Page 34 of Sweet Dreams
"He really added assault to injury," I wheezed out. We doubled over at that one and I don't even want to know what we sounded like bynow.
Ivan was shaking his head at our ridiculousness. "Freakin' attacked with a knife tonight and now it's word play time..." hemuttered.
Boys don't get it. When we're tired, us girlies sometimes get the giggles. Ithappens.
We eventually calmed down and Bailey pulled me into her with an arm around my shoulders. "Life just ain't boring with you around,girl."
"Glad to provide entertainment for ya'." I smiled, then my face got serious as I looked at her. "And thanks for having my back out there. We totally channeled our inner Brinley. My Girl Squad isfierce."
"We've always made a good team. And always will," she responded with a squeeze, looking away before I caught her eyes getting shiny. She was tough, but my best friend was also marshmallow soft in thecenter.
“All right, let's break up this lovefest and get some rest, huh?" Ivan said as he swung the truck into the driveway. We all let out a long breath as we realized we didn't need to be afraid to walk outside at nightanymore.
My stalker was behindbars.
I wassafe.
19
The next day,we decided to sleep in and take the day off work. I figured we had some resting and some celebrating to do. My plans for rest were foiled when my phone rang repeatedly as friends and employees got wind of what happened. Ivan, Bailey, and I ended up just going in to Chocolate Dreams and having an unofficial powwow there. Better to have this conversation once rather than relaying everything back and forth with dozens of phonecalls.
Jaz and two other employees were running the shop while eavesdropping on our conversation. Susan and Mitch came in with John, who wanted to fill me in on everything that happened yesterday with the search warrant. Detective Ramirez swung by to see how I was doing, which made Bailey happy, I noticed. I think she was mesmerized by the dimple. Brinley left the beach in the middle of her volleyball practice, which was almost unprecedented so I felt quite special. She insisted on a blow by blow account of the whole thing which I felt was her due, considering she taught us everything we did to thwart my attacker. And finally, some of my regulars came in and joined the huddle of chairs, wanting to know what happened and that I wasokay.
Everybody had a seat or stood behind chairs and I was about to launch into my story when I had to just take a moment to look around at the group assembled before me. Ivan was right next to me, his hand on my thigh, giving support. Everyone else was clustered in around me, their faces turned to me, eager to hear how I was. I'd felt lonely for many years, adrift without a family to anchor me. I'd just put my head down and focused on building my life again. Graduating college, starting my business. Becoming an adult. And without even realizing it, I'd also built a new family, the ones sitting before me. A family that didn't have my past history to share, but one where I knew we'd have a long future toshare.
Which was just assweet.
It was with that warmth flooding me, making my voice strong and sure, that I got started on my story. I began with Bailey and I leaving the shop to go downstairs. When I got to the part about Rylan attacking us, I slowed down and really tried to remember everything exactly as it happened. It was a weird blend of that slow motion and fast forward that made it hard to recall correctly. But looking at Brinley, I knew she would appreciate the part she played in giving me the tools I needed to defend myself. She was nodding along with my story, a look of pride filling her face when I explained I couldn't let him leave the garage withme.
When I got to the part where Ivan, John, and Detective Ramirez joined us, I looked over to all three of the men and gave them the floor. I still didn't know why or how they showed up when they did. And now that I thought about it, why did they all show up at the sametime?
Detective Ramirez, Jack, started speaking first. "As you know, Esa, we got a search warrant to enter Rylan's apartment. When we went in, he wasn't there, but we found plenty of evidence to prove he was the one behind the vandalism and stalking. I think you'd appreciate the truth, so I’ll lay it out for you straight." He paused and looked at me with such a serious face, I knew I wasn't going to like what he was about to say. I nodded to him anyway, giving permission to continue. Ivan grabbed my hand and pulled it into his lap, letting me know he was there forme.
"We found a whole wall covered in pictures of you. From what we can tell, he's been following you for about a year now. There are pictures of you checking out this shop space before you'd opened for business. Pictures of you and Bailey outside your house, at the beach, out at restaurants. His computer had his email pulled up, and we found the confirmation for the lingerie he ordered online and then delivered to your doorstep." Jack took a deep breath and let me soak that allin.
