Disturbing Behavior

Michael whipped around to face me as my keys loudly hit the concrete.  His appearance was disheveled; his hair hung sweatily in his bloodshot eyes, his clothes were rumpled and I could smell the alcohol on him from where I stood.  He was clearly drunk and judging by the blood on his scraped knuckles, he'd been pounding on Kate's door or the brick facade of our building.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?  You aren't welcome here and you need to leave," I struggled to keep my voice quiet and even as I leaned down to pick up my keys.  I was amazed nobody had intervened or called the cops already.  I could hear Kate yelling through the door and I was sure our neighbors could hear her, as well.

Michael tossed his hair out of his eyes, grinning like a shark.  I'd never seen him in this state before and I backed away instinctively.  He took a step towards me, letting out a humorless laugh.

"Where the fuck were you, Emma?  I know you weren't at work.  I can smell him on you.  Is it that prick I saw meeting you here?  I'll kill him, I swear I will.  What kind of whore goes out screwing around when she's pregnant?  You're not fit to be the mother to my child," he slurred angrily, taking another step towards me.

"You're drunk out of your mind.  Just go home and sleep it off.  We aren't together anymore and you have no say over my life!  I'm calling your dad to come get you, you're in no shape to drive," I spoke softly, hoping to calm him down.

I reached into my purse for my phone, skimming through my contacts for Tom's number and eyeing Michael warily.  As I selected the number to call, Michael smacked the phone from my hand, sending it crashing to the ground.  A small yelp of fear escaped me.  At that moment, the door to the apartment  we were closest to opened.

"Hey, buddy, leave the girl alone," a man spoke loudly, sharply.  Michael turned to face him, puffing up his chest and shambling forward.

"This is none of your business, man, get back inside," Michael snorted, waving him off.

"Yeah, well, you're yelling and carrying on outside my front door, so I think it is my business.  Get outta here or I'm calling the cops," the man said firmly.  His eyes met mine and he nodded.  Michael was too busy trying to intimidate my neighbor to notice me turning away and bolting for my apartment.  I slammed the door shut, locking the deadbolt.  I could hear the neighbor do the same and Michael yelled in rage.

Kate's eyes were wide, red-rimmed and terrified.  I hugged her tightly and asked for her phone to call the police.  Mine was smashed and on the pavement outside our building.  She shook her head, whispering that she'd already called and they were on their way.

Just then, the front door shook as Michael resumed pounding on the door.  Seeing no other option, I sank into the couch and sobbed, hoping the police would arrive soon and stop this nightmare.

Hold Me Closer

I carefully followed Eric up the stairs to his apartment.  I hadn't been there since he'd admitted that his roommate was his ex-girlfriend and I caught myself looking for signs of a womanly touch around the apartment.  I shook my head, remembering Ruby no longer lived there and slipped my shoes off at the door.

"So, what kinda movie did you want to watch?  How does a comedy sound?" Eric asked, eyes scanning his DVD collection.

"That would be perfect.  I don't think I could handle anything too emotional!"

I settled in on the couch, smiling to myself.  This was nice.  While it was obvious there was some tension between us, it seemed to be the good kind.  Eric hit play on the movie and took a spot on the couch next to me.  I snuggled in close to him and rested my head on his shoulder as he draped an arm around me.  We watched the entire movie that way and when it ended, he seemed reluctant to get up to turn it off.

When he sat back down, I turned to face him.  He truly was a beautiful man.  He smiled as he reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from my face.  I couldn't help but smile back.

"Emma, I'm glad we were able to do this.  I really like spending time with you, even though things are complicated for you right now," Eric spoke softly as he leaned in towards me.  His lips met mine gently, delicately as I reached up to cup his face.  We sat there kissing for what felt like hours, lost in each other.  Eric's hand traced a path up my thigh, around my hip before brushing against my stomach.  He jumped slightly and broke the kiss, glancing down at the swell of my belly.

"Oh, wow," he murmured, placing his hand flat on my stomach.  He seemed surprised by just how much my pregnant belly had grown.

"I know, I know.  I'm almost halfway there," I laughed, resting my hand on top of his.  We sat that way for a long time, my hand on his, his hand cradling my belly, small kisses punctuating our conversation.

My phone rang shrilly, breaking the spell between us.  I could barely make out what Kate was saying between sobs and assured her I was heading home now.

I gave Eric one more lingering kiss and apologized for having to rush out on him.  My phone continued to ring as I drove home and my worry for Kate grew.  She knew I wouldn't answer while driving and she had sounded desperate and distraught on the phone.  Something was very wrong.

Pulling in to a space outside of our apartment, I hurriedly grabbed my purse and headed up the walkway before dropping my keys in shock.

"Oh, my god."

Author's Note: Long time, no see!

Obviously, this blog hasn't been updated in a few years.   I loved writing it and creating a story for people to follow but life got in the way.  No, I haven't been busy all this time but after awhile it became easy to neglect writing and then not write at all.  I lost my spark.

Basically, I'm wondering does anyone still read this?  I still know where I want Emma's story to go and I'm working on a few posts to share.  I'll post them anyway, even if nobody is reading, but I was curious.  If you're reading, thank you for your interest. I apologize for my abrupt, extended absence but I'm back now and I hope you enjoy the blog!