Chapter 4

As we drove back to our base in Liverpool, I couldn’t help but notice the intermittent skipping of my heartbeats when I glanced at Ian. I knew it was unhealthy to get involved with anyone when I was still legally married to Isak, but it felt good to feel those butterflies again like I used to with Arthur.

Something about Ian had me drawn to him even though I didn’t want to. He was the complete opposite of Isak—soft-spoken, kind, courteous, and younger—and it was something that I considered before getting involved with anyone. And it was the reason I had loved and enjoyed his company all through my week-long stay at the resort.

I was beginning to miss him the night before since we were slated to leave the next day. My lips broke into a smile when he was there at the parking lot, ready to chauffeur me back to Liverpool, even though he looked like he could afford to fly anywhere.

I had chipped it into a couple of our conversations about how much I loved road trips, and he had thought to be my travel buddy since he was heading there too. Even though the main reason I was going back by road was that I had little money left, I was glad I could spend some time with him before our final separation.

“We arrive in Liverpool in about half an hour,” he said once the clock hit six p.m. “Do you mind if I drop you at yours?”

I swallowed hard. It was the first time I would take anyone there since I got the place, and I didn’t think it was wise to take Ian, whom I had just met barely a week ago. “I think I'll figure myself out instead, Ian.” I glanced at him briefly. An apologetic smile played on my lips.

He gave a small smile that communicated his disappointment more than he was willing to, and he nodded curtly before diverting his attention to the road.

The car was quiet before that question, but after my response, the quietness became uncomfortable, and I guess it bothered him just like it did me. “You don’t consider me a friend you should take to your home, no?” He said it in his thick British accent.

“Ian–” 

“Hey,” he cut in softly. “I understand very much, and I shouldn’t have asked to visit your home so soon. I apologize.”

I opened my mouth to begin explaining the many reasons why I couldn’t have anyone around yet, but I shut it. I turned my eyes out the window and looked at him briefly. “4, Lenny Boulevard.” He turned sharply to study my expression, to be sure. I nodded my approval.

He grinned at me and faced the road. “Can I call you too? I mean, if I’m going to know your place, it’s only normal that I can call you, right?”

I chuckled softly and stared at him in faux disbelief. “You push your luck too hard, Ian.” I extended my open palm to him and looked at it from the corner of his eye. It was like a light bulb went off in his head because he immediately began to pull out his phone from his pants pocket.

I took the phone from him and began to punch my number into it. “I am going to hold this right here until we get to my place, so you don’t get us into an accident.”

We shared a laugh briefly, and I continued to stare out the window like I was before the brief chit-chat.

******

Ian said his apartment was thirty minutes south of mine, and I made do with the time to freshen up and settle in before I put a call through him to find out if he had arrived home safely. The call, which I had planned to be brief, lasted longer, and I was not bothered.

It was the thing with Ian: I could never get bored with him, and conversing with him had a way of opening layers upon layers without both of us knowing how fast time had flown. The call eventually came to an end after it had lasted seventeen minutes, and I wished it hadn’t.

As I dwelled on the sudden twist in my emotions the last week, butterflies were fluttering in my stomach, and there was also a warning alarm going off in my head, telling me to retreat from the course as it was going to be another failed attempt at building a bond, just like it was with Arthur and Isak that I paid no heed to.

Pulling me back to reality was a loud thud just outside my window. I wondered what it was and got off my bed to peep through the window. I noticed a shadow move past swiftly, and I dialed 911 as I ran to lock myself up in the bathroom.

The call was taken on the first ring, and without putting my phone to my ears, I made a quick report and my address, subtly begging that they hurry. My eyes darted from side to side as I tried to make sense of what was going on.

I guess the intruder heard me on the phone because I heard retreating steps shortly after, and I stood on my tiptoes to look out the window. And there, I was able to make out Isak’s shadow retreating to the other side of the road.

Hurriedly, I whipped out my phone from the giant pocket of my robe and took shots of him, the car, and the plate number as it drove off, while I wondered how he must have found me so quickly.

With my fingers trembling and my heart racing, I lowered myself to the toilet seat to steady my breath and forwarded the pictures to my lawyer via email. My doorbell rang several times, like the person on the other side was in a rush.

I sprang up in fear as I wondered if Isak had changed his mind and come back for me. I wondered what was taking the cops longer to arrive, and that was when it clicked that it just might be them.

“Who’s there?” I whispered immediately as I got closer to the door. I looked through the peephole, and there was Ian.

Was he playing pranks on me? It couldn’t have been him whose shot I took. I opened the door to reveal him in his pajamas and a coat that was worn inside out. His hair was ruffled, and his breathing was rapid. “What are you doing here?” I asked as I tried to steady my trembling hands.

He shoved me aside carefully and made his way through my apartment. He went through every entrance and inspected the rooms carefully before he came back to meet me in the sitting room, where I was still waiting for his response. “Are you alright, Iris?” He asked, his voice laced with emotion.

I wasn’t alright, obviously, but I was more concerned about how he arrived here shortly after I saw the intruder leaving. “That does not answer my question, Ian.”

“You called me. Shortly after our call, you called me again and said you felt someone was trespassing in your apartment.”

“No, I didn’t!” I retorted sharply.

“Yes, you did. I mean, it’s right here.” He brought out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through it swiftly. Then he brandished it in my face to show me his call log.

I looked at his phone and stared at him before scrolling through my call log. There were no calls made to 911 like I thought I had, but there was a redial of Ian’s number, just like he said. “Oh.” I dropped my face in my palm and heaved a sigh of relief before hopping on a seat by the kitchen slab.

Ian got me a glass of water to calm my nerves, and it did. I was beginning to feel the tension ease off when my doorbell rang again. This time, it was less urgent, and it made me jump off the stool I was on to hide behind Ian, who seemed shaken as well. If it was because of the knock or my reaction to the knock,

I stared at him wide-eyed, and he stared back at me, trying to hide the fear in his eyes. Who could it be this time