A Player With a Game
XIV
I put the food in the refrigerator, heading towards the living room and kicking off my heels. I dropped the rose on the floor as I laid myself on the couch, I sighed. Matt hadn't been answering his phone, and at this point I was more than worried. It was almost one and he usually would have called by now. The doorbell rang, I got to my feet, not bothering to put on my heels. I opened the door and a bottle of wine sat before me. It was the same one I was planning on buying earlier.
"Matt?" I asked. But no one came out. I quickly grabbed the bottle, walking back inside my house. I hoped he'd pop up at some point so I kept looking out the peep hole. A tall man with a hoodie walked out of the bushes and went out the fence. I opened the door, calling out to him, "Matt!" I laughed. I tried to reach him but by the time I got to the fence he was already gone. I sighed, "Matt?" I asked. I decided to run back in, locking the door behind me. I called Matt's house phone but no one picked up. I called his cell phone and someone finally answered.
"Matt?" I asked.
"Hey - Hey, babe." he whispered.
"Were you just here?"
"No, I'm still at the office. I know I promised I'd be back early today but I can't. I'll be here at least another hour. There's so much work."
"Alright, well I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Okay, sorry."
"Bye." I ended the call before he had time to say anything else. I'd spent my entire day fixing up the house and making him dinner, and at the end of the day I'm alone with a remote. I turned on my TV, flipping through the channels and landing on a show about stalkers. Not necessarily the best show to be watching at this time a night. And my thoughts took me straight to the wine bottle that was at the end of the couch. I grabbed it, thinking back to who could have left it for me. It couldn't have been Matt's ex, it was obvious that the person running was a man. He had a strong build, sort of like Matt's body. But I tried to forget about it.
I ended up falling asleep with the show still on.
~~~
I was startled by a noise coming from the kitchen. I jumped and felt how cold I was, feeling goosebumps all over my exposed skin. I sat up in the darkness, the television had turned off by itself.
I didn't bother checking to see if it was Matt, I grabbed my phone, quickly dialing Matt's number. The phone read 2:30, so I hoped he was home.
"Hello?" a tired voice asked. A running vehicle could be heard in the background.
"M-Matt? Where are you?"
"Why are you whispering?" he giggled.
"Matt, I think there's someone here."
"What?"
"There's someone in my house."
"W-what do you mean?"
"Someone is in my kitch,-" a strong hand covered my mouth, attempting to make me pass out. I kicked him in the groin and grabbed the phone, falling to my knees and crawling towards my phone, "Matt, there's a man here!" I yelled as I tried to run towards my door.
"Get out of there now."
"Agh!" I yelled, feeling my hair being pulled up, I tried to hold onto my phone but my hands grabbed onto his as he pulled me to my feet, "Please, just take what you want and leave." he took in the scent of my neck and moaned. I cried for help as his hands wandered over my body, finally reaching my mouth. I was locked but spotted the wine glass, I attempted to reach for it but I didn't make it. I stretched out my foot, watching the wine glass drop to the floor, thankfully not breaking. I moved it towards me with my feet as the man behind me sniffed my hair. I slid down through his arms, grabbing the bottle and attempting to swing it at him. He let go, and I decided to run.
I tried not to trip and made it towards the door, shaking so much that I believed I wouldn't be able to take all of the locks off. I finally opened it and ran out the gate and towards the street, a car was approaching and I ran towards it, it stopped before it could come to me and I continued running towards it.
"Arabella!" Matt cried out, he started running towards me, holding me close to him.
"He's still in there."
"The cops are on their way, Bella." he let go of me and started running to my house.
"Matt, don't!" I screamed. But he kept running, so I followed. I stood behind him as he took out a gun from his blazer. I felt dizzy as I looked around to make sure no one was behind him. I couldn't stop breathing loudly. He turned on all the lights, but the man was gone. The police sirens were heard and two armed men came inside.
"Did he hurt you?" Matt asked.
"I don't - I don't know," I cried. The police asked us to wait outside as they searched the house, but came back with a disappointed look.
"Well, whoever he was, he's gone. We're gonna make sure this doesn't happen again. What can you tell us?"
"There was a - a wine bottle, and it was just there. And I saw a man running out but I don't know if it had anything to do with the man who attacked me. And I was sleeping and I heard something from the kitchen and I called Matt and - I don't know, he grabbed me and he was holding my mouth and I hit him and he grabbed me again. And I tried to hit him but I don't know. He didn't continue trying to hit me. He just - he just stopped." I cried.
"Alright, try and breath, ma'am. I know this is traumatizing but I need you to calm down and tell me everything how it happened."
"I just - I just did."
"Well, there's no wine bottle in there."
"There - there was, I promise you there was."
"There indeed was a home invasion, the back door was opened. The only question is how he got in. This place is really secured. Only a pro could have possibly broken in."
"Do you have anywhere to stay?" the other cop asked.
"U - um,-"
"She'll stay with me," Matt interrupted, "I live right next door."
"Alright, do you believe you're being stalked, ma'am?"
"I don't know. There was a guy I keep seeing but I don't know. I don't know."
