Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Two
Groggily I’m startled awake when I hear the ringing of my phone. I look around in confusion not seeing my phone anywhere, when I suddenly remember that my phone is still in my back pocket. I unwrap the blanket from around my body, retrieve my phone from my pocket and swipe answer, putting the phone to my ear as I attempt to rub the sleep from my eyes.

“Hello?” I yawn out.

I wait for an answer but hear nothing on the other side. I pull the phone away from my ear to confirm I hit answer and didn’t accidentally hit ignore, but as I stare at the very obviously answered call on my screen, that’s when I realise the caller ID reads as ‘unknown’.

I place the phone back to my ear and repeat my greeting, “Hello?” I call out, but once again I’m met with no response. I’m about to hang up when I can suddenly hear the clear sounds of breathing on the other end of the line and immediately I feel my heart get lodged in my throat. “Who is this?” I nervously ask, but all I’m met with is more breathing.

Immediately I hang up the phone and toss it onto the bed as if the device were on fire. I take a deep, shaky breath and rub the remaining sleep from my eyes when I’m suddenly startled out of my skin as my phone starts to ring again. I look over at the phone on my bed, the caller ID once again announcing an ‘unknown’ caller and immediately I can feel my heart pounding in my ears. Tears pool in my eyes and not knowing what else to do, I get up and run out of the room and burst into Julian’s bedroom.

Julian quickly bolts up in bed, looking around frantically, “What’s happening?” His eyes settle on me and immediately he crawls to the end of the bed towards me wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. “Lani, what’s wrong?”

“Someone’s calling my phone, but it’s an unknown number and when I answered all I heard…all I heard was someone breathing on the other end of the line,” I sob, starting to feel like I’m going crazy.

Julian gets up, reaching me in two strides, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close and cradling my head against his chest. “Sh, it’s okay. I’ve got you. Just breathe,” he gently coos, stroking my hair soothingly as he places a tender kiss against my temple. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” he vows.

I sink into his embrace, holding him tight as I breathe in the lingering smell of his cologne. Something about being in Julian’s arms just makes me feel like I’m not falling apart. Or maybe I’m just deluding myself. If that’s the case, maybe I can just delude myself for a little bit longer.

“Can I stay in here with you tonight?” I quietly ask.

“Of course, you can. You can stay in here as long as you want,” he answers without missing a beat.

He guides me over to the bed, pulling back the covers as he lets me climb in. He pulls the covers over me, walks around to the other side of the bed and climbs in. He snuggles up to me, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close against him. I snuggle up to him, faintly aware that the last time we shared a bed like this was the night on his yacht. Those were better times.

I tuck myself under his chin, burying myself against him as if I can use his body and warmth as a shield, and he lets me. He holds me tight and close, his fingers rhythmically gliding through my hair, allowing me to relax.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe with me,” he promises.

I close my eyes and focus on the feel of his fingers through my hair and the sound of his heart beating gently in his chest as his lingering cologne fills my nose. The combination instantly relaxes me and allows me to drift back to sleep, but I think I’d have rather stayed awake because as soon as I close my eyes, that shadowy menacing figure from my nightmares returns.