Chapter 33

It was Friday evening and I had changed into my cosy flannel pants in pink tartan and a crop top. Together with my fussy socks it was my outfit for an evening of enjoying The great British bake off. I had made a big bowl of popcorn and had a tall glass of soda to go with it. Just as I clicked ‘play’, my phone rang and I saw it was Wictor. I smiled and paused the show.

“Hello bestie,” I said.

“Don’t you ‘Hello bestie’ me. Not after sending me those texts. I was in a late meeting and when I was walking out of it and checked my phone I almost had a heart attack. You have a date? Have you been hiding something from me? Who is he and why haven’t I met him? And before I forget, definitely wear the red dress,” he said in one long pass.

“Yes, I have a date. I haven’t been hiding anything from you. I have told you about him and you have almost met him. The red one? Really? Isn’t it a bit, revealing?” I answered.

“It’s not too revealing. It’s a date, you want to tease him a little. It hits the perfect spot of giving him a hint of what you have without revealing too much. You are gorgeous and you need to show it.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. To the important part,” he continued as I could hear the traffic in the background. He had to be walking home from work. “The only man we have talked about recently is Simon’s father. Is it him?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s Hunter,” I admitted.

“I’m not going to ask you if you are sure, because you sound fucking happy when you talk about him. I will just cheer you on and hope he is as good of a man as you think he is.”

“I really think he is. And he is the first man I have gone on a date with who is just that, a man.”

“Babe, I love you, but you don’t exactly have many to compare with. There was that guy in high school and the nerd you went on a date with in college and then Simon. A manikin would look good compared to them,” he said and chuckled at his own joke.

“You have a point,” I agreed and laughed. “But still, I think this one is a good one.”

“Then I wish you all the luck. You deserve some earth-shattering orgasms at least,” he said.

“Wictor! We are having dinner, not… doing that,” I told him. He laughed at the other end of the phone.

“Sex, Hana. It’s called sex. And why not do both? Not at the same time, that is how you get banned from restaurants. But first one and then the other. There is nothing wrong with making sure you are compatible in all ways.”

“Sure. I think I prefer to take things a little slower. And Hunter’s a gentleman. I don’t think he will want to either,” I objected.

“Mhm. And you are sure this is worth spending time on if you don’t have the hots for him?”

“That is not what I said,” I told Wictor before I could stop myself.

“Oh really? So you do have the hots for him? Then I approve. Where is he taking you to dinner?” he asked.

“We are going to ‘Primrose’,” I said.

“Oh, fancy. I’m starting to like this man. At least he knows you deserved to be wooed and pampered. It’s a good start. Just stay safe and let me know when you get home safe. Or if you need me to rescue you.”

“I will. Thank you Wictor.”

“Don’t mention it. You have done it for me. Love you, little sis.”

“Love you too, little bro.” As we hung up I thought about what Wictor had said. Had I fantasised about having sex with Hunter? Yes, more often than I was comfortable admitting. Was I wondering if he wanted to have sex with me? Sure. I just didn’t know if I was ready to actually do it. I hated that I had physical and mental scars that made me hesitate. Sex had never been something I enjoyed when I was with someone else. During my marriage it had been more of a duty than anything else and towards the end, it had turned into mental torture. Would I be ready to let go of all of that? I had no idea. But I trusted Hunter. I trusted him enough to think that he would stop if I felt uncomfortable. I sighed and pushed the confusing thoughts to the side. I burrowed down in my couch and pressed play. I was halfway through the fourth episode when there was a knock at my door. I looked at it and frowned. I didn’t want to open it, it never ended well. There was another knock, there was something desperate about it. I could go and see who it was. I didn’t have to open the door. I could just look. I paused the show and took the cardigan that was slung over the back of the couch and put it on as I walked towards the door. As I bent forward to use the peephole, there was a third knock that made me jump. I shook my head and looked outside. Amber was standing there, she was looking scared. I couldn’t see anyone else. For a moment I thought about ignoring her and go back to the couch. But what if she really needed help? I sighed at my own stupidness as I unlocked the main lock and started to open the door to ask her what was wrong. For the second time in my life, I felt a push on the door as someone tried to force it open. The security bolt Hunter had installed made a loud sound as it restricted the door.

“Fuck. What is this?!” a man shouted.

“I told you she had something that kept the door from opening,” Amber said. A hand pressed in through the narrow opening. A male hand. It started to feel along the door to see if it could dislodge the security lock. I stood frozen for what felt like an eternity until I heard Hunter’s voice inside my head telling me the bolt wouldn’t keep them out for ever. It was designed to give me time to get away. I turned without a word and started to move further into my apartment. Someone swore behind me and I felt someone grab my cardigan. I looked down and saw a big hand grabbing it. I looked up and met one eye in the opening of the door. My brain registered that my bag was on the table beside me. It had worked once, and I hoped that this time it wasn’t a police officer. I plunged my hand into my purse where the taser still was. I unclicked the safety as I pulled it out and I pressed the button as soon as I felt it connect with the hand. There was a buzzing sound, a smell of burnt hair and a loud shout. I was free and I didn’t hesitate. I fled into my apartment. I stopped to get my phone from the couch and then continued further into the apartment. Hunter had told me to not lock myself inside. I needed to find another way out. I ran into my bedroom and closed the door behind me, put my armchair in front of it and headed towards the window. I opened it and looked out. It had felt safe being on the fourth floor when I moved in. No risk of someone coming in through the windows. Right now, it was a curse for the same reason. There was no way for me to get down. There was however a decorative ledge a few feet below the window. It was about six or seven inches wide and wrapped around the building. If I could stand on it, maybe I could scoot over to the neighbours and wait for help there. My heart was beating like crazy as I got out of the window and placed my foot on the ledge. It wasn’t much to work with and I struggled to find a grip that would let me swing my other leg out and stand up without slipping off. I tried to ignore the sound of the door being hit hard. By the sound of it, the security bolt held. I sent a thank you to Hunter as I grabbed the edge of the window and hauled myself to stand on the ledge. My legs were shaking and my hand held a forceful grip on the window, but I stood on the outside of the building. I pushed the thought of looking down to the side and pressed myself as close to the facade as I could. The bricks gave me some grip, but nothing I could hold on to. I shimmied my way towards my neighbour. I saw the vertical decoration and my heart dropped. It was protruding out from the wall and blocking my way. My heart sank as I tried getting around it but didn’t find anything to hold on to on the other side. If I tried, my point of gravity would shift and I would tumble backwards. I felt like crying. Maybe I could get the attention of my neighbour by shouting? Before I could give it a try, I cast an eye down towards the ground. For a moment the world shifted around me as vertigo set in. Then I saw it. A black SUV with a man leaning against the hood. He hadn’t seen me, but he would if I made any noise. I was convinced he was the driver of the man that was still pounding on my door. I slowly reached into the pocket of my cardigan and took out my phone and dialled Hunter. I prayed he would pick up.