Page 10 of Snowflakes and Sparks

I arranged a couple of new arrivals in the window display and put the remainder of them on one of the shelves, but all the while, my thoughts kept circling back to Alex.

All this worrying and speculating and imagining was going to make me crazy. I took a deep breath. Sitting around imagining the worst wasn’t going to cut it. If I wanted to know the truth, I would have to be brave and go over there. Not that I’d flat out ask him. I wasn’tthatbrave.

I looked around the store and spotted the box of stuff I’d tidied from the apartment. That was it! I’d go over there and ask him what I should do with that box. That sounded not too crazy and totally believable, right?

I quickly made a “Back in five” sign for the door, then put my coat and mittens on. I grabbed the box and went down the stairs, but seeing Diane’s car again made me wonder if this was a good idea after all. Maybe I should wait and come back in a couple of hours. What if she verbally attacked me again? I didn’t know if that would be the price I was willing to pay to satisfy my curiosity.

As I stood on the pavement pondering my next move, an ear-piercing scream came from Alex’s house. Wow. That sure didn’t sound like someone who was having a great time. Unless they enjoyed being tortured.

Another scream permeated the air and I ran up the stairs to Alex’s house. When nobody answered the door, I put the box down, dug my phone out of my pocket and called 911. This was not about me dropping off a box of discarded stuff anymore. This had clearly turned into a matter of life and death. It was only when the operator answered and asked me what my emergency was that I realized dialing 911 might’ve been a mistake.

“Uhm, yes, hello, there are screams coming from my neighbor’s house and nobody is answering the door,” I said. “But maybe it’s not as bad as it sounds. You don’t have to hurry. I think.”

“What location are you calling from, miss?”

“Snow Globe Lane. Number fifteen,” I replied.

“We’ve just had a call from that exact location. There’s an ambulance already on its way. I would like to ask you to try to stay calm in the meantime.”

“Do you know what happened?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, I can’t disclose that information.”

I hung up and scanned the road, hoping to see the ambulance approaching. Where were they? I had no idea how far away the nearest hospital was. For all I knew, it could take them an hour to get here.

An unbearable tightness filled my throat. I couldn’t stand by and do nothing while waiting for the ambulance. What if they both were on the brink of unconsciousness?

I walked to the back of the house. The door was unlocked and I reluctantly went inside. Turning a corner, I bumped straight into someone. “Don’t kill me!” I screamed before I could process what was going on. As my attacker turned around, I realized it was Alex.Duh. Who else would it be? The guy lived here, for Pete’s sake.

He was dressed in a pair of black shorts, hugging him in all the right places. I wished I could admire his broad shoulders for a beat longer, but my gaze got drawn to the bloody towel in his hands.

“What the freak is going on here?” I demanded to know as if I was some sort of hotshot detective instead of the girl living next door.

“I could ask you the same, seeing as you’re the one breaking into my house.”

“I wouldn’t call it breaking in. Your back door was unlocked, so technically you invited me in. Kind of like a non-spoken agreement.”

He grinned at me. “Is that so?”

“None of that matters though,” I said, lowering my voice. “I’m here to save you.”

“Who’s there, Alex?” a vehement voice called from another room. It had to be Diane.

“I’ll be right there,” he called back, then pulled me into his laundry room. “You’re here to save me? From what exactly?” He looked at me as if I’d been sniffing glue.

“Look, I know there’s an ambulance on its way here and even though I don’t condone your… your… way of business, I’m not cruel. I heard the shouting and thought I’d help out.”

“My way of business?”

“Uhm, yes. I mean, you’re free to do whatever you want, of course. I’m just not one of those girls.” Hearing myself utter those words made me wonder if I hadn’t accidentality sniffed some glue after all.

“One of those girls? You don’t like to stay fit?” A suppressed smile made his mouth twitch.

“Of course I do. But I prefer other forms of exercise. Not… you know.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Actually, I don’t know. What do you think it is I do in here?”

I fiddled with one of my mittens. Was I really going to have to spell it out for him? “Women pay you for… sexual favors.” Now that I’d said it out loud, I realized how farfetched it sounded.

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