The Things You Will Never Know

Chapter 7

Well, the last chapter flopped kind hard...
Hopefully this one is better, but there's a whole section that I'm thinking about removing. But I'll let you guys read first and see what you think.

BTW, there is a slightly spicy scene in this, but please don't get too excited, as I'm 99% sure it's not what you're thinking 😭 I just thought I'd give you a heads up anyways.

Oh, and what do you all think of the new cover? Should I keep it or go back to the old one?

Enjoy!

PRESENT DAY

My skin prickles as if someone's watching me, and I can't help myself from turning to look behind me. There's no one there, but that doesn't ease the panic flooding my veins as I hold the second goddamn note in my hand.

Someone put this through my letter box. Whoever wrote it was outside my door at some point. They know where I live, and they want me to know it too. That has to be true because there's no postal stamp on the note. They personally delivered this to me.

Why? Why me? What did I see?

We know what you saw. We know what you saw. We know what you saw.

It repeats over and over in my brain until I feel like I'm going insane. My body feels heavy with dread as it dawns on me that it could quite possibly be referring to the events of that Halloween night. I saw a lot of things that night, things that I most definitely should not have done. But why now? Why bring it up seven years later? And why send it to me? There were five of us there that night. Why aren't the boys getting notes too?

I squat back down to the floor, holding my head in my hands and tearing my fingers through my hair. I feel like screaming. I can't do this today. And I can't stay in this fucking house for one second longer. It's too cold, too dark, too exposed. I want Cal. I want to be safe.

I frantically grab everything I need and run out of the door, making my way to Cal's as quickly as I can, my hands trembling as I try to turn the key in the lock of his door. Once I'm inside, I'm slam the door and lock it behind me, breathing only a slight sigh of relief when it's done. Does it really make any difference being here than next door? Not much, no, but I feel calmer anyway. This place feels more fortified against the outside world than my own house. It helps that I have good memories here, and that Cal's scent lingers in every room, soothing the panic just a little. But it's not enough. I need him, but he's at work right now.

I rip my phone out of my blazer pocket and type out a text to Cal as I pace up and down the hallway.

Are you coming home soon?

Please say yes. Please say yes.

It takes a couple of minutes until my phone buzzes in my hand with his reply, the sensation of it scaring me half to death even when I was anticipating it.

Why?
Missing me?

He's teasing. I can imagine him sitting there smirking at his phone, and ordinarily, that would make my heart beat on overtime. But right now, all I care about is him being here. So I say one simple, blunt word. The truth.

Yes.

I expand the area of my pacing into the kitchen as I watch the three little dots bubble up and down on my screen that tell me he's typing.