A Love Restored

Chapter 45

There’s my beautiful wife.” Grey exclaimed. “And Flora!”

Lexi paused the music. She spun around to smile at the two men. Her eyes shone with happiness at the sight of her fiancé.

“Mr. Corsino!” She was surprised to see Felix there. Her gaze shifted to Grey. “I didn’t know we’re having company. But its so nice to have you! Please, sit.”

Felix’s eyes were pointedly away from me. Like he was trying so, so hard not to look at me.

“I was just leaving.” He spoke. His eyes darted around the room, at the mess we head reated in the excitement of wedding planning. “And you seem…busy. I’ll leave you three to it.”

“You should stay for dinner.” Grey said to him. This was not good.

Well, I wasn’t planning on staying for dinner anyway.

Grey gestured for Felix to sit down in the living room. He hesitated, but I guess he didn’t want to seem rude. He took a seat at the corner of the couch. I took a few steps back to put some space between us.

He was wearing a dark blue suit with a black shirt. I saw Felix in his work outfits daily, and he always looked so good in the much of a man he had become. Did he think of me like this, too? The Flora he had known

Every day I just thought of how much he had grown, how last was a little girl. I was grown now. Different.

“You know Flora, of course.” Grey gestured. We both nodded at each other.

“Flora and I go way back,” Lexi interrupted cheerfully. “I was actually the one who referred her to your house! Grey, actually, told me you were looking. She’s a great cook, right?”

I shifted uncomfortably.

Felix stared at me. “I quite enjoy Linda’s Gooking. She’s been with me for a while now.”

The room fell into an awkward silence. Could he not be decent even for pretend?

“Anyway, we were just doing some wodd:–

then at the

He packed an unedi

ablo smile at that. “No that’s okay”

hit then, trey came back inside the living room, and handed Pelle a beer. They began

Talking, and I was glad for the attention to havinoved away from me.

Ituned to text. “I guess I’ll go now!” I said to fer, trying to sound as cheerful and normal as possible, all while I was feeling like I’d burst from the Inside,

“Oh no! You should stay for dinner.”

“Its late, Les. And I have work tomorrow.” And Ban’t wait to get out of here,

“I mean…your Boss is here.”

“Yeah, that makes it a bit awkward”

She frowned, “I understand. Come, I’ll walk you to your car.”

I nodded gratefully. I said my byes to Grey quickly and passed a cursory smiled to Felix.

Lexi walked me to my car, and I only breathed sigh of relief once I was on the road.

Felix had a way of riling me up in the worst ways possible.

I rushed home, kind of hungry. My did still hadn’t come back. I forged the kitchen for food, finding two clementines which I ate quickly. I hadn’t been grocery shopping in at

bit.

With my father not home, I could chill in peace, Still feeling a light buzz from the drinking, I decided to lay down on the couch. I watched a few episodes of New Girl. When I felt better and sober, I went to my car again to drive to the grocery store.

At the store, as I moved through the produce section, a chill ran down my spine, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I don’t know why I felt this, but I darted around and everything felt normal. But I couldn’t shake of this feeling. That someone was following my every step. I quickened my pace, my footsteps echoing in the empty spaces between the neatly arranged fruit and vegetables.

I shook off the uneasy sensation and turned my attention back to the task at hand. The aisles stretched endlessly before me, lined with shelves stocked with products. I moved through the maze, my eyes darting from shelf to shelf, the soft squeak of my shopping cart accompanying me.

2/4

Chapter 45

It was in the canned goods aisle that the feeling intensified. I paused, pretending to inspect. a shelf of soups while stealing furtive glances around me. Still, I couldn’t pinpoint any suspicious figures. Maybe it was just my imagination. I took a deep breath, chiding myself for being paranoid.

Had I drunk too much? That was probably it.

But I felt completely alright.

I moved on, slowly looking at the shelves remembering what I needed for home. Glancing over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of a hooded figure, blending into the shelves. Anxiety tightened its grip on me. Was I really being followed? Or was my imagination playing tricks

on me?

As I moved through the store, my shopping cart became both a shield and a burden. Every turn brought a fresh wave of anxiety, my eyes constantly flicking towards the

periphery. The routine task of filling my cart with groceries became a nerve–wracking dance, with each item chosen quickly, almost instinctively, as if trying to escape the invisible presence that lingered.

At the checkout counter, my hands trembled as I fumbled for my wallet. The cashier’s cheerful greeting seemed distant, the beeping of items scanned drowned out by the pounding of my heart. I forced a smile, desperately trying to maintain composure. Paying felt like an eternity, the seconds stretching as I anticipated the moment I could leave the

store.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

I ran all my things were bagged up. I walked very fast to my car and loaded it

ut as soon as

1. up. Just as I was about to sit down in the driver’s seat, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I shrieked and turned around, ready to kick someone in the groin.

It was…Grey?

“Grey?” I breathed a sigh of relief.

He raised his hands in self–defense. “Flora. I didn’t mean to startle you. You okay?”

1 looked around the parking lot: “Thet “Tamil, “Nothing. What are you doing here?”

Why did he come all this way to my mill

he had a bottle of milk in his hand.

And didn’t they have people to jun errands for him? I knew for a fact that he did because

was passing through,” he explained. “And we goed

“spotted you and thought I’d

May hi.”

I nodded. “Oh.” I was still a little shaken up from the paranola of before.

Chapter Commenta

what’s up with grey