Chapter 8

Today felt like a lounging around kind of day so after my morning routine was completed and my french toast was cooked, I settled in on the couch with a plush blanket wrapped around me.

The Los Angeles skyline was typically partly cloudy this time of year, but the warmth of the sun was still blanketing the city. Envy permeated my body while other cities got to experience the gloomy skies, the rain and the smell that comes before with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

With the idea of a hot beverage warming up my hands in my head, I kept the blanket wrapped around me and prepared a mug of hot chocolate with a high mountain of marshmallows.

The cold air that was assaulting my body was replaced with warmth the second the hot chocolate touched my tongue. I stopped surfing through the channels when I spotted the familiar characters of Halloweentown on Disney Channel.

The movie was playing in the background while I scrolled through Pinterest on my phone. My focus was so intense, I flinched when the doorbell rang throughout the house.

It took me by surprise because I wasn't expecting company today. Olive had cheerleading practice and Zach said he was going to take his little twin brothers out for brunch and a movie afterward. I dragged myself to answer the door, but what met me on the other side made my jaw slightly drop.

What the hell is Kayden doing here?

"Kayden? What are you doing here?"

His hair was sticking up all over the place and dark circles exposed his exhaustion. He was clad in a tank top, blessing my eyes with the muscular biceps that were out in the open and a pair of khaki shorts where his hands were hidden in the pockets.

Forget the envy. Thank the Lord that we had warmer weather. The feeling of water slipping out from the corner of my mouth brought me back to reality.

Get it together, Bella!

"I wanted to check in on you after what happened at game night the other night."

I waved him off. "That was just... nothing. It was nothing. Zach and I already talked it out and I feel better now."

For a second, a somber glint danced across his eyes, but it went away just as quickly as it appeared. Could it be that he was upset I talked to Zach about it and not him?

Girl, you're overthinking this.

He couldn't care less that you talked to Zach. In fact, he understands because you two are a lot closer than you are to him.

Quit giving yourself hope, you big, dumb idiot!

"Oh." His cheeks burned with a bright blush. He reached his hand to rub the back of his neck. "Is it because I invited Angela over to the game night?"

I sighed. I could've said yes. It was partly true, but not for the reason he thought. Hesitantly, I weakly nodded my head. "I mean, Olive had been in our group longer, right? So... I don't know. It was just... uncomfortable seeing..." I couldn't even bring myself to say her name. It tasted like poison every time my mouth tried to speak the syllables. "Angela there. I'm sorry."

"No, no, no. Don't be. If anything, it should be me that's sorry. I shouldn't have invited her. I only just started dating her so she shouldn't be a part of the group yet."

"Yeah." An awkward chuckle managed to escape my lips. "Exactly." A little bit of guilt flared in my chest. He just wanted to spend some time with his girlfriend and his friends. Sure, she wasn't an official part of the group, but perhaps he wanted her to get to know us. I screwed that up for him just because I was secretly, madly in love with him.

"How about a do-over game night tonight? Without Angela. I promise, it'll be a lot more fun."

The corners of my lips danced upward as I nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like fun."

"Perfect! I—" He had his arms out like he was going to hug me, but froze. He was a statue; his bottom lip slightly parted and his eyes never leaving mine. An awkward chuckle broke out of his lips and his cheeks burned brighter. I couldn't stop the giggle that left my lips at his awkward behavior. Instead, he held his hand up for a high five.

"I'll see you tonight, Belles." He spun on his heel and, as he walked away, I heard him mumble something to himself. I shrugged it off and waved him goodbye as he drove away.

-

Olive:

Did something happen with Kayden?

Why is he suggesting a do-over game night?

Did he come over to your house?

OMG! Tell me what happened!

Bella:

Lol!

Yeah, he came over to check in on me this morning. He was looking smoking hot!

This was when I missed my parents' company and hearing them walk from room to room. All I heard was the TV and the TikTok videos I played on my phone. Soon after, I got bored and dropped my phone on the couch.

My eyes randomly scanned the room untouched by fall and Halloween decorations. Mom went crazy when shopping for holiday decor before they worked full-time and she loved putting them up a week before the actual holiday. At least that gave me something to do.

The top shelf in the garage was filled with seasonal decorations for Christmas, Easter and even the fourth of July. Thank God the bin with the Halloween and fall decor was placed on top so I didn't have to struggle moving things around.

Fall trinkets littered the first floor like a glass pumpkin by the front door, a Halloween-themed throw blanket draped over the armchair and plush pillows in the shape of ghosts on both sides of the couch.

A hot chocolate with marshmallows piled on top sounded like the ideal beverage so I made a mug-full of some and I returned to the comfy position on the couch. Between the blanket wrapped around me and me squeezing the pillow in my arms like a comfort stuffed animal, I started to feel sleepy.

