Adalyn made her way into her room to grab her pajamas, so she could take a bath and relax. She noticed her pajamas folded at the end of her bed. She didn’t remember leaving them there this morning, but she was sure she must have since that is where they were.
After a long relaxing bath, Adalyn made her into the living room. She had the entire weekend ahead of her but had no plans besides cleaning and laundry. She sat on the couch, getting comfy, flipping through the channels for something to watch.
The next morning Adalyn woke up to knocking at her front door. She stood and stretched, making her way to the door. Her muscles were a little tight because she had fallen asleep on the couch again. Adalyn stood on her tip toes and peeked through the peephole. She was shocked to see Aislyn on the other side of the door.
“Good morning!” Aislyn chirped before Adalyn could get the door completely open.
“Um, hi,” Adalyn said, confused as to why Aislyn was standing on her porch and how she knew where she lived.
“George told me where you lived. I stopped by the shop this morning looking for you. You left so quick last night I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” Aislyn explained.
“Come on in. I am sorry I left so abruptly last night. I just didn’t want to keep you from your job,” Adalyn explained as she closed the door. She walked toward the kitchen with Aislyn right behind her. She started a pot of coffee.
“It’s totally fine. You were at least polite about it. I have had people come in and turn right back around and leave without a word. Others have made rude comments before leaving. The regulars or locals are all super nice though,” Aislyn explained.
Adalyn poured two cups of coffee and brought them to the table, setting one down in front of Aislyn. Sitting across from her enjoying her own cup.
The two girls sat and enjoyed their coffee in silence for a few minutes before Aislyn started asking a barrage of questions.
“I know your new around town, but how long have you been here?” Aislyn asked.
Releasing a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding, Adalyn answered, “I have been in town for about two weeks or so. Have only been in this house for about a week or so though.”
“You will fall in love with this little town. Everyone is so nice. It gets a little old sometimes when it seems like you have no privacy, but that is only for the people that have lived here their entire lives,” Aislyn laughed.
“I am assuming you are one of those people?” Adalyn asked curiously.
Aislyn nodded her head. “Yes. I was born here and will probably die here. I am the baby of the family and the only girl. I have two older overbearing brothers. My brother Ashton is actually the owner of Ink Addicts. I have only been working there since I was eighteen. My other brother Aiden is away at school, so you won’t meet him for a while. He normally only comes home on holidays,” she explained.
Adalyn realized quickly that she really liked Aislyn. They were the close in age, or so she figured, and she was super sweet. She could see them becoming good friends, once she was comfortable around her of course.
Looking at the clock, Adalyn realized they had sat there talking for a few hours. It was close to lunch time. She couldn’t believe how quick time had gone by. It had been so long since Adalyn had a friend, that she just seemed to get lost in conversation with her.
“So, Adalyn, I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch. I haven’t eaten yet today and am starting to get hungry,” Aislyn asked.
“I can make lunch here, so we don’t have to spend any money,” Adalyn told her. “What did you have in mind?”
“I was going to go to the diner and get one of their burgers. They are so good. I only eat them once in a blue moon though because they are full of greasy goodness,” Aislyn giggled.
“That is fine. I can just catch up with you later. Unless you have to work. I will just be here cleaning up and doing laundry,” Adalyn told her.
“No, that is not fine. I asked you to lunch, so you are coming with. I am paying for it, don’t worry about it. I know you just started working,” Aislyn scolded her, with a smile and a wink.
“Let me throw some actual clothes on, and then we can go. I have figured out that I shouldn’t argue with you,” Adalyn told her with a giggle.
“Good, because you wouldn’t win. Now go get dressed, I’m starving,” Aislyn told her.
Adalyn re-entered the living room a few minutes later. She was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans with a plain fitted t-shirt with a small pocket. She was wearing a pair of black tennis shoes. She was dressed casually so she hoped that Aislyn didn’t mind.
“You look so cute,” Aislyn told her, before she could second guess her outfit.
Adalyn looked a little surprised at her confession but didn’t put too much thought into not believing her words. She would give her benefit of the doubt.
“Thanks. I just threw something on. I don’t tend to dress up or anything. I don’t ever go anywhere that requires it,” Adalyn explained.
“No dressing up is needed, we are going to the diner,” Aislyn said as she started pulling her toward the door. Adalyn grabbed her purse, keys, and phone from the little table at the entrance as they were walking out the door.
They made quick work of the walk to the diner. Aislyn chattering the entire way about life in Willow Haven. Adalyn made sure not to get lost in her thoughts and to pay close attention to the conversation at hand. But she couldn’t help but think about the night before. She wanted to know what or who was following her and why. I’m just being paranoid, she thought as they entered the diner.
The girls were seated almost immediately in a corner booth. They both ordered burgers and fries. Aislyn continued chatting about life in Willow Haven. Before Adalyn could comment on anything that she had just learned from Aislyn, some guy sat down next to Aislyn without even asking and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Figured this is where you would be on your day off. You are so predictable,” he told Aislyn with a wink. Adalyn’s breath caught in her throat at his sudden appearance. She didn’t know who he was and was never comfortable around strange men.
