Page 48 of Stay Away from Him

***

On the way to the cars in the parking lot, something occurred to Melissa. She stopped Kelli as she walked to her car, put her hand on Kelli’s elbow, and pulled her around.

“What?” she asked.

“There was something you didn’t talk about,” Melissa said. “When you were apologizing for all the bad things you did to me. You didn’t say anything about sneaking into my apartment,” Melissa said. “About leaving the note.”

Kelli reeled back, looking at Melissa with genuine shock—and Melissa realized that Kelli really didn’t know what she was talking about. She couldn’t be faking it. She wasn’t that good.

“Someone broke into your place?” she said.

“You did,” Melissa said, hoping that if she stuck with her accusation, Kelli would break.

But there was no change in her expression. She was genuinely confused.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Then she got into her car and drove away. Left Melissa behind in the parking lot, reeling. The words coming back to her, burned into her brain.

stay away from him unless you want to die

If Kelli didn’t leave the note, who did?

Chapter 12

Back home, Melissa spotted Thomas’s car in the driveway. She wasn’t expecting him this early on a Monday morning, and suddenly she felt afraid about what might have brought him there. She thought of who she was just talking to—Kelli Walker—and wondered if Thomas knew somehow. She knew it was silly of her to think that; there was no way he could have found out so quickly. Except that Kellihadmade a scene in the drive-through line, drawn attention to herself and Melissa. What if someone had seen them together at the coffee shop? What if they snapped a photo, texted Thomas that the woman he’d been seeing was talking to his worst enemy?

Thomas was waiting for Melissa in the car, and he stepped out as she pulled into the driveway, stood next to the door waiting as her car came to a stop.

“What’s going on?” Melissa asked when she got out, unable to mask the nervous shake in her voice.

“We need to talk,” Thomas said. “Can we go inside?”

Melissa’s hand rose to tuck strands of hair behind her ears—a habit when she was feeling nervous. “Okay,” she said.

They went through the garage, taking the steps to the basementin silence. Melissa opened the door to the apartment and let Thomas walk in ahead of her. He went to the center of the living room but didn’t sit. Melissa came behind him, lingering a few steps away, hating the awkwardness that had risen between them. Normally they’d be drawn to each other like magnets, Thomas’s hands unable to stay away from her body, while she leaned into his touch. But right now, he seemed distracted, agitated—and Melissa realized that she was actually afraid to go to him, hesitant to get any closer.

“What is it?” she asked. “You’re scaring me.”

“Scaring you?” Thomas said, surprised.

“‘We need to talk.’ It sounds so serious. Are you breaking up with me? Did I do something wrong?” Melissa didn’t mention Kelli Walker—she didn’t want him to know about that, if he didn’t already.

“Melissa, no.” Thomas let out a breath, shook his head as though to dismiss what she was suggesting as ridiculous. “I could never be mad at you.”

“What, then?”

“I was wondering,” he started, then trailed off. “God, I don’t know why this is so hard for me to say.”

Now Melissa was confused. If it wasn’t something bad, then what was Thomas so nervous about?

“Wondering what?”

“Wondering,” Thomas said slowly, cautiously, “if maybe it’s time to take this to another level.”

Melissa laughed—she couldn’t help it. She was just so relieved, and also a little bit amused at how nervous Thomas was, how timid and boyish he’d suddenly become.

Thomas looked a little hurt at her laughter, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I really am. I just thought it was going to be something bad. You looked so serious.”

---