If I Was Your Boyfriend

‘Wait, hold on – what do you mean it wasn’t from her?’ Justin squints his deep brown eyes running a hand through his soft hair. ‘The box clearly said from mom. Who would send you some kind of stuffed animal saying it’s from your mo-…’ he cuts off before he finishes the sentence.

‘You don’t think…?’ I question not able to finish my own sentence.

‘No.’ Justin immediately shakes his head, ‘someone cannot be that insane.’

‘I need to check the box.’ I stand from my seat and hurry out of Justin’s room.

‘Chrissy, wait up!’ Justin calls rushing out his door and down the hall with me.

I push the door open and knock the brown box over shaking it. A small piece of paper slips from the box and I grab it with my hands.

‘What’s it say?’ Justin asks behind me curiously.

‘Surprise – not from mommy. You’ve ruined everything. I hate how things turned out between us cops and restraining orders. This isn’t how our story ends. I won’t let it. Whatever happens to-…’ I break off staring at Justin with watery eyes.

‘What is it?’ he asks moving closer to me.

‘Whatever happens to him is your fault. You brought this on yourself. I’ll be in touch. Remember I’m always watching.’

‘I don’t buy it.’ Justin scoffs taking the note from my hands to rip it into shreds. ‘The guy’s on the other side of the world. Holbrook said that he’s had 24/7 surveillance on Carter’s house since he was released. I don’t think he’ll be doing anything any time soon and before we know it he’ll be rotting in a prison cell.’

‘Then how did this find me?’ I kick the box across the room towards my luggage.

‘There’s a hundred people outside of the hotel – it’s not that hard to find out where we are Chris.’

‘But the exact room number? He would have to have help from someone on the hotel’s staff.’ I swallow hard glancing around the room, ‘I don’t think I feel comfortable here anymore.’

‘I’m going downstairs right now to get to the bottom of this.’

‘Nichole is going back to Canada maybe we should just all pack our things and take off.’

‘Wait, she’s leaving?’ Justin turns on the heel of his shoe, ‘does Ryan know?’

‘Yeah, last I saw the two of them they were downstairs talking.’

‘I’m going to see about the flight arrangements while I’m down there too. Do you want to go with me?’

‘No, I’m just gonna take a shower. I’ll find you when I’m done.’

‘Will you be okay up here?’

‘Yes, I’ll be fine.’ I assure him walking over to the dresser to get a change of clothes.

‘Alright, just call me if anything happens, okay?’

‘Got it.’ I reply still going through the clothes.

‘I love you Chrissy.’

‘I love you.’ I turn to look at him before he slides out of the door.

I pull my clothes off and toss them into the hamper to get washed before we go back to America. After my shower I take the bear in my hands to throw it out when the right eye flickers with a speck of red. I turn the bear upside to discover a small hole in the bottom of it. I go to Danielle’s bag and the small scissors from her emergency sowing kit and cut the fabric. A thin black wire was shoved inside of the stuffing. I put the wire until a microscopic lens falls into my palms. A camera. I immediately drop the bear onto the floor and scan the room for my phone. I call Justin and he automatically answers on the second ring.

‘Hey, Chris. Everything okay?’

‘I think you should see this.’ I swallow at the torn bear on the floor.

Justin comes up to the room moments later with security and the hotel’s manager. I hand him the bear along with camera silently. I watch as Justin clinches his jaw tightly and forms his hands into large fists. He places the camera onto the floor and stomps on it several times. The small woman dressed in her uniform jumps while the others stare at him cautiously.

‘Are you okay?’

‘I just feel so… violated.’ I mutter to him glancing over at the several large men in the room with us.

‘I’m so far past the point of apologizes. One of your staff members has invaded the privacy of my girlfriend with someone who threatened our lives. I’m bringing the authorities in for this.’

‘I’m sure that isn’t necessary, sir.’ The hotel manager tries to reason with Justin, ‘I can assure you that nothing has ever happened like this in my hotel.’

