[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Chapter 57

Claire felt drained by the time she got home Monday evening. It was Halloween, but she didn’t feel like doing anything except curling up in front of the TV with a blanket and a bowl of popcorn and catching a movie before going to bed.

It had been a long couple of days. On Sunday morning, the morning after their argument over Jamie, she and Nick had gotten up and joined Howie for breakfast, then gone on with the rest of their day as if nothing had happened the night before. They went over to Brian and Leighanne’s LA home for dinner with the whole gang and then spent a quiet night together. Things seemed perfectly normal again, and yet… not. Saying goodbye to Nick at the airport that morning had been hard, and not just for the normal reasons. He’d hugged her and kissed her and told her that he loved her, and she’d done the same, but something still felt… off. She didn’t understand. How could a silly little argument, over Jamie of all things, throw them out of whack with each other as much as it had seemed to?

It wasn’t just about Jamie. It was about trust. He doesn’t trust me.

This was the thought that had clouded her mind on the plane ride home. It was the very thing that had been bothering her all that day and the day before. Nick swore he trusted her, but he wasn’t acting like he did, and it stung.

She tried not to think about it as she sluggishly unpacked her things and then went back downstairs. She got her blanket and her popcorn and sat down in front of the TV, just as she’d planned, surfing through the channels until she found one that was showing a marathon of the Halloween movies. What was Halloween without cheesy, seventies slasher flicks? Wrapping the blanket around herself to ward off the chill of the air conditioning, she hunkered down to watch.

After a couple of movies, she was about to fall asleep. It was getting late, and she had to work in the morning, so she turned off the TV and took her empty popcorn bowl into the kitchen. She walked around the first floor of the house, turning off the lights and double-checking the security system, before trudging upstairs to bed.

She got ready quickly, washing her face, brushing her teeth, and throwing on an old t-shirt of Nick’s and a pair of boxers before climbing into bed. Once again, the bed felt too big and too empty. The bed in the guest bedroom at Howie’s house had been smaller than this one, and she’d had Nick on the other side to help fill it. Now she was all alone again.

Pulling the covers around herself, she lay her head against her pillow and closed her eyes. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

***

She was startled awake in the middle of the night by a loud, shrill beeping noise. Her first, hazy thought was, Smoke alarm… fire!!

Jerking upright, she was instantly alert. She leaped out of bed and instinctively ran to the bedroom door, but something stopped her halfway. She stood stock still in the center of the room for a moment, her heart hammering so loudly in her chest that she could barely think. But it didn’t take more than a few seconds for the realization to hit. There’s no fire… that’s not the smoke alarm.

She’d set Nick’s smoke alarm off before with her cooking. It didn’t sound like that. This noise, though just as piercing as the smoke alarm, was different. She’d never heard it before, but with mounting terror, she quickly realized what it had to be. It’s the security system… the burglar alarm!

Her mind began to race, and her pounding heart felt as if it were about to burst out of her chest and take flight. Someone was trying to break in… someone could be in the house right now… Oh god, what do I do??

She ran to the bedroom door and locked it. If someone had broken into the house, she wanted nothing more than to get out, but there was no way in hell she was opening that door. What if the intruder was already upstairs?

Hide… I have to hide.

She looked around wildly, wondering where the best place to hide would be. She started for the closet, then changed her mind and darted into the bathroom instead. This door locked as well; the intruder would have to break through two locked doors to get to her now. She shut the door and was about to turn the lock when the phone rang. She held her breath for a moment, listening, debating over what to do. After three rings, she finally burst back out of the bathroom and dove for the cordless phone on the nightstand. Snatching it out of its charger, she turned it on and answered in a shaky whisper, “Hello?”

As she carried the phone back into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, the woman on the other end of the line informed her in a calm, efficient voice that she was from the security company. “Our system is showing that the alarm has been activated at your residence,” she said.

“Yes! I-I think someone’s trying to break in!” Claire hissed, clutching the phone to her ear.

“I’ll have police dispatched right away, ma’am. How many other people are in the house with you?”

