Lydia White
September 24th
"So let me get this straight." Eliza says as she burps Elijah on her lap. "Someone threw rocks at your window and made eye contact with you, then ran."
"Yes!" I throw my hands in the air. "I know it sounds crazy but it happened, El." I try to prove my case while she looks at me like I have six heads.
"Right." she nods slowly.
"You don't believe me, do you?" I huff.
"I believe that you were going through a lot last night and your mind might have been playing tricks on you." she states. "Lyds, this time last year something very tragic happened to you. You were grieving and you got paranoid. It's normal."
I sit back and rest my head on the back of her couch, looking up at the ceiling. "Maybe you're right."
Maybe I was just being paranoid. My head wasn't the clearest last night and my emotions probably just got the best of me.
"I am right. I'm always right." she smirks.
"Oh whatever." I roll my eyes playfully. My phone chimes and I pull it out of my pocket, looking at the screen.
It was a text from Cody.
"Cody's here to pick me up." I say, gathering my things.
"Okay." Eliza smiles, then kisses Elijah on the cheek.
I smile at her motherly action and then crouch down to Elijah's level.
"Bye bye, Eli." I pinch his cheek softly, causing him to smile a toothless grin. He was pretty used to me being around, especially because I've barely left Eliza's side. She likes to think of us as his two mothers.
Cody was waiting for me in his car when I got out of the building. He greets me with a kiss before driving out of the parking lot.
"So how was your night after I dropped you off?" he turns his head toward me and smiles.
I didn't want to lie to him, but he doesn't know about Harry, and I don't really know how to explain to him that I went home and cried because last night was the anniversary of his death.
"Just went to sleep." I shrug.
I also left out the part about the mysterious figure under my window, because I wasn't sure if I was going crazy or not.
Cody glides a hand across his neatly styled hair while looking forward out the windshield.
I've tried really hard not to compare Harry and Cody.
But sometimes it just happens.
Cody likes his hair to be neat, not loose and messy. His hair was curly, but he doesn't like his curls so he gels his hair to the point where it looks straight.
Harry's hair was literally the opposite. His hair would be all over the place and his curls would never be tamed. But somehow, he made it look incredible.
There were more comparisons I found myself making.
Harry had green eyes. Cody has dark brown ones.
Harry had tattoos. Cody doesn't.
Harry swore in every sentence he spoke. I've only heard Cody swear maybe four times, and it was usually when he drank.
Harry was tough, cold, and sort of scary. Cody was sweet, gentle, and sort of like a teddy bear.
A chiseled, six foot, gelled-haired teddy bear.
I think I fell for Cody because he was so different from Harry. At the time, I thought I needed to step away from anything that remotely reminded me of Harry, and Cody walked in with his sweet demeanor and put together appearance.
I still appreciate Cody for the person he is, however. I'm not with him because I need to forget about Harry.
I'm with him because he makes me happy.
"I need a coffee. You want a coffee?" Cody speaks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Um, I'll have a hot chocolate instead." I tell him, making him nod.
He pulls in front of the coffee shop. We go inside and he orders for the both of us. I wait for him at a wooden table across the shop.
It was pretty busy. There were people sat at the tables and waiting in lines. People conversing and drinking.
I prop my elbow on the table, and rest my chin in the palm of my hand as I wait for Cody and our drinks.
Maybe six minutes later, he strides to the table with two hot drinks in his hands.
He sets mine down in front of me and sits down. I notice a small smirk on his face.
"What?" I tilt my head, smiling slightly.
"Open it." he says, making me furrow my brows.
I watch his excited little facial expression as I pop open the black lid.
In the foam of the drink, there was the design of a butterfly.
Cody's a very romantic-gesture type of guy. On our first official date-which was a movie night at his house- he had rose petals scattered everywhere, and slow music playing like something directly out of a movie.
He just likes to show his affection.
"You are something else." I shake my head, wearing a smile on my lips.
He shoots me a goofy smile before taking a sip of his drink.
From across the room, I hear the barista yell something that made my stomach drop.
"Order for Harry?"
My head shoots up the second I hear his name. I look around the shop, trying to locate a curly haired, tatted man.
But then some old man grabs the coffee.
I sink down in my seat. My own stupidity was almost laughable. Harry is dead.
And he certainly would not be in a coffee shop.
"You alright?" Cody asks.
"Hm? Oh yeah." I sit straight again, shaking my head and tucking my hair behind my ear. "Just got distracted."
I spent the rest of the day at Cody's house. We cuddled and watched movies. He made me dinner. Then he drove me home around 9.
I tied my hair up in a ponytail and took my makeup off, then put on sweatpants and a hoodie just to feel more comfortable.
I turn on the tv, and settled for some cooking show that was already playing. I sat down with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of water.
I felt really sad for some reason. I didn't know why.
I had a good day. I spent it with people who care about me. Nothing even remotely bad happened.
So why the hell was I so fucking sad?
Deep down, I knew why.
It was Harry. Since yesterday, I've found myself missing him and needing him more and more. It wasn't like I could call him and tell him I missed him, though...because it wasn't like we broke up.
He died. That was the difference.
What the really overwhelming thing is, is that it's almost like I can feel him.
It's like he's close to me, like he's waiting for me somewhere.
But he's not. The only place he's waiting for me is up in the sky.
Just as I was about to fall asleep on the couch, something hits my window, making me snap from my daze and whip my head towards the sound.
That happened. Something was thrown at my window. I knew I wasn't crazy.
Another hit.
I rush over to the window to try and get a glimpse of who the hell was doing this.
This window-unlike my bedroom window- had a street lamp right next to it.
I threw my window open as quickly as possible.
"Hey!" I shout.
Sure enough, there was a person standing below.
His face was shadowed by his hood. He was dressed in all black.
He just looks up at me, not moving, not saying anything...only looking.
"What do you want!" I shout down at him again.
When he doesn't answer and continues to stare, I feel slight fear rise inside me.
"I'm going to call the cops if you don't fuck off!" I shout at him one more time.
This time, he slowly turns to walk away.
My heart is telling me to follow this man, to see who he was and why he was throwing rocks at my window.
But then my head is telling me that this idea was insanely stupid and I'm going to get myself killed.
I've always been one to follow my heart, but I think I might have to sit this one out and accept the fact that following a creepy stranger at 10 o'clock at night is probably not the brightest idea.
I lock every window in my apartment, and the front door.
I shuffle into my bed and try to get to sleep.
But it was hard when I knew there was someone lurking outside my apartment.
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