Her Secret Santa - Miley Maine Page 0,38

disposition,” I said. “I can dig that.”

“You work at the used bookstore, don’t you? That’s where I’ve seen you. Sorry if I was staring, but you got one of those faces. I just knew I’d seen you somewhere before.”

“Ah, yeah. I guess I do. You come in there much?”

“Not too often anymore,” she said. “I ran out of space for my books. I don’t like to donate them back either; I like to collect them and read them again from time to time. I can find something new and interesting each time I delve into one, you know?”

I wasn’t sure why I was fascinated by this woman’s introspection and her diatribe on every single thing under the sun, but she was a talker, and I was happy to just let her ramble on and on. I was tired; it had been a long day at the bookstore. There was a crazy sale, and everyone was asking a million questions. On top of that Rachel was sick (I was starting to suspect she had problem with pills), and I was left all alone to fend off the howling wolves as they descended upon the store in droves.

“That’s interesting,” I said. “What do you do?”

“Oh, I’m a student.”

“I don’t think there are any colleges close by. You must be doing online.”

“Yeah, I’m a distance learner. I am halfway through my communications associate degree. I have to drive into Tucson about once every three weeks for a seminar, but otherwise it is all online.”

“Ah, ok.”

I chatted with Skylar for about half an hour. We had a lot in common as far as music, movies, and even our thoughts on fashion. She was fun and easy to talk to. It was nice to make a new friend besides just Rachel. I’d hung out with Rachel a few times, but she never had anything really interesting to talk about. It was like she had no interests whatsoever. Her life must have been so boring. I felt a bit sorry for her.

But Skylar was different. This was by far the most stimulating conversation I’d had with anyone for the past few months. I wanted my old life back so badly. I had not been found by Saul so far, so that was a good thing. I was safe for now. And safety was more important right now than anything.

Still, I felt stupid for waiting around. Was I just going to keep going this way? What was I waiting for? I felt like I was just waiting to be found, waiting to be taken away back to being a prisoner. Or maybe I would end up dead.

What if I just took the fight to him? What if I reached out to Tony to see if maybe he could help me? I knew he could, but I was afraid he might get himself too deeply involved. I couldn’t stand having him in danger. What if something happened to him? I’d never forgive myself. But I needed him. I thought of him always and I cursed myself for not telling him the truth about things. I was trying to protect him, but what if was just putting myself in danger and destroying my heart in the process?

Had he moved on already? Was he over me?

I tried not to dwell too much on this, but it constantly tugged at my heart strings.

I finished my dinner and my conversation with Skylar. We exchanged contact information and agreed to hang out sometime soon.

I went home feeling better about things. At least I’d made a friend and I didn’t feel as alone anymore. That was important to my morale at least.

I was just heading up to my apartment which was around the side of my landlord’s house. It was small, but it worked for now. I started up the steps when I heard a voice calling me.

I stopped instantly. The fear leapt into my throat. Who was there? I’d been found. My first instinct was to run and flee. But I couldn’t run upstairs. I’d be trapped. And I didn’t have time to turn and run. They were behind me. I’d be caught for sure. My brain felt like it was short-circuiting with the thoughts bouncing around inside of me.

“Julie.”

The voice came again. This time it was softer and more familiar. In the darkness, I could see a figure approaching slowly. As the person came into the light, I began to see the familiar outline of a guy. And then there he was