THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS

AFTER COLLEGE
I push in the key and open the door to my apartment.
The air feels thicker. Like pressing down on my chest.
Slowly, I reach for the door and push it shut.
Deadbolt.
Chain.
Everything.
It should feel safe.
And yet nothing feels safe.
The package, the note, the text. They fit together too well.
Too good to be a perfect coincidence.
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
Was it really all just a coincidence?
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
Or made to seem like it is?
Slouching on the sofa, my eyes drag itself to the package.
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
Mum, huh?
I pick it up and bring it over, taking out the little note.
I rub my hands over it.
I was never mum's Lily.
She never called me by that name. Not once. It was never her nickname for me.
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
Issac...
His name comes out as a whisper and I gasp so loud that it shatters the silence.
Why him?
"He was the only one who called you that." A voice in my head calls out.
All of this feels too much.
I feel suffocated. As if the walls of my apartment are closing in, the shadows stretching too long, the silence too loud.
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
I need a break. And fresh air.
Key in hand, I rush out in desperate need for fresh air.
NovelToon
I walk through the empty street, the air rushing past me.
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
It's quiet.
So quiet it almost feels eerie.
My breath comes out ragged, uncontrolled.
The air hits my face but it makes me nauseous instead of feeling fresh.
My legs feel wobbly and I stumble on my steps.
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
Need something to hold...
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
Street lamp...
My eyes search for one in sheer desperation. I see one and reach out for it.
On the touch of the cold metal, my feet give out.
But before my body hits the ground, strong, firm hands wrap around me.
Lilian Winslet
Lilian Winslet
What...? Who...?
My eyes betray me. My vision is blur.
All I hear is the whisper from the person holding me firmly yet softly, as if protecting me.
Man
Man
It's okay.
Man
Man
You are okay. You are fine.
Man
Man
It's all okay.
All my eyes allow me to decipher is the tall, slender but broad silhouette of a man before I collapse in his arms.
Something about his touch feels familiar.
The way he holds me.
The way his arms wrap around me.
The way my body melted at his touch.
NovelToon
WHO IS THIS MAN?
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