“You knew I was here because I was just saying I wanted a burger from here,” she laughed.
Before anything else could be said, the waiter brought their food over. “Can I get you anything else?” he asked, his eyes never leaving Adalyn.
“No, thank you,” she told him, not meeting his eyes.
He walked away without asking anything else.
“That was odd,” Adalyn said as he walked away.
“He was totally checking you out,” Aislyn giggled.
“No, he wasn’t. Even if he was, it isn’t going to happen,” Adalyn said quietly.
“Please excuse me for a minute, I have to go to the restroom,” Adalyn told Aislyn, still unable to make eye contact with the guy silently sitting next to her. She quickly walked away toward the bathroom without another word.
After using the restroom, she washed her hands and splashed some water on her face. As she dried her hands and face, she walked toward the door, then threw away the paper towel. As she entered the small hallway. She almost bumped into someone.
“Oh, sorry,” she said.
“No harm done. I wanted to check on you to make sure you were alright. The waiter seemed to make you uncomfortable,” explained the guy that had been sitting next to Aislyn.
“Um, yeah, I’m fine,” she said without looking him in the eye.
“I’m Ashton, by the way,” he told her as he held his hand out to her. Adalyn reached up and placed her hand in his. She felt a zap of electricity when their hands touched, causing her to quickly pull her hand away.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she told him, rubbing the palm of her hand.
They walked quietly back to the table. No sooner had she sat down then the waiter made his way over to the table.
“Can I get you anything else?” he asked Adalyn just as he had before, not ackno
wledging Aislyn or Ashton.
“No, thank you. I am fine,” she told him without making eye contact.
“Yes, you are,” he said under his breath, before turning to walk away.
“I would like to order something actually,” Ashton said before the waiter got too far. You could see him let out a deep breath in annoyance before he turned around to take his order.
“What would you like?” he asked hastily.
“Well for one, I would like for you to change your attitude. This is the second time you have been to the table and have been rude. Instead of eye-fucking the girl and creeping her out, try doing your job. Second, I want a burger and fries,” Ashton snarled at the waiter.
As soon as the waiter left, both girls burst into a fit of giggles. Forgetting her feeling of discomfort, Adalyn stood, stopping in front of Ashton, she leaned over and hugged him, “thank you,” she whispered in his ear. As Ashton wrapped his arm around her to hug her back, she felt that zap of electricity again, causing her to gasp at the feeling.
Sitting back in her seat, Adalyn pushed her food around her plate. She hadn’t really eaten anything but had lost her appetite because of the creepy waiter. Not only that, but she didn’t understand the electricity she kept feeling every time Ashton touched her. That alone would make her lose her appetite, just from nerves.
A few minutes later, the waiter made his way over to their table with Ashton’s food. He placed it in front of Ashton with an eye roll. Before he had the chance to ask Adalyn if she needed anything else, Ashton pushed his plate across the table toward her and sat next to her. Again, causing the waiter to roll his eyes. He was smart enough however to not voice his dislike.
“Oh, shit!! You just pissed him off, Ash,” Aislyn giggled.
“Like I care,” Ashton growled. He was beginning to realize that he didn’t like the waiter giving her attention, and it wasn’t just because it made her uncomfortable. It made him uncomfortable.
Adalyn sat completely still next to Ashton, only breathing when she absolutely had to. She realized in that moment, she wasn’t uncomfortable with him because he was a guy, she was uncomfortable with him because he seemed to be a nice guy. Nice guys didn’t last long around her.
“Aislyn tells me that you stopped in the shop last night,” Ashton said, looking toward Adalyn.
“Yeah, the artwork is beautiful,” she told him, meeting his gaze for the first time since she met him. She immediately noticed the similarities between him and Aislyn. They both had dark hair and big hazel eyes.
“Did you know what you were interested in getting?” he asked her curiously. Not really wanting to talk about tattoos, but this seemed to make her more comfortable, so he would roll with it.
“Not sure yet. I have never had one before and not sure how I feel about needles,” she confessed.
“Give it some thought and then let Aislyn know. She will set an appointment for you,” he told her with a smile.
“I will,” she told him.
“Can I get anyone anything else, besides the check,” the waiter interrupted.
Ashton closed his eyes and released a deep breath before opening them again. Adalyn felt him tense up next to her. She wasn’t sure if it was the waiter, or something she had done. She started to shake. Ashton gaze swung in her direction, giving her a questioning look.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked her, concern written all over his face.
Adalyn couldn’t get a word out past the lump in her throat, so all she did was shake her head at him.
“Ais, take care of this guy. I will be right back,” Ashton told Aislyn as he pulled Adalyn from her seat. She seemed frozen in place and couldn’t move, so he gently leaned down and picked her up, carrying her toward the hallway where the bathrooms were. He knocked on the women’s restroom door. When he didn’t hear anyone, he kicked the door open. He placed Adalyn gently down on the counter and wet some paper towels. He placed the cool paper towel on the back of her neck, lifting her long dark hair out of the way.
