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320 Words
*Chapter 6*
Took You Long Enough: Because No One Else Does
The key was still in Clover’s hand.
Cold metal. Wet.
Her fingers wouldn’t move.
From upstairs: another step. Slow. Like whoever it was knew she was standing at the door.
The rain behind her was loud. Too loud. It covered everything.
She should scream.
She should run back to Nolan.
But Nolan was already walking away. She’d heard his footsteps fade down the block two minutes ago.
_Because no one else does._
Her chest hurt.
Clover set her bag down. Slow. No noise.
She reached for the doorframe to steady herself and that’s when she saw it.
A thin line of light under the door to the kitchen.
She never left lights on.
Her throat went dry.
She moved.
One step. Two.
The stairs creaked under her weight and she hated every sound.
Second floor. Her apartment. Door open an inch.
Clover pushed it with two fingers.
The living room was dark except for the kitchen light bleeding around the corner.
The couch was moved. Her books were on the floor.
Her window was open, even though she’d closed it that morning.
And sitting at her kitchen table, like he owned the place, was a man.
He wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at her photos. The ones on the fridge.
He had one in his hand. Her and her sister. Last summer.
He turned a page of her notebook. Read something. Smiled.
“Took you long enough,” he said, without looking up.
“I was starting to think you weren’t coming home.”
Clover’s phone buzzed in her pocket.
Unknown Number.
1 new message.
`I told you to go in. Did you?`
It was from Nolan.
Clover stared at the man at her table. Her mouth wouldn’t work.
The man finally looked up. His eyes were calm.
“Don’t make this hard, Clover.”
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