‘And I can assure you nothing like this will ever happen again. I’m calling the police and I will not be staying here another night.’

‘Surely there is something we can do for you.’

‘Yeah, you can go wait for the police downstairs and send them up to my room when they get here. I’ll be packing.’ Justin growls hooking his arm around my waist, ‘thanks.’

‘Yes sir.’ He nods and the workers follow him out of the room.

‘What were they saying downstairs?’

‘No one wants to fess up. The police can pull the security tapes and see exactly who dropped the package off here.’ He says dialing the police on the hotel’s phone.

‘I thought this was going to put behind us already.’

‘Don’t worry it will be. I’m calling Holbrook right after I call the police – they’ll go right to his house and drag him back to where he deserves to be.’

‘But you read the note Justin.’

‘Carter doesn’t strike an ounce of fear in me. Through all of this – not a single shred of fear coursed through my body regarding Carter. If anything I was scared something would happen to you.’

‘We’ve seen what he’s capable of. I don’t think he’s playing games.’

‘Well neither am I.’ he says as he begins explaining the situation to the local police.

Once he was finished on the phone he dials Holbrook and tells him about Carter’s surprise. Holbrook tells him that they were on the way to get Carter now because he’s violated court orders – no contact whatsoever with me or Justin.

‘Come on – I’ll help you pack.’ Justin sits down beside me on the floor and we begin to throw my things into suitcases.

‘Are you guys leaving too?’ Danielle comes in with Garrett close behind us.

‘What do you mean “too”?’ Justin turns to look at the two of them.

‘Ryan and Nichole are heading out to Canada in an hour.’

‘I still haven’t found a flight yet.’ Justin sighs, ‘I need to call the travel agent.’

‘Go, I’ll finish this then meet you in your room.’

‘Alright, I’ll pack while I’m in there.’ Justin gives me a small kiss on my cheek before heading out the door.

‘What’s going on?’ Danielle questions curiously sitting on her bed with Garrett.

‘Carter. He sent me a creepy stuffed animal with a small camera implanted inside of it.’

‘That guy is like some virus you can’t get rid of.’ Danielle makes a face before sliding down the bed to grab her suitcase, ‘we were actually thinking about going back to LA.’

‘You were?’

‘This is a conversation I don’t want to have over the phone with our parents.’

‘True.’

‘I now know how Justin felt when he was going to talk to your dad.’ Garrett runs a hand through his head nervously. ‘I’m actually looking forward to the long flight.’

‘Everything’s going to be fine.’ I assure them as I zip my suitcase up.

‘I hope so.’ She says going over to the closet and bringing her clothes out, ‘and same to you. Carter will soon be a distant memory.’

‘That’s what I keep telling myself.’ I sigh dragging the last suitcase over to the door.

Justin’s Point of View

‘No, tomorrow’s no good. I really need to get out of here tonight at the absolute latest.’ I groan closing the door behind me.

I grab my suitcase and my clothes then stuff them inside. All of Chrissy’s unopened gifts remained in the corner of the room including the one from me. There’s so much going on lately we haven’t had a time to sit down and look at them.

‘I’ll pay for the private plane again then. I really just need to get out of this hotel and city. I’m flying with five extra people – does that change anything?’

My travel agent on the other line suggests again that we take a commercial flight back to America tomorrow morning but I couldn’t agree with it. I refuse to stay in this hotel for another night. I just want to get back to LA and watch Carter get stuffed back in his cage.

‘Like I said, I’ll pay for it. I don’t care if costs extra. Call me back once everything’s finished. Thanks Monica.’ I hang up the phone and finish grabbing all of my stuff.

I needed to get down to the lobby and greet the police force any minute now. As I’m waiting I get a call from Holbrook. He speaks with a tone I couldn’t quite understand but I could tell that he was beating around the bush.

‘Just get out with it.’ I snap closing my suitcase.

‘He’s gone.’