My Life

Frankie

We pull up to my parking spot, and while I should be focused on my house and checking for anything out of the ordinary, all I can think about is Oscar. Specifically, how he kept a massive secret from me, all while he pretended like he cared about my safety.

If he really cared, he would have told me about the man across the street. It turns my stomach to know he was lurking around before he busted down my front door. To know that he could have been watching me all this time.

“Do you want me to…” Oscar points at my house, but the tone of his voice tells me he wants to get away from me as quickly as possible.

“It’s fine. Brad’s home.”

Oscar scoffs. He probably added an eye roll, but I can’t see well enough in the dark car.

Truth is, I’d rather have backup to go inside, even with Brad and all the preventative security measures I’ve taken. The more overpowering truth is that Oscar’s presence affects me too much. Distracts me and makes my heart do a weird flipping thing that feels like an arrhythmia.

So as much as I’d like him to rest his hand on my back and lead me inside, we need distance. I also need to prove to him that I can handle things myself. Having Rhonda call Oscar for me was the coward’s way out. I can’t be a coward now.

We have a short standoff on the sidewalk before parting ways and each heading to our own doors. He watches me from his front step as I hesitate to unlock my deadbolts. Slowly, I disengage each lock, listening inside after each one. The only sound I hear is the tippity-tap of Brad’s nails on the tile entryway.

By the time I reach the final lock, Oscar has disappeared inside. I hold my breath as I inch my front door open. Thankfully, I left all of my lights on inside so I could watch the security cameras more clearly.

“Ciao, bambino,” I greet Brad as I walk in, though I’m scanning the room instead of looking at him. He doesn’t seem anxious or upset by anything, so I hope that’s a good sign.

I take a few steps toward the living room so I can look around the stairs into the kitchen. Nothing out of place. The back door looks secure.

A pounding sound behind me nearly startles me to death.

“Frankie? It’s Blake.”

I breathe a sigh of relief at hearing his voice. Without hesitation, I turn to open the door.

“Hey. Can I come in?” he asks, his face marked with an uncharacteristic worry.

“Sure. I just got home.”

“I know. Oscar told me what happened. All of it. I… thought you might want someone to check things out with you.”

That’s incredibly sweet of him. I’m not sure if it’s him or Oscar I need to thank, but I’ve spent enough time as the neighbourhood damsel in distress.

“I should be fine. Brad’s here,” I repeat, even though I don’t have a ton of confidence in his guard dog abilities.

Blake laughs. “Right. Well, maybe I’ll just stay here until you give me the all clear? Just to be sure.”

“The cameras didn’t pick up anything. Not even outside.”

“It’s not a flawless system, Frankie. And I don’t trust that Brad wouldn’t sell you out for a burger.”

There’s no point in arguing with him about this. I might as well take him up on his offer and get it over with. “Fine. This floor looks okay. Wanna come upstairs?”

“Now we’re talkin’,” he replies, adding a fist pump.

“Blake.” I glare at him, sending a clear message.

“Right. Back to business. At your service, m’lady.” He takes a dramatic bow, rolling hand and all.

Five minutes later, we’ve confirmed the house is empty. I feel better knowing for sure, but my nerves are still out of control.

Blake and I return to the living room, where he comes to a stop with both hands in his sweatpants’ pockets. “You know, he’s a good guy. He wasn’t trying to keep a secret, Frankie. He was trying to keep you from worrying more than you needed to.”

Clearly, Oscar really did tell him all of it.

“He should have told me. It’s my life being affected by this, so I should have been aware.”

“And what would you have done differently? Added more locks to the door? Gotten another dog? Taken more precautions? You’re already doing everything you can, so the only thing you would have done is worry more.”

That is a very valid point. One I don’t want to admit to out loud, so I say nothing.

“Look, Keith was there. They both told me and Austin the next day. We all knew about it, so you can’t be mad at him and not be mad at the rest of us. But before you hate us all, know that we did what we thought was best for you.” He untucks his hands from his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “You have our numbers if anything seems off through the night. Don’t be afraid to use them, okay?”

I choke back the swirling emotions coursing through me and nod. “Thank you.”

“That’s what neighbours are for. Never know. I might earn myself a crazy stalker chick someday, and I’ll need your help in return.” He shrugs as he slides his feet into his shoes.

