You and I : A Merome Love Story

Chapter 11

I awake with a start to the sound of a lock being turned.

"Miiitch!! Go back to sleeeep!" I mumble. He probably didn't hear me, but whatever. The sound has stopped, so I assume he really did percieve what I said.

As I start to fall into a light sleep, I am jolted back to consciousness when the sound starts again. I groan loudly and hoist myself out of bed and stumble down the hallway, falling down the stairs once I reach them. I'm too tired to even care. I walk into the kitchen, only to see a man rummaging through the counter drawers. It's not Mitch.

I stagger backwards, trying to process what's happening. Someone's broken into Mitch's house. And they're stealing his stuff. Luckily, the burglar didn't hear me come downstairs, so I quickly tiptoe as quietly as I can back up the stairscase. Once I've put some distance between the intruder and I, I dart for Mitch's room, opening the door quietly and quickly, shutting it behind me and locking it. I can hear the burglar's footsteps climbing the stairs. I need to hurry.

I grip onto Mitch's arm, pulling him out of his bed and onto the floor, his head smashing against the hardwood planks. He instantly wakes up, screaming at the pain of his head hitting the floor. I slap my hand against his mouth in an attempt to shut him up.

"Burglar broke in. Shut the fuck up." I whisper harshly at him. His eyes widen at my words, and he stumbles to his feet and runs to the closet next to his bed. He swings the door open and motions for me to get in. I mindlessly dive into the small cramped closet, with Mitch following closely behind me, shutting the door slowly. Seconds later, we're both sitting in complete darkness, inches apart from each other. I'm sitting with my knees pulled up to my chest and my arms around my legs, and I think Mitch is doing the same thing. I put my hand in front of my face and I can't even see it. There's very limited space in this closet. All of a sudden I feel Mitch shift to change positions. He opens the closet door a bit, letting a little light inside. I can now see Mitch sitting on his knees, like an animal hunting its prey. He's peeking through the door and I estimate he's looking for the intruder.

"He's not here. I'm gonna go grab my phone, okay? I need to call the cops." He whispers; barely audible.

"Okay, but hurry."

Mitch nods and bolts out of the closet, grabbing his phone from his bedside table and silently sprinting back towards me, jumping in and closing the door once again. He puts his phone on minumum brightness but I grab it before he does anything else. Mitch immediately reaches for his phone from behind my back, whimpering at me.

"The burglar'll hear you if you call the fucking cops." I lie, trying to buy some more time with Mitch. He sighs, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"You're right. I guess I'll have to text someone and tell them to call the cops for us."

"No! The intruder will hear your phone buzz, I don't want to take any chances." I breathe, gripping his phone tighter behind my back.

"Fine. I guess we'll just have to wait for him to leave." Mitch yawns, shifting closer to me. He sits with his legs up to his chest and lets his head fall on my shoulder. I kiss his head light enough for him not to notice. We sit there in the pitch-black atmosphere until we hear the doorknob being turned. My heart leaps in my chest and I feel Mitch tense up.

"Don't worry Mitch, I locked the door. It's okay." I whisper in his ear. He hides his face against my neck and I put my arms around him, whispering to him about how everything's gonna be alright. Once the sound of the doorknob disappears, we hear footsteps walk down the stairs and a door being slammed shut. I slowly reach my arm up and open the closet door, letting the light rush in. I stand up to go check if the burglar is gone, leaving Mitch in the closet. Once I reach the door, I unlock it and open it a little, peering through the space. Not too much damage has been done. I wander over to Mitch's bedroom window and look out onto the street, only to see a man get into a truck with a small bag full of stuff and drive away. The intruder's finally gone.