Inevitable (Book One)

Chapter 41

Lyla

I wake up in my childhood bedroom alone in bed. I glance around at all the pictures and decor I have collected over the years. There are a few picture of me with my parents. I smile at the photo collage of me with Rachel and Paige that we made in the seventh grade. I reach for my phone and see that it's eight thirty. I get out of bed and slide on some sweatpants and a bra as I tuck Shawn's shirt into my waistband.

I head downstairs quietly, unsure if anyone's awake yet. As I reach the kitchen I still haven't seen anyone and figure they are all still asleep. I'm caught off guard when I find Shawn seated at one of the stools at the end of the kitchen island. He doesn't notice me at first as he stares down at the counter, but as I move towards him his head lifts to look at me. I am startled as I take in his appearance. He looks absolutely exhausted. There are dark circles under his eyes and he offers me a small smile. I take the stool beside him as I turn to face him.

"Are you okay?" I ask him worriedly. He sighs and pauses as he looks at me, almost like he's contemplating how to answer my question.

"I didn't sleep well," he offers me quietly.

"Was the bed not comfortable?" I ask him, unsure what the problem would have been.

"No," he says and when I raise my eyebrows at him to continue he does. "I had a bad dream and couldn't get back to sleep," he admits as he looks back down at the table embarrassed.

"I'm sorry babe that sucks," I say as I start to rub my hand up and down his back. "What was it about?" I ask curiously. He looks over a me nervously before he responds.

"It was about those stupid phone calls you keep getting. Someone came after you and I couldn't get to you or help you. You were just screaming out my name and there was nothing I could do. When I woke up I was a puddle of sweat. I actually came back to your room just so I could see you and make sure you were okay. So I've pretty much been up since about three o'clock," he finishes speaking and I lean my head against his shoulder. I feel horrible that he spent his night wide awake alone in this house. I wish he had come and woken me up, but there's no use in dwelling on that now.

"There weren't any new calls today were there?" He asks me desperately.

"No, nothing today," I reply quickly as he sighs and nods. "Why don't you try and go back to sleep? I'm in no rush to do anything today," I offer to him. I had actually planned to take him skating this morning, but I can always push that back until this afternoon.

"No that's alright," he responds sweetly as he turns and places a kiss on my forehead. "I'll just push through the day now," he tells me.

"Well I'll put on a pot of coffee stat then," I say as I hop off the stool and move to the coffee maker. I glance over at him and watch him rub his hands over his face as his elbows rest on the counter. As if on cue my phone starts to vibrate on the counter in front of where I had been sitting. I see Shawn glance down at my phone and before I can move over to it, he grabs it and swipes the screen as he puts it up to his ear.

"Who the fuck is this?" He questions into the phone, his tone threatening and irritated. His face is turning red as I watch him rise from the stool he's on and start to pace in the kitchen.

"Are you too much of a pussy to say anything?" He demands back into the phone and his voice is starting to rise. I silently hope that my parents are either still asleep or won't hear him. "I will find out who you are and then you're dead," he spits his final threat into the receiver before he taps the phone and slides it back onto the counter. He continues to pace in the kitchen, his hands clenched in fists at his sides.