CHAPTER ELEVEN862Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHungUtQaC
(Seth’s PoV)
After I’ve managed to tuck Ashantee into bed, her phone rang and Liz’s name appeared as the caller. I debated against myself before I went to answer it on the fourth ring.
“Thank you! I thought you would never answer my call! I’m worried sick, lady. Where have you been?”
“Uhm, Liz. It’s me.” I interjected her motherly tirade. She was quiet for a whole minute. “Liz?”
“Seth is that you?” She asked, unbelieving.
I laughed. “Yes, Liz. It’s Seth.”
“Is she with you? She didn’t came to class today and she didn’t called anyone to say why.”
“Yes, she’s with me.” I said to the phone.
After we reported the incident to the police, who promised to patrol the neighborhood everyday and to watch Ashantee’s house more, I was planning to call Liz, since I was sure she was sick with worry when Ashantee didn’t showed up in class. But she beat me up to it.
“Why are you together? And why did no one bothered to text me?”
“Sorry, I didn’t got to text you since it really was an impromptu date.” I said with a chuckle. Ashantee said not to tell her friends so that they wouldn’t worry about her. I had no choice to but follow what she said because it was hers to make.
“You should have warned me! I was worried sick!” Liz continued to rant on the other line and some of her friends chimed it. “Wai- date?”
“Yes, Liz. We are on a date.”
A bunch of voices said something but I couldn’t understand them because they were talking at once. Liz shushed them up and they did.
“Lookie here, Seth. I’m really glad that Ashantee finally found someone but next time remember to warn her friends in case you decided to kidnap her for the day.”
“I said I’m sorry.” I apologized once more. And finally, Liz sighed in defeat and told me to take care of her friend before ending the call.
I turned to look at the bed, where a sleeping Ashantee was. She looked like a child as she sleep. She was balled up, as if trying to make herself as small as possible. She managed to finally fall asleep after I’ve assured her, a hundred times, that I wouldn’t leave her.
My stomach growled and since all my food was ready-to-eat, it wouldn’t take long for me to prepare a food and finish it before she even wakes up.
With that thought in mind, I walked towards my little kitchen and prepared my food. As I eat, thoughts of her invaded my mind. What did she felt when she first noticed the stalker? What did she feel every time she feels that someone was following her?What did she felt when she saw the shadow on the window.
I gripped the glass too hard and it cracked on my hand. Luckily, it didn’t caused a wound. With a sigh, I finished the last of my food and threw the broken glass in the thrash bin. Why didn’t I pressed on the subject the first time I suspected that she was keeping something? Why didn’t I?
I couldn’t help but blame myself.
I walked inside the room again, Ashantee was still asleep. But when I closed the door, I heard Ashantee thrashed on the bed. I ran towards her and tried to wake her up.
“No. . . “ She breathe. Probably having a dream. “No, don’t hurt Leon! No.”
I kept on shaking her awake and when I finally did, she bolted upright from the bed. She was shaking hard and she started to cry again. This stalker business really scares her to her core. I sat down on the bed and pulled her towards me.
“Would you like something to drink?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Don’t. I don’t want to be alone.”
I nodded and we stayed like that for a while before I hard the courage to speak. “Who’s Leon?”
I felt her stiffened. “How’d you know him?”
“You mentioned his name.” I didn’t know why my heart felt like being trampled on when I heard her mention any guy’s name. “Is he the one you always call?”
She turned to me, eyes accusing. “How did you know I was making calls?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. The truth was, I caught her twice calling someone who wasn’t answering. She would just leave a message. “I… uhm.. kind of heard it? Twice?”
Her features soften. “I guess it wasn’t your fault. Liz told me to stop it but I just couldn’t.”
“So,” I dragged the words out. “Is he an ex-boyfriend?”
She laughed. The first laughed she had today. “No, dumdum. He was my brother.”
I didn’t missed the agony she felt and the tense of words she used. “Was?”
“He died four years ago.” She cleared. “I continue to pay for his phone since it’s the only thing where I could hear his voice. Like he was still here with me.”
“You must have been really close with your brother.”
“I was. Leon basically raised me since our parents died in a car crash when I was seven and he just turned 18.”
“How did Leon died?”
A dark shadow came and blocked her eyes. Like all the life was drained out of her. “My dad was a very kind man. A loving husband and father. But he was a ruthless man when it came to business. He made friends but he made twice the number of enemies.” She started.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
