Page 16 of Say You'll Stay
Each minute that ticks by feels like an eternity, but finally, there’s a knock at the door. I pull it open, afraid even as I’m happy to see Louis—his expression etched with concern. As he steps inside, his eyes immediately zero in on the crumpled paper.
“Is that it?” he asks softly, nodding towards the ominous missive.
I nod, handing it to him with a shaky hand. He smooths it out, scanning the words, his jaw clenching with each passing second.
“Cara, this is serious,” he says, his voice low and urgent. “We need to call the police. This is harassment, possibly stalking.”
I shake my head, sudden panic gripping me. “No, Lou, I can’t. I’ve been too them so many times…they think I’m crazy and there’s a padded cell somewhere with name on it.”
My voice breaks, and I know too well of the world he comes from…nothing could have prepared me to deal with this.
“You know how these things go. If this is about June, the cesspool deep in the filthy underbelly, his family and lifestyle swims in. The Police will never help, they are basically on payroll.” Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and I will them away refusing to be this weak.
Louis sighs, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I don’t like this, Cara. Someone out there is trying to control you, to isolate you from the people you care about. That’s not okay.”
“I know,” I whisper, my voice cracks again with a tremor of fear. “But I’m scared, Lou. I’m scared of what they might do if I don’t listen.”
Without hesitation, Louis pulls me into a tight embrace, his strong arms a lifeline in the storm. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Cara. I promise. We’ll figure this out.”
I cling to him, drawing strength from his comfort, allowing his warmth to fortify me against the rising tide of dread.
We stand there for a long moment, two friends offering each other the comfort of shared humanity in the face of an unseen threat. When we finally part, Louis’s expression is set and I know that look in his eyes.
“First things first,” he says, his tone brooking no argument. “We need to get you somewhere safe. Pack a bag, you’re coming to stay with me for a while.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off with a firm shake of his head.
“Non-negotiable. Until we know exactly what we’re dealing with, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
A rush of gratitude—a sensation no combination of words strung together can truly express—chokes me, and I nod.
“Thank you, Lou. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
My closest friend offers me a gentle smile, the first genuine one I’ve seen all night as his eyes light up. “That’s what friends are for, Care. Now go pack. I’ll make some calls, see if I can dig up anything about where that note came from.”
As I hurry to my bedroom, throwing clothes and essentials into a bag, my mind races, struggling to make sense of the twisted turn my life has taken.
Pausing by my dresser, my gaze falls on a framed photo - June and I, caught in a moment of unbridled laughter, our arms wrapped around each other, eyes bright with happiness, and full of mirth that now seems so cruelly out of reach.
I trace a trembling finger over June’s face, the cool glass not even close to the heat of June’s absent touch and my heart breaks a little more with the fresh reminder of what I want.
Tucking the photo into my bag, I fortify myself using comforting presence of all its sentimental value—the snapshot, a magical talisman against the darkness that threatens to consume me.
I may be running from an unknown stalker, my life upended by fear and uncertainty, but I won’t let them take the memories, the love I hold for June. That is mine to keep, no matter what horrors await.
With a deep breath, I shoulder my bag and return to the living room, where Louis waits; his brow furrowed in concentration as he speaks on the phone. Our eyes meet, and he gives me a reassuring nod.
“Ready?” he mouths, his free hand covering the receiver.
I nod, squaring my shoulders. I may be afraid, but I’m not broken. I’m not alone. With Louis by my side, the rock steady foundation of my family and friends’ love to bolster me, I can handle all the shit life throws at me.
Even if that means faking a smile, while eating the pain of cutting June out of my soul with reality’s rusty blade.
As we step out into the night, the city a glittering expanse before us, I feel a flicker of something akin to safety - a fragile, flickering harness as I freefall in the dark chaos of my life.
But one thing I know, right now… it’s enough to keep me putting one foot in front of the other, to nurture the belief that there is a light at the end of this treacherous tunnel.
I may be walking into the unknown, but I’m not making this journey alone.