Colin
What the fuck was I thinking, kissing Sasha in a dirty alleyway? Fuck, it was more than kissing, I was basically ravaging her in a public place, and this sicko was watching, taking pictures.
“We need to call the police,” Karen speaks up. I look to Sasha and she still is looking at the photos in her hands. I grab my phone from my pocket when Aaron stops me.
“You can’t.” I look to him angrily.
“Why the hell not?”
“They will ask to look at the pictures. They will know that you are related and this may get plastered all over the papers.”
“Fuck.” He’s right. I bet the stalker knows that, too. He is toying with me and I don’t like it.
“I guess you won’t be able to tell Xander, either,” Karen says quietly. I’m screwed. I really wanted to keep Sasha safe and I’ve just made things worse. I walk to Sasha, taking the pictures away and sitting her down.
“I will figure this out,” I try and reassure her.
“I know you will. I tried to be spontaneous, and follow what I was feeling, and I didn’t think of anything else. All I’m thinking about now is what if you never came out when you did? Was he watching me before you found me?” I look into her scared eyes and my blood starts to boil. She’s right. How long was he there for?
“You need to go get some sleep. I’ve checked your room already but Aaron and I will take turns watching over you.”
“I’ll sleep over, too. It will be like a slumber party.” Karen smiles to her and Sasha nods. I watch them walk up the stairs but I quickly run after her, stopping her with a gentle kiss.
“It doesn’t change what we talked about tonight. I’m all in, okay?” She kisses my cheek and nods before heading back up with Karen.
I head to Aaron and he is looking at his phone. “What’s up?” I ask him.
“Oh, it's Danny, he’s saying he’s around and if we want to meet up sometime.” God, I haven’t heard from Danny since graduation. I think I remember him saying he’s going to work for his uncle or something.
“Tell him we’ll meet up soon. But don’t fill him in on what’s going on. I don’t want anyone else knowing about what Sasha is going through.”
“You got it.” He presses a few keys and pockets his phone. “What now, boss?”
“I’ll take the first watch and you get some sleep. We switch after four hours.” We say our goodnights and I walk around the house once more, making sure every window is bolted shut and front and back doors are locked. I know I did a sweep already, but I need to double check.
I feel eerie knowing he watched me and Sasha be intimate. If I was a stalker obsessed with a girl, I know I would be angry seeing another man touch her. I don’t think he will be happy with me right now.
I head back upstairs to Sasha’s room and knock softly on her door until I hear them both tell me to come in. Seeing Sasha sitting on her bed wearing a light pink tank and shorts, hugging a pillow, it makes her look so much younger.
“I’m just checking the windows.” I kiss her forehead before looking around the room one more time.
“I thought you said windows, not seeing if there is a bogeyman under the bed,” Karen jokes.
“Sorry, just want to make sure you’re both safe. I’ll be right outside that door. If you hear anything or feel unsafe, just shout out to me. I’ll be in here in a flash.”
“Thanks, Colin,” Sasha whispers. I walk to her, leaning over her as I hold her.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper in her hair.
“I know.” She breathes into my chest. I step back and give her one final look before stepping back out. I grab a comfortable chair from one of the rooms and sit outside her door, listening to my surroundings.
* * *
Aaron took over, and once my head hit the pillow, I was passed out like a light. Hearing my alarm go off makes it feel like I was only asleep for ten minutes. I quickly wash my face and brush my teeth and head back to Aaron who is on his phone.
“Hey man.” I clap his shoulder. “Anything to report?” He shakes his head.
“Nope, nothing.” That’s good.
“I’m going to make us some coffee.” I head to the kitchen and make a fresh pot. I’m leaning against the counter when I hear something outside.
I walk slowly to the other side of the house, opening the front door and my mouth hangs open when I see a crowd of reporters at the barred gate. They all shout when they spot me, asking me question after question.
“Is it true Miss Bennett is being stalked?”
“Is it true you only took this job because your career ended so terribly?”
“Is it true that Miss Bennett is having a breakdown?” Flashes of lights are going off. I am about to close the door when Sasha walks out with sleepy eyes.
“What’s going…” She stops mid-sentence, looking shocked. I grab her, pulling her back into the house. “Why are they outside my house?” she asks, panicked.
“It leaked that you’re being stalked.” I hold onto her shoulders.
She rubs her forehead. “How?”
“I don’t know.” I pull her to me.
“What the fuck is going on?” Karen and Aaron both run down the stairs.
“It’s all came out. They are asking about the stalker.”
“What the fuck?” Karen shouts. She starts pacing. It doesn’t take long until the door barges open and my dad and Marie walks in. Looking at my dad’s face, he doesn’t look happy.
“I asked you to do one job. One job and you can’t do that. How the hell did all this get out?” he shouts at me.
“I don’t know,” I shout back at him. He looks to Aaron and waltzes to him.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“That’s Aaron, my best friend, I asked for his help,” I say defenselessly.
