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The day was wearing on her. The brief high from her meeting with the advisor faded quicker than she expected.
“Just needed a breather. It’s so busy in here today.” She lifted her burrito, scanning the crowded tables. “I don’t even think I want to try to find a seat. Maybe I’ll take this home and have lunch there.”
“No more classes?”
“Nope. I just saw my advisor.” She perked up. “Did you know there’s like a bunch of different programs I can take that would help my moms?”
“No shit?”
She nodded. “I think once we’re done with all our group stuff, and I can close out these classes, I’ll put in the major change request.”
“Know what you’re gonna do?”
“Not a clue.” Her laugh was stilted and a half scoff. That problem was for future Charlotte to face. Back in Rosebrook Valley. Back where she could breathe again without it hurting.
Lifting his fast-food bag, he gave her a lopsided grin. “Wanna eat together? We can go outside.”
She should eat. “Why not? Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a table on the way out.”
She managed to eat a little over half of her burrito before her stomach tightened and called it quits. Noah had been more than happy to finish it for her, so her waning appetite didn’t seem suspicious.
He walked her to the bus stop, which made her feel safer, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes on her the whole way.
He didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, and she wasn’t about to bring attention to it. She didn’t want him to think she was delusional and paranoid. The one time she mentioned she thought someone was following them, when Rachel convinced her to go to a late-night show at a local bar, Rachel brushed it off instead of taking the situation seriously. She decided keeping it to herself in the future was the best option. To be fair, Rachel had been drunk, but it still made Charlotte hesitant to bring up the subject again.
If someone was indeed following her, they didn’t seem dangerous. Aside from following her to the bus stop last night, whoever they were didn’t bother to bridge the gap between them.
It would be foolish to ignore the situation, but she didn’t have to get everyone around her in a twist over it.
If they even believed her to start with.
4
FIRST CONTACT
By the time she reached her apartment, she didn’t even feel fear at the roses lying in front of her door. Didn’t even question why there was a second delivery in the same week.
Irritation prickled her skin, trying to worm its way inside her body like an uninvited guest. What was it about today that made it harder to keep her emotions in check?
She picked up the bundle and moved into her apartment, locking the door behind her. Setting the bouquet on the kitchen counter, she opened her bag and pulled out her phone and put it on the counter.
She groaned.
In the bottom of her backpack lay a squished banana and her tiny pill organizer. The little white pill mocked her forgetfulness through the see-through lid. That explained a lot.
“Medicine doesn’t work if you don’t take it, Charlotte,” she chastised herself, now understanding why her mood had soured as the day progressed. Her previous dose from last night wore off as the day pressed on.
She’d not only forgotten her medicine but didn’t even eat her breakfast. Her medicine burned through her system fast, so missing even a single dose left her feeling off-kilter and moody. Maybe her doctor could switch her to the extended-release dose. Those worked for her when she took medicine in her early teens.
Would it be too late to take her pill?
She sucked in her cheek, pursing her lips. If she didn’t, she’d feel like crap for the rest of the day.
She swallowed the pill with a glass of water and stared at the roses on the counter. No note this time.
She wanted to throw them away, but when her frustration at having a secret admirer got the better of her last week, and she took the bag to the community trash, she received a fresh bouquet on her doorstep and a note taped to her door telling her how it wasn’t nice to throw away gifts. It freaked her out enough that she decided from then on to keep the roses until they died.
There wasn’t a threat on the note, but for some reason, she felt threatened by it.
