Page 20 of Fractured Fate

The air conditioning ran at full blast, fogging the windows with condensation from the high humidity outside. Summer wasn’t even officially here yet, and the air felt stifling.

She moved about the kitchen, trying to decide what to have for dinner. Cooking wasn’t an attractive option with the heat, plus she didn’t think the air conditioner could compete with the stove given how hard it already worked to cool her small studio apartment.

The wilted pink roses in the vase on her kitchen counter sat as a testament to how well the air conditioning worked. She made a mental note to contact the building manager about maintenance on her unit on Monday. Nothing they would do about it on a Thursday night, and it was harder to get them to come in on a Friday than convincing a toddler to eat vegetables.

Takeout would be easier, but she didn’t have the money. At least, not money she would spare on takeout.

Treating herself to a movie with Rachel and Noah on Wednesday as a compromise to get more acquainted with Athens had met the quota she set for frivolous expenses for the week.

Her parents weren’t rich, but they did well. Well enough that they sent her pocket money to live on to sustain her outside of what grants provided for living and school expenses. She wanted to make sure it lasted for the month, so she limited herself in areas where she had alternatives. Like cooking over takeout.

Opening the refrigerator, she looked for items to make a sandwich, but there wasn’t much in there. Milk, a few condiments, yogurt… She was due for a grocery run for the essentials soon.

She huffed in frustration. She needed to cook. If she didn’t, her medicine would make her sick. She refused to skip dinner for that reason alone.

Eyeing the jasmine rice and container of diced chicken leftover from two days ago, she decided on fried rice. She grabbed the eggs, a carrot, and the leftover essentials.

After cleaning the kitchen, she moved over to sit on her loveseat with a steaming bowl of chicken fried rice. She bundled her long curly hair on top of her head, securing it with a clip, and turned on the TV, navigating to Netflix. She didn’t want to watch a movie, but if she started a series, she would binge it and not sleep. Not that she got much sleep in recent nights anyway between the janky air conditioning and every little bump in the night startling her awake when she normally slept like the dead.

She frowned while browsing through her options. What’s with all the stalkery shows? Not what she needed right now.

Settling on a series based on a Stephen King novella, she tucked into her rice bowl and propped her bare feet on the coffee table.

She was three episodes in when her phone buzzed on the cushion beside her, rattling her empty bowl. Picking it up, she smiled and hit the button to answer the FaceTime call.

Aiden’s wide green eyes greeted her. “Are you naked?”

She laughed at his strangled voice and pulled the spaghetti strap of her tank top over her shoulder that had slipped down. “No. I’m wearing pajamas.” She shifted the camera down. She wore a baby blue tank top with cotton shorts in the same color, with white stripes and a cute white ribbon tying the waist. “It’s hot here, but not enough to go naked.” She would never answer the phone naked. She squinted. “Are you naked?”

A warm chuckle filtered through the tiny speaker, and he shook his head. “Nah. I’m wearing joggers.” He panned the phone down like she had; he had a lot more skin on display than she did. She didn’t see much because he moved to sit back on his bed, putting his back to the wall with his legs outstretched in front of him, ankles crossed. The camera moved back to his face. “Just got out of the shower.”

Now that he mentioned it, she noticed his dark hair appeared shinier and messier than usual, likely still damp.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

Pausing the TV, she stood and took the empty bowl into the kitchen and placed it in the sink, holding the phone in front of her. “Probably staying in the apartment. I need to put a work order in to get the air checked, but it’s still cooler than outside.” She panned her phone to the sliding glass doors on the other side of her living room. “See the moisture on the windows?” She struggled to see her potted plants on her balcony through the condensation.

“It’s hot here too, but at least the dorms are temperature controlled. Riley wants to go back to Tybee Island once summer break starts.”

She groaned. “I would kill for a trip to the beach again.”

“Well, if you decide to come home, you know you can join us.”

She pushed off the counter and walked toward her room. “Yeah, I know.” Though she wasn’t sure she would come. She didn’t contribute to the food or drink budget the last time they went, and she felt like a freeloader for it. She picked up the paper with class options off her desk. “I talked to my advisor, and she gave me a list of options available for transferring programs, but I’d have to finish out this course load to keep my grants if I wanted to do that.”

“So you’re staying?”

“Well, some of them can be done online, but I have to finish out this last presentation with my group first.”

She had struggled with the decision for days, going back and forth with the pros and cons of leaving versus staying. Every time she thought she had her answer, she changed her mind. She knew in the end it wouldn’t help her situation if she allowed someone to run her off if she had any intention of returning. The whole situation would wait for her return.

She sighed. “I think it’s better if I stick around.”

It stood to reason that whoever kept sending her roses, following her for as long as they had, and now calling her, wouldn’t stop if she took a break. Like the man said, leaving Athens would change nothing.

The recent direct contact made her consider getting the police involved, but she wasn’t sure they would do much over a phone call and flower deliveries. It’s not like she could prove someone was following her—she only saw someone one night.

“If that’s what you wanna do,” Aiden said, pulling her back from her thoughts. “Don’t push yourself. Sara told me how you haven’t been away from home much.” His black brows lowered. “You sure you’re alright? I mean, the last couple times we talked…” His face pinched as if he were searching for the words. “You look tired. Are you sure things aren’t too much?”