Page 7 of Love to Stay

“What did you say? I don’t think the input on your mic is high enough.”

“I said, ‘I’m getting it under control.’”

“Oh, okay, whenever you’re ready. I’m going to send you a link. Do you want me to send it to your old account or your new fake one that you’re using to terrorize people in my Discord server?”

“Old one, please.”

The link pops up in my inbox, and a few seconds later, Josie’s face appears on my 27” screen. I’m speechless. She’s so beautiful. Her face is oval shaped with a slightly pointy chin. Her nose is small, like a button on a stuffed animal. Her eyes look blue on my screen, but I know in person they shift from blue to green depending on what she wears. Her robe is an old velour one that hung on the back of her bedroom door. It smells like apples and pears, which she once told me was her shower soap. I should buy that. It would make my place smell better.

“I think your internet is glitching. Your image is frozen. You might want to restart,” Josie says.

“It’s back on now,” I lie.

“You have a nasty bruise above your eye.” She grimaces. “How bad are they beating you up there?”

I’d forgotten about that. Harry hit me there a couple of days ago, and I don’t even feel it anymore. It’s my ribs that are aching today. “Pretty bad. You should come here and take care of me.”

She raises both eyebrows. “I’m sure you have plenty of girls who can wipe the sweat off your brow.”

“Not a single one. Pedro, my trainer, doesn’t believe in girls or parties. He says if either one exist in my life, I’m not serious enough about training.” Pedro has trained four world title holders. I’m not about to piss him off.

“Hmmmm.” She doesn’t seem to believe me. “Where are you staying?”

“Some prison complex that was converted into apartments.” I swing the monitor around so she can see the space. “Besides the boring living room, there’s a bathroom and a bedroom. I’m sitting in the kitchen.”

“That place is tiny. Does Lauren know where you’re staying?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Isn’t her husband loaded? Why are you living like you’re sentenced to solitary confinement?”

“Because that’s how I’m going to win.”And be rich on my own and then make you believe you can’t live without me.“Now, back to you. How are we fixing my mistake?”

Chapter Six

JOSIE

I’m not sure how much I should admit to Mick, even if he has now had a hand in this mess. I can’t be sure that whoever he talked to is the same person that has been relentlessly stalking me. The messages I'm receiving are becoming increasingly unsettling.

“I don’t know,” I huff, leaning back in my chair. That’s the truth. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do, and I’m at a loss.

When Mick’s handsome face came onto the screen, I’d forgotten about everything else for a few fleeting moments. His hair is unruly, needing a cut. I’m sure it’s because his sister isn’t there to do it for him. She is a hairdresser, after all, but I actually like it this length.

I can tell he's been running his fingers through it, no doubt out of frustration. He’s pissed at himself. I should be pissed at him, too, but I can’t bring myself to be. Not when I have so many other emotions running through me right now.

The messy hair with the bruises on his eyes paired together gives him a badassI don’t give a fuckvibe. And I’m here for it. That is one thing I always loved about Mick. He doesn't give a shit what others think about him, unless you mean something to him.

“How awful could it be? They’ll just harass you for a bit, right? Or will it go further?” I open my mouth, but then I close it. I’m a shit liar. Especially when it comes to Mick. He will see right through me. It’s why I tend to step around topics, so that I don’t have to. “Fuck, Jojo. That’s a long pause.” Mick reaches up, running his fingers through his hair again. He even gives it a small tug. My mind wanders for a second, thinking about what it would feel like between my fingers. But I quickly get myself together, knowing he’s watching me.

“I’m not sure. There’s just been this one guy.”

“What guy?” Mick sits up straighter. I see a tic in his jaw.

"Obviously, I don’t know who he is, but he keeps messaging me. Today he mentioned the city I live in.” I feel like whoever it is, they are closing in on me. I’m not sure how he’s doing it. I even bounced my IP so that if I get hacked, you still can’t find me.

“What!” Mick is out of his chair so fast it flies back, hitting the wall. “Is your dad home?”

“I’ve been thinking about moving anyway.” I ignore his question. Ever since receiving the eviction notice, I've been contemplating it.

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