[Alexandra Mallory 01] • The Woman in the Mirror by Grant Cathryn

Author:Grant, Cathryn [Grant, Cathryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Feminism, Young Adult, psychological thriller, thriller, female protagonist, women's fiction, vigilante, serial killer, suburban noir
ISBN: 9781943142262
Goodreads: 30825487
Publisher: D2C Perspectives
Published: 2016-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

27

It was two-fourteen a.m. Jared stared at the ceiling, even though he couldn’t actually see it in the darkness. The skin of his face was warm and pulpy. He’d been flat on his back, the blankets pulled up to his ribs, the pillow curled under his neck, since eleven and still his face was hot with shame.

Why had he followed her into the building? For days, the memory had tormented him. If Alexandra found out, and surely she would — the woman who’d showed him around would mention it — she’d think he was stalking her. It was just so difficult to figure out what was going on with her. He’d never met a woman like Alexandra. She’d come into his room and taken off her clothes without an invitation or any preliminary conversation. Then, she’d touched him in a way that made him feel they were connected beyond their bodies, that she knew something about him he was only dimly aware of himself. She’d slid out of bed and disappeared without lingering even for a kiss.

She refused his invitations to go out and didn’t want to discuss any kind of relationship. What kind of woman didn’t want a relationship? It was like she was an alien. Weren’t women the social sex? Women were the ones who wanted to put down roots and nest and form communities and support groups. They were the ones who wanted to talk. Maybe she was playing some kind of game.

Most of the time now, she remained in her room. During the first few weeks they’d lived in the bungalow, she’d come into the living room several evenings a week for wine or a martini. The three of them had eaten dinner together. It was understandable why she no longer wanted to do that — like him, she was steering a wide path around Noreen. But why wouldn’t she talk to him? She’d seemed a little angry when he showed up at work, but he’d thought she refused to talk at the house because Noreen might overhear. Meeting her outside of her office had seemed to make sense. It had been well before the start of the workday. The tiny garden was designed for casual conversation, why had she been so cold?

He closed his eyes to stop them from straining to see through the darkness. His back ached and his muscles longed to reposition themselves, urging him to turn on his side, but he wanted to keep the pressure on his body. He would subdue it. He would use his body as a meditation practice, since clearly he was failing to subdue his mind.

When he sat to meditate, he couldn’t begin to silence or even slow the flashing speed of his thoughts. Even the effort to objectively observe his thoughts as they raced by was a complete failure. They flickered so rapidly, he forgot he was supposed to be witnessing and allowing them to just be. His stomach clenched and a cramp ran along the bottom of his foot.

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