The Strings Attached

Chapter 5 - Loni

Loni

Bethany Harris is a great roommate. She's clean, she takes out the trash, and she's quiet. She always has her nose in her textbook, studying all day and night, giving me my own privacy. Giving me privacy to stalk Eric's social media all night.

Or at least attempt to stalk him.

My thumb hovers over his Instagram username. But I don't have the balls to tap the screen. My thumb twitches, following the ticking of the tiny clock on my desk.

I'm going to do it.

"You better put the phone down right now, Loni."

My thumb freezes and my whole body goes tense. I glance across the room to where Bethany is standing in my doorway. Of course the one night she's not studying for her classes, she's studying me.

"I'm not doing anything." I quickly lock my phone and place it face down.

She cocks a brow. "Well, good. Because if you were stalking your ex-boyfriend I would tell you to knock it off." She walks inside my room and sits on my bed, running her hands over the soft white comforter. "He hurt you, Loni. Why subject yourself to even more pain by making yourself vulnerable to his crap again."

Bethany watches me with her big brown eyes and I know she's right, but I can't help myself. Not knowing what he's doing is driving me crazy.

"What if he's with another girl?" I blurt out. Damn, am I really this pathetic?

Bethany shrugs. "So what if he is? Good riddance to him. He wasn't worth your time."

"That's easy for you to say." My tone is harsher than I intended, but I can't help it. The thought of Eric being with someone else, especially this soon after our breakup, makes my blood boil. And, I mean it is easy for Bethany to say, she's never had a boyfriend in her entire life.

She brushes off my tone like it's nothing. "If you want to stalk him, then at least let me help. I need a break from studying for my marketing exam. I can help you go all Sherlock Holmes on his ass."

"No," I say, pushing my phone to the other end of the desk. "You're absolutely right." I shake my head. "This won't do any good."

Bethany gives me a small nod and I can't help but notice the tiny smirk on her lips like she's proud of me. But still, even though I know in my soul that I'm doing the right thing, I feel like shit. I don't know what's worse— knowing what Eric is doing, or imagining what he's doing.

"Well, that went a lot better than I had planned," Bethany sighs, standing from the bed with a crooked smile. "I thought I was going to have to pin you to the bed and pry that phone out of your hand."

"Not this time," I laugh.

"Darn." She snaps her finger. Her eyes drift to the clock on my desk. It's eight o'clock at night. "I wasn't really ready to end my study break just yet. Want to watch the Bachelor with me?"

I laugh at her god-awful proposal. The last thing I want to do is sit on our couch and watch thirty women throw themselves at a hot single man. A man who is only going to break their heart in the end and pick a woman who is completely wrong for him.

Definitely passing on that one. There is only so much heartache I can take.

"Thanks for the offer." I stand from my desk. "And though it pains me to decline," I say with the utmost sarcasm. "I am going to go for a run."

Bethany lets out a pathetic exaggerated whine. "Are you sure? It's so dark out. You sure you should be out there alone?"

"I'll be fine," I answer, snatching up my sneakers. "I'll stay inside the property. And the courtesy officer is always on standby."

I love our apartment. It's student housing off-campus but the site is beautiful. It's hard to tell we are even in Florida as the all-red brick buildings scatter the large piece of land. Oak trees line the streets and there is a bike path that winds throughout the property which is perfect for jogging.

"Suit yourself. I'll give you the rundown on the episode when you get back." Bethany flips her blonde hair over her shoulder before trotting out of my room.

The TV in the living room turns on and the sounds of bachelor drama flood into my room. I dress quickly in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top so I don't have to endure another unwanted moment of the scripted nonsense.

The late August night breeze brings goosebumps to the surface of my skin as I run down the trail. My feet pound the paved surface to the beat of "One More Night" by Maroon 5 that's blaring through my AirPods. Dim orange lights shine down on the path casting an ominous glow, but I've never felt more at peace. Since I stepped foot outside the apartment, I haven't thought of Eric once.

I focus on the lyrics swirling in my head. My lips part and I silently sing with each breath. Glancing up, I take in the sight of the starless cloud-covered sky.

"On your left!" Someone shouts but I don't have enough time to respond.

As my head snaps down, the handle of their bike clips the side of my hip. I stumble forward, losing my footing as a burning sensation coats my skin. Before I hit the ground, someone grabs my arm and yanks me up. My sneakers skid across the pavement.

"Ow, damn it." I curse under my heaving breath, looking down the path to the biker who just hit me. They don't even bother stopping to see if I'm okay. Asshole.

"Are you good?"

My head jerks back around, now realizing that a man is holding me in his arms. I blink up at him. Through the dim lights of the bike path, he looks familiar, but I can't place it.

He releases me and shakes his head, tucking his hands into his shorts. I pluck the AirPods from my ears when he opens his mouth to speak again. "Loni, you good?" He gesture's to my torso where my tank top is ripped open— wait, he knows my name? Who the hell is this guy?

"Do I know you?" I ask, ignoring the dull ache that stretches across my hip.