Page 30 of You Belong With Me

Somehow, her face gets even redder, and I don’t have to be a mind reader to know that she’s thinking about what I did to her cheeks the last time I was upset with her.

“I didn’t want to get in trouble for being rude to a regular.”

Lies. She wants to be punished; I see it in her eyes. Some of the staff watch our exchange curiously. The last thing I want to do is draw attention to us, so I remove my hand from her wrist and take a step back from the rail.

“You’d hate for me to take you into the office and give you a tongue lashing, wouldn’t you?”

Her breath catches and her pupils dilate.

“That sounds horrible.” She and I both see Francesca walking toward us, so she adds, “Please, don’t keep your date waiting. Have a good evening.”

“I’ll see you Monday,” I say.

I chuckle as I turn away and walk toward Francesca. Now that she’s closer, I can see Alana is assessing her brunette hair, which has caramel-colored highlights strewn throughout. She has on a tight black pencil skirt that hugs her slender hips and waist, and a blood-colored blouse that clings to her perky breasts. Moss green eyes, olive-tinted skin, full red lips, and sharp cheekbones. She could be in movies or standing next to a Kardashian. The toxic side of me hopes Alana is jealous that she’s here with me.

22

Chapter Twenty Two

Alana

Unsurprisingly, Shane didn’t come in tonight. We all placed bets when I got to work on whether he’d show. A few of the back-of-house staff said his balls were big enough, but the rest of us said we’d probably get a few days’ reprieve. We were right, at least for tonight.

With my shift now over, I’m cleaning the stainless steel sinks behind the bar. My server, Gwen, called off. The store ended up being way busier than an average Sunday night. The bar was full most of the shift, so my feet hurt but my wallet’s happy. I go through the motions and get the bar cleaned up. All of my tables are dirty and sticky, so I take a sanitizer bottle and walk around spraying each one, then circle back around to wipe them all clean. Once I have all the chairs stacked on top of the table, I grab a broom and begin sweeping the floors.

The monotonous task lets me get lost thinking about the list of things I’d like to accomplish before my lease is up. I’d like to have enough saved up to rent a small, one-bedroom house in a safe neighborhood. The apartment life just isn’t for me. I hate sharing a wall with other people. Once I have the money for a new place, I’d like to get more serious about finding an editing job.

Mom and Dad have been hounding me for a visit, and I need to do that soon as well. I haven’t been since Greg cheated, and I feel like I’ve grown and recovered enough to face him. Honestly, it isn’t even him I’m most worried about. I know everyone heard about how things ended, and I want to be ready for all the questions people will ask me. It isn’t enough to just go home. I want to go home better than I was when I left. Seeing my parents will be fun, too. I miss them so much. We’ve been close my entire life, and this is the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing them.

The full trash bags are heavy as I head toward the back to leave them for Gabe. I mentally cross my fingers and hope he’s distracted or out back for his millionth smoke break. Somehow, I get lucky, and he isn’t around. I toss the two bags on top of the others by the back door and trot carefully on the freshly mopped floors back toward the manager’s office.

“Hey Kyle, would you mind walking me to my car? I’ve had some creepy shit happen, so Jim doesn’t want me walking out alone after dark,” I say.

“Yeah, sure. Let me count the deposit one more time, then I’ll be ready.”

Kyle is a quiet, hard-working guy. He’s tall and looks like Pete Davidson if Pete Davidson were straight-laced, had naturally blonde curly hair, and didn’t have tattoos. He seems very laid back and is a transfer from another store, so he knows his shit. I watch him count the deposit one more time, then he enters the code to the safe, stuffs the money into a zippered-bag, and tosses it in. He double-checks to make sure the safe is locked the door before he walks out and latches the office door. Nobody is pocketing any money on his watch.

“Alright, you got everything you need?” I nod my head in agreement, and together we head to the front door.

Crickets chirp as we walk to my car, and I nervously glance around to see if anything looks suspicious. Kyle’s eyes survey the parking lot, too, and I’m grateful I’m not alone.

The button on my key fob unlocks my car door, and I hop behind the wheel.

“Goodnight, Alana,” Kyle nods as he walks back toward the store.

“Thanks, Kyle. See you later.”

Greta groans to life, and Kyle turns around to watch me pull out before he goes back inside to finish closing.The quietness in my car ramps up my nerves for tomorrow. Monday looms ahead, my “date” with Andreas. Butterflies dance in my stomach, and I know I’m not going to sleep. For the duration of the drive, I pick the skin on my lips with the hand I’m not using to steer, and when I pull into my parking spot, I lay my head on the steering wheel and sigh. Everything will be fine, it’s just dinner.

For the second time since I moved in, I reach the top stair and notice my apartment door is standing wide open. I know for a fact I shut and locked it before I left for work this afternoon. Nausea hits me, and I slowly retreat down the stairs back to my car. Once I’m safely inside, I lock the doors and pull my phone from my pocket.

I hold my breath while the line rings and furtively peek around the parking lot. My skin prickles, and I swear I feel eyes on me. It has to be a murderer, a ghost, or a demon possessing my apartment.

“Hello, this is the Indianapolis Metropolitan non-emergency line. How may I help you?” the dispatcher says.

“Hi, I wasn’t sure whether to call this number or 911. I just got home from work, and I believe someone broke into my apartment. The door is standing wide open, and I’m too scared to walk in alone. Is there any way an officer can come check it out?”

“Oh, that’s a scary thing to come home to. Are you in a safe place?” she asks.

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