“It’s just me,” answered Claire meekly, and even after the woman had assured her that the police were on their way and hung up, her own words kept echoing through her head. It’s just me… it’s just me… I’m all alone. There was no one to hold her and tell her not to worry; the police would be there soon. No one to protect her if the intruders found her hiding place. She was on her own.

But she could take care of herself. She ducked into the shower and quietly pulled the beveled glass doors shut before sinking down to the cold shower bottom and hugging her knees to her chest. The alarm had stopped sounding – she figured the security company had a way to shut it off at their headquarters – and all she heard now was her own ragged breathing. She was glad, in a way, for now maybe she could pick out other sounds in the house, like someone creeping up the stairs…

But mostly, the silence was just eerie.

Please get here soon, she begged of the police, straining her ears in hopes of picking up the faint sound of sirens. But the minutes ticked by slowly, and she heard nothing. For what seemed like an eternity, she sat perfectly still, too apprehensive to even notice how cold the porcelain bottom of the shower was, the phone clutched tightly in her hand, and scenes from every slasher movie she’d ever seen replaying in her head. The girl never gets out of it just by hiding, she thought. The killer always finds her and bloodies her up a little. If she’s the main character, she still lives, only to be traumatized and paranoid for the rest of the sequels. But if she’s not…

She shuddered involuntarily.

When at last she heard the muffled sound of sirens approaching, she felt like crying with relief. She started to get up, then hesitated. Just wait… let them come for you, she coached herself, sitting back down. She closed her eyes, trying to keep herself calm as she waited. The few minutes that passed seemed like forever, but finally, she heard someone knocking loudly on the bedroom door.

“Police!” a woman’s voice called.

Jumping up, Claire threw back the shower doors, nearly tripping as she hurried out of the shower and across the bathroom to unlock the door. She raced to the bedroom door and unlocked it, then opened it just a crack, peeking out into the hallway before she opened it further. Sure enough, there were two uniformed police officers standing there, a woman and a man. With a huge sigh of relief, Claire let the door swing open the rest of the way. “Thank God,” she mumbled.

“Are you all right, ma’am?” the woman asked, giving her a once-over.

Claire nodded. “I’m fine,” she said. “Just a little freaked out.”

“We’ve done a quick search of the premises, and we have two other officers searching the house more thoroughly right now,” the male officer spoke up. “We haven’t found anyone on your property yet. Did you see an intruder, ma’am?”

“No, I didn’t see anything,” answered Claire, shaking her head. “The alarm was going off when I woke up, and I was too afraid to leave the room. So you’re saying no one really broke in, or do you think they already ran off?”

“We didn’t see any signs of a break in – no broken windows, busted locks, or anything like that. There could have been someone trespassing on the property who triggered the alarm – maybe just kids, considering it’s Halloween. Or the security system could just be faulty and went off for no reason.” The man drew his hand across his forehead, looking weary. Claire wondered how long he’d been on duty; Halloween had to be a busy night for cops.

“Well, what should I do?” she asked.

“For now, come downstairs with us. We’d like to get a statement from you while the rest of our officers finish their search,” said the female cop. Nodding, Claire slid on a pair of flip-flops and followed them down the stairs, eager to get out of the house. Outside, the two officers ushered her over to their squad car and asked her a few questions. She didn’t think she was very helpful in answering them, considering she hadn’t seen or heard a thing, but maybe that’s all they needed to hear.

Before too long, they were joined by two other officers carrying flashlights, who reported that they had found traces of footsteps in the wet grass, but no other evidence of an attempted break-in.

“This is the home of Nick Carter, isn’t it? The Backstreet Boy?” the female officer asked.

“Yes; I’m his fiancée,” replied Claire.

The woman glanced at her male counterparts before looking back at Claire. “It looks like someone might have been on the property, but chances are, it was just a couple of teenagers who managed to climb the fence. When the security alarm went off, they bolted. Incidents like this happen all the time on Halloween.” Claire nodded, feeling a little more at ease. “Still, to be on the safe side, I think it would be wise if you slept somewhere else tonight. Do you have a friend you could stay with?”

