Agreeable Avery by E.L. Westbury

Author:E.L. Westbury [Westbury, E.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-27T16:00:00+00:00

Die

The text message... It was meant for me. I close my eyes and inhale so deeply, the room tips off balance. Feeling like I might pass out, I place my palms flat on the table to brace myself and exhale all the air out of my lungs. Without question, I don’t need to make this about me right now, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve been inserted into his narrative without my consent. I stand up and, with a shaky hand, refill both of our wine glasses. But instead of sitting back down in my chair, I curl up in his lap and bury my face in his neck. Almost immediately, the heaviness releases from my heart. I feel so safe snuggled inside his massive stature. He folds his arms around me, and instantly our breaths synchronize.

“I’m sorry to put such a damper on the evening,” he says softly into my hair. “Why don’t you tell me about your husband?”

I shake my head. “Another time. Right now, I think I should show you something.”

I unravel myself from his lap, collect my phone, retrieve the haunting message, and place it in his hand. As he reads the text, his eyes begin to dilate and then slowly intensify with anger. I wait for him to say something. Instead, he catapults from his seat so aggressively, the chair topples backwards.

“Avery, when did you get this?” His voice is harsh, like a whip across my back, and I flinch.

“The, um, the night of our date,” I stutter. “Although, I didn’t actually see it until the next morning.” I carefully maneuver around him to pick up the chair and place it back on all fours.

“Jesus Christ! How in the hell did she get your number?” When he realizes he’s yelling, he offers me an apologetic look, softening his brows. “I’m sorry. I just can’t believe she did this. Is this the only message?” He holds my phone in the air, his fists clutching it so tightly, I swear it's going to shatter.

“It was just that one message. No others,” I offer, hoping it will help him relax. “I honestly thought it was a wrong number mishap. Until you told me about the note on your door, I had all but forgotten about it. It never crossed my mind that it had anything to do with you… or me.” My words trail off, wondering what, in fact, it does have to do with me?

“Nothing odd, or out of the ordinary since that night?” he asks, pacing back and forth.

“Nothing at all. Callum, you’re kind of freaking me out. Should I be worried?” I ask.

“No, no. I’m probably overreacting,” he says. But his response is hollow, it doesn’t carry any weight. “I just think we should be safe, rather than sorry. Let’s exchange phone numbers, and we need to come up with a code, just in case something is wrong and we can’t openly speak.” He pauses for a brief moment. “What about… I have a migraine and I’m going to lie down?”

“Not now, I have a headache,” I snicker.

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