14 DAYS OF VALENTINE

Part 19: Your warmth lingers...

"Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how worried I was when I couldn't find you? Even worse, I tried calling you and you were unavailable. Who even leaves their phone behind, especially at night? The first rule to remember before leaving the house is to bring your phone!" 

Carrie's anxious and irate voice greeted me as soon as I arrived at the house.

 "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." I sincerely apologized. 

"But you did! You have no idea how many random, irrational thoughts began to cross my mind. Especially with that son..." Carrie's sentence was left incomplete, but it is clear how much my actions had affected her.

"Harry texted me last night." I said. 

Carrie looked at me with concern and curiosity. "What? What did he say? What did he want? And where did he get the nerve to approach you in the first place? Is he insane? Does he think he can come back to you just because the restraining order against is over?" she asked aggitatedly, picking up her phone from the table.

 "We should notify the dean about this. He should have been locked up." 

"Don't,"  I said. I reach out my hand to stop her.

"I don't want to involve the dean or the police. It's over, and I'm ready to move on." Carrie gave me a skeptical look before nodding in agreement. I could see the concern and reluctance on her face as she set her phone down.

"But what about him?" she inquired. "What if he is unable to move on and returns only for vengeance? You know how a man's ego can distort his logic? He could be blaming you for his expulsion from university." Carrie's concerns were valid.

I had considered it before, but what was I supposed to do? Continue to live in fear?

I shook my head and inhaled deeply. "I'll handle it," I say confidently. 

"There is no way in hell I'm letting him ruin my life again." I let him do that before because I was head over heels in love with him. I was blind at the time, but now I dare him to try his luck." Carrie nodded, a small smile on her face, seeing how determined I was. 

"And Lizzy and I will be your henchemen. Let him try; we'll teach him a lesson like the thief three years ago. Do you remember that time?" I laughed at the memory when Carrie asked.

 "How could I have forgotten? It was our first time meeting," I recalled.

Carrie sighed and gently rubbed my arm. " You don't have to feel insecure in here. Don't you remember how we got this house?" Carrie's question took me back three years. 

It was after a while since the incident happened that I decided to return to school. I couldn't bear the thought of living in the school domes, so I had to commute from school to home every day. Even though everything appeared to be normal, I wasn't. The socialite had become an introvert. I couldn't trust anyone and wished to never make friends. I kept it to myself and spent the majority of my time in the school library or studio. 

I dropped out of all the clubs I had previously joined, but kept one for school projects. It was also challenging to get used to the cameras and everything else because they brought back unpleasant memories.

Carrie and Lizzy, the ones who save me from completely embarrassing myself continued to check on me and keep me company, despite my attempts to push them away.  I didn't want or have the capacity for another betrayal. Silvia returned after a few months. Just not the school president this time. The university's sorority was disbanded, never be allowed be formed again.