“Sure,” said Claire. She liked that idea, knowing there was no way she would get back to sleep in Nick’s house that night.

One of the officers escorted her back into the house so that she could pack an overnight bag and grab her purse. She waited until she was back outside in the well-lit driveway before going through the contacts on her cell phone, wondering who she should call. Dianna was the first person that came to mind, so Claire called her first.

“Hey, it’s Dianna! I don’t seem to have my phone handy right now, so… leave a message!” Dianna’s perky voice crackled in her ear. Groaning, Claire ended the call without leaving a voicemail and continued to search her contacts list, wondering who to try next.

Jamie was the next close friend to come up, but she went on right by him, thinking dismissively, He’s in Iowa.

No, he’s not, she realized, her thumb hesitating on the down button on her phone. He’s in town… She thought about it for a second, then continued down the list. Nick would kill her if he found out she’d spent the night with Jamie. She’d call him only as a last resort.

Her brother Kyle’s name came up next, but again, she hesitated. He and Amber were both teachers; they’d have to be up even earlier than her in the morning. Besides, Amber was pregnant and needed all the rest she could get. Claire couldn’t bring herself to wake them up in the middle of the night, so she went on down the list.

Laureen’s name was next, and Claire reluctantly called her. She already owed Laureen for taking her home from the bar that night she’d gone out drinking with Jamie and his asshole college friends, and for staying to keep her company after they went to the movies last weekend, but she was running out of people to call, and she knew Laureen would understand. But her phone rang and rang, and finally, her voicemail picked up too.

Claire hung up with a sigh, starting to feel desperate. Everyone was sound asleep at this hour – who was she going to get a hold of? She supposed she could just get a hotel room, but she really didn’t feel like staying alone, even in a hotel.

“Can you reach anyone?” asked one of the male police officers, who had been watching her.

“Hang on… I’m gonna try one more person,” Claire replied and resignedly moved her thumb to the up button, scrolling back up her list of contacts until she got to Jamie’s name. Please be awake, she pleaded silently as her phone dialed his number. And please, for the love of God, be sober.

“Hello?” Jamie’s voice sounded hazy – he’d either just woken up, or he was drunk again. “Claire?”

“Hey, Jamie, did I wake you up?”

“Yeah, you did… but that’s okay. What’s going on?”

“Payback for the other night,” Claire teased. She heard him chuckle on the other end of the line, and thankfully, he didn’t sound like he’d been drinking. As far as she could tell, he really had just woken up.

“Ahh, I see. So you’re okay then?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. But, um… actually, I kinda need a place to stay for the night, and I can’t get a hold of anybody,” Claire explained awkwardly, already feeling guilty for calling him. Nick was never going to let this go…

“Well, I’m staying in a hotel, but you’re welcome to come here. There’s an extra bed,” said Jamie. “Why, did you and Backstreet have a fight or something?”

“No, Nick is still in LA. The burglar alarm at his house went off, and the cops are here, and they don’t think anybody broke in, but it looks like someone’s been on the property, so they think I should stay somewhere else tonight.”

“Yes… you should,” Jamie said firmly. “Do you want me to come and get you?”

“No, I’ll drive over. Where are you staying?”

He told her the name of the hotel and his room number. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Thanks, Jamie,” Claire sighed gratefully. “I’ll be over in a little bit.”

She stayed just long enough to thank the police and then took her bag, climbed into her old Toyota, and left.

***

“Thank you so much for letting me stay here tonight,” Claire said the moment the door to Jamie’s hotel room clicked open.

“Hello to you too,” Jamie said, stepping back so she could come in. He raked a hand through his dark curls, looking tired. “It’s no problem, really,” he added, and opened his arms. “C’mere.” She hesitated, then let him pull her in for a big, warm, bear hug. “You all right, Claire?” he asked, running his hand over her back.

She smiled. “I’m all right. I was just a little freaked out.”

