Caged (12 page)

When we reached the car, he opened the door to it and literally put me into the seat and turned it on for me.

“Do you know how to get back to your place from here?” he asked frantically.

“I…I think so.”

“Go. Go now. Don’t stop for anyone or anything.”

“I don’t understand what’s hap…”

“JUST GO!” he screamed at me. ”I’m so sorry, Ruby, but you need to go now. You must call me the instant you get home, do you understand me?”

“Yes, but I…”

“GO!” he yelled before quickly kissing me and slamming the door.

I pulled out and gunned it down the street hoping desperately that I’d turned the right way. I drove like a maniac through the city, fleeing something I didn’t comprehend. I tried not to think about it while in town, but as soon as I hit the openness of the highway, my head was reeling from the questions that were left unanswered.

I heard my phone vibrating in my purse and tried to dig it out in time to answer. There was a message left for me.

“Ruby, it’s Eric. Look, I’m so sorry and I’ll explain everything, but I need you to call me so that I know that you’re alone and OK.”

I was too flustered to call while driving, so I tossed the phone aside. I would call him when I got back. Along with my increasing distance from the party, an anger started to build. I felt cast out and abandoned, left to drive home scared and alone. The night had come up
way
short of what I’d hoped for and I couldn’t wait to be home so I could sleep it off.

Eric had some major explaining to do, no matter what effect he had on me and my undergarments. No amount of infatuation was going to override that. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

I pulled up to my apartment, nearly slamming into the car in front of my spot. I collected my things from the car and hurried out, wanting to hit my bed ASAP. I unlocked the front door without looking at it, and pulled it open. As I went to lock it behind me, I noticed a note taped to the outside. I opened the door enough to reach around and take it down, closing and locking it behind me. As I climbed the steps I opened and read it.

Ruby,

I stopped by to see you tonight. Just wanted to know what you were up to. Call me when you get in so I know you got home OK.

Sean

I walked into the apartment and threw my things down on the floor as I made my way down the hall to my bedroom. I wasn’t going to call either of them. I texted a generic message and sent it to them both: I was fine, I was home, and I would talk to them later.

My home phone rang instantly. I looked at it dubiously before unplugging it, and every other one in the house. I turned my cell off before either had a chance to ring that one, and slumped into bed. I’d had enough adventure for the evening.

I had no intention of starting any more.

17

I dreamt of the party, my mind deeply immersed in reliving the events of that night. Eric and I were dancing dangerously close together amidst the crowd of people, and I could see Marcus on the far side of the room staring at us. I couldn’t tell why. His gaze was neither angry, nor malicious, but it was very firmly affixed on us.

I looked over Eric’s shoulder as our bodies molded to one another, wanting to observe the crowd, but all their faces were turned away from me. I tried to move around to catch a glimpse of even a profile, but did not succeed.

Suddenly, there was a high-pitched screeching, buzzing sound going off in the penthouse.
An alarm
, I thought to myself. The chaos was immediate and Eric worked hard to rush me through the crowd to the door. Again, I tried to look upon the faces of those I passed, but they were always blurred, as if our movements were too fast to allow me to focus on them. I was forced out the entryway by Eric, who did not follow. The door was closing when I turned to face him, and in those fleeting seconds before it shut for good, I caught a glimpse of him.

And his face wasn’t human.

I shot out of bed realizing that the alarm I heard wasn’t in my dream. My godforsaken doorbell/buzzer/most-annoying-soundin-the-world was going off in high fashion. I sprang out of bed and stumbled down the hall. The microwave’s neon-green clock cast an eerie glow on the hardwood as I passed by the kitchen.
4:17am…I swear to God if it’s some asshole, pot smoker with a fast watch I’m going to get absolutely medieval on someone…

“WHAT?” I screamed into the intercom hoping to scare the living daylights out of the unlucky recipient.

“Ruby? Are you OK in there?” the voice asked.

“There are stalker laws in New Hampshire, you know,” I growled into the box on the wall. “I got
all
your messages, and I sent you one back. Now I’d like to go to sleep, so leave me alone!”

“I tried calling you after your text, but your machine didn’t pick up and your cell went straight to voicemail. I wanted to make sure you were OK. Can I come up?” he asked.

“NO!”

“Are you sure you’re all right? I just need to know you’re in one piece,” he pleaded.

No, everything is not okay. I had the night from hell, the dream from hell, and now the lack-of-sleep-experience from hell…

“Will it make you go away?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“Then fine,” I replied before opening the door. Instead of buzzing him in, I stormed out of the apartment, flipping the hall light on, and proceeded to descend half way down the stairs. I then did a dramatic little spin which clearly displaying that both my front and back sides were all accounted for and unharmed. I was met with a most dissatisfied look coming through the windowed door.

“For the love of all that’s holy…” I muttered under my breath.

I completed the trek down the stairs to the door, then unlocked and opened it just enough to stick my head through. That concession did not appear to be enough for him, so he forced the door open the rest of the way in and stepped into the foyer.

“Sean, seriously, what is your damage? This is truly unhealthy behavior! Stress is the number one cause of disease and you are one step away from an ulcer, my friend…”

“Where were you tonight?” he asked, eyeing me intently. ”Nice jammies by the way. A little flashy for bedtime, don’t you think?”

