Page 70 of See You Soon
I was telling my mom about Violet and more interesting medical cases I worked on. The surgeries I assisted in such as saving Rooker's life. She listened with open ears, her eyes glistening with pride.
She begins to cry as I finish telling her about Rooker. The last time I checked on him, he was getting ready to go back to his team.
"Paul is so proud of you. As am I. Nunca lo dudes."
Don't ever doubt that.
I nod, swallowing the tightness in my throat. Stopping myself from breaking into a hot mess. I didn't want this to turn into a night of tears.
"So again, you reunite withthehot Navy SEAL guy overseas? What a crazy-ass coincidence. I'm convinced it's fate..." Meredith says.
Meredith pauses grabbing her water before continuing, I kick her knee, clearing my throat. My mother doesn't like it when we use curse words in the house. Meredith catches my signal and nods apologetically.
"Or he's your stalker." Emilia shrugs and I shake my head.
"Danny? Paul's friend?" My mother asks, getting up from her chair, and collecting my plate.
"Yes..." I say as I clean my hands with a napkin. I didn't want to talk about Danny around my mother. I was afraid she would catch onto my true feelings for the man and read me so easily. I'm hoping she won't be able to unveil that I had sex. Sex before marriage was a huge sin, according to my mother. If she found out, I would literally die inside. The way she views me was so important to me. The relationship we have is everything to me. I’ve never wanted to disrespect or disappoint her but for the past few months, I’ve been doing everything she would disown me for.
My cheeks are flaming hot and I'm sucking on my bottom lip. I was in my fucking twenties for God's sake but she treated me otherwise. My mom's view on raising me is so contradicting. She wanted me to be independent but also wanted me to know that I was going to need her, always.
"He's a very handsome man. I was wondering where these Tulips came from. They were at the front door this morning." My mom says walking away to the kitchen with all of our plates in her hand. She drops them in the sink, grabbing a dozen tulips that were on the kitchen counter. They were hiding behind a fruit basket.
Confusion and bliss excite me. How did Danny manage to pull this off? I hadn't told him my favorite flowers, were tulips. He must have picked someone's brain about me.
My mom hands them to me and Emilia and Meredith start cooing and making kissing noises. I roll my eyes at them blushing, rushing to smell the flowers, and my mind travels to Iraq. This was so nice and unlike him.
"And there's a card. But I didn't open it. Here you go."
There's a single blank small card folded in half. It's white and I'm hesitant to open it. Knowing what I know now about Danny, I'm afraid to open it. This man was dirty and I loved it. I'm afraid of what kind of lustful words await me. My mother hovers around my shoulder, I peek over to her and she holds up her hands, surrendering.
"Okay okay, I'm leaving." She says retreating back to her chair. I chuckle and open it. Meredith and Emilia were across from me rolling over in laughter, anticipating my reaction to the note.
I open it and I immediately frown. My chest tightens, my throat aches, and I'm swallowed with fear.
Here are some flowers for getting deflowered
See You Soon
Ari Cakes
* * *
“What in the fucking creepy shit is that?” Meredith shrieks, holding the card in her hand. We’re in my bedroom getting ready to sleep. I begged them to stay the night to keep my mom and I company. The more people in my house, the better. Harry brought Emilia pajamas and Meredith was borrowing some of mine.
So many questions erupt one after another. My head throbs from the stress, and nausea starts to get the best of me. My stomach feels like it's burning with acidity. I feel sick. How couldn’t I with Shanes' threat? I made a police report right after reading the card.
The policeman that came to investigate was so condescending. He kept downplaying my situation. I told them about the number of incidents starting from my toxic relationship, the bar fight, when my room was vandalized, and now this threatening note.
Either way, he filed my complaint. He mentioned something that set me off. When the cop looked into Shane Mitchell, we found out that he was classified as a deserter in the Marines. Deserting his job was against the Uniformed Code of Military Justice. He stopped showing up to work when he returned home. The military police were looking for him, so this was one useful tip that could lead to his arrest.
That information only made me even more sick. What was going on through Shane’s head? He was really losing it. Why hasn’t he moved on from me? Why was he more motivated than ever to scare me?
The walls are spinning and I can feel my dinner rising in my throat. I feel the unsafest I’ve ever been. Paul isn't here anymore and Danny… Danny's halfway across the world, and I feel helpless.
“See you soon, like what is that? A threat?” Emilia adds, getting comfortable on my air mattress.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve broken up. I don’t get it.” I swallow, laying on the left side of the bed.
