Accidentally Together

by Jade Winters

  ‘She’s more than that.’ His voice wobbled. ‘She’s the only reason I haven’t topped myself.’

  ‘Are you speaking hypothetically?’ Emma had already switched into her counsellor mode, though she couldn’t imagine Jay on a therapist’s couch. He struck her as someone who liked to carry his troubles alone, letting a select few in. Her thoughts turned to Lauren. Just like someone I know.

  Jay threw her a cautious look, one that told Emma he was weighing how much he should share.

  ‘I wish I was,’ he said. He must have realised Emma was a friend, not a foe, and someone he could let his guard down with. ‘There are days when I don’t see the point in carrying on. Everyone hates who I am.’

  Emma wanted to touch his hand to reassure him, but she refrained. It didn’t seem appropriate; Jay was simply stating his feelings in a detached manner, and his demeanour didn’t call for sympathy.

  ‘I’m sure that’s not true. They can’t hate who they don’t know.’

  Jay scowled despite his injuries. ‘My so-called friends don’t have a problem taking the piss out of me for no reason other than I’m different.’

  ‘And what about your parents?’

  His face relaxed. ‘Oh, they’re cool. I was really scared to tell my dad, but he’s been great. He takes me down to the pub for a drink. He has no problem introducing me to his mates as his son.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear that.’

  Jay rubbed the back of his neck and said in a wavering voice, ‘Which is why I don’t understand why Louise is scared to tell her parents about me.’

  ‘Maybe she knows they won’t be accepting.’

  ‘But they’ll end up losing her. I’m moving out of the area soon and she’s coming with me. Well she was before all this happened.’

  Emma coughed into her hand. This was another thing Louise had failed to mention during their sessions. ‘And what are your plans for the future?’

  Jay shrugged. ‘I dunno.’

  ‘University? A job?’

  ‘I said I don’t know!’ He leant back and folded his arms.

  She had touched a raw nerve and knew why. When people were in love, they didn’t want to face reality. If anybody knew that, it was Emma. But there was a difference: she could afford to live with her head in the clouds. She had an education, a job, an apartment. What did these kids have? Nothing, not yet anyway, and she wouldn’t be doing Jay and Louise justice if she didn’t sprinkle a little reality stardust on their plans before they made a big mistake.

  ‘Can you understand why I sound a little apprehensive?’ Emma hoped she wasn’t coming off as the enemy.

  ‘What? Because we don’t want to go to uni?’ Jay got to his feet, his nostrils flaring.

  ‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Emma said, keeping her tone neutral. ‘But you both have to think with your heads on straight. Life out there is tough, Jay.’

  He stared down at Emma with a snarl on his lips. ‘You think I don’t know that?’

  ‘I can only imagine what your life has been like up until now. How do you think you’ll fare once you’re on your own without your parents’ roof over your head?’

  ‘As long as we’re together, none of that shit matters.’

  ‘That’s where you’re wrong. It matters, and it matters a lot. How long do you think your rose-coloured glasses will last when your stomachs are empty and you have nowhere to live?’

  ‘Why are you talking like this? You’re on their side, aren’t you? You’re just like them.’

  He started to back away.

  ‘Jay, please wait. Hear me—’

  ‘I don’t want to hear anything from you!’ he shouted. ‘I thought we could trust you.’

  ‘You can, but that doesn’t mean I won’t tell you the truth,’ Emma said, raising her hands. ‘Just think about what I said.’

  ‘Whatever.’ He turned and ran towards the main road.

  I hope I wasn’t that pig-headed as a teenager.

  If she thought nailing down a stalker was bad, convincing a teenager he was making a mistake was another matter altogether. She would give Jay a couple of days to calm down then try again, using a different tactic. Hopefully by then she would have spoken to Louise again.

