Serenity made her way upstairs to her room to find a sobbing Paige. She approaches her, wraps her arms around her friend in comfort. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when this message came through Paige, but I’m here now. Let’s talk about this.” Paige looks up at her friend, and hands her cell phone over to Serenity. Serenity takes the phone and looks at Paige in question,“What’s wrong?”
Serenity looks at the phone and notices, 16 missed calls, & 3 unread messages. Her jaw dropped open in shock. “P!! She exclaimed. “ What the heck?” Paige sobbed harder. “He..He..He’s real… really..ba.back.” She stuttered in a whispered, faint-shaken voice. Serenity’s heart ached badly for her friend. She knew just what this could mean for her. Serenity tapped the messages.
“P, I know you see me calling this phone. Answer me!”
“Paige, you’re really pissing me off. We really need to talk.”
“You must be somewhere with another guy, but I’ll show you soon!”
Paige had the most distraught look on her face that Serenity had ever seen. She could see her friend unraveling right before her eyes. “Breathe Paige! I promise you, I will not allow you to face this lunatic alone.” Paige looks at her bestie with tears streaming down her face, “ Serenity what am I going to do?”
Serenity looked at Paige. “For starters, let’s get you in the bath to relax, get your mind a little calmer, and tomorrow, we are going to attempt to wrap our heads around this. A lot has happened tonight, let’s start fresh in the morning.” Paige agreed and dragged herself to Serenity’s bathroom.
Serenity drew her bestie a hot, rose milk bath in her garden style tub. She also added in some Himalayan pink bath salts, and a few drops of lavender essential oil to get her to relax.
Paige quietly undressed and tried to focus on her breathing. Seemed like years of therapy and hard work to over come the trauma from her past had all gone out of the window with one text.
Serenity guided her friend to the tub, got her comfy, lit some tea-light candles, turned off the lights, and hit play on her Relaxing Jazz instrumentals playlist, turned the volume down a little on the speakers in the bathroom and cracked the door.
Serenity took Paige’s phone and placed it in her night stand drawer. She had no intentions of letting Paige any where near the phone again tonight. In just a few short hours, a night began with bliss and great anticipation of more to come, turned painfully cinematic. She heard a notification come through on her phone.
Serenity peeped in on Paige, grabbed her phone, clicked the message. It was from an unknown number. Her heart dropped.
“ Hope the rest of your night goes well beautiful. Can’t wait to get to know you more. Lock me in. -Bentley”
Serenity let out a sigh of relief with a soft smile formed across her lips. Paige emerged from the bathroom in that moment. “Thanks for the Spa treatment Serenity. You’ve always been such a great friend to me,” She said.
Serenity chuckled, “ Paige, we locked in for life bestie. I’ll always be here for you.” The girls chuckled together. Paige looked at Serenity holding her cell phone. “ Girl, go ahead and text that fine hunk of a man back! She said while laughing.” Serenity couldn’t help but laugh. “ How do you know that’s him?”
Paige looked at her crazily, “Sis, you have that kool-aid smile going on, I’m not crazy. I’m fine sis, go ahead text him, I’m going to bed.” The girls locked in with their secret handshake. Paige tucked herself in the bed as Serenity stepped into the bathroom to prepare herself for a quick shower and bed. Before stepping into the shower, she replies.
“Thanks for being there tonight. I don’t know how I can thank you for that. P.S. I can’t wait either 😌. -Serenity”
She put her phone down. Stepped into the shower and allowed the water to cascade her body and take her to a moment of pure serenity.
While washing her hair, she hears another notification come through on her phone. Instantly a smile greets her face. Once she finished in the shower, did her skin routine, brushed her teeth, and dressed. She grabbed her phone while entering the bedroom. She trapped the screen, saw a message from an unknown number.
“Don’t you dare put any crazy thoughts in my woman’s head! Take this as your first and last warning. I’m coming for what’s mine and removing anything and anyone in my way. Including YOU! Try me! -Chance”
Serenity’s jaw dropped and she gasped aloud. Paige turned around and looked at her friend share in her terror without even knowing her past was on a war path with anyone standing in the path to her.
(To be Continued)
Kae Jaye The Writer 