"Alright, we're gonna keep searching for hints, but we'll let you know what we find."
"Okay, thank you."
"She should get some rest." they said to Matt.
"Yeah, let's go home, baby."
"Matt?" I asked. But no one came out. I quickly grabbed the bottle, walking back inside my house. I hoped he'd pop up at some point so I kept looking out the peep hole. A tall man with a hoodie walked out of the bushes and went out the fence. I opened the door, calling out to him, "Matt!" I laughed. I tried to reach him but by the time I got to the fence he was already gone. I sighed, "Matt?" I asked. I decided to run back in, locking the door behind me. I called Matt's house phone but no one picked up. I called his cell phone and someone finally answered.
"Matt?" I asked.
"Hey - Hey, babe." he whispered.
"Were you just here?"
"No, I'm still at the office. I know I promised I'd be back early today but I can't. I'll be here at least another hour. There's so much work."
"Alright, well I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Okay, sorry."
"Bye." I ended the call before he had time to say anything else. I'd spent my entire day fixing up the house and making him dinner, and at the end of the day I'm alone with a remote. I turned on my TV, flipping through the channels and landing on a show about stalkers. Not necessarily the best show to be watching at this time a night. And my thoughts took me straight to the wine bottle that was at the end of the couch. I grabbed it, thinking back to who could have left it for me. It couldn't have been Matt's ex, it was obvious that the person running was a man. He had a strong build, sort of like Matt's body. But I tried to forget about it.
I ended up falling asleep with the show still on.
~~~
I was startled by a noise coming from the kitchen. I jumped and felt how cold I was, feeling goosebumps all over my exposed skin. I sat up in the darkness, the television had turned off by itself.
I didn't bother checking to see if it was Matt, I grabbed my phone, quickly dialing Matt's number. The phone read 2:30, so I hoped he was home.
"Hello?" a tired voice asked. A running vehicle could be heard in the background.
"M-Matt? Where are you?"
"Why are you whispering?" he giggled.
"Matt, I think there's someone here."
"What?"
"There's someone in my house."
"W-what do you mean?"
"Someone is in my kitch,-" a strong hand covered my mouth, attempting to make me pass out. I kicked him in the groin and grabbed the phone, falling to my knees and crawling towards my phone, "Matt, there's a man here!" I yelled as I tried to run towards my door.
"Get out of there now."
"Agh!" I yelled, feeling my hair being pulled up, I tried to hold onto my phone but my hands grabbed onto his as he pulled me to my feet, "Please, just take what you want and leave." he took in the scent of my neck and moaned. I cried for help as his hands wandered over my body, finally reaching my mouth. I was locked but spotted the wine glass, I attempted to reach for it but I didn't make it. I stretched out my foot, watching the wine glass drop to the floor, thankfully not breaking. I moved it towards me with my feet as the man behind me sniffed my hair. I slid down through his arms, grabbing the bottle and attempting to swing it at him. He let go, and I decided to run.
I tried not to trip and made it towards the door, shaking so much that I believed I wouldn't be able to take all of the locks off. I finally opened it and ran out the gate and towards the street, a car was approaching and I ran towards it, it stopped before it could come to me and I continued running towards it.
"Arabella!" Matt cried out, he started running towards me, holding me close to him.
"He's still in there."
"The cops are on their way, Bella." he let go of me and started running to my house.
"Matt, don't!" I screamed. But he kept running, so I followed. I stood behind him as he took out a gun from his blazer. I felt dizzy as I looked around to make sure no one was behind him. I couldn't stop breathing loudly. He turned on all the lights, but the man was gone. The police sirens were heard and two armed men came inside.
"Did he hurt you?" Matt asked.
"I don't - I don't know," I cried. The police asked us to wait outside as they searched the house, but came back with a disappointed look.
"Well, whoever he was, he's gone. We're gonna make sure this doesn't happen again. What can you tell us?"
"There was a - a wine bottle, and it was just there. And I saw a man running out but I don't know if it had anything to do with the man who attacked me. And I was sleeping and I heard something from the kitchen and I called Matt and - I don't know, he grabbed me and he was holding my mouth and I hit him and he grabbed me again. And I tried to hit him but I don't know. He didn't continue trying to hit me. He just - he just stopped." I cried.
"Alright, try and breath, ma'am. I know this is traumatizing but I need you to calm down and tell me everything how it happened."
"I just - I just did."
"Well, there's no wine bottle in there."
"There - there was, I promise you there was."
"There indeed was a home invasion, the back door was opened. The only question is how he got in. This place is really secured. Only a pro could have possibly broken in."
"Do you have anywhere to stay?" the other cop asked.
"U - um,-"
"She'll stay with me," Matt interrupted, "I live right next door."
"Alright, do you believe you're being stalked, ma'am?"
"I don't know. There was a guy I keep seeing but I don't know. I don't know."
"Alright, we're gonna keep searching for hints, but we'll let you know what we find."
"Okay, thank you."
"She should get some rest." they said to Matt.
"Yeah, let's go home, baby."