Chapter 2 — Midnight
Click Here for Chapter 1
Chloe
I sit on the bed in the darkness, quiet and alone. I don’t lie down, but keep my back to the wall, exactly as Donnie had sat before he had left. In my arms, I cradle one of our pillows. It’s midnight.
I’m feeling slightly anxious, and I’m not sure why. Or maybe anxious isn’t the right word for it. More like nervous, which is strange.
The lights go off in the kitchen, plunging the entire apartment into total darkness. Then it comes back on and Jan stomps in. “I knew you hadn’t slept!” She exclaims. “Why on Earth are you sitting here moping in the darkness?”
She doesn’t wait for a response, which is fine – I’m not ready to give her one anyway. She strides to the bedside switch. A moment later, the lights come on, blazingly bright. She turns to me, eyes narrowing in concern.
“And you aren’t really trying to sleep,” she notes. “Is something wrong?”
I shrug. “No. Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Right. Someone is missing their boyfriend already,” she teases.
I ignore her. It was a typical Jan-tease.
Since I’d agreed to date Donnie half a year ago, Jan has teased me nonstop. The truth was, she was ecstatic. She absolutely approves, especially as I hadn’t been open to a relationship in a very long while. In fact, if not for her relentless prodding (it had been infuriating at the time), I wouldn’t have said yes to Donnie either. But she had known Don a long time before I’d even met him — they were both computer personnel and had worked together briefly. She was an engineer. He was a programmer.
Donnie and I had met when his company had come down to the college to organize a free programming course for the faculty I work with. He had led his team while I had been the liaison for the faculty, and as we got to work more and more together, we had gotten closer and closer. Donnie was absolutely amazing. Charming and yet caring, hardworking and selfless, with a remarkable positive attitude towards life well balanced by a willingness to face problems when they do arise. If anyone could be described as actually being chivalrous in this century, it was Don. He was patient to a fault though, which irked me sometimes. I’m all for a little patience, tolerance, and all that, but if you don’t put your foot down on time, people tend to walk over you. Still, he was incredibly sweet. It had been apparent that he really liked me long before he said anything – the boy wears his heart on his sleeves. And I’d liked him too, but I’d been scared. The last guy had also been sweet at the beginning.
But now I was nervous. And something told me it had everything to do with Don.
Something heavy suddenly lands on the bed and I’m abruptly jarred from my thoughts. I jerk, started. It’s Jan. She has finished her bedtime preparations and was now sitting on the bed, looking at me with puzzled amusement.
“Really, Chloe! What is it?” She asks, settling into her side of the bed.
I shake my head. “I don’t know,” I reply. “I’m just feeling worried, that’s all. I can’t explain it.”
She gives me an understanding smile. “Is it Donnie? He hasn’t called yet?”
I shake my head again.
“Don’t worry —sit’s been less than 20 minutes. I’m sure he’ll be home any second, and he’ll call. Nothing is going to happen.”
I nod, but I’m not convinced. The feeling is still there, a heavy weight in my chest. Still, I’m certain I’ll feel better once he does call, and Don has never been one to break a promise.
I cradle my pillow, and wait.
Watch here for Chapter 3—Witching Hour
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