Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

Out of Place

Kaya trudged up the last step and down the hall to her apartment door. Thank God that the work day finally ended. It had been the longest day in the history of her career. 

Marcy seemed upset that Kaya wouldn't share more details with her. Jacob remained mostly quiet so as not to disrupt the tentative balance between Marcy and Kaya. It had been quiet, but not in a good way. 

How did she make it up to Marcy, so that no one had to suffer the discomfort of agitation? 

Kaya inserted her keys into her lock and twisted them. The dead-bolt opened with a thud. 

There had to be something that would make Marcy be okay with her again. What had Kaya done to earn her displeasure in the first place? 

Kaya dropped her keys on the table inside the door. 

Never mind. She should move on. Surely, it didn't matter what Marcy thought of her. Did it? Should it? 

Kaya kicked her shoes off and trekked to the refrigerator. Water. She needed to drink some water to cool off her head. So she could think straight. 

Odd, though. She thought she still had four water bottles stored in the fridge. Only three presented themselves now. She must have miscounted. 

Kaya let the fridge shut on its own. She took the water to her bedroom with her. She should definitely shower. A day like the one she had had required a long, hot shower. 

Sealing the water bottle, Kaya dropped it onto the edge of her nightstand. It hit the floor instead. 

Weird. She performed the same maneuver every evening. Why didn't it land on the nightstand? 

Kaya stooped to pick it up. Froze. 

The marks on the floor didn't quite match up with the legs of the nightstand. As if it moved on its own. An impossible task. Kaya clutched the bottle to her chest as she stood. 

Nothing else seemed out of place. Not here, anyway. 

Just in case, Kaya checked each area of her room. Nothing else seemed out of place, but...

Kaya yanked open her top dresser drawer and rummaged through it. 

"No. No, no, no. It was definitely here." 

Except now, it wasn't. 

Kaya scrambled to the front door, yanked it open, and darted to Zoren's door. Her fist pounded against it as hard as she dared. 

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Stop beating down my door! What do you-" Zoren pulled the door open all the way. "Oh, it's you." 

"I... I think..." Kaya inhaled sharply. This time, she swore to herself she wouldn't pass out. Not again. "Um... my place... I think... Maybe..." 

"Take your time. What happened? Did you see a spider or something?" 

Kaya squeezed her eyes shut and dug her fingertips against the plastic bottle in her hands. "I think someone's been in my apartment." The words came out in a rush. 

Zoren's hand clamped around her upper arm and tugged her over the threshold into the apartment. "Are they still there?"

Kaya shrugged and shook her head, all at once. She hadn't looked everywhere. 

Lina emerged from the bathroom, scrubbing her wet hair dry with a towel. "What's going on?"

"Stay here with Kaya." Zoren shot out the door and slammed it behind his back. 

Kaya nibbled at her lip. She could have been scatter-brained. It could be nothing. But it didn't feel like nothing. 

"What's going on?" Lina stared at Kaya. "You're shaking. What happened?"

"Some of my things were a little displaced. I thought someone might have been in my place. I'm probably being crazy." 

"Doesn't matter. Better safe than sorry. Let me get you some tea. Come in, sit down." 

Kaya did as Lina asked, hoping beyond hope that she was wrong about all of it. Her heart knew better. Whether she liked it or not, whether she was prepared or not, he had found her.