Dinner that night was chaotic. After such a stressful day, one would want to feel relaxed at home, to take a soak in a bubble bath, to wear comfy clothes and watch some TV with hot chocolate in a mug. All that went out the window when Liza suddenly had one of her mood swings, demanding a food carnival.
The kitchen was totally cluttered with dishes and bowls here and there, specks of flour on the counter top, cabinet doors open, pans and pots on the stove, and two women singing and dancing to their old favourite song Downtown.
When you're alone
And life is making you lonely
You can always go
Downtown
When you've got worries
All the noise and the hurries seem to help I know
Downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the side walks where the neon lights are pretty
How can you lose
The lights so much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles
Forget all your cares
So go Downtown
Things will be great where you're in Downtown...
"Liza! What's burning?!" I pointed my wooden spoon towards a smoking pan on the stove and shouted over the booming music. Thank God we didn't have any neighbours because the trouble we were causing was just too much.
"Nothing Rosie! The meatballs are just getting a tan!" She twirled like a ballerina and headed over to the pan with a certain kind of funny accent that we used whenever we were alone.
The music system was on full blast, while the sizzles and stirs from the kitchen accompanied by the song created so much commotion that I was sure it reached the whole area surrounding our house. Not to mention two women who can't sing at all, shouting and screaming at the top of their voices. We would even occasionally drop or break something and scream and shout at each other with absolutely no care about the aftermath of the mess that we were creating here.
Again, good thing that we don't have neighbours.
The menu was not even that hefty that could create this much clutter considering meatball spaghetti, beef Wellington and cheesecake were the only things on the menu.
I think I should join a gym soon.
"Oops! Downtown emergency!" Liza shouted and made her way towards the bathroom after taking a lick from the batter of the cheesecake with her finger.
I smiled and switched off the music system, happy to have such a friend like Liza who can make all my worries disappear with just a snap of her fingers. These were the moments where I didn't mind that I had to go through whatever I had in the past to be here with her because I felt at peace and the feeling inside my heart was enough. This life, right now, is enough.
I pulled out the cheesecake from the oven and put it on the counter so that it could cool off when my eyes caught a piece of envelope tucked in the corner of the kitchen window from the outside.
It was weird and abnormal for it to be tucked in there since we barely had any mail and even if we did the mailbox was at the end of the driveway, visible enough for the postman to put it in there like he did sometimes. I frowned at this whole situation as the pieces just didn't click together. What is this doing here? I opened the window and tried to spot someone who might have lodged it there but all I saw was darkness shrouding the whole surroundings in a pitch-black cover. Gusts of wind blew my hair and only the faint rustle of leaves was all that I heard.
I closed the window and averted my attention towards the envelope. It was a little wet with small chunks of snow on it but not damaged yet as if it was just put there right now. I flipped it over only to find the other side simple and blank.
It was deadly silent when I opened the letter and read out the contents which chilled me to the bone. Cold sweat made its way out of my scalp and trickled down to my forehead like a slithering snake.
Dear Rosa,
You don't know me
But yet you do
I have loved you from the moment I met you.
They say everything is fair in love and war.
So I am ready for war if that's how I will get you.
I know you are afraid
But fear me not.
Because I will come to claim you whether you like it or not.
Be a fool and share this with your friend.
The next thing you'll see is her deathbed.
Lots of Love from,
Your admirer.
"Hey, Rosie! I found this outside your door, and it seems like you have a date wi-"
She stood still as soon as she saw my expression. She ran over to me but by that time I had already hidden the letter in my pocket.
"Jesus! Rose are you okay? What happened? Why are you shaking?"
I brought my hands up in front of my eyes and saw that they were quivering like I was having my own personal earthquake.
"I-I think I saw someone outside..." Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, but I struggled to keep them at bay. My teeth roughly grabbed my lower lip, holding onto it as if my life depended on it.
Liza did not even think twice and grabbed my hand to pull me towards the back door. We both got in our boots and made our way outside. Snow crunched beneath our boots and made a soft sound in the totally still night.
The first thing I noticed was footprints on the snow near the window, but I could not show Liza that. I don't even know the guy and how much truth his threat held.
Better safe than sorry.
"Liza! Let's go check the front."
We made all the way around the house towards the driveway and saw pretty much nothing except for the looming trees and snow covering the gravel underneath. The moon was high up in the sky with occasional clouds wrapping it up in a torn blanket through which specks of moonlight reached our isolated home.
We came to a stop on the road to find a slight fog cocooning the atmosphere. It was mostly dark except for the dim moonlight. We forgot to bring our torches which was not wise at all.
All of a sudden I heard running footsteps, coming towards us. Liza panicked and quickly came by my side and I felt her ice-cold hand grasp my arm as the running came closer. It was quite hard to determine where the noise was coming from since it was dark and our panicked mind was totally confused to assess the situation properly.
We both were knocked over when a body slammed against our back. Shrieks were heard from me and Liza while some guy started cursing and groaning.
"Who the fuck was standing in the middle of the road at this time of the night!"
The voice sounded quite familiar to me but still, I didn't want to take any chances.
"Who are you? And what are you doing in front of our house?" Liza, being the braver one, spoke up.
Whoever the guy was turned on a flashlight and pointed it towards our faces. I shielded my hand in front of my eyes to prevent the strong glare of light to blind my eyes.
"Wait, Rose, is that you?"
I looked up to see the familiar face of Ivan.