Chapter 50 – Don’t Push Me Far. Stepbrother

I fake shock, ‘please! Mateo? He’s nice and all but he’s not best friend nice, not like you.’

The jock’s face splits into a smile as he nods, ‘yeah, you’re right, I am irreplaceable.’

‘And so modest’ I agree, laughing.

Reaching out, I open my driver’s side door, climbing in behind the wheel as Noah gives me a wave, stepping back but not walking away until my door is shut and the engine starts.

Pulling out of my space, I turn out onto the main road with a beep of my horn to my friend and head out onto the highway.

I mentally run over everything that we have in the refrigerator, trying to come up with some sort of plan for our dinner tonight. Caleb and I have fallen into a sort of routine, I get home first and make dinner, serve up whilst he has a shower and gets changed. We then eat together, the surly older man now slowly opening up to me, volunteering information about his day and asking about mine. He still doesn’t like Noah and I kind of like how he huffs every time I mention the jock’s name.

Once we’ve eaten, Caleb clears up from dinner before we both retire to our rooms for the night.

OK, it’s not the close relationship that it could be but it’s cordial and he’s no longer biting my head off at every turn.

Seeing a sign for the supermarket, I decide to make a detour and pull in to pick up something from the hot counter and some salad as I’m really too exhausted to make a meal if I’m honest with myself.

Parking quite a way from the doors where there are ample empty spaces meaning my car is less likely to get dinged, I jog across the parking lot and walk through the automatic doors, grabbing a basket as I enter.

Heading to the right, I stand in front of the hot counter, musing over the various offerings before requesting a portion of fries. Abandoning the rest of the selection, I make my way over to the ready made subs and pick up a loaded meat option that is more than big enough for the two of us to share. Grabbing a pack of ready made Caesar salad I am going to head to the checkout, but that damn cake display is calling to me and instead, I find my feet moving toward them and I groan softly as the hug desserts stare back at me.

‘I shouldn’t’ I murmur to myself as I run a fingertip over the plastic covering to a rainbow cake. ‘It’s not healthy, I have enough food . . ‘

I swear I can hear the carrot cake whisper, ‘Tessa! Don’t leave me, I’m so delicious and I have carrots! That makes me healthy!’

‘Don’t tempt me’ I mutter, ‘I am stronger than this, I can walk away.’

I turn on my heel, taking a deep breath before spinning back, grabbing two slices of angel cake and shoving them in my basket.

‘I hope you are all happy’ I snap at the cakes before turning back toward the checkouts and stomping my way over.

Scanning my items, I use the card that Caleb gave me a few days ago in case I needed to buy anything and pack up my items. Walking back out of the entrance, I stick to the areas that are light by streetlights as I walk back toward my car. Pressing the fob on my keys, I unlock the doors as I approach and walk around the back, opening the trunk.

Piling my two bags into the small space, I shut it again and take a step toward the drivers side when I stop.

The hairs on the back on my neck stand up as the feeling of someone watching me washes over me. I quickly turn my head, scanning the shadows for anything out of the ordinary. A rustle to my left has me spinning around, the car key pushed between my fingers as a makeshift weapon as I my body tenses. Two glowing eyes stare back at me from the bush that separates one collection of parking spots from the next just as a scrawny tortoiseshell cat steps out into the light of the nearby streetlamp, eyeing me with disdain.

‘Jesus!’ I mutter as my body relaxes, ‘you scared the crap out of me cat.’

The stray seems completely unbothered by his effect on me and with one final glare in my direction saunters off to find another person to terrorise.

Climbing into my car, I start the engine and quickly back out of my space, suddenly keen to get back home, back to the warmth and safety that comes from the huge house and the person who currently shares it with me.

I join the steady street of evening traffic, moving slowly along the road with the heavy weight of rush hour. All around me horns blare as vehicles move from lane to lane, everyone trying to get home as quickly as possible. I indicate and wait until a car flashes me before moving over, crawling forward a few inches before grinding to a halt.

‘And this is why you don’t stay late and then go shopping Tessa’ I chastise myself.

The stop start motions continue for another twenty five minutes before the signs for my offramp appear overhead and I start to make my way over so I can take my turning and hopefully speed up to get home in another ten minutes or so.

I hold up my hand to the rearview mirror as the vehicle beside me slows further letting me in. Inching over, the car behind me suddenly leans on the horn, the sound scaring me and I glance up to find another car shouldering in behind me.

‘Asshole’ I growl, straightening up and continuing to inch toward my turning.

Taking the offramp, I breathe easier as the road opens up in front of me and I leave the traffic behind me.

I speed up slightly, my headlights stretching out in front of me as I navigate the streets. As I’m driving, I scrunch up my eyes as lights fill my rearview mirror, the brightness dazzling me.

I squint as I look up, trying to see through the lights, ‘geez’ I mutter, ‘what did you get for your birthday this year along with those new headlights?’

The lights grow larger, the other car practically sitting on my bumper as it follows me closely.

‘Hope you’ve got a ring in your pocket because normally I’d want a proposal from someone this close.’ I keep cracking jokes to myself, but unease is rippling through me, the car behind me not backing off in the slightest. Indicating, I take the next left, glancing up to see the car follow me, again sitting too close as I press down a little harder on the gas pedal.

I take another left, my eyes flicking from the road ahead to my mirror. As I reach the next left, I turn again, not even bothering to indicate this time as I keep my eyes glued to my rearview mirror. The car doesn’t turn with me, instead continuing straight, disappearing behind the trees that line the road.

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