  Standing, she hoped Lauren’s morning had gone better.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  This time tomorrow, it will all be over, Lauren reminded herself as she manoeuvred the car into the same parking bay as yesterday. This time, however, her nerves were getting the better of her. Today wasn’t a case of if she bumped into Mike, but when. She didn’t know how long it would take to find him, and she had to admit a small part of her wished she wouldn’t. What would she do if he freaked out or attacked her? She had the self-defence skills to ward off an initial attack, but what if he had a knife?

  Cool your jets, Lauren. Stop getting ahead of yourself. Admit you’re scared and be done with it. She inhaled deeply. Okay, I’m scared, but fear won’t stop me.

  Her hand trembled as she found the door handle and pushed the door open. Stop thinking about it and just do it.

  Before she knew it, she was walking towards Tesco’s entrance, shoulders held back, her outer appearance not belying her anxiety.

  Something she could only liken to a sixth sense made her turn around, and her heart jumped into her throat. Under a canopied tunnel, Mike pushed along a row of trolleys. Her first instinct was to run back to her car and drive away as fast as possible. To put as much distance between them as she could. And then what? Keep living like this? Not a chance in hell.

  Buoyed by her anger, she marched in his direction and then stopped, waiting for him to notice her.

  When he did, surprise glinted in his eyes. ‘Hey, Lauren. I thought I’d bump into you again.’

  Even though he was at least ten feet away, she could sense a sinister vibe coming off him.

  ‘This isn’t fate, Mike,’ she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

  Mike stepped away from the trolleys and approached her. Lauren glanced around, grateful there were plenty of people nearby.

  ‘Of course it is,’ he said. ‘When you dropped out of school, I never thought I’d see you again. But here you are, in the flesh, and as sexy as ever.’

  He paused, as if waiting for her reaction. She wanted to slap him so hard that he would come to his senses and realise what he had done to her.

  ‘Do you want to go out for a drink later? I finish work at two. We can—’

  ‘This isn’t a social call, Mike.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘Then what is it?’

  ‘I want you to leave me the fuck alone.’ She pulled out the notes from her pocket and threw them at him.

  Her stomach flipped when he didn’t even give them a cursory glance as they fell to his feet.

  ‘You know there’s a fine for dropping litter around here?’

  ‘Is that all you’ve got to say now that I’ve exposed you, little man?’

  He slowly bent down and scooped up the notes but remained silent after he’d examined them. Then he crumpled them in his hand and pushed them into his jacket pocket. ‘I get it. You think I sent these to you.’

  Anger boiled inside her, but somehow she managed to keep it from spilling over. ‘Way to go, Sherlock.’

  ‘How did you know where I was working, Lauren?’

  ‘You’re not the only one who knows how to stalk people.’

  ‘Stalk?’ He laughed. ‘You shouldn’t go around saying things like that. People will think you’re crazy.’

  ‘Crazy, huh? Well the police didn’t think I was crazy this time round, Mike. You got away with this shit years ago, but it won’t be that easy this time.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘I know you stalked me at school and you’re doing it again. Play innocent if you like.’ Lauren had planned on telling him the effect he’d had on her life, but he’d likely get off on hearing what a good job he’d done. Instead she dug into her pocket for the paper from the police statio
n. She held it close enough to his face so he could read it. ‘You see this? I reported you to the police. They have your name and they know exactly what you’ve been up to.’

  He took a threatening step towards her. ‘You shouldn’t have done that. You really shouldn’t have.’

  ‘You don’t scare me. Not now that I know who you are. You’re a pathetic excuse for a human being.’ She tightened her hand around her car key, grateful for the security it provided. ‘Just remember: you started all this. If you come anywhere near where I live again, I’ll have you arrested. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

  Mike’s mouth dropped open, and she decided that was as good a time as any to leave. Her legs felt weak, but she walked strong and tall—until she reached her car. Leaning her full weight against it, she fiddled with the key and inserted it into the lock.

  Her breath was laboured as she rested her forehead against the steering wheel. She had done it. Let’s hope that puts an end to it.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Emma had been on tenterhooks all day thinking about Lauren’s confrontation with Mike. Due to back-to-back appointments, she barely had time to use the loo, let alone call Lauren for an update. By the time she was on her way home she realised the battery on her mobile was dead. Frustrated, she headed straight to Lauren’s.

