In my Own Shadow

Chapter 18

I woke up squinting at the blazing sun that was shining through two layers of curtains, the ones on my window and the ones on my bed. I starred at the empty pillow next to me. I grabbed the small note off of it and read Shia's handwriting. I sighed and tossed the note onto the floor and got out of bed.

 The house seemed colder than usual. I went to the bathroom. I turned on the shower water. I watched the room fill with steam. My hair immediately became frizzy and my skin became moist and soft from the thick steam. I brushed my teeth for about ten minutes until every drop of evidence was gone from my previous night. I could feel my cheeks blush and warm up as the warmth overwhelmed me. Already undressed, I hopped into the shower. I washed myself until Shia's scent was gone and replaced by peaches and vanilla. The hot pellets of water hit my skin extra hard. I could feel the water becoming a little less hot by the minute. I decided that I should probably get out before the water was completely cold. I hopped out and got dressed. I put on a pair of short, dressy, khaki shorts. I topped it off with a white button down shirt, a black blazer and a pair of black pumps. I threw on some black beads and studs. I plugged up my curling irons. I curled my long black hair for about thirty minutes. I went back and forth from the spritz to the hair damaging device. I made sure the curls weren't too hard from the spritz. I pulled my fingers through them to make them loose. They fell until the curls met below my shoulders in large bumbles. They were perfect. I applied my green eye shadow and a clear coat of lip gloss.

After grabbing a small clutch that I could only fit a wallet, compact, cell phone, and lip gloss in; I headed out of the door. I walked into Trevor's room to check on him. I had actually forgotten that he was in the house last night. I hope he didn't hear anything. I walked in and was immediately greeted by his snoring. I didn't want to wake him, but I did want to make sure he was okay I walked over to him and knelt down beside the twin sized bed. I looked over at B's empty bed on the other side of the room. He must've still been with Chastity. I tapped Trevor lightly on the shoulder. He stirred, but didn't rise up to look at me.

"Trevor," I said in a motherly tone, shaking his shoulder lightly.

"MMMM," He moaned.

I laughed in my head. "Are you okay?"  I asked him.

He turned around slowly and cracked his eyes. They brightened when he saw me. I smiled back at him. "You okay?" I asked again.

He didn't answer me. He just reached up to caress the side of my face. He was acting like he had never seen me before. I grabbed his hand and kissed it. He smiled. I stared at him waiting for an answer. He nodded. I quietly got up to leave. I knew Tink was probably in the kitchen eating. I wanted to get to the store early today before any more surprises.

I left Trevor's bedside and headed up to the front of the house. I met Tink at the kitchen table. She had a bagel stuffed in her mouth. She waved at me and continued to eat her breakfast. I waved back and patted my watch to let her know that we had to leave soon. She nodded. I went over to the fridge and grabbed the orange juice out of it. I poured a small cup and gulped it down. The thick syrup slid down my throat. The orange aftertaste lingered in my mouth as I swallowed the last of the juice. It was refreshing and quite delicious. I tossed the cup in the sink right beside my glass from last night. I walked over to the table and grabbed one of Tink's bagels. She frowned at me as she stood up. She grabbed her Gucci purse off of the chair of which she sat and reached for the door. I followed her out grabbing my keys from the table, and biting into my bagel.

We got to the store ten minutes later. Thankfully it was clear. There were no cars yet, and no sign of the emergency key had been used. Tink and I got out of the car and headed into the store. I headed into the back to find a few pieces for the floor while Tink turned the lights on. I returned to floor with about fifteen different pieces. I grabbed the manikin, Holly, and dressed her in a Renaissance Rags outfit that almost resembled my attire exactly. The manikin wore a pair of black dressy shorts. They stopped in the middle of the manikin's thigh and the thick piece of fabric that sat on the hip of the shorts, tied into a neat bow, complimented the shorts to a "T." She wore a black blazer. Underneath was a purple shirt with a mane of ruffles straight down the chest. The purple shirt was unbuttoned just a bit for an appropriate amount of cleavage. The ruffles puffed out of the top of the jacket tremendously adding flare. I placed a pair of purple Jimmy Choo stilettos with purple ruffles laid atop them beside the manikin's tiny feet. I adjusted everything in the display window so that people were sure to stop by the store. Judi arrived about an hour after Tink and I had been in the store. 

The store hadn't been very busy all day. I guess I felt that way because I didn't have a crowd of Falcon's fans pouring out of the entrance door. As I walked around the store looking for something to do I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I ran to take a seat on the sofa in the small lobby like area. I sat down and clicked open on the big white envelope that was flashing on my screen. I smiled at the screen. I text Shia back; telling him how much I'd enjoyed our night as well. He replied telling me that he couldn't wait to see me again and that he missed me. Every inch of my face began to feel sore as he filled my head with wonderful thoughts. He made me feel so special. 

I can't wait to see you again... I text him back. 

:) Well, I'll see you this weekend, he replied to my message.

I smiled at the screen once again.

:).. I typed back into the phone. As I pushed the send button I heard the small bells on the door jingle signaling that someone had entered.

"May I help you?" I asked never looking away from my phone.

"That's up to you," I heard someone say with a smile in their voice. I looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Like a reflex I immediately stood up. My legs were so stiff that I couldn't move. My mouth fell open. I swore I could feel it hit the floor. My hands became sweat instantly allowing my cell to slide directly through my fingers. The phone hit the wooden floor with a hard thud. I heard the slight cracking sound of the thin glass screen. My breath was taken away by the broken glass and the figure that stood so boldly in front of me.    

[Authors note: Thank you so much everyone for reading. Please continue to read and support. Tell your friend's about this book. and please, please, please; comment, vote, and fan me. Thank you again! :) ]