Thin Lines

Released

Xela

He is out.

After just a year, Jay was released tonight.

I don't know how Weston found out, but he knew I was at the bar with Elsie so he came to warn me. I doubt I would have ran into Jay, but still, knowing he was out made me want to lock myself inside my apartment and never come out.

Weston drove me home, Elsie was confused so I just told her my ex boyfriend was out of jail, which was true, despite some major details left out.

Once I was home, I locked my doors, closed my curtains, changed, and balled up on my couch with a tub of ice cream.

Jay would never let me eat dessert like this I thought as I reached the bottom of the ice cream container.

It was nearly eleven, not as late as I had expected. Somehow knowing it wasn't that late made me even more awake.

I set my empty ice cream container on the table beside my couch and rolled over on my side, tapping through the channels with the remote, not really feeling like watching anything.

After ten minutes, I settled on The Good Place, since Elsie had recommended it.

As much as I tried to focus on the show, I couldn't stop thinking about him. Would he come for me? It's only been a year, maybe he has changed? Or maybe he was just over me.

I turned off the TV, and stared at the ceiling, not getting a wink of sleep the entire night.

Morning came too fast, and I could hardly keep my eyes open when I peeled myself off the couch at 7:00. Of course, now I'm tired, right before work, not last night when I was trying to force myself to sleep.

I would have taken melatonin or something, and I almost did at one point, but the thought of taking any sort of drug irked me.

I had been put to sleep too many times to do it to myself, I guess.

I was like a zombie getting ready for work, and definitely got stares as I walked on the street to work. I kept looking over my shoulder, feeling someone behind me, but nothing.

I stopped at Starbucks on my way, getting coffee to hopefully wake me up. I tried to put makeup on my face to cover my eye bags, but it can only do so much.

Once I got to work, I saw that Weston had two meetings today, one with Ryder, and one with Roland Dauterine, a businessman from Florida.

I sorted all the files out for the first meeting, with Ryder, then met everyone in the meeting room at ten. When I walked in, I must have looked awful from the look Ryder gave me.

Weston looked concerned too, but he didn't say anything.

I sat down and took notes, like usual, surprisingly not dozing off at all.

The rest of the day moved slower than usual, probably because I was working slower because of how exhausted I was.

My phone rang, jolting me awake. I scolded myself for accidentally falling asleep, then picked my phone out of my pocket and looked at the No Caller ID person that was calling me.

"Hello?" I say, trying to sound fully awake.

I heard a sigh, "Baby I was scared you weren't going to pick up" they said. That voice.... I dropped my phone on my desk, backing up my chair and standing up. I could hear muffled words, but I couldn't move, or think.

Finally, I picked up my phone, pressing it to my ear and gathering the courage to talk, "How did you get my number" I said, sternly, although my voice was shaking.

"You know I have my ways" he said, almost sounding smug. "Don't call me again" I muttered, then hung up the phone.

The second I put my phone down, my office door swung open. I jumped, half expecting to see Jay walk through, despite how unrealistic that would be.

I let out a sigh of relief when Ryder walked through, "The fuck is wrong with you?" He said, shutting the door behind him. I pushed my phone farther away from me, not wanting to have any connection to Jay.

"What do you want" I say, realizing my voice is still a little shaky.

He walks over to my desk and sits at one of the chairs across from me with so much confidence you would think he owned the place.

"You left early last night" he said like more of a question than a statement.  I shrugged, "I was tired" I shouldn't even be making excuses to him, I have no reason to answer his questions.

"Yet you got no sleep last night?"

I glared at him, "You have no right to come in here and question me like this" I snap at him.

He didn't say another word, he just got up and left.

I know I wasn't in the wrong for snapping at him, I mean he has been a jerk to me. For some reason I couldn't help but feel guilty, though.

When it was time to leave, I dreaded the walk home. I took one step out of the lobby and nearly had a panic attack thinking Jay was waiting for me.

I saw Ryder in the reflection of the glass wall in the lobby, and turn around, walking up to him.
"Are you free?" I asked him, catching him off guard.

"What?"

"Do you want to go somewhere? Maybe eat dinner—

"No" he said, not even thinking about it. He walked past me and hitting my shoulder on his way to the parking garage.

Ouch.

I stood for another ten minutes, gathering the courage to walk outside. The office building would close soon, and I was the last one in it except for the receptionist, who looked annoyed at my presence.

I finally left, breathing in the freezing air. I walked, glancing over my shoulder at nearly every step.

Someone was behind me

I walked faster, turning down an alley and trying to hide, but it was too late. He saw me.