Page 52 of In The Dark
“Hi.” I put a hand on my chest, telling myself to calm down. My heart is racing. My lungs feel like they are going to explodeat any second. I check to make sure my window is locked, end everything is securely bolted. “Do you have a minute?”
“For you, I have all the minutes in the world. What’s up?”
“I just got home from work and found my fridge, which was empty when I left the house this morning, full of food. Skyler didn’t stock it. I didn’t stock it. Who the hell did?” I bend down and check under my bed, grateful when all I find is a dusty sock and not an intruder. “My laundry is also folded.” I swallow and rub my forehead. “I-I know how this sounds, but I think someone has been in my house.”
“Is anything stolen? Are you in danger?”
“I’m fine. Totally fine. And I haven’t done a deep dive to see what might’ve been taken, but it looks like they only—” I sputter out a laugh. “Whoever was here, it’s clear they wanted to help me. Food? Laundry? Flowers? It’s really fucking weird.”
“Is it possible Skyler did your laundry for you?” Hunter asks, and I pace around my room. “She probably had to wash clothes for work. Your stuff might’ve gotten thrown in too.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “I guess that could be right. She’s done that in the past.”
“I do Leo’s laundry when I’m feeling nice, and his sweaty work socks arerevolting.” There’s a muffled string of curses on the other end of the line, and I giggle when I hear Leo arguing. “I’m sure your shirts are much more pleasant.”
“That explains the clothes, but what about the fridge?”
“You said Skyler and Dustin are hanging out, right? Has he been to your place? He might’ve been the one to do it. Men are weak, remember? I bet Skyler mentioned she was hungry, and he decided to buy one of everything at the grocery store to feed her.”
“He was here the other day. Maybe he stopped by this morning.”
“Or last night when you were at my place. See? A totally logical explanation.”
“Thank you for listening. For a second there, it felt like I was losing my mind.”
“I’m happy to help,” he says.
“Now I can actually relax instead of calling the police.” I smile and sit on the edge of my bed. “Is Fright Nights going to be busy tonight?”
“Yup. The event is at capacity. We’ll have a three hour wait for our house, which means I won’t get out of here until close to four in the morning.” Hunter sighs. “Miss you, gorgeous. Wish I was with you instead.”
“Me too.” I lean back on my pillows and frown. “What the hell?”
“What?” There’s urgency in his voice. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just—my bed.” I bounce up and down. The mattress is more cushioned than I remember it being. It sinks under my weight, almost like it’s molding itself to my body. “Okay. I’m officially losing it. This doesn’t feel like my bed. Like, I know it’s my bed. It’s in my room. But it’s way too comfortable.”
“You’ve had a long week, angel.”
“It’s Wednesday, Hunter.”
“Exactly. You’re tired. You’ve had a lot going on, so your mattress probably feels nicer than usual. Why don’t you take a bath and relax the rest of the night? Better yet, I’ll order you a pizza. No cooking required.”
“Does Dominos come with wine?” I reach for the sticky note again, looking for a clue about who it might be from. “Because I could use a whole bottle.”
“Probably not, but I’ll see what strings I can pull. Red or white, angel?”
“White.God. I don’t know who the hell could’ve done all of this. Unless…” I trail off and giggle. “Didyoubreak into my house, Hunter?”
“Sorry, good lookin’. I’ve been with Leo all day. You should hear the sounds he makes when he’s at the gym.”
I bite my lip, almost wishing ithadbeen Hunter who did all of this. It would help me sleep better tonight knowing he was trying to be a nice guy, but there’s no way I’m going to be settled until Skyler gets home. Being alone is the last thing I want.
“What would you suggest as a good tool for self-defense?” I ask. “I don’t want a gun. The loud noise would scare the shit out of me.”
“How about an ax? Or a knife.”
“An ax sounds like a good idea. I’m sorry to bother you before work with all of this. I might need a vacation.”
