She typed back.
Bring it on!
She finished the message with a wink emoji before hitting send. Maybe that sounded too forward. No, it was exactly what she meant to send and it sounded perfect. She unclipped her hair, allowing the rest of her long black locks to flow down her back.
‘Oh my goodness, you look beautiful, Amber. Your eyes are so… feline.’ Lauren placed the cup of mint tea on her bedside table, kicking a few items of clothing aside to get there.
‘Thanks, and thanks for the drink.’ Amber knew she wouldn’t be drinking it. As soon as she could get Lauren out of her apartment and back into her own, she’d go.
‘I may or may not be home this weekend. We’ll see how things go.’ Amber winked. Insensitive maybe, but Lauren needed to get the message.
‘You know, you do look hotter in the pink. Go have a good time. If I don’t see you tomorrow, then I’ll know you’re having too much fun.’ The forced smile on Lauren’s face told another story. ‘Catch you later. I’m off to FaceTime my mum before she turns up uninvited to check on me.’
She listened as Lauren left and the door slammed.
One last spray of her hair and a splash of her favourite perfume, and she was ready to go. Bending over, she picked up the tiny overnight bag she’d packed earlier, containing the bare minimum. It looked like a going out bag but larger. Nothing would be assumed by its presence but she’d be prepared if she needed her toothbrush and some clean lacy underwear.
As she locked her door, Lauren opened hers. Her pale face had blotched up a little bit. ‘I’m going to miss you.’
‘You said we were okay.’ Amber didn’t have time for this. Regretful, that’s how she felt. She had crossed the line with Lauren and damn, she wished she hadn’t. All that ‘have a good time’ was a front. It was now obvious that Lauren had wanted more. ‘I have to go.’
‘Please stay.’ Lauren reached out and placed a hand on her arm as she passed, her fingers stiff and cold.
Her phone beeped in her pocket. He’d be waiting for her at the restaurant. ‘We’ll talk about this when I get back, I promise.’ Amber broke away.
Wiping a tear from her cheek, Lauren slammed her front door.
As Amber navigated each step in the most impractical shoes she owned, she couldn’t get the look on Lauren’s face out of her mind.Let it go for now,she thought.
She pushed through the creaky main door and an icy gust filled the hallway. It hadn’t snowed yet, but the weather forecasters were threatening it. If only it could hold back for the next hour, she’d be fine.
The sound of someone yelping made her stiffen and stop. A man leaned over the boot of his car at the back of the car park, holding his back as he tugged something. She squinted to see into the darkness. As he yanked again, he slipped and stumbled backwards onto the kerb, screaming out as he hit concrete.
‘Oh my goodness. Are you okay?’ She teetered towards him, almost slipping on the ice in her stilettos as the contents in her bag jangled. An icy blast whipped up the bare branched trees that surrounded the car park, whistling through the underpass opposite.
‘Hi, Amber. I’m lucky you came out when you did. My leg, it kills. I was just trying to get my crutches out of the boot and now look at me, I’m a mess.’
‘I didn’t know you’d hurt yourself.’
‘It only happened yesterday. I had a few too many and you know how it goes. The pavements have been icy and I just went. Whoosh. Just like that. Looks like I’ll be trussed up for a bit.’
Her gaze was immediately drawn to his pained smile. She checked her watch. She could have him back on his feet in a minute and still make the bus. ‘Right, I’m going to have a go at helping you.’
He yelped again and began breathing heavily as she tried to pull him up. ‘I’ll be okay, honest. Just go for it.’
She winced as she imagined what pain he must be in. She knew all too well how much a broken leg hurt after she’d fallen in PE at school and broken her own. ‘Right, let’s try again. Are you ready?’ He nodded.
‘I tell you what, can you just get my other crutch out of the boot? I think I wedged it in a bit tight. That’s how I fell in the first place.’
She nodded and glanced into the boot. He was right, the crutch had been jammed between the two sides of the car; the rubber nugget at the end was firmly pressed on its interior. She tugged and tugged but it wouldn’t come free. It was definitely stuck. ‘I can’t seem to budge it.’ Warm breath, that’s what she could feel on the back of her neck.
Shaking, she turned only to be faced with his nose almost touching hers. The grin on his face told her that he didn’t need help. It was a trap and she’d fallen straight into it. A sharp pain flashed through her head as he struck her with something hard. As she stumbled to the frozen ground, her trouser leg caught on something, she heard the tear. Glancing across at her apartment block, she knew no one was looking. All the curtains were shut and she was all alone with a man who was trying to kill her.
The moon above appeared to be spinning. Climbing to a standing position, she tried to turn and run but the dizziness sent a sickening wave through her body. Her heel caught in a pothole and she stumbled back into his arms. She went to punch but he batted her fists away.
‘You’re not going anywhere.’
Any sign of his limp was now gone. All she could see was his seething mouth and his penetrating stare.
