The morning sun had just begun to rear its beautiful head, while the sight outside the house was beautiful to stare out until something rather striking soon caught his eye. Parked outside the house was a van he was sure he had seen just the night before while heading to the restaurant where they were meant to meet.
Bearing striking features of a badly chipped bumper, cracked windscreen and worn out grey color, Jake pondered on how much of a coincidence it could be that the same van that almost rammed hard into his car from behind was now parked across the street from Sarah’s house.
“You’re overthinking things Jake”, he warned himself. “It might just be a coincidence and not even the van”.
As well as he hoped to believe his own words, it just wasn’t good enough to keep him from getting bothered. From the “smiley” left behind for him to see in his house, to his personal memorabilia being carted off by someone he could term to be a stalker and one who knew his secrets about being a serial killer, there seemed to be just too much at stake.
Slowly pulling the blinds into place and returning to the bed, the hammering sound from a rather angry speaking Sarah caught his attention.
“I have it figured out!” she yelled for the umpteenth time. “I need you to trust me darn it!”
Jake got within a short distance of Sarah who had her back to him and paced around the living room in a rather troubled manner. She swore and cursed at whoever was on the other end of the line before turning around in thought that she had heard something move behind her. Jake stepped out of the light and into the darkness just by the room door.
Slowly retreating into the room and almost stumbling over a bin by the makeup table, he hurried back to bed, snuck himself underneath the sheets and watched a baffled looking Sarah walk back in.
Donning a rather calm expression, Jake inquired in a concerned tone, “Is everything alright?”
Sarah smiled and replied, “It’s my mom… same old same old family drama”.
Jake nodded and waved at her to come over to bed. Momentarily pausing and staring at her cellphone before waddling her way over, and gently laying the phone to rest on the bedside stool.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Jake asked again in concern.
Panting a kiss atop his cheek and running her hand over his chest as she made countless beelines with her finger, she nodded. “I’ve never been better”.
Sharing a lengthy kiss with her, while she snuggled up tightly with him and continued to melt away her lips against his chest, Jake couldn’t ignore the feelings of butterflies swarming around in his stomach. More so, there was the odd van parked outside the house which he had noticed earlier.
“I have to use the loo”, he pleaded, gently easing himself from within her grasp and heading for the bathroom immediately.
Up until he slammed the door shot behind him, he could swear he felt her eyes trailing him bizarrely towards the bathroom. Breathing a loud sigh in relief and noticing the large sized bathroom with a flat screen attached to the wall opposite of the tub, he couldn’t help but feel further impressed by how well she seemed to be doing financially.
“I can barely get my mortgage paid”, he mumbled before standing before the bathroom mirror.
Taking a deep stare into the reflection in the mirror, he broke his gaze off and headed for the window once again. Still sighting the van sitting out there and further sending him the bothersome shivers, he retreated from the window and knocked off the bin, spilling its content immediately. Momentarily ignorant of what he had done, he turned away and heard something crack underneath his foot.
Pausing and slowly going on a knee to view the items he had spilled, something red and stick-like caught his eye immediately.
“This is curious”, he pondered, before picking it up.
Examining the discarded but still barely used lipstick without its cover crushed partly beneath his foot, Jake had no idea what to assume or what to wrap his mind on. Something about the entire situation seemed fishy for him or at least it had begun getting pretty uncomfortable.
“What have I gotten myself into?” he queried himself.
Trying to keep his breath steady while sweat had begun forming across his forehead, Jake weighed all the possible scenarios across his mind and slowly examined the lipstick once again.
“Jake! Are you okay in there?” Sarah’s voice called out.
In fright she might walk in at any point in time, he immediately slid the lipstick into a roll of toilet roll and hid it underneath his shirt immediately. He had to make it out of there as soon as possible.
“Can you get me a cup of coffee please?” Jake asked before slipping into bed and keeping away the lipstick in his hand.
“Black or with cream?” she asked.
Taking a second to decide, he replied, “Black and strong”.
Sarah slid out of bed and headed out the room immediately. Seconds past her exit, the cellphone on the night stand began vibrating. Reaching for the cellphone and noting the number sprawled across the screen, Jake returned the cellphone immediately and leaned back into bed as Sarah appeared with a hot cup of black coffee.
“No sugar as you asked”, she smiled.
Jake pointed in the direction of the cellphone. “I think you have a call”.
Hurrying over to the cellphone and yanking at it protectively, she walked away with the phone placed to her ear and her fingers toying with the window drapes as she stared outside of it momentarily.
“For the umpteenth time, I’m fine and I will call you
