone calls themselves, but from knowing they were only the beginning if he didn’t get what he wanted.

Once I got back to the condo I got out the car and raced to the elevator just barely making it without a breath inside me to let out.

It wasn’t until I closed the door that I was able to let go of the grip on my keys that I had. I opened my hand and saw the key marks that were there.

I went to pour myself a glass of water. With trembling hands, I dropped it and watched it shatter across the floor.

I stared at the floor for a few seconds before there was a knock at the door. I looked up. Then I froze.

My heart continued to pound so loud I couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the door.

I inched my way to the peephole and saw that it was Ayana. Gripping my shirt, I opened the door quickly and slammed it behind her.

“Oh my goodness! Mira, what’s wrong?!” Ayana asked starting to panic.

“I’m fine. I just need… to catch… my breath.”

Every word felt like it needed more air than I had to give.

I sat at the table with my elbows on my knees.

Ayana ran to my side and rubbed my back. The circles she was making were starting to help.

“Look at me. Breathe.” She said cupping my face.

I looked in her eyes and slowly calmed down.

Once my breathing evened out, she pulled up a chair and lifted my head.

“What happened?”

“Girl, I don’t know. I was driving and my phone rang. I saw that it was Chris and I panicked.”

She put her hand over her mouth as she looked at me for a while. I knew that look. It has been the same look she gave me on my birthday and the one right before she set me straight about trying to play games with both Chris and Eric. That look meant she had something to say. And regardless of what it was, I was not going to like it.

“Yana, why you looking like that?”

“Girl, I wanted to tell you this in person. I almost forgot until you mentioned Chris.”

My eyes widened as I looked at her.

“Okay…?”

“When I was out with Jeremy, before all the other bullshit, Chris showed up at the strip club.”

I nodded.

“He saw me waiting in the car and he came up to the window going crazy banging on the window.”

“Are you serious?”

“Hell yeah. Any harder, and I’m sure it would’ve shattered.”

“Did he say anything?”

She nodded and her eyes lingered on the floor a little longer before she answered.

“He asked for you.”

“What do you mean?” I asked while searching her face for any chance she was just trying to scare me.

I never found anything. This wasn’t a joke.

“You don’t think…?”

“It’s possible he could be lurking around, waiting to catch you.”

Just then his words came rushing back to my mind. ‘This isn’t over’ kept replaying. Same voice. Same tone. Same cringey feeling that he was closer than I’d imagined.

I tried to remember if he’d ever showed signs of being this obsessed. I thought about the time he showed up at my job unannounced. The time he kept asking about Eric. And just a few months ago when he said those chilling words to me.

“This man is crazy.”

“You gotta tell Eric, Mira.”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t afford to wait.”

I sat there. Ayana went to go check and see what was in the refrigerator when she spotted the glass on the floor.

“What the hell happened here?”

“The glass slipped from my hand.”

“This shit is a hazard.” she said as she got the broom to sweep it up.

I rubbed my temples as I thought about everything that happened. What, if anything, was I going to tell Eric? How was I supposed to tell him my ex has issues and still thinks he might have a shot? Will this man stop at nothing to get what he wants?

As if enough wasn’t going on, my phone rang again.