Again, I glare at him, not appreciating him making light of the situation—even if that’s his way of life and what I love about him.

“Bad joke. Sorry.” He flashes me an awkward toothy grin, still managing to look handsome. It’s no surprise he has his own legion of girls swooning over him. He does have a certain charm to him once you get past his obnoxious outer layer.

“It’s fine. Thanks again.”

With that, he unlocks the front door and walks outside, leaving me and Brad alone once again.

We settle in on the couch, too on edge to sleep upstairs. It feels safer sleeping down here with access to multiple exits.

Though sleep doesn’t come, because I’m too amped up from the day’s events. Instead of dozing off, I lie on the couch, running through every interaction I’ve ever had with Oscar, trying to figure out where we stand.

And I never come up with an answer.

Both of my shifts at the clinic this weekend have been marked with a fresh spike of anxiety. Especially when I have to leave at the end of the day. The weekend receptionist, Talia, has been walking out with me, and thankfully there haven’t been any more notes.

That doesn’t make me less nervous, though.

Sunday afternoon, once I’m safely in my car, I take a moment to pull up my security camera app and scroll through the footage over the last few hours. Nothing out of sorts, so I tuck my phone away, pull onto the road, and head toward home.

I have to stop for some groceries on my way, so I choose the busiest, most crowded store to shop in. More people means more opportunities to blend in and fewer to be anywhere alone. Surprisingly, the chocolate and candy aisle is relatively empty. Like no one else in this neighbourhood is trying to silence their stress with sugar. Must be nice.

Once I check out, I grab my bags and head to my car. Again, the hairs on my arms stand up, even under my thick coat, alerting me to something. I stand frozen in the middle of the parking lot, scanning the area. A few people are staring at me with scrunched up foreheads, but none of them are the source of the eerie feeling I have.

With no answers and no desire to stay here like an easy target, I walk toward my car, checking for anything on the windshield. I breathe a sigh of relief when there’s nothing there. I open my door, pressing the lock button as I toss my groceries on the passenger seat and hop in before slamming the door shut. It’s not much, but the safety of my car certainly feels better than being exposed in a busy parking lot.

I detour on my way home, checking my rear-view constantly to make sure nobody is following me. When I’m confident the coast is clear, I turn onto Boston Avenue and slip into my parking spot.

I don’t get out of the car right away. Instead, I stare at my front door, resenting this person for taking another home I’d come to love and ruining it. I no longer feel relieved to come home at the end of the day to enjoy some peace and quiet. Even though Brad is anxiously awaiting my return, I struggle to want to go in there. It’s not my sanctuary anymore, but the thought of starting over is too much to handle.

A knock on my window instantly speeds up my heart rate. I look up to see Oscar with one hand raised in surrender and the other holding a small pink box.

“Sorry,” he says through the window.

I can’t help but feel a little bad about how I treated him on Friday night. Even though I maintain that he should have told me about the man across the street, it’s hard to stay mad at him when he looks genuinely remorseful now.

Once I grab my bags from the passenger seat, I open the door and hoist myself out, coming face to face with him.

He reaches out to grab my bags with his empty hand and passes me the box with his other. “I got this as a peace offering. To say I was sorry.” Wrinkles form around his squinting eyes, and since it’s gloomy and grey today, it’s not from the sun.

I take the box from his hand, noticing the Desirea’s Sweets logo on the top. “How did you get this?”

“Hollis took a trip home for the weekend. I asked her to grab it, but I wasn’t sure if this was the bakery you liked.”

The fact he put in the effort to have a red velvet cupcake delivered to me from a bakery two hours away is… I’m not even sure what to think. It’s so beyond a simple apology, which, after talking to Blake, I would have accepted and offered my own in return. This amount of thought and effort makes me want to kiss him.

His quick dismissal makes sure that doesn’t happen. “Anyway, I just wanted to say sorry. If I see anything else, I’ll let you know.” He turns to walk toward my door, since he’s carrying my groceries, but I reach up to grab his arm.

“Apology accepted. I’m sorry too… for getting so upset. It was more the situation than you.”

He sends me a tight-lipped smile and a subtle nod before walking up my front steps and setting my bags down.

I trail up the stairs behind him, stopping in front of him as he turns around.

“Enjoy your cupcake.” He attempts to step past me, but again, I stop him.

“Do you want to come in?”