I Can't Do It Alone

Tia’s eyes fluttered open, and it took her a minute to figure out where she was. She looked down at the blue sheets, and then over at the empty spot next to her in the bed, and the memories of last night all came flashing back. She slowly rolled out of bed, wondering where Kris was. She looked over at the clock and saw a piece of paper sitting in front of it with her name on it. She picked it up, opening it to read it.

Tia,

I had practice this morning, but I didn’t want to wake you up. Go ahead and make yourself at home. There are extra towels in the bathroom, and you can borrow some of my clothes if you want. I’ll be back in a little while after practice is finished. And, please, make sure if you have to leave that you call Brooklyn or Jocelyn to go with you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.

Kris

Tia smiled at the note, happy to know that Kris hadn’t just disappeared without telling her. She walked into the bathroom to find the extra towels, and she stepped into the shower, wishing that the water could just wash away all of her problems. She was still trying to figure out who the stalker could be, and no one was coming to mind, which frustrated her more than anything.

She stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around her torso and walking back into Kris’s room. She opened his dresser drawer, grabbing the first pair of sweatpants and t-shirt she could find. Putting the clothes on, she laughed to herself at how big they were on her and how ridiculous she must look.

Her cell phone rang, causing her to jump. She glanced at the screen to see it was Jocelyn, and she quickly answered it. “Hey, Jocelyn, what’s up?”

“Hey, I just tried calling your apartment,” Jocelyn told her. “Where are you?”

“I’m at Kris’s,” Tia replied, not thinking about what she was saying.

“You’re at Kris’s?” Jocelyn questioned. “Wow, you guys move fast,” she joked.

“No, it’s not like that,” Tia told her. “Listen, I really need to talk to you and Brooklyn. Is there any way that you two can come over?” she asked.

“Sure, we’ll be right there,” Jocelyn told her, hanging up the phone.

Tia grabbed her towel, trying to dry her hair as much as possible. Fifteen minutes later, she heard a knock on the door, and she went to go answer it.

“I knew you two slept together!” Jocelyn exclaimed, taking in Tia’s appearance.

“We did not sleep together!” Tia told her.

“Then why are you in his clothes right now?” Brooklyn asked her.

“You guys might want to sit down,” Tia told them, pointing towards the couch.

“Okay, Tia, you’re really starting to scare me,” Brooklyn told her. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Tia proceeded to tell them everything that had happened with the stalker, including the latest letter and box of pictures.

“He’s taking pictures of you?” Jocelyn asked. “What kind of sick person is this?”

“I don’t know,” Tia told her. “But, that’s why I stayed here last night. I didn’t want to be left alone,” she admitted.

“Of course you didn’t!” Brooklyn cried. “I don’t blame you,” she said as the front door opened and Kris, Sid, and Max walked in.

“I take it you told them?” Kris asked her, and Tia nodded her head. “Good, it seems everyone’s caught up then,” he said, sitting down next to Tia. “How are you doing?” he asked her quietly.

“I’m still a little freaked out,” she admitted.

“So, he’s taking pictures of you now?” Sid asked. “What kind of person would do this?”

“That’s what I just said,” Jocelyn mumbled, still angry at Sid about their argument about her job offer. He glanced over at her before looking back over at Tia for an answer.

“That’s the problem,” Tia said. “I can’t figure out who it could be. And, I don’t know what to do anymore. I mean, even if I went to the cops, it’s not like they’d be able to do anything about it since we have no idea who the hell this guy is!”

“Like Tanger already told you, make sure that you don’t go anywhere by yourself,” Max said.

“What, do you think she’s stupid or something?” Brooklyn suddenly asked. “Do you really thinks she’s just going to go somewhere by herself when there’s a crazy guy following her around?”

“Brook!” Tia cried, not able to believe that she was acting this way. “He’s just trying to help. Stop it!” she yelled, and Brooklyn quickly apologized to her. Just as Max was about to say something, Tia turned around to him. “And, don’t you start in on Brooklyn either. You two need to sort out your problems already!”

“Sorry,” Max said quietly.

“I don’t want an apology, I just want you two to stop arguing. Same thing with Sid and Jocelyn,” she added, looking over at the other couple, who were avoiding each other’s gaze.

“We’re not here to discuss our relationships,” Sid told her. “We’re here to talk about the stalker and what to do about him.”

The conversation lasted a little while longer until Sid and Max decided to leave. “Call me if you need anything,” Sid told her, giving her a hug.

“I’ll see you later,” Max said, pulling her into a hug.

“Bye, guys,” Tia said with a small smile.

“We’re going to go, too,” Brooklyn said, standing up as the two guys left. Both she and Jocelyn gave Tia a hug, telling her to call them later, before they left.

Tia turned around to Kris. “Well, I guess that’s my cue to leave as well,” she smiled. “Thank you for letting me stay the night.” She started to turn around when she felt Kris grab her hand. “Yeah?” she asked him.

“Don’t go,” he told her.

“What?”

“Don’t go. I am not going to let you go back to your apartment and stay there by yourself when you’ve got someone following you around,” Kris stated. “Stay here.”

“Kris,” she started to argue.

“Come on, Tia. Are you really going to tell me that you’d prefer to stay in that apartment by yourself?” he questioned.

“No,” she said quietly.

“Then, stay here,” he repeated. “Just move in.”

“Kris, I can’t move in! We’ve been dating for just a few weeks. And, now you’re asking me to move in?” Tia asked.

“I’m not asking you to marry me,” Kris laughed. “I just need to know that you’re safe. This is probably more for me than it is for you. I know that if you go back to your apartment, I’m going to be thinking about you all the time, and I’m never going to be able to focus on anything else. So, please, just move in here, if only to keep me sane,” he said with a smile.

“Fine,” Tia sighed. “But, I need to go back and get some of my things.”

“Let’s go,” Kris told her, grabbing his keys off of the table.

As they walked to his car, Tia grabbed his hand, looking up at him. “Thank you,” she smiled.

“For what?” he asked, looking down at her.

“For asking me to move in. For caring about me,” she stated. Instead of replying, Kris leaned his head down, giving her a sweet kiss before getting in his car and driving to Tia’s apartment.