I looked down and realized that I hadn’t changed out of my party outfit. I supposed he had a point there. I scowled before responding, not exactly in the most friendly of moods to begin with. I wasn’t much of a morning person and it was very, very early in the morning.

“I went out, though I’d have thought that was child’s play for your keen sense of deduction since I don’t exactly parade around in this outfit often.”

“Where?” he asked folding his arms over his chest.

“Boston,” I replied mimicking him.

“With?”

“Someone.”

“For what?”

“A party.”

He cocked an eyebrow and pressed his lips tightly together.

“Whose party?”

“I doubt you know him. Contrary to popular belief, Sean, you don’t know everybody.”

His face hardened for a moment before continuing. He looked hurt and angry, but was controlling it well considering how badly I was baiting him. His breathing was slow and deliberate as though trying to diffuse his rising temper. He massaged his forehead, rubbing tiny circles on it with his thumb and index finger.

“Listen…,” he began with a pause. “I know Eric. I know he’s bad news. You need to stay away from him, Ruby.”

Busted.

“So you admit it finally? You two
do
know each other.”

“Yes,” he said simply.

“That’s it? Just ‘yes’?” I prodded.

“Yes.”

“Awfully tight-lipped for someone who expects me to spill the beans about my evening.”

“Some things are just better left alone, Ruby,” he said as he walked past me up the stairs.

“Ummmmmmmm, excuse me? I don’t believe I asked if you wanted to come up.”

“No,” he said, hesitating slightly at the top stair. “No, I don’t believe you did.” He took the last step slowly before stalking into my home.

With a sigh, I climbed up the stairs and walked into the apartment to find him rummaging through the fridge for an early morning snack, his butt sticking out from behind the door. It was hard to stay angry at an ass like that.

“I’m going to bed,” I said wearily.

“That’s fine. I’m going to hang out.”

“And eat all my food?” I added.

“That too, though I have to say your selection is really going downhill these days.”

“Whatever. Back to dreaming for me.”

“Were you when I came?” he asked sounding far more interested than expected. “I wondered what was taking you so long.”

“Did you expect me to just pop out of bed and come running?” I asked, closing the refrigerator door on him.

“No, not really. Nothing is ever that easy or convenient with you.”

“Whatever,” I scoffed, turning to leave. “I’m going back to bed.”

“So what was this dream about?” he asked as he walked towards me with a box of leftover Chinese in one hand and chopsticks in the other.

Back to Interrogation 101…

“I don’t know. It was sort of a strange version of my evening, but it left off…” I said, cutting myself off. How could I explain something that I couldn’t even fully wrap my head around? “It ended weird.”

“How so?” he prodded. “Define ‘weird’.”

“I don’t know, Sean. It wasn’t exactly crystal clear,” I started, feeling my irritation with him growing. “I turned to see Eric, only it wasn’t him. His face…it was…it was all wrong.”

His chopsticks never faltered.

“Like it wasn’t him?” he asked, shoveling lo mein into his mouth.

“No…no it was him, but at the same time, it wasn’t. He didn’t look human. But whatever, it was just a dream,” I told him dismissively. “It was a really long night and it didn’t mean anything. Last night I rode a tricycle down Madison Avenue in a bikini. I doubt that has some greater meaning.”

“You did, eh?” he asked, cocking his damned eyebrow again. I started to think that thing had a mind of its own.

“In my dream, you ass. In my dream,” I said with exasperation.

“Oh. That’s too bad. I would have liked to have seen that,” he said, winking at me. He turned, heading back to the living room, and I watched him walk away, all strength and confidence wrapped up in one tall, dark package.

“You don’t think it means something…do you?” I asked as he nestled onto the couch.

“Go to bed, Ruby,” he replied without looking at me. “Get some sleep.”

In a rare act of compliance, I went to my room and did just that.

18

My dream never returned. Instead, I woke up hours later to the smell of breakfast being made, accompanied by classical music.
If only all mornings started this way.

I floated up from my bed and continued down the hall to find Sean in the kitchen making pancakes and fruit salad while boiling water for tea. He had clearly gone to the store, since I had none of the provisions required for such a meal.

“You’re going to be such a good housewife one day,” I sighed as he flipped the pancakes gracefully.

“At least one of us will,” he replied, lifting only his eyes up from the griddle. It was enough to see the sparkle in them and I knew instantly that his mouth was curling up at the left corner in an effort to stifle the laughter his little comeback had created.

“Were you up all night?” I asked casually.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why do you insist upon asking questions that you don’t really want the answer to?” he asked with the slightest hint of irritation.

“But I
do
want to know why,” I countered.

“Fine. I was waiting to see if Eric would show up,” he said.

Weird…

“Why? Why would he? That’s really messed up, Sean,” I replied with my own injection of irritation this time.

“No, it’s not,” he said as he cleared the griddle, preparing it for the next round.

“Seriously, you’re starting to sound crazy. Paranoid even,” I told him.

“Listen!” he shouted as he slammed the spatula down on the counter. I’d forgotten I even had one of those.

“I got a call from my buddy, who bounces at
Vain
. He mentioned that he’d seen you drive up to the club and pick Eric up. He also mentioned that a couple of hours later he saw you go flying by in your TT. Alone. He thought something might be up so he let me know,” he explained.