Tempt the Ex (Tempt 2.5)
“Yeah, kind of.” She turns to look at me. “Are you going with a date?” she asks. I shake my head. “I think you should,” she tells me. “I mean, you should go with AJ. I know he’s been asking about you lately.” I cross my arms as she continues. “It will be good for you to get back out there.”
“I’m really not interested in dating,” I tell her as I turn back to my computer, waiting for it to boot up. “I think I’m just going to ride solo for now. What about you?” I turn, looking at her. “Is there anyone who you think you’re going to hook up with?”
She shrugs her shoulders and squishes her face as she shakes her head. “Nah, no one has caught my eye lately.” She closes her eyes. “But you never know what the Monster Mash will bring.”
“This is true,” I say as I look back outside and then at her. She still has her eyes closed. “I wonder if John will be there.”
She opens her eyes right away. “You need to forget about him and move on.” She looks right into my eyes when she says the next part. “I heard someone say he’s got a date to Monster Mash.”
My heart stops as my hands get suddenly clammy. “Who said that?” My throat’s getting thick, my tongue feeling as dry as the desert.
“I think I heard it from Melody. Told you he’s a douche.” Arya throws in that last comment almost like it’s an “I told you so” moment.
“I guess you were right,” I say and turn back to my computer to end the conversation. I put my earphones in as I turn my music on. By the time I finish, I get up and stretch my arms as I walk to my window. Looking over, I see Arya is sleeping. I watch the trees blow in the night, and see the wind picking up a little bit. I look down at my car and see a white paper stuck under my wiper. Grabbing my jacket and keys, I walk downstairs, running in the chill. I look around, but the street is deserted. When I get to my car, I grab the note and open it. This one is creepy.
I imagine you in my dreams.
I fold the paper and look around, but I don’t see anything. This time, the wind seeps into my bones, so I rush back inside and shut the door softly as to not wake Arya. I walk over to my bed and take a picture of the note and send it to Melissa. She texts me back right away.
Melissa: You need to go to the police. This is whacked.
I don’t answer her. Instead, I just call her, and she answers right away. “You need to go to the police.”
“This is creepy, right?” I ask her as she yells, “Yes! Not only that, but he probably masturbated on it.”
I look at the paper and then my hands. “The paper is clean, asshole.”
“You seriously need to show this to someone,” she continues as I nod my head.
“I think you’re right. I’ll go tomorrow morning,” I agree, and we hang up soon after. I open my drawer where I kept the other letters and notice that they have been moved. I had thrown a penny in the drawer last night, and it landed on top of the paper, but it was now at the bottom. I look over and see that Arya is still asleep. I take my phone and text Melissa.
Me: I need to also find a new roommate.
Melissa: Amen.
I take the letters out of the drawer, looking over to make sure she isn’t looking, and I see her back is to me. I place the letters inside my bag and put it under my jacket. I finally fall into bed not long after, but my mind never shuts off. I wake with every creak. One eye opens while the night slowly brings daylight. When my alarm finally rings, I shut it off right away since I was awake anyway. I get dressed without saying anything to Arya, who sits at her desk working on something.
“Hey, are we going to go to the Monster Mash together?” she asks as I’m shrugging on my jacket.
“Sure, I guess so,” I answer her, grabbing my purse.
“Perfect. AJ offered to give us a ride, so I’ll let him know that we’ll be going.” She smiles at me as I nod, grabbing my bag and making my way to the police station.
Chapter 7
John
“Let’s go!” I yell up the stairs as I stand here in my costume. I’m dressed as one of the guys from Chips. The pants are so tight my balls feel like they are suffocating. I walk away from the railing, and my boots squeak the whole time. I put my fingers in my belt as I wait for the two guys to come down. The helmet on my head is already making me itch. I take it off and scratch my forehead. I hear a door open and then another, and then the two jog down the stairs. “Hey,” I say as I take in my two roommates. “What the fuck happened to you?” I ask Noah, who is dressed the same as Austin in a white linen suit, except he is wearing the purple shirt and Austin has the pink one. Both have their sleeves rolled up to their elbow.