“It’s still new,” I said by way of apology. No, they weren’t my actual relatives, but Wendy had the grandma guilt down to a fine science, and I’d lost count of how many times I’d spilled my guts to her and Clarence whenever they invited me over for dinner.
“I don’t mean to be pushy,” she said, “but if you ask me, I say hold onto that one. Handsome as the Devil and willing to do manual labor to keep you happy?” She waved in the direction of her husband. “These men don’t come around that often, and if you don’t scoop him up, someone else will. I stole Clarence right out from beneath the nose of a woman who didn’t appreciate him like she should have.”
I gaped at her. Prim and proper Wendy had taken another woman’s man? “Uh, ma’am? You were going to tell me this story when?”
Her smile widened, eyes crinkling at the corners. “It’s not nearly as exciting as it sounds.”
“I think I’ll be the judge of that,” I said.
She chuckled and shook her head at me.
We chatted for a few more minutes before the cold sent me back inside, and I left Wendy with the promise that we’d have dinner soon. It was their turn to host, and she said Clarence had all the ingredients to make Chana Saag – my absolute favorite thing they’d ever served me.
I whipped my phone out of my robe pocket the second I got inside.
Have you ever heard of the word boundaries? I texted the Faceless Man.
Doesn’t sound familiar, he wrote back. Can you use it in a sentence?
Goddamn it, this wasn’t funny. Not at all. My cheeks hurt because they were cold, not because of how wide I was grinning.
Did you do any other nefarious things besides shovel and stock my fridge that I should know about? I asked. Watched me while I slept? Placed more hidden cameras?
He sent a thinking emoji. Nothing comes to mind. But you do snore real cute.
My eyes flashed wide. I do NOT snore.
Like a chipmunk with a cold. Wheeze, wheeze, siiiiigh.
Keep making fun of me, and I might stab you again. And do not say “kinky”!
Kink- uh, I mean…
You’re lucky I didn’t find some sneaky way to get my neighbors to describe you and make it easier for me to track you down.
And risk having them look at you sideways after I told them I was your beau? I knew you wouldn’t do it. Or make it easier on yourself. Don’t lie. You’re having as much fun as I am, Aly.
I shook my head. He was incorrigible. And I was having fun, but I wasn’t ready to admit that to him yet. His ego seemed big enough without me inflating it.
Thank you, by the way, I said. For breakfast and shoveling. You shouldn’t have. I mean that literally, but I’m grateful anyway.
I expected a sarcastic response, but he wrote back, I like taking care of you.
Shit. No, hormones. We’re not going to be set all aflutter when the strange man stalking us does something nice.
How are your stitches? I asked, unsure of how to respond to his loaded comment. I’d been actively avoiding the memory of stabbing and then stitching him up, but I could only suppress the healthcare worker inside me for so long. I’d done everything I could to prevent infection, but the reality was my house wasn’t a sterile environment, and the risk of something going wrong was real.
Red and itchy, he replied. And are black lines leading up my arm from the wound normal?
Oh, fuck.
No! You need to go to the ER. Now. I am not- I typed out before his next text came through, and I paused to read it.
Just kidding. It’s fine. You totally freaked out, didn’t you?
I braced my hands on the kitchen counter and leaned forward, wheezing in a breath as I fought to get my heart rate under control.
I was absolutely going to find him and figure out some way to get even. Maybe I’d break into his house and move all his furniture slightly out of place. Not enough to be super obvious, but just enough that his brain got stuck on it, knowing something was off, and he went crazy trying to figure it out. Or maybe I’d film a thirst trap in his bedroom and see how he liked it.
Ugh. Scratch that. He’d probably like it a little too much, and I was aiming for punishment, not reward.
My phone pinged again.
Aly? You still there? Or are you off somewhere plotting my demise?
How did he know me so well already?
Oh, right. The stalking.
You will never see me coming, I told him, hitting send before I noticed the double-entendre in the words.
Welp. There go my plans for you tonight, he wrote back.
I nearly choked.
How the hell was I supposed to get through the rest of the night with the thought of him getting me off taking up so much space in my brain?
Another text came through, but it was from Tyler.
Hey, Aly. I know you probably work tonight, but do you have time to swing by here first and talk to Josh? He said he’s free.
The smile that spread over my face felt maniacal. Let the first step toward finding the Faceless Man commence.
If I leave soon, yes, I responded. Does half an hour from now work for him?
It took a few minutes for Tyler to answer. He said yes. I won’t be here. Is that okay? Josh is cool.
I’m sure I’ll be fine, I told him.
K. Good luck. Here’s his number so you can text him when you get here.
He sent it through, and I saved it to my phone before thanking him.
I switched back to my text thread with the Faceless Man.
Do you feel like sharing those plans? I asked.
In answer, he sent back a zipped lip emoji followed by a knife and then a grinning devil face.
Cool, cool.
It was either his turn for knife play or he was planning to stitch my lips shut so I wouldn’t be able to tell the Devil who stabbed me to death when I got to hell.
Chapter 10Josh
You’re sure you’ll be okay with Aly on your own?” Tyler asked from the kitchen. “I can stay if you need me to.”
How bad had I gotten that my roommate considered taking time off work to babysit me while I had company over?
I paused in the middle of setting up my laptop on our living room coffee table and turned to him. “I’ll be fine as long as you’re sure she’s not into true crime.”
Tyler scoffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the counter. “She’s not,” he said. “She sees too much of it at work and doesn’t understand people’s obsession with it. And come on, man. You really think I’d bring a murderino home?”
I frowned. He screened his dates for me? “I didn’t realize you were so selective.”
Tyler shrugged. “Why do you think you never met Eric last year? He was a My Favorite Murder fanboy, and they’d just covered your dad.”