Claim
1064 Words
✽ Jason ✽
I didn’t like the idea of Saturday. It sat in my mind like a fixed point, a date and a time that didn’t belong to her. Mandy had said it lightly, as if it was harmless, as if a plan was just a plan. David treated it like ownership. He asked for her time, her attention, and her smile, and he received them. For days, I thought about the way he looked at her in the diner, the way he leaned in, the way he watched her mouth. He acted like he was entitled to closeness. Men like that mistook access for permission. They didn’t stop when they should have.
They didn’t know she belonged to me.
I walked with Mandy to work and home as we had agreed, and she spoke about ordinary things as if her life was normal. She told me about dough and butter and instructors who screamed over burnt sugar. She told me about Rosa’s jokes. She didn’t tell me about how often she checked her lock now, because she didn’t want to admit she was afraid. I listened and answered when required. I watched the street. I watched the doors. I watched the shadows that moved wrong.
David was the loudest shadow of all.
Every time Mandy mentioned him, I kept my face still. My jaw tightened once, then I corrected it. She noticed anyway. She always noticed more than she admitted. That was part of why she interested me. She observed, she adapted, and she survived. And now that Saturday had arrived, I felt even more annoyed than before. I sat on the couch in my apartment with my eyes closed as I listened to Mandy above my head as she moved around. I heard her fill the bath, and I stopped myself from imagining what I shouldn’t. I heard her drain the bath before she moved into her bedroom. I could hear the soft buzz of the hairdryer. The closet door opening and closing. And then silence as she waited for David. It pissed me off. More than I cared to admit. An hour went by, and I frowned as I heard her upstairs. She was still here. David hadn’t arrived yet. Had they cancelled their date?
Not possible.
I was tempted to find out, but I had more than enough patience, so I waited. After another thirty minutes, I finally heard her door open and close. I listened as she took the stairs, and I slowly stood up from the couch and glanced through the curtain. I didn’t see David’s car. He must be late. Not that it mattered. I had already decided.
David had to be removed from her life.
I hadn’t quite decided how, but it had to be done. Mandy wasn’t in her apartment, but she hadn’t left the building. I left my apartment and slowly descended the stairs. Then I saw her standing in the lobby. Clearly, she was dressed up. Her tight jeans clung to her legs provocatively. And her sweater, while slightly big, hung off her right shoulder. Her hand was tied up into a long, high ponytail. When she turned slightly, I could see that she had minimal makeup on. Not that it changed anything. Mandy was extremely beautiful in that natural way that made people stop and stare. She shifted and checked her phone. David must be on his way. I decided to use this opportunity to go back upstairs to her apartment. I took the stairs two at a time and slipped the key into her lock with ease and familiarity. I softly closed the door behind me and locked it. Nothing seemed out of place, or at least, nothing overall noticeable. Her mug sat in the sink. Her soft blanket lay haplessly on the couch. I went over to the window and waited. Nothing.
David hadn’t arrived yet.
I washed out the mug and dried it before I placed it neatly back in the cupboard. I folded the blanket and set it perfectly on the back of the couch. I went into her bedroom and made her bed. I threw her dirty laundry in the washing basket. And then I washed out the bath. When I was done, I felt satisfied that she would be heavily freaked when she returned from her date. When I checked through the window again, I saw David’s car pull up to the curb. I didn’t hesitate as I hurriedly left Mandy’s apartment and headed downstairs. I was just in time to see her leave the lobby and head outside. I had a plan, so I didn’t do anything rash. I waited. David had gotten out of the car, and he looked somewhat surprised to see Mandy coming out toward him. I suspect he had expected to come up to her apartment.
I smiled.
Mandy hadn’t wanted to take that chance. That was why she had opted to wait for him in the lobby.
Good girl.
I decided to finish what I had started, so I went back up to her apartment. I had a small camera I wanted to install. I took my time looking for the right place. A place she wouldn’t think to look. A place that would give me a great view of her living space. I moved things around, this time not as noticeably as before. Once I had the camera situated, I left. As soon as I was back in my own apartment, I opened my laptop and checked the live footage.
“Perfect,” I whispered as I watched the screen. Everything was as it should be, and now I couldn’t wait to be able to watch her instead of just listening to her movements. My phone pinged, and I let out a frustrated sigh as I pulled the annoying device from my pocket. I was even more annoyed when I saw it was a text from my mother. I tried to force the feeling aside. My mother was important to me, but she was just as stubborn as my father. I opened her text, and another soft sigh released from my lips.
✉Mother: Come home, Jason. Enough with these games.
I didn’t bother to respond as another notification came up on the top of my screen. Mandy’s location. I had to get a move on.
✽✽✽
- Writer
