Chapter 5
The night came and went with absolutely nothing happening. Courtney stayed up with me and we watched movies until we fell asleep on the couch, but I kept startling myself awake. Every little sound and each little noise made me flinch, and by the time I finally rolled off the couch, it was well past lunchtime. I could smell food coming from the kitchen as I stretched and yawned. Then I heard the glorious sound of a plate of food being unceremoniously dropped onto the coffee table as my eyes slowly peeled open.
“Eat,” Courtney said.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Time for you to get your ass up,” she said.
My back hurt and my limbs were sore. I checked to see if I had any messages or missed phone calls, and sure enough all the twins had messaged me. They all had their various versions of good morning wishes and inquiries about my sleep, but the Wolf brothers had taken it to another level entirely.
Love, you’re worrying me. Let me know you’re all right. This from Tony, followed by a response and plan of action from Terry.
She’s probably just sleeping, Tony. Let her rest. If we haven’t heard from her by lunchtime, I’ll call.
They were talking back and forth with one another in the chat, and it made me smile. Courtney sat down next to me on the couch before she turned on the television, but I could feel her lurking close to me, looking over my shoulder.
“Ah, the animal-named brothers. Those the rich ones?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, giggling. “Wolf Energy.”
“They should’ve bought you a new outfit for this date,” she said.
“They’re not gonna buy me a fucking outfit for a date with some other dudes. That’s just…weird,” I said.
“Is it really, though? They might be into that kind of shit,” she said, grinning.
Good morning, Tony. Good morning, Terry. I’m all right, I promise. Just didn’t sleep well last night, so it made for a late wake-up call. It felt strange texting in pairs like this.
I bet you look radiant sleeping, Tony wrote back.
You probably didn’t get enough REM sleep. When doctors say people need eight hours of sleep, a certain portion of that needs to be REM sleep. For someone in your current state, that could translate into ten or more hours of sleep, because the body doesn’t automatically slip into REM sleep the moment your eyes close.
I giggled at Terry’s message. He was definitely the brainy one of the bunch. But, there was something endearing about his ramblings, something that made him ironically innocent given their intense, darkened stares.
What my brother is attempting to say is that it’s good that you overslept. After what you’ve been through, darling, you need it, Tony wrote.
Are you sure we can’t convince you to take the protective detail? It might help you slip into REM sleep better, resulting in a more productive work performance this week, Terry said.
Did you just tell her she was going to suck at work because she didn’t get enough sleep? Tony asked.
No, no! Fuck, I’m sorry. And sorry for the language. I was just trying to convince her to take the detail. I know how worried you are about her.
All I could do was smile at their conversation. They kept going back and forth like I wasn’t even a part of the chat, and there was something refreshing about that. They were confident in themselves and obviously had a close relationship, and I enjoyed watching their dynamic unfold on the screen.
And so did Courtney.
“That Terry’s a smarty,” she said, “and Tony’s the romancer, isn’t he?”
“Probably,” I said.
“You gonna say anything?” she asked.
“Nope. I think they’ve got it for now.”
I let them continue chatting in the group chat as I ate the sandwich Courtney had made me. We watched television mindlessly for a bit, and then I picked up my phone and read through their conversation. It was a lot of Tony posturing because he apparently never worried and Terry being clueless as to why his brother was suddenly lying, so I finally interjected to settle their minds.
I promise I’ll be all right for now. Thank you so much for checking in on me, though.
Anytime. Keep in touch, all right? And expect some wonderful pictures of the sunset tonight, Tony said.
I don’t really send pictures, but if something interesting pops into my head, you’ll be the first to know, Terry said.
I could think of a few pictures you could send, Terry.
“Naughty girl! And with a date already set up with another set of twins. Looks like the student has become the master,” Courtney said.
Ah, and there’s that feisty side. You have rendered my brother speechless. Let me go reboot him quickly, Tony said.
