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There’s nothing suspect about his question, nothing mocking in his tone, but I still feel like I sink in on myself. I don’t like the intensity of his gaze or the way this attention feels. He might not have given any sign that he has any idea who I am, but I’m still afraid. This feels like it was a bad idea; I don’t think I should be here.
“Err, yeah.” I dart my eyes all over the place, trying to see if there’s anyone around. As much as I want to run, I need food, and I sure as hell don’t want to do this again. “Yeah, I have everything I need.”
He side-eyes me as he rings everything up. I’m sure I’m acting like a crazy person, but that’s the least of my issues right now. I stuff everything into a bag, already mentally planning to practically run all the way home. The sooner I can get inside, the better.
Not that I’ll feel safer there, not if I have been doxxed.
I pay the man rapidly and race back to my building, grateful to escape this nightmare. My heart is absolutely thundering in my ears; my thoughts are racing at the speed of light, and I’m in such a state of panic that by the time I actually reach my door, I have myself convinced that something awful is about to happen… Like I’m in a horror movie, with no chance of getting safe.
But this isn’t just paranoia.
There really is someone standing by my door.
This isn’t just a shadow. There’s a man there waiting for me.
The shopping bags fall out of my hands as a blood-curdling scream flies out of my throat. I’m so terrified that all my worst dark nightmares are about to come to life right here and now.
I stumble backward, my breath catching in my throat as I seek my escape, until a familiar voice cuts through the darkness. “Riley, it’s me.”
My eyes focus, and the figure comes into view. Relief floods through me as the panic slides off my shoulders.
Alex.
He’s here.
He kept promising me that he’d come but he didn’t. Yet, right now, here he is. That truly is him. I’m in shock as I stare at him, drinking him in.
“Alex, you scared me half to death,” I manage to utter, my hands still trembling. “I thought…”
I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to express what I thought because it feels so silly, especially as he steps closer to me, concern etched on his face. “I’m sorry, Riley. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’ve been desperate to see you.”
I exhale, the tension slowly releasing its grip on me. Alex’s presence is a grounding force, a reassurance in the midst of my spiraling fears. He wraps his arms around me, a gesture that offers comfort and warmth—exactly what I need.
“It’s just... with everything going on, I can’t help but feel on edge,” I confess, my voice wavering as I murmur against his chest. “It’s been… a lot.”
He nods understandingly, his gaze gentle. “I get it. We’ll figure this out together, Riley. You’re not alone.”
This is the first time I’ve felt like I’m not alone, that I have felt a little safer. Alex’s presence is so much nicer than I ever remember it to be, if that’s possible.
“Come on,” he tells me softly as he steps back from me, still staring into my eyes, checking that I’m okay. “Let’s pick up your food. We don’t want to leave this mess behind.”
I try to laugh, but nothing really comes out. My God, I truly am a mess, aren’t I? How did I end up in such a state? I bend down along with Alex and grab all my groceries off the floor, grateful to have someone beside me.
The more I look at Alex as he’s helping me, the warmer I feel towards him. He’s a ray of sunshine on this stormy day, the calm that I need to keep me going. Maybe Icanstay in New York City and survive this after all—if I have Alex with me…
Chapter 18—Alex
I don’t quite know what to say as we head into Riley’s home. That reaction… my mind is blown. I knew the whole situation had to be hard on her, which is why I’ve been feeling so bad about not making it here more regularly, but now…
Now I’m in shock.
Riley is so freaked out. She’s not acting like herself at all.
Her hand is trembling as she unlocks the door. She glances over her shoulders a couple of times before we’re locked inside.
“What’s happened, Riley?”
“Err, nothing, I just…”
