Page 7 of To Obsess

Putting the phone down, I throw the cover over my legs and turn off the bedside lamp. As I snuggle my head down into the pillow, my eyes drift to the window. I’d opened the curtains earlier this afternoon to let in some of the evening light, hoping it would relieve some of the tension in my body.

Normally, I would never leave the curtains open at night; I’ve read way too many true crime books for that. But tonight, I’m exhausted and my mind is weary. I can’t seem to muster the energy required to drag my body out of bed and over to the window, close the curtains, walk back across the room, and tuck myself back into bed for a second time. Instead, I close my eyes tight, willing my thoughts to slow enough for me to drift off to unconsciousness for a few hours.

“I’m so glad you came out tonight,” Abby says over the pounding of the bass. “It’s been forever.” Her smile is contagious as she pulls back and looks at me.

“Me too,” I admit with a grin of my own. It may have taken another three months of begging, but Abby is nothing if not persistent. If I’m being honest, I only agreed to come out tonight to get her off my back.

The night progresses as normal with both of us sipping on mixed drinks and dancing with strangers. By closing time, I’m more than a little tipsy and feeling good about life again. “One more?” I ask, waving to the bartender. He takes my order and brings the tab. As he sets our drinks down on the bar top, I slide my credit card across the counter to cover both of our drinks for the night.

With a nod, he turns and walks away, giving me his back. “Lord, I’d love to take him home tonight,” I remark mostly to myself. He’s tall with dark, shabby hair peeking out from beneath the baseball cap I’m positive isn’t part of the uniform. I can’t tell for sure what color his eyes are, but they’re dark and twinkle with a hint of mischief that beckons to me. Abby laughs at my side, nodding her agreement as she drains half of her new drink.

“Here ya go,” the barkeep says, handing the card back to me. “You ladies have a good night. Be safe out there.”

Abby snatches the receipt from my hand before I have a chance to pocket my copy. Quick as a drunken ninja, she snatches the pen from my other hand, drains the rest of her drink, and scrawls something across the paper before folding it and waving to the man again.

She hands him the receipt, along with a twenty-dollar bill and a smirk. “I gave him your number,” she says with a satisfied grin as my jaw hits the bar top. “Stop gawking. It’s not a great look for you,” she teases before taking my hand and pulling me across the now lit dance floor toward the exit.

I shake my head at her bravery. I could never be as extroverted as Abby, but I think that’s what makes our friendship so solid. She’s the yin to my yang, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As the Uber pulls up to gates of my driveway, I make a last second-decision. Blame it on the alcohol, but a late-night stroll under the stars feels like exactly what I need tonight.

“It’s fine,” I say, handing him a cash tip. “I can walk from here.” I pop the door open and stumble out of the car onto the gravel road in front of my gate. My heels are cute as fuck, but they’ve rubbed a blister on my heel, so I toe them off, deciding to pick them up tomorrow when the alcohol has worn off. After stashing them beside the gate on the right, I make my way through and onto the smooth grass that lines my driveway beyond the entrance, relishing the feel of it beneath my bare feet.

I take my time walking up the gravel drive, doing my best to take in every ounce of the scenery around me, even if it is freezing out tonight. I’m so eternally grateful for the life I’ve been able to build for myself over the last five years, but I hardly take the time to appreciate it anymore. There’s always something else that needs my attention, something pulling me in a different direction. Tonight, I force myself to slow down, enjoy the bite of the November air against my cheeks, numbing my nose.

When I reach the front steps, I slow and allow myself a soft smile, marveling at the beauty of this house. It took my breath away the first time I saw it, and it’s just as gorgeous now as it was then.

As my foot makes contact with the top step, I stop dead in my tracks. My heart skips a beat, then pounds painfully in my chest. On the little table beside my front door is a sunflower that wasn’t there when I left earlier tonight. As I step closer, my hand flies to my mouth when I see what lies beneath it.

Under the sunflower, lies a handmade card.

Chapter 8

KILLIAN

I watched her last night at the bar with Abby. I had thought she would be safe, seeing as Abby has never really led her astray, but I paid the cover charge and slipped into a booth in the back anyway, just to be safe.

I drummed my fingers along the sticky resin tabletop as Violet threw back drink after drink, completely unaware she had attracted the attention of several men. I noticed every one of them, though. Each time their grimy gaze caught on her, I was watching.

When she started shamelessly flirting with the bartender, I was watching. I also saw Abby slip him a folded paper when they paid the tab for the night. After how the night had gone, I saw red.

Ten minutes later, I slipped out the door unnoticed, just before the bar was officially shut down for the evening. In no time at all, I was pulling up to my apartment building. I don’t remember a second of the drive there, only that my thoughts were a whirlwind, set on destroying whatever was in my path.

Instead, I let myself inside, slipped my shoes off at the door, locked the deadbolt, and poured a glass of whiskey. I’m not typically a fan of drinking; it impairs your thoughts and actions, but it was a necessary evil last night.

After two glasses, my rage began to simmer instead of boiling over. I needed to make a plan instead of acting on my emotions. If I’d been honest with myself, I would have realized I was spiraling a bit, nearly losing all control. Instead, I’d sat down at the small desk in my bedroom.

As I worked, I could feel myself losing steam. The red-hot anger was burning out of my system quickly, leaving me feeling more and more empty. I needed to work faster.

I’d used a ruler to make sure the lines were perfectly straight, colored the box a brilliant crimson instead of the normal milk chocolate I used for her birthday cards, then sat back and stared at the folded piece of paper for several long minutes.

VIOLET PARKER, the outside read. Straight to the point. I had never left her a card for any other occasion before last night. It was strictly a birthday thing. I wanted to remind her I was always thinking of her on that day. Hell, I was always thinking of her, but that was best left unsaid. Inside, the card read THE BARKEEP SURE IS CUTE, HUH? I’d scrawled over the words five or six times, making each of them darker and more erratic each time.

This card was nothing like the birthday cards. This card was meant to be a warning.

I had considered turning around, driving back home, even shredding the damned card. That is, until I made it to her house just to find every one of the windows dark. I watched her walk out arm in arm with Abby, so I assumed they were taking her home first, but she should have been back already.

Unless she’s with that fuckboy from the bar, my head tossed out before I could stop it.