  Lauren sat at the kitchen table as Emma made two cups of tea before joining her.

  ‘Come on then. I want all the details,’ Emma said and set a cup of tea in front of her.

  Lauren nodded in thanks. ‘It was pretty much what I expected. I accused him, and he hardly said anything. I mouthed off a bit and he tried to look all menacing. All in all, it was a bit anticlimactic.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘All these years I’ve held this stereotypical image of what my stalker would be like, you know? Some guy with a crazed look in his eyes, living in his mum’s basement, with defaced pictures of me covering the walls.’ She paused momentarily. ‘And then standing there with Mike, coming face to face with my actual nightmare—I felt stupid for running away all those years ago.’

  ‘Don’t beat yourself up about it. For all you knew he could have been a maniac. If I’d been in your shoes, I think I would have reacted the same way. Besides, it hasn’t been all bad. You’ve carved yourself a fantastic career.’

  ‘I suppose.’

  ‘It’s over now, so you can relax and get ready for your exhibition with peace of mind.’

  ‘Just hearing you say that is like music to my ears.’

  The letterbox sounded and Emma and Lauren stared at each other, startled.

  Emma was sure Lauren was thinking the same thing as her.

  ‘I’m sure it’s a takeaway leaflet or something,’ Emma said, trying to make light of the situation. ‘I’ll see what it is. Might be something we can order tonight.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  In the hallway, a lone envelope lay on the floor. Emma rushed to pick it up and turned it over in her hand. It was addressed to Lauren, and she knew exactly who had sent it. Without thinking, she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, looking left and right. Empty. Pulling the door shut behind her, she took off towards the lift. Someone was in it and the arrow was pointing downwards. With the determination of an athlete going for gold, Emma took the stairs, jumping them three at a time and using the rail to keep her balance. If she caught Mike, she would call the police. Ten floors down, she stopped for a few seconds to catch her breath before starting down again. Fifth floor—she was so close. She prayed she wasn’t too late as she reached the ground floor and ran to the lift.

  Bent over, hands on her knees and panting like a runner who just finished a five-kilometre marathon, she waited. Despite having the fitness level of a couch potato, she had beaten the lift. A soft ping announced its arrival. Emma straightened. The door slid open to reveal … an elderly lady and her dog.

  Damn! Emma slapped her thigh and ran outside, frantically looking up and down the street. She knew it was pointless. Mike was long gone. Disgruntled, she returned to Lauren’s apartment.

  ‘Are you trying to scare the life out of me?’ Lauren asked. ‘Why did you run out of here?’

  ‘This came.’ She threw the letter on the table.

  ‘Is it …?’

  ‘Looks like it. Do you want me to open it?’

  Lauren nodded.

  Ripping the envelope open with more force than necessary, Emma fished inside and pulled out the paper. ‘It’s blank.’

  ‘Let me see.’ Lauren took the envelope from her. ‘There’s no stamp so it was definitely hand delivered. So he’s managed to enter the apartment block again, despite the building management asking the other residents to be more vigilant.’

  ‘I know, security here is a joke. It’s also obvious he doesn’t want you to have a copy of his handwriting. That’s probably why he kept the letters you gave him.’

  ‘I’m such a bloody idiot. It didn’t even cross my mind.’

  Emma took her phone from her pocket and tapped on the Facebook app. She went to Mike’s page and checked for his whereabouts.

  ‘Just as I thought.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Mike’s unfriended me. He must have put two and two together.’ Taking Lauren by the shoulders, she said, ‘Listen to me. He’s harmless. He’s blowing hot air. He wants to scare you, but he won’t beat us. We have to be smarter, that’s all.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘By catching him in the act. Once we have hard evidence, the police will have to do something.’

  ‘But how are we going to get evidence?’

