Too Close To Stay Safe
1177 Words
Chapter 2
I didn’t sleep that night
Not properly
Every time I closed my eyes, I kept hearing that voice again, low and cold, repeating the same words over and over
Ask your boss what he took from you
It didn’t make sense
None of it did
The call, the pain in my head, that strange memory that didn’t feel like mine… it all felt wrong
By morning, I was exhausted
But I still had to go to work
Which meant seeing him again
I stood in front of my mirror longer than necessary, staring at my reflection like I was trying to convince myself I was ready
“You’re fine, Amelia” I muttered under my breath
Just a job
Just a man
Just a past that should stay buried
I grabbed my bag and left before I could change my mind
The moment I stepped into the office building, my chest tightened
It felt different today
Or maybe it was just me
I walked straight to my desk, avoiding eye contact with anyone, trying to act normal
But nothing about this felt normal
“Good morning, Amelia”
I looked up and forced a small smile
“Morning”
I sat down and turned on my system, pretending to focus
But my mind kept drifting
Back to yesterday
Back to him
Back to that call
“You’re distracted”
The voice came from behind me
Deep
Familiar
Too close
My heart skipped
Slowly, I turned
Sebastian
Standing right behind me
Way too close
My breath caught for a second
“I’m not,” I said quickly, even though it was a lie
His eyes stayed on me
Like he could see through it
“Come to my office”
Not a request
A command
I swallowed
“Okay”
He turned and walked away without waiting
Of course he did
I sat there for a few seconds, trying to calm my racing heart
Then I stood up and followed him
Each step felt heavier
Like I was walking into something I wasn’t ready for
His office was exactly how I expected
Clean
Organized
Cold
Just like him
He walked in first and took his seat, while I stood there, unsure of what to do with myself
“Sit”
I obeyed immediately
Silence filled the room
Thick
Uncomfortable
His eyes were on me again
Studying
Watching
It made my skin feel warm
“You’re not focused” he said finally
“I am”
“You’re lying”
The words were calm
But they hit
I clenched my hands slightly
“I said I’m fine”
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze never leaving mine
“Then prove it”
Something about the way he said it irritated me
Or maybe it was just everything building up inside me
“Why do you care?” I asked before I could stop myself
The moment the words left my mouth, I froze
Silence
Dangerous silence
His expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes did
Darkened
“You work for me” he said simply
“That’s not what I meant”
“Then what did you mean?”
My heart was beating faster now
I shouldn’t be doing this
I shouldn’t be questioning him
But I couldn’t stop
“Nothing” I muttered
Another pause
Then he stood up
Slowly
My breath caught as he walked around the table
Closer
Closer
Until he stopped right in front of me
Too close
My heart was racing now
I could feel it
He leaned slightly, his hand resting on the desk beside me
Trapping me in place without even touching me
“Look at me, Amelia”
I was already looking at him
But something about the way he said it made my chest tighten
His eyes searched mine
Deep
Intense
Like he was trying to find something
“Have we met before?” he asked quietly
My heart stopped
For a second, I couldn’t breathe
What kind of question was that
Was he serious
Or was he playing with me
I forced a small, confused expression
“No”
A lie
A big one
But I held it
His eyes didn’t leave mine
Like he didn’t believe me
Like he knew
And for a second… I thought he would say something else
Something that would change everything
But he didn’t
He straightened and stepped back
“You can go”
Just like that
Like nothing had happened
Like he hadn’t just shaken something inside me
I stood up slowly and walked out, my heart still racing
What was that
Why would he ask that
Unless
No
That didn’t make sense
None of this did
The rest of the day felt off
Like something was about to happen
Like I was being watched
I tried to ignore it
Tried to focus
But I couldn’t shake the feeling
By the time I got home, I was mentally drained
I dropped my bag and leaned against the door, closing my eyes
“I’m overthinking” I whispered
I had to be
There was no other explanation
My phone buzzed
I froze
Slowly, I pulled it out
Same unknown number
My heart started pounding again
I stared at it for a few seconds
Then answered
“What do you want?”
A soft laugh came from the other end
“You saw him today”
It wasn’t a question
“Yes… so what?”
Silence
Then
“He’s lying to you”
My chest tightened
“About what?”
Another pause
Longer this time
“He didn’t forget you, Amelia”
My grip on the phone tightened
“What are you talking about?”
“Ask him why he looked at you like that… like he was trying to remember something he already knows”
My heart was racing now
“That doesn’t make sense”
“It will”
The voice dropped lower
Darker
“Soon”
The line went dead
I stared at my phone, my mind spinning
What was going on
Why did it feel like everything around me was a lie
I turned slowly and walked into my room, my thoughts all over the place
That’s when I saw it
Something on my bed
My breath caught
I stepped closer
Slowly
Carefully
A small envelope
Plain
No name
No address
Just lying there like it had been waiting for me
My hands felt cold as I picked it up
I didn’t remember leaving anything there
I didn’t remember anyone coming into my house
My heart was pounding loudly now
I opened it
Inside was a single photograph
My fingers trembled slightly as I brought it closer
And then I saw it
My breath stopped completely
It was me
Standing next to Sebastian
Smiling
Happy
But that wasn’t the shocking part
The shocking part was what was written at the back of the photo
I turned it slowly
And read the words
“This was taken the night before he chose to erase you”
- Writer