Jamie let her go and smiled knowingly. “I figured you would be. Remember that time I made you watch Scream, that weekend that your parents were out of town, and-“

“Yeah, I remember,” Claire interrupted with a dry chuckle. “But this time someone was really there… something set off the alarm, and the cops found footprints on the lawn.”

“Hey, I’m not doubting you,” Jamie said quickly. “I don’t think you should have stayed alone there either. Big house like that… it’s just asking for someone to break in and rob it.”

Claire swallowed hard. “I don’t really wanna talk about it anymore tonight, if you don’t mind. I need to get to bed… I have work in the morning.”

“Oh, sure,” Jamie nodded and led her further into the hotel room. “Well, here’s your bed. I took the one closer to the window.”

“That’s fine,” said Claire, setting her small bag down next to the double bed that was closest to the door. She turned down the covers, kicked off her flip-flops, and climbed into the bed. The mattress felt hard and lumpy, and the sheets were ice cold from the air conditioning. As she slid between them, shivering, she instantly missed Nick’s bed.

She watched as Jamie walked around to his own rumpled bed and sat down, pulling his t-shirt over his head and tossing it over the foot of the bed. This is so weird, she couldn’t help but think. She’d only spent the night with Jamie once in the thirteen years they’d known each other, and that was the night of their senior prom, over seven years ago. Despite the fact that he was more like a brother to her now, this just felt… weird. And though what they were doing was completely innocent, she still felt guilty, for she had a feeling Nick wouldn’t see it that way.

“You don’t mind if I sleep naked, do you?” Jamie’s voice jerked her out of her thoughts.

“What??”

“If I sleep naked? You don’t mind, right?”

Claire stared at him in mild shock. She had no idea how to respond to that. Just as she felt her cheeks start to heat up, Jamie smirked and started to laugh.

“Just kidding. Man, I wish I had a camera. The look on your face…” He pointed two fingers at her, a look of smug triumph on his face, and flashed her a dimpled smile. “I’m telling ya, Clairie,” he sighed as he flopped down on his back, joining his hands behind his head, “I dunno what you’re still doing with that Backstreet Boy.”

Claire sucked in a deep breath, determined not to lose her patience with him when he had given her a place to sleep for the night. “Oh yeah? And why is that, Jamie? What’s so bad about Nick?”

“Well, nothin’… I mean, he seems like an okay dude, when he’s not off cheating on you, but I just don’t see him as your type. And you’ve never struck me as the groupie type either.”

Claire rolled her eyes. “I’m not his fucking groupie. And tell me, what is my type? Cause I’ve only been in two serious relationships in my life; I don’t think I have a type.”

“Okay, okay… all I’m saying is, if you did have a type, I don’t think he’d be it.”

“Well, who would be then? You?” She snorted and shook her head. “You had your chance, Jamie. Clearly I wasn’t your type.”

“Hey, don’t get all riled up. I’m just giving you a hard time,” Jamie said with an apologetic smile. “You’re awfully serious tonight.”

“Gee, I wonder why!” she snapped.

“I’m sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood. We haven’t really talked a lot lately.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sorry about that, but I don’t think 3 a.m. is a good time to catch up,” she grumbled irritably. “We can talk in the morning.”

“Okay,” he agreed and fell silent. She had just rolled over and closed her eyes when his voice floated over again. “I miss the old Claire. You used to like joking around, teasing each other. We don’t have as much fun together as we used to.”

Her eyes shot open as a surge of anger shot through her, but she kept it at bay, refusing to let him get to her. “Times have changed, Jamie,” she said flatly. “I still like to joke around and have fun, but not all the time. Life isn’t all fun. Sometimes you have to be serious and face that fact… rather than just avoid it and come back when things are good again.” That was Jamie’s game, alright. Avoidance.

Jamie was silent for a few seconds. Then he replied, “You’re right. 3 a.m. isn’t a good time to catch up.” She rolled her eyes. “I do miss you though. If I get this job and move back to town, I hope we can see more of each other.”

“I’m sure we will,” she mumbled, closing her eyes again. “Goodnight, Jamie.”

***