Chapter Six

Glass and Ghosts

I sucked in a breath through my teeth, sitting at the kitchen island with a mug of hot chocolate cradled between my hands. The warmth grounded me, but barely. 

“Who was that man outside?” Gran asked, finally breaking the awkward silence. 

“That. Would be my brother.” Ingrid muttered without looking up, her eyes glued to her phone. “Sorry—he can be an assholes sometimes,”

My fingers instinctively reached for the charm bracelet on my wrist. 

It wasn’t there.

Shit.

I must’ve lost it outside. “I think my bracelet fell off in the yard, I’ll be right back.”

The cool air hit me as I stepped outside, thick with the scent of earth and fog. I glanced towards the house next door, half hoping–halfdreading–to see if Ingrid’s brother was still out there.

He was, along with the other men from before.

I turned quickly, forcing myself to focus. Bracelet first, mystery guy later.

After a few seconds, a glint near the edge of the yard caught my eye. Just as I reached down to pick it up, the sound of footsteps crunching against the gravel sounded from behind me. 

I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“Hey,” a voice said—gentler than I expected. “Didn’t mean to scare you earlier, did you need help?”

I stood too quickly, the bracelet clenched tightly in my fist, trying to keep my expression neutral. “No, thank you. I found it.”

“Good to hear.” A small smirk tugged at his lips. “But, if you ever do need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. We are neighbors afterall.”

His tone was kind, but his gaze held something deeper—something unsettling.

He lingered. As if debating whether to say something more. Then, finally: “We’re having a little get-together later tonight. Nothing major. Feel free to swing by, if you’re not busy.”

I opened my mouth, unsure what I was going to say, but he cut me off with a soft grin.

“No pressure, thought it might be something fun for you.”

He gave a nod, then turned back towards his group without another word, leaving me frozen on the lawn, bracelet in hand and my heart racing in my chest.

What in the fuck just happened?

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Back inside, I reclaimed my spot by the window, curling up in the armchair with my mug, though the heat had far left my cup. My thought wouldn’t leave him. The intensity in his voice, the way his eyes held mine. The way it felt like he already knew me. 

“I take it you ran into my brother outside?” Ingrid asked casually from the couch.

I blinked. “Ho—how did you know?”

She grinned, “You’ve got a look about you.”

Then she stood, slipping her phone into her back pocket. “Thank you for letting me hang out. I left my number with your Gran, just in case. And hey—please come to the party. I’d really like it if you were there.”

I stared at her, confused. How in the hell did she know he invited me?

But before I could ask, she was already out the door.

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The afternoon dragged by in a blur of dusting and organizing all of Gran’s old things from when she lived here. Sunlight slanted in long golden beams across the floor, illuminating floating motes and the faded memories embedded in the house.

“When I was a little girl,” Gran said as we worked, “we’d hike up to the clearing just a few miles from here. You could see the rooftops of this whole street from the hilltop. I told myself that one day, when I’d saved enough, I’d live in one of these homes. Life may have got in the way for a while, but now we’re back here and you get to be exactly where I’ve always wanted us..”

She smiled softly, her voice tinged with nostalgia. “Feels like my life is coming full circle.”

My phone buzzed from the windowsill—‘unknown caller’

I hesitated, then answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, bitch.” The voice was slurred and unmistakably drunk. 

I rolled my eyes, “Dean.”

Gran looked up from her box, making a face. 

“You’ve only been gone a few days, already forgotten about me?”

“We broke up months ago, what do you want?”

“What is your problem?” he slurred. 

“YOu called me from a private number, drunk at—” I glanced at the clock, “---”Seven in the evening my time, so it’s only one in the afternoon there. That’s my problem. What do you want, Dean?”

“You left me behind..” his voice cracked. “You just… left.”

Jesus Christ.

“We broke up TWO months before I left. You had sex with your only brother's girlfriend, Dean. And you what? Just thought I’d forgive you?”

Silence. 

I sighed, “Don’t call me again, please.”

The line went dead.

This wasn’t the first time. Every weekend since I broke up with him, he’d call from an unknown number or dive past my house, sitting outside my window and yelling. Same slurred voice, same guilt-tripping. And every time, I told him the same thing to quit bothering me or I would start calling the police.. I never did, something in his voice always made me feel bad for him. But this time felt a little different, something in his voice chilled me. 

I stood in silence until Gran gently touched my arm, “maybe we should look into changing your number this week, it might be time.”

“Actually, “ I said, hesitant, “do you think it’d be okay if I went next door for a little while? Ingrid said her brothers having a few people over and I thought… I thought it might be good to meet some people since I’ll be starting school here soon.”

Gran gave me a knowing smile, “as long as you’re home at a decent hour, honey.”

“Love you, I won’t be out late.” I said, kissing her cheek.