"You look tired, my love."

My eyes lazily dragged themselves behind me and I found myself laying down on Kayden's lap which replaced the pillow. Suddenly, I felt cozier cuddling closer to Kayden.

"The fall season is better with you in my arms."

Moaning, I cuddled closer into his chest. "I agree." Nothing felt better than the blanket cocooning me under the added warmth of Kayden's arms. A string of curse words were let out under my breath when our moment was interrupted by my phone. Kayden was gone, taking his arms with him. Even with the blanket remaining around me, I yearned to be held by him again.

Dammit!

Whoever interrupted the best dream ever better be a family member dying.

I was fully prepared to tell whoever this was to screw off, but when I checked my phone, I noticed that it was an unknown number.

Unknown:

Why do you keep ignoring my texts?

Uhh... perhaps because you're a creep?

I feel bad for the person whose number they think this is. God bless them. I blocked their number and turned the volume of the TV up. Getting sleep was now because of this damn creep. Might as well keep the TV on loud for background noise. My phone went off again.

Unknown:

I've got a lot of burner phones. You can ignore me all you want. I have plenty of numbers to text you from.

What the fuck?

Okay, this is getting seriously creepy.

I blocked this number too. Not like that did anything. Like they said, more texts kept coming from different phone numbers.

Bella:

Whoever you are, you got the wrong number. Please leave me alone. You're really freaking me out.

It wasn't the best idea to text back a serial killer, but I was scared. I didn't know what else to do. My fingers shakily tapped on the group chat and flitted across the keyboard.

Bella:

Please come over soon. Please! I can't be home alone right now.

-

There was a knock at the door.

Screaming was the first thing I thought to do as a defense mechanism. There was a tremor in my hands as I brought the blanket to my lips. My heart was on the fritz and my breaths were coming out shorter and faster.

This is the moment, isn't it?

This is the moment I'm gonna die.

God, I'm sorry for talking back to my parents when I had my first period. I'm sorry for swearing and I'm sorry for breaking mom's vase when I was ten. Please don't let me die. I'll do whatever you want, but please-

Another knock.

"Leave me alone!"

"Bella?! It's us!"

Not once before today had I felt so relieved to open my front door and see Zach and Kayden. Olive was hiding behind them, freshly showered after her cheer practice. On instinct, my arms quickly pulled Zach in and squeezed the ever-living shit out of him and Kayden.

"What's up, Belles?"

"This creep keeps texting me from different numbers. He says he has plenty of burner phones and no matter how many of them I block, it doesn't stop. Please, Zach! Don't ever let me be alone again!" I explained in one breath before clinging to Zach and Kayden more.

The boys held me in their arms and rubbed my back, whispering that I was going to be okay. My heart relaxed. Though they were shaky, I reminded myself to take deep breaths. My hands that were quivering before were now steady since I was no longer home alone.

"Let us see these texts, Belles."

I handed Zach my phone and the three of them stood around him, looking over his shoulder to read the ominous texts the psycho sent to me all day.

Olive's face switched from confusion to shocked with a dropped jaw and wide eyes as she read the texts. Zach's face grew more red and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. Kayden was keeping a neutral expression, but I could tell he was suppressing every ounce of his anger that consumed him.

"Just keep your phone on silent and block each number he uses to text you. And if he keeps texting you after a week or so, we'll... I don't know. We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Kayden took the phone from Zach's hands and tossed it on the couch.

Olive looked at him like he was crazy. She stammered with furrowed brows while gesturing toward the phone. "What? So we're just gonna sit back and do nothing? What if this psychopathic bastard continues to harass her?"

Kayden rubbed his temples as his face grew more red and his knuckles turned white with how tight his fists were. "Of course we don't want anything happening to her. Like I said, if these texts keep coming, we'll take drastic measures. We'll come over everyday and make sure she's alright in the meantime. Our dads taught us how to use guns when we were in middle school and we work out at the gym almost every weekend so we'd be able to beat the shit out of him if he does so much as lay a hand on her."

He wasn't even making eye contact the whole time he was talking. His eyes were downcast and his lips were pressed in a thin line. A wave of relief washed over me when he said that they were going to come over everyday and that they were going to beat that psycho up.

There was no way that they'd let him anywhere near me and that fact made me feel a hell of a lot more calm. A pair of arms wrapped around me from behind and Olive rested her chin on my shoulder.

"I can spend the night with you tonight. My dad made me take self defense classes when I was little. He makes me bring mace everywhere I go and even taught me how to use a gun. We're not gonna let anything bad happen to you, Belles. I promise."