Page 71 of Just a Number

“Okay, don’t rush into moving out. We don’t want you to end up in a dive,” Abby tells me. I give her a smile and head out to the back. As I step towards the staff room, Cassidy and Tom come out of his office. Cassidy looks smug and Tom appears to be doing up his fly.

“Hey, Alex.” Cassidy gives me a wink and a cheeky smile as she walks past. I watch Tom stare after Cassidy with a look on his face I’ve never seen before. It looks almost dreamy.

I pull up near Mel’s house and kill my bike engine as usual, rolling it onto the driveway. There are lights on downstairs, which is unusual for this time of night. Just as the security light on the garage kicks on, the rest of the house plunges into darkness. A scream rings out from inside and my blood turns to ice as I realise that the sound is coming from Mel.

Chapter twenty-nine

Mel

Cassidy and Abby have been hounding me to go out with them. They tried to convince me I should front up at the bar during one of Alex’s shifts to prove that I was over him. What a stupid idea. I don’t need to prove anything. It’s put me in an antsy mood and I haven’t been able to settle on anything all evening. Zack’s still staying at his dad’s, but we have been talking, which gives me hope.

Tonight, it’s just me rattling around the house. I tried reading but couldn’t get into it, so in the end, I put the telly on and scrolled through the streaming services until I found a movie to watch. I’m not in the mood for comedy or romance, so I went with a psychological thriller. Not the best choice. I usually love true crime but this movie is creeping me out. It’s nearing the end, where we start to realise how fucking creepy the stalker guy is and all the things he’s been doing.

I’m sitting in the lounge with all the lights blaring because I’m a chicken-shit and can’t watch stuff like this in low light.

I watch as he spies on his victim. She’s just got home from the gym and is getting undressed for a shower as he creeps on her from the bushes in her garden.

“Shut the fucking curtains!” I can’t help but shout advice. Not that it will do her any good.

Suddenly, everything goes off at once, the lights, the television… the room is plunged into darkness without any warning and I can’t hold in my scream. My heart races, my breathing is erratic.

Then comes a banging at the door and I shriek again, convinced it’s my very own stalker come to murder me.

“Mel, open up.” I creep to the hallway, trying not to make any noise. “Come on, Mel.”

The relief washes over me when I realise it’s Alex. I undo the security chain and the lock and fling the door open.

He stands on the doorstep, chest heaving. “Are you okay?” His hands come up to my shoulders as he stares at me through the darkness. “I heard you scream. What’s wrong?”

“All the lights went off. The TV too.”

“I saw it go dark and then heard you scream. Had no idea what was going on.” Worry floods his voice.

I step to the side, gesturing for him to come in.

“I was in the middle of watching something scary. I genuinely thought someone was out to get me. You’re not here to murder me, are you?” My voice is shaky from the shock.

“Of course not.” He’s stepped inside but looking out towards the street. “The streetlights are still on, but there are a few houses that look completely dark. It looks like it might be a power cut.”

“Oh, okay.” I draw in a deep breath, my heart still trying to recover from the fright.

“If you hop online you can see if a fault has been reported.”

“Oh, yeah.” He’s so level-headed.How does he even know this stuff?“My phone’s in the lounge.”

“You come to the door without having your phone to ring for help if I was a murderer?”

“Shit, yeah, I did.” I wince, watching as he shakes his head. He closes the front door, turning the lock and redoing the security chain. He places his hand on my lower back and eases me forward.

“Let’s go find your phone and check.”

As much as I want to tell him to go and that I can deal with it by myself, I’m still shaky and grateful for his company.

“Is that you just getting home from work?” I ask, trying to act normal while my pulse still beats like a crazy drum.

“Yeah. I think Abby and Cassidy were expecting you.”

“Did they talk to you?” I try to look at the expression on his face but in the dark, it’s hard to see. He steers me into the lounge and I carefully make my way to the coffee table where I left my phone.

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