His obsession made my stomach clench, but knowing he was arrested kept it from turning into fear. "I knew years ago that he was abusive, but to know he was that disturbed is scary. I thought after I got that restraining order on him back in college that would be it. I never did hear from him again, so I just assumed he'd moved on. What would make him come back years later and track me down?" I asked, not sure I would ever really get an answer tothat.
"Another piece of evidence we found was a note written to you on his desk. It was basically a final letter in case anything happened to him. He said he tried but couldn't live without you. And he wouldn’t sit around watching you move on with someone else. Esa, he was delusional. You may never understand why he did what he did, because it just doesn't make sense to those of us who don't think like that," Jackfinished.
John picked up the story and all our eyes moved over to him. "Jack called me and I told him you were at your shop but getting ready to head out with Bailey. He said he was coming over to share his discovery in person with you. I then called Ivan and asked him to come over. I figured you'd want him with you when you heard about it. I waited outside the shop, looking for Rylan, wondering where and when he'd make his move. Based on the letter, I assumed he'd be coming for you soon to grab you. While scanning the crowd for him, I saw you and Bailey bookin' it down the escalators. I ran after you and met up with Jack and Ivan at the end of the garage. We heard your scream and took offrunning."
The storytelling ended, and we all sat there absorbing everything. Ivan reached over and brought me in for a kiss on my head. An overwhelming sense of gratitude swarmed me, making my eyes feel hot. I was surrounded by people who cared about me. I would beokay.
Bailey, being larger-than-life Bailey, couldn't handle the silence and stood. She lifted her hot chocolate cup and with a big smile said, "To my best friend who makes hot chocolate all of Huntington Beach has become addicted to. YOU, Esa girl, are as sweet as your chocolate and just as addicting. And Brinley, thank you for equipping us with what we needed to not only survive, but kick that fucker's ass. Cheers, BeachSquad!"
Everyone laughed and called out their own cheers while toasting us girls. Then I gave hugs all around, thanking everyone for making sure I wasokay.
The group was beginning to take off when the reporter from the other day called out, "Esa! Back in the news, I see." She chuckled while giving me a hug. She'd heard about what happened and wanted to get the latest scoop. So one more time I went over the details while she tooknotes.
She assured me they'd run the new article in tomorrow's paper. I guess I would get my fifteen minutes of fame whether I wanted it or not. I'd always hoped it would be for something a little more amazing, but I guess escaping a psychopath was pretty goodtoo.
Later that night, Ivan and Bailey got a bunch of food delivered just in time for Mitch and Susan to join us for dinner. They brought champagne to celebrate, and I got to give them the official house tour. Last time they came over I was so shocked to see them, I didn't get around to being a good host. This time around, I enjoyed their visit, getting to know them even more. They showed interest in my humble home and even wanted to look through old photo albums with me. I introduced them to my parents via old pictures and they asked me all kinds of questions, genuinely wanting to get to know them. It had been awhile since I'd been able to reminisce about them and about my childhood. It made my heart hurt, but it also feltcleansing.
I noticed that Ivan didn't let me out of touching distance all night. He either held my hand, had his arm around me, or just had part of his body touching mine. He wasn't smiling like usual and was overly quiet. It had been a crazy few days, and we hadn't really had much time to talk, just us. It didn't seem like he was mad at me, but something was definitely off. While his parents were checking out the backyard with Bailey, I cornered him in thekitchen.
"Okay, what's going on? You all right?" I asked, concern lacing myvoice.
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in close, and I tilted my head back to look in his clouded eyes. He sighed and gave in to the conversation. "I'm fine, baby. You just scared the crap out of me. To think that bastard could have hurt you and I wasn't there to protect you...well, it kind of kills me. You know my history. It felt like it was repeating itself. I know how strong you are and I saw firsthand how you handled the situation like a freaking badass, but I still can't help but hear your scream replay in my head. I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life. With Megan, it was shocking, and it was awful, but if something had happened to you..." he broke off and clenched hisjaw.