“Did you fucking tell? I bet you got a good amount of money by squealing.” My dad pushes him and I run to him, pushing him away.
“Back off, it wasn’t him. You said this has been going on for months but now it’s gotten worse. It could have been anyone working with the band, so calm the fuck down.” I point my finger at him.
“I’m sorry. I woke up and the house is all over the news.” I step away and head to the living room, putting on the TV and, yup, cameras are on the house. At least I know with them out there, the stalker can’t get close.
“It was going to come out eventually. We just need to hold a press conference, if that’s what you call them, and tell them that, yes, there is a stalker but it’s being handled. I am sure the greats had to go through all this before so it will be fine. With the paparazzi all over Sasha, there is no way the stalker can get close to her with all the cameras around.” I try and reassure everyone.
“He’s right, honey.” Marie holds onto my dad’s arm.
“I will get it set up.” He smiles to her. I am calming myself down also when I feel arms wrap around my arm. I look to see Sasha smiling up at me. I hold onto her hand smiling back.
“I like when you take charge.” She chuckles, causing me to laugh.
“Hell no.” We both turn to my dad and his face has turned red. “What did I say about her?” He runs over, pushing me. “I told you to stay away from her. You couldn’t even do that. It’s been a week, a fucking week, and you couldn’t keep it in your fucking pants.” I push him back.
“Calm the fuck down,” I scream at him.
“Don’t tell me to calm the fuck down. I told you not to touch her. To stay away from her.”
“Honey, what is going on?” Marie asks, looking at us confused.
“My son is fucking your daughter.” She gasps and I pull my arm back, punching him.
“Don’t you dare!” I scream at him. He is huffing and puffing, but he knows he won’t be able to take me. I am bigger than he is, he knows it.
“Why do you think we are sleeping together?” Sasha asks softly. Xander glares at her.
“I knew all about you two years ago. I fucking heard you both at it after graduation and I told my son to leave you alone. I try and help him to get back on his feet and this is how he repays me?” He glares back at me.
“You knew?” Sasha asks him, shaking her head. “All this time and you knew, and yet you asked him to be my new bodyguard?”
“Only if he didn’t fuck up, but guess what, he did.”
“That night, when you ended it,” she looks to me, “it was because of him.” I look to the ground. I don’t know what to say to her. “You didn’t leave because you wanted to, but because you had to. That’s why you avoided me over the years.” I walk to her, holding her hands.
“What is happening?” Marie yells out with her hands in the air. “Sasha, you were with Colin?” Sasha nods.
“He was the guy I liked back in high school. The one I was in the arms of when you called that day. The one I fell for.” She looks up to my face.
“You were together when we told you we were going to get married?”
“We ended it, we stopped it. We tried to move on, but it was hard. I guess it ended again but it was because of Xander, I guess.”
“You knew about this and you never told me?” Marie yells at him.
“I didn’t want to hurt you,” he tries to explain.
“I knew after Colin left that something wasn’t right with my little girl. I saw the sadness in her eyes for years. She wasn’t the same. Now I know why. You shouldn’t have kept me from it.”
“But if people found out…”
“I don’t give a damn what people think. I remember seeing how my daughter was back in high school. I saw her glow and because of us, they put their happiness to the side, they were kids and they acted like grown-ups.” She walks to Sasha. “You should have told me.”
“You were so happy.” I see tears in both their eyes.
“So were you.” Sasha sniffs. “Do you love her?” she asks me.
“I always have,” I tell her, entwining my fingers with Sasha’s.
“Then be together.”
“Marie, you can’t be…”
“I’m not finished with you,” she interrupts him. “I don’t care what people think and I know they wouldn’t be outing themselves to us if they already haven’t thought about all that. My daughter is in love, fuck anyone who gets in the way.” I look to her and my mouth hangs open. I don’t think I have ever heard her swear.
“Your mom is so badass,” Aaron whispers in Sasha’s ear.
“Marie, it could ruin her career.”
“Her career is music and that’s it. Not her personal life. I want my baby happy, end of discussion.” She winks at me. “Take care of her.”
“I will.”
“I always told you, you were a good man. A little rough around the edges but a good man.”
“Thank you, Mom.” Sasha runs into her arms.
“Now that all the drama about you two is over, we still have a stalker and the media to sort out.”
“Xander will call a press conference and with the stalker thing, we will wait to see what he does now knowing that the media is around.”
“I’ll make some calls,” Xander says before heading to the kitchen.
“Thank you for being so understanding. I thought you would have killed me.” I smile to her.
“Don’t get me wrong, if you hurt her, I will gut you like a fish.” She pats my cheek before following Xander.
“I can’t believe you two are together. Just makes you wonder what would have happened if you spoke to her at the very beginning. You would never have broken up,” Aaron says and I glare at him.
“You really know how to put a damper on things.” Karen pushes him.
“Just saying.” He shrugs.
“Least we are together now.” I smile down to Sasha and she leans on her tiptoes, kissing my lips.