Twenty

What a rollercoaster my life has been this week.

The best news is that John has given me the green light to start ordering stock for the store; he and the crew have been working nonstop to finish renovations so I can have it opened by Thursday. That gives me three days to have everything cleaned and reordered. I'm beyond excited to have my baby reopened, but I won't lie; it would be even better if Silas were here to experience it with me.

I sent him a message, but he never wrote back to me, and I never sent another message. I drove past his house once. I'm not sure why, but maybe it's because I want to believe that he's around, that I might catch a glimpse of him and finally have the chance to talk to him.

I should leave it alone, chalk it up to that I'm no good and he got what he wanted from me. I was his hump and dump and nothing more. Now I know why I don't open up to anyone; it only ends in breaking my trust.

But luckily for me, I have Nancy bullshit to deal with. She's charging me with harassment. I've been meeting with my lawyer on and off this week, trying to determine my next move. I should've punched her in the face, and we could've added assault to my list of charges because it would've been worth it.

My lawyer told me that if Nancy tries to come near me, it's best to have some people around as witnesses. And if she shows up at the shop and I see her in time, I should lock the door. This will never happen; I'll be busy once I'm open again. Since my one and only employee ditched me.

My phone lets out a little ping from beside me on the kitchen island, where I've been camped out all day, hustling to get all my orders in before the deadline.

Jace: Stop pouting. We're coming to grab you, and we're hitting up the corn maze

Me: I'm not pouting dickhead. I'm stressing. BIG difference. Why are you doing the maze at night ?

Jace: ;) I'm sure you know. Gotta keep my girl on her toes

Me: I am not third wheeling while you have sex in the corn, Jace!

Jace: You have to get out of the house Tee. It's officially Spooky Season!

Me: Fine. But I'm getting lost so don't search for me. I'll meet you there

One thing about Jace is you're better off agreeing to do shit with him, or he'll keep nagging. He has a way of pulling you out of a dark spot, even if you don't quite know you are in there. I'm glad he's my best friend. Even if we don't hang out all the time, when we do, it's the best. Now that he has Ivory, it makes it even better.

I try to get these orders finished. With Halloween coming up, I want to order some spooky reads and have them in the shop. But leave it to my mind to wander where it has nowhere to go. Silas. I wonder if he even thinks about me like I am him. Does he even give a shit that he hurt my feelings? Why should I even care this much? Maybe it's a good thing I'm getting out of the house; a distraction is what I need.

Holden' s corn maze is the main attraction in the fall and its date central. Or, in my case, it's third wheeling central. I park my car, throw my wallet into the glovebox, and tuck my keys into my hoodie pocket after locking the door. I take my phone out and shoot Jace a quick text saying I made it and I'll be hanging out by the main gate.

I try to ignore some of the looks I get, but I know what they are from. I've been avoiding Elma. I can't look or speak to her. Between her and Nancy, I feel like they are turning this town against me. Unless you're a business owner, you wouldn't understand what it feels like to be attacked by Nancy.

Lost in my thoughts, I am unaware of the presence sneaking behind me. Swiftly, a pair of hands abruptly cover my eyes, plunging me into total darkness.

"Get excited, girl," Ivory's soft voice whispers in my ear. She removes her hands and steps to the side, giving me a bright smile.

"Don't do that." I swat at her.

"Yeah, baby. Tee here is a scaredy cat." Jace chuckles, pulling Ivory into his side and placing a kiss on her forehead .

A tinge of jealousy runs through me; I want to have that in my life. I don't think it's too much to ask for, but maybe my expectations are too high. I'm unsure what's worse, following or leading two love birds. Their whispers and giggles make me wanna gag, and not in a good way.

I make a random turn, leaving them behind me; I'm sure Jace is thankful. He and Ivory can do their own thing. His invitation was only to get me out of the house; we both knew I needed it, but I didn't need them to hold my hand.

