Page 42 of Monster
My eyes are gluedon her tiny frame. I’m unable to look away as I watch them together. They’re in the common room watching a movie together on the couch with a bowl of popcorn resting between them. I’m outside, peering in through a window a few feet away. It’s seven-thirty in the evening and the place is quiet.
I hold my breath with anticipation, my blood singing with excitement. I keep my eyes locked on them until the nurse I asked to deliver the box walks into the room and my gaze darts to her. The very same nurse I saw my first time here. Getting her to do this was surprisingly easy. I figured since she was in a relationship, getting her to do me any favors would be difficult, but a little flirting got me quite a ways with her.
She walks up to Essa, and I hold my breath. I can’t hear what she says, but she speaks to Essa and then hands her the red gift box. The box itself is a deep blood red and a bow of the same color is wrapped around the outside of it as well. Essa turns her head over to Dominik and her eyebrows are bunched in confusion. He shrugs his shoulders at her, and she brings her confused gaze back toward the box, seeming more unsettled.
After another few moments, I stare at her face as she begins to untie the bow. It falls into her lap, and she pulls the top of the box off. She sets it beside her and pulls out the papers that are inside. She brings them closer to her face and begins to read them. I smile so fucking wide as I observe her eyes widen the further along the paper she gets. And that's only the first one. There are seven more, each one telling Dominik’s life fucking story.
His father killing himself and his mother and his time in rehab because of his addiction. Her pale face goes from shocked, to angry, and back to shocked, flickering through many emotions. Dominik leans over her shoulder to see what she has when she doesn’t answer him and when he sees what she’s holding, he visibly pales.
Once Essa is finished reading the papers, she turns to Dominik with an expression I’ve never seen on her face before. Fuckingsympathy.
Wait, no no no. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Goddamnit. Look back inside the box, baby doll.
Her and Dominik’s eyes remain locked for another minute before she tears her gaze away and begins to put the papers back in the box, but the card in the bottom of it catches her attention.
That’s it, baby doll. Open the fucking card.
She sets the papers aside, next to the box lid, and pulls out the white card. The outside is completely blank and when she opens it, only two words mar the inside.
Merry Christmas…
It only took her two seconds to read what it says, but she continues to stare at it. Now, I definitely shouldn’t have written the card myself, but I couldn’t fucking help myself, but Iamfairly certain she won’t recognize my handwriting. I don’t think she’s ever seen anything I’ve handwritten, so I’m not too worried about it.
My hands are fucking freezing standing out here in this cold with only a hoodie and my jacket on, but I don’t care. Watching her open this gift makes it so fuckin’ worth it. Dominik tries to speak to her, but she doesn’t respond. She sits, staring and unmoving.
Her face is as white as a fucking ghost and it’s exactly what I wanted to see. Her hand trembles and she drops the card back into the box. She grabs the other papers and throws them back into the box as well before struggling to put the lid back on. She stands and rushes down the hallway to her room. Dominik is left on the couch, wringing his hands together and biting his lip, his grimace clear as day, and I feel smug satisfaction working its way inside of me.
I don’t want her knowing I’m here, but I want her to think of me. To think,just fucking maybe.
And I accomplished that, along with making her questionDominikand his intentions because I fucking know they aren’t as pure as he’s pretending they are.
