Chapter 9: Making connections
1012 Words
POV: May
***
The rest of the evening is spent helping Kat scrub makeup out of her floors. She orders a takeaway to make up for it but I'm not sure it was worth having glitter stuck under my nails all week.
I'm ready to collapse into bed, knowing I only have one late afternoon class tomorrow. I can sleep in until at least 11am.
The smell of old pizza and body odour hits me as soon as I open my door.
Fuck. I forgot how bad my place is.
There's no chance of me getting to sleep with this mess. It'll bug me too much knowing that it's there.
Sighing, I get to work tidying.
I put a load of clothes in the washing machine, sending a silent apology to my downstairs neighbours for the noise.
I put as much rubbish in the bin as I can and pile the rest nearby. I'll take it out tomorrow.
Everything needs a wipe down and a hoover but I just get the worst of it for now with a sponge and dustpan. A quick spray of disinfect over the counters and in the bathroom is enough for tonight.
I need a shower before I get into bed so I find some decent music and let it blast in the bathroom. I strip out of today's outfit and step under the shower spray, feeling better immediately.
As much as I love going out, there's a certain grimy feeling that accompanies the next day. Probably the smudged makeup and sweat.
I lather myself with a sharp, citrus soap. It smells almost chemical in its cleanliness. I love it.
The shampoo is soft and silky. The tension drains from me as I rub my scalp deeply with my fingertips.
The steam and the heat starts tiring me and I rinse myself off. As I step out the shower, I spot something on the outside of my thigh.
It's very faint but it looks like a scratch
I poke it. It doesn't hurt.
I'm normally pretty careful but I wonder if I really did have more to drink than I thought.
Grabbing an old tshirt to wear, I slip into bed. There's only one thing left I want to do.
Hesitantly, I open social media, my fingers hovering above the keyboard.
Am I really doing this?
I type 'Kiara' into the search bar and hit enter.
Hundreds of accounts pop up. I search by the ones in my area and the number drops drastically.
There's no guarantee she's even on here. Or her account might be private. Or under a different name. Or...
Or she's right there: kiara_tiara👑
The profile picture is definitely her, a close up of her on a sunny day, smiling.
I send her a friend request before I come to my senses. The reply comes through within minutes.
Request accepted!
My heart beat is in my throat. This was a stupid, impulsive decision.
K: Hey hun. Fancy seeing you here
I let out a breath I didn't realise I'm holding.
M: What a coincidence. Come here often?
K: That's terrible
K: Lucky for you, I like terrible
M: You'll love me then
K: I'm sure I will ;)
I'm acting like a dumb-struck teenager again. I'm glad there's no one to witness it.
M: I only realised when you left that I didn't get your number
M: I didn't want you to think I wasn't interested
K: It's fine, you were rushing. But it'd be nice to get to know you better
M: Yeah, definitely. We could get coffee properly
K: I was thinking a bit more than coffee
I read the words once, then again, then again to be sure.
K: Haven't scared you off, have I?
M: No! I just want to make sure we're on the same page
M: Are you asking me on a date?
The seconds between my text and her reply dragged out like years. Finally the screen lit up again.
K: Yes. Wednesday, 6pm. You pick the place. Unless you're working?
Wednesday, two days. My stomach fluttered. I hadn't been on a proper date in months.
M: That sounds good to me. I'll let you know where we're going and I can meet you there
K: No, send me your address. I'll pick you up
M: Deal
I turn my phone off and plug it in. I lay down.
"I've got a date."
It doesn't sound real to my ears. Kat's going to lose her mind when I tell her.
Excitement is bubbling in me already. I have no idea how I'm going to last two days before seeing her. No one has ever chased be down, it's always been the other way around.
No matter what I try, I can't get to sleep. I'm giddy, full of energy. I need to burn it off or do something to calm the electric feeling skating across my skin.
I open the curtains, hoping the a bit of light might help.
On the street, I see a shape skittering just at the edges of my vision. When I turn to look, there's nothing there.
My mood dampens a bit. My shadow is out tonight, which isn't unusual, but lately it's been annoying me.
I don't know what it is. I don't know what it wants. Maybe I've just gone crazy a few years ago and I'm living in paranoia over something that doesn't exist.
It's never come any closer, always lingering just out of sight.
"Why?" I whisper. "Why do you follow me? Why can't I see you? Please, just once. Give me something."
Unsurprisingly, there's no reply.
I press my head against the glass. It's cold and refreshing.
A headache is slowly forming being my eyes. I need sleep and to burn the last of the alcohol out of my system.
Last night was rough and I'm feeling the strain now.
I grab a glass of water and down it in one, then wrap myself in the bed sheets.
At least my dreams will be sweet tonight.
- Writer