“I am not totally sure what happened out there, Sweetheart, but you need to know I would never do anything to hurt you,” he explained.
Adalyn was still unable to talk around the lump in her throat, so all she did was nod at him in understanding. After a few minutes, her breathing began to slow down.
“Thank you for your help, again,” she told him, meeting his gaze for the second time. Adalyn began scooting off the counter so she could stand. Ashton wrapped his hands around her waist helping her down. He placed her gently on the floor, and they walked out of the women’s restroom in silence.
When they reached the table, they had been sitting at, it had already been cleared and reset for the next customers. Ashton grabbed Adalyn’s hand and started walking toward the front of the diner. There sitting on a seat for waiting customers, sat a grinning Aislyn. She sprung from her seat and started walking toward the door.
“I need to head home and get some cleaning done,” Adalyn explained when they reached the sidewalk.
“Would you like some company? I can help you clean,” Aislyn asked.
“I am not going to make you help me clean my house. If you want to come over and watch television and talk to me while I clean then that is fine,” Adalyn giggled.
Adalyn started to turn away from Ashton, unsure what to say, she realized he was still holding her hand because he tugged on it. Her gaze slammed to his, silently questioning.
“I meant what I told you in there,” he told her, placing a kiss on her forehead. He turned and walked toward Ink Addicts, leaving the girls to themselves.
“What was that about?” Aislyn asked Adalyn with a smile.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Adalyn said confused.
“My brother is what I am talking about,” Aislyn told her.
“What about him?” Adalyn asked her, still confused.
“My brother doesn’t like my friends; hang out with them; or kiss them,” she told her with a huge smile.
“He was just trying to be nice,” Adalyn told her.
“My brother is a lot of things; nice is not one of them,” she laughed.
They had reached Adalyn’s house and were walking up the stairs, when she noticed the door was slightly ajar.
“Do not go in there,” Aislyn said as she grabbed Adalyn’s arm. She pulled out her phone, texting someone. “Call the police.”
Adalyn pulled out her phone and called, explaining the situation to the dispatcher.
“They are on the way,” she told Aislyn as placed her phone back in her pocket.
“I texted Ashton, he is on his way,” Aislyn told her.
The girls stood in the yard waiting for the police to arrive. They didn’t have to wait long before an officer was pulling up in front of the house.
“Good afternoon ladies. I’m Officer Hayes, what seems to be the problem?” he asked looking between the two of them.
Aislyn spoke up when she realized that Adalyn couldn’t talk. She seemed to be frozen with fear. She had acted the same way at the diner, Aislyn noticed. Aislyn explained what had happened from the time she had arrived at the house until they had to call the police.
“Is that how it happened ma’am?” Officer Hayes asked Adalyn.
Adalyn nodded at the officer, but still couldn’t make herself talk to him. The anxiety she was feeling was overwhelming, and she couldn’t pull herself out of it.
“Sir, you can’t be here this is a crime scene,” Adalyn heard Officer Hayes tell someone behind her. She couldn’t even make herself turn around to see who it was.
“Officer Hayes, it would be best if you let him through, he isn’t going to stop until he gets close to her,” Aislyn told him.
“Let him through,” Officer Hayes said to his partner.
“What happened?” Ashton asked as he made his way over to them.
“We noticed her front door was open when we got here, so I told her to call the police,” Aislyn told him.
“Miss James, could you come in here for a moment?” Officer Hayes called over to Adalyn.
Ashton gently tugged on her hand, leading her toward her house.
“Just her,” Officer Hayes told Ashton as he held his hand to his chest, stopping him from entering.
Ashton looked down at the hand on his chest then looked at Officer Hayes, “I suggest you remove your hand from my chest. You may be an officer now Hayes, but it won’t stop me from breaking your hand. You have always been a douchebag, and always will be. Now move it!”
Aislyn was right behind them giggling, “I told you not to try and stop him, but you didn’t want to listen,” she told the officer as she followed them into the house.
Officer Hayes led them toward her bedroom. There on the giant mirror over the dresser were the words “She’s Mine” in lipstick. The now very broken mirror. Shards of glass were all over the floor around the dresser.
Adalyn was in complete shock. She couldn’t believe this was happening. There is no way, this had to be a terrible nightmare.
“Does that mean anything to you?” asked Officer Hayes.
Adalyn nodded her head as tears streamed down her face. She was not ready to face this reality. She wanted to stay here in this town that she quickly was falling in love with. This incident made it impossible to stay. There was no way she was going to subject George to all this drama. He had helped her so much already. He was going to be so upset at the damage.
“Are you going to tell me what it means or just stand there staring at me?” Officer Hayes scolded.
“Watch it!” Ashton growled.
“I know the girl can talk, she was talking to your sister when we pulled up, so tell her to stop playing the mute card, it isn’t cute. I need to do my job and she isn’t making it easy,” he told Ashton.
My Twist of Fate Page 3