  ‘I think I know just the thing.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘If we leave now, we’ll make it to the shop before it closes. Get your jacket on.’

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘You’ll see.’

  ***

  Every day on her way to work Emma passed Spyware, and it had never entered her mind that she would one day be going there to buy something, but here she was with Lauren at her side, watching the owner, Johnny—a man with thick, black, wiry hair and the bushiest eyebrows she had ever seen—give them a demonstration.

  ‘This little baby is one of the best cameras on the market.’ Johnny attached a camera the size of a pinhead to the button on his black shirt. ‘Take a look at the screen over there.’

  They followed his gaze and saw themselves on a TV monitor. The women gasped at the clarity of the picture. It was perfect for what they needed.

  ‘Why aren’t cameras like that used in CCTV instead of the low-quality ones we have all around London?’ Emma asked.

  ‘It all boils down to money,’ Johnny said.

  ‘Surely it’s worth it if you can get a clear shot of a perpetrator rather than have police waste their time trying to identify the person.’

  ‘You’re preaching to the converted, sweetheart. And these cameras aren’t just great at catching criminals. They’re also good at catching husbands when they’re getting up to no good. I’ll tell you a true story.’

  Before Emma could point out they were in a rush, he began his tale of a woman who had bought the camera to spy on a nanny she suspected wasn’t looking after her baby properly.

  His eyes shone with glee as he reached the end. ‘Imagine her surprise when she played back the footage and there was her hubby going at it with the nanny.’

  Emma was uninformed on the etiquette of hearing the torrid details of a cheating partner. Was she meant to laugh because the wife had caught the husband using the shop owner’s camera, or at the situation as a whole?

  Unsure what to do, she widened her eyes and said, ‘No kidding?’

  ‘I swear on my wife’s life, I’m not lying. The customer came back with her friends to see what else I had for them. Women. You can’t live with them, but you sure as hell can’t live without them.’

  Emma and Lauren exchanged glances.

  ‘We’ll take that camera,’ Emma said, retrieving her purse from her bag.
>
  ‘You don’t have to pay. I can afford it,’ Lauren said and patted down her jacket.

  ‘So can I, so don’t worry about it.’ She handed her debit card to Johnny, and he put the transaction through the till.

  ‘Thank you. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this myself,’ Lauren said once Johnny had disappeared through a door behind the counter.

  ‘That’s what you have me for.’ Emma smiled. ‘I told you I’d look after you, and I am.’

  Johnny reappeared, put the camera box in a bag, and handed it to her. ‘If you ever need anything, you know where I am. Good luck, ladies.’

  ‘We aren’t the ones who’ll need it if this camera works,’ Emma said, but Johnny had already moved on to help another customer.

  As Emma put her card away, her mobile phone pinged with a text message. Taking it out of her pocket, she scrolled down to the message and read it. ‘Hope wants to meet up for drinks tonight down on Oxford Street. Are you up for it?’

  ‘Not really. She can come over to ours—I mean my place if she likes,’ Lauren replied.

  ‘Cool.’

  Emma texted her back:

  Come round to Lauren’s.

  We’re going James Bond style

  Within seconds, her phone pinged again.

  Come again?

  Emma let out a breath as she typed:

  We bought a security camera to catch Lauren’s stalker.

  Hope responded:

  K. See you later

  X

  Emma stuffed her phone back into her pocket as they left the shop. ‘If the security camera doesn’t catch Mike in action, it’s on to Plan B.’

  ‘What’s that then?’

  Emma laughed and looped her arm through Lauren’s. ‘I’ll let you know when I think of it.’

  ***

  Back at Lauren’s apartment, Emma wasn’t surprised to find Fiona hanging around outside Lauren’s door. She didn’t strike Emma as the type who gave up easily, but Emma couldn’t think of her as a stalker. She was too brazen and in your face to play those kinds of games. Emma doubted Fiona would ever be so cowardly as to torment Lauren from afar, seeing as she had no qualms about bothering her in person.