I shook my head and set the phone down before my mind drifted back to Jeremy. I was so glad now that I’d decided not to move in with him when he had asked. My lease was up for renewal, and while Courtney and I hadn’t yet decided whether we were going to stay or not, I had never once considered Jeremy an option. He had tried everything he could to convince me to drop this apartment with Courtney, but something just hadn’t sat right, so I’d declined.
Holy hell, imagine the prison I’d be in if I hadn’t said no.
“Whatever scenario you’re running in your head right now, cut the shit. You’re gonna be fine,” Courtney said.
“I’m just thinking about how glad I am that I didn’t move in with Jeremy when he asked.”
“No fucking joke. Have you resigned the lease here?” she asked.
“Not yet, but I’ve still got a month before I make a decision on my room. You?” I asked.
“Honestly? Not to put any more on your plate, but I’m thinking of getting my own spot. I love you and all, but having my own place is the next logical step in growing up and shit,” she said.
“I hear you. I’m not sure if I want to stay here, but I wouldn’t know where to go if I did leave,” I said.
“Well, it’s not like Jeremy can fire you at the hotel. You’ve talked to HR, right?” she asked.
“Doing it tomorrow,” I said.
“Well, once you talk to HR, he can’t fire you for this shit. You make more than enough money to afford this place on your own, but I know you’ve always wanted to own your own house. How goes the savings?” she asked.
“I’m about four paychecks away from a down payment if I save conservatively,” I said.
“See!? Movin’ on up in life. We can get our own places and help each other redecorate. You can have all those muscular twins help you move boxes and furniture before they each have their way with you.”
“Does your libido ever stop?” I asked.
“Does yours ever work?” she asked.
“Do you think I should tell someone at work what happened?” I asked.
“Like you said, the police need proof. Without that, it may just make you look bad. I wanna shout it from the rooftops just as much as you do, but it won’t do any good at this point. Even I know that.”
“Yeah. Telling someone might get me fired anyway,” I said.
“Just wait for the police to do their thing. With evidence, you can throw his ass in jail, then rule that fucking resort hotel yourself like you know you can. You’ve been gunning for promotions for the past year. It’s time they understood the asset you are, not to mention the asshole their current events manager is,” she said.
Just then, my phone rang from an unknown number calling. I felt a shiver shoot up my arm as I tilted my phone toward Courtney, and she told me to put it on speakerphone. I answered it and then pressed the speaker button, allowing the call to flood the room.
But on the other end was complete silence.
“Hello?” I asked.
All of a sudden, the sound of heavy breathing could be heard. Courtney’s eyebrows hiked up, and at that moment, I decided to call him out.
“Jeremy, is that fucking you?” I asked.
The call ended and tears sprang to my eyes. Courtney was already shuffling around for her phone, asking me where that card from the police officer was. I pointed to my room, telling her it was in my robe, and just as she left the room, a call came through again.
From an unknown number.
I picked it up and held it to my ear, and it was the same heavy breathing. I sat there for a little while, listening to the heavy breathing, and my hands began to shake. It went on for a few seconds before it stopped, and that was when I asked again.
“Jeremy, what the fuck are you doing?” I asked.
“Did he fucking call back?” Courtney asked.
The phone went dead as I looked up at my best friend. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she held the card in her hand, dialing the officers who’d been here yesterday before she held the phone to her ear. She began talking to the voice on the other end of the line, explaining what was going on, and then it happened again.
My phone rang out, an unknown number calling.
“It’s happening right now. Yes. For the third time. This is fucked up. Can’t someone do something?” she asked.
I picked up the phone as tears ran down my cheeks. There was the same damn heavy breathing from the same damn unknown phone number. My hands began to tremble as I sniffled. My legs grew weak even as I sat on the couch. I sank back into the cushions, holding the phone to my ear, and without prompting, the call simply ended.
“Why are you doing this to me?” I whispered into the droning line. “Why are you doing this to me!?”