The hairs on the back of my neck raise. I peek behind me, but there isn't anyone there. I remind myself that it's the fact that I'm in a corn maze, and it's dark out. My mind is playing tricks on me. Nothing more. The more I walk, the more I can't shake the feeling of someone following me. It was the same feeling I got when my masked stalker was around.

I stop, and a dark figure is a few feet behind me when I turn around. He holds his hand out, and a small black box rests in his palm. Fear twists deep in my gut when I realize what black box it was. It's the same one that was left in my shop. I tossed it in my desk drawer. I look back at the dark figure when his face lights up.

My masked stalker.

How did he find me? Has he been following me this entire time? I drove out here; I never noticed a random car following me. Then again, I never took notice of anyone behind me. I didn't think I had to. But I've been in denial and stupid not to take in my surroundings. Just because he isn't around me all the time doesn't mean he isn't there.

I slowly step to the side, where the path takes a fork. I'm unsure what he wants, but I don't want anything to do with him anymore. Or that's what I tell myself because I'm stupid enough to be here still. He shakes his head and steps forward, shoving his hand toward me. Can't he understand? I don't want it.

"I'm not taking your gift."

His fingers curl around the box, and he marches for me. I stumble backward, not expecting him to move so fast. His hand wraps around my bicep and drags me into the corn until the pathway disappears. I try to block my face from being smacked with cornstalks, but it's pointless, and I can't block them fast enough.

"Can you stop?" I try to yank my arm free, but he squeezes tighter. "Look, I don't want your stupid gift."

He stops and swings me around, and I bump into his chest. He jams the box into my chest, making me flinch. I reluctantly place my hand over it, whatever is in this box must be important to him. And once I open it, it'll be the end of me.

I take the box, and I stare at the words again. To: Sweets. With a deep inhale, I pull the lid off. Inside is a heart-shaped necklace with red liquid. A necklace, that's his gift.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

He reaches inside his hoodie and pulls out an identical necklace. "Your blood, my blood. Forever mine."

Oh, fuck this. I drop the necklace and run. I need to find a way out of this maze. The last thing I need is for his delusional ass to think we're meant to be together. I don't know him. I made a mistake in the park and now this is me paying for it. No matter how good it felt, it was a mistake.

I try finding an exit from the stalks, but it's useless. I feel like I'm running in circles, and who knows, maybe I am. Laughter rings out to the left, and excitement runs through me. That means people are nearby. I dart to the left, and the wind flies out of my lungs.

I land on the ground with a hard thud, cornstalks breaking around me, and pain shoots up my ankle. I attempt to stifle my cries of agony as he forcefully clutches my ankle while flipping me onto my back. No matter how much I tried to fight him off, he still climbed on top, pinning me to the ground. He lifts his hand, and the heart-shaped necklace tumbles from his fist.

"I'm not wearing that. You can go to hell."

"You will." He grabs me by the neck, pressing hard.

Everything around me starts going fuzzy, and no matter how much I try to pry his hand off, nothing works. I can feel my energy fading. He lets go, bringing his mask close to my face. The bright light from his mask blinds me. His hands work around my neck.

"Mine."

I bring my hand to my neck and touch the necklace.

"I am not yours, and I will never be yours. Leave me alone." I shove him backward, but he doesn't budge.

His hands dance beneath my sweater, causing my body to tighten with anticipation. His hand moves higher up my chest, squeezing my boobs. Tears gather in the corner of my eyes, and he buries his head in the curve of my neck. I don't care if he's obsessed with me or not; today is not his fucking day. I reach up and grab the back of his hood and rip it off and bring my knee up and ram it into his dick.

"Suck on that, you cocksucker. Find another girl." He jerks his hands out from under my shirt when I go for his mask.

"Touch it, and you'll be punished." His hand wraps around my wrist.

"Try me, asshole." Using my other hand, I slam into his face, causing his mask to move and expose a black balaclava. His eyes, a deep shade of green, lock onto mine in surprise. I'm surprised, too, but with the look in his eyes, I'm afraid of what's to happen next.