I've had some pretty close calls in my life….. But holy shit. I didn't know it was possible to be that terrified.
I kept catching Loid sneaking glances and peaks at me through the corner of his eye for the rest of the evening. We were sitting on the couch and reading quietly, and every time I peered up from my book, I spotted him looking at me…. and he was smiling then. Only until he noticed that I was gazing his way, then his eyes immediately drifted back onto his newspaper and he pretended like he never looked away, suppressing his grin with such an intensity that I had to stop myself from giggling. Heh so charming….. I wonder if he really does like me? How can I tell? Does he have a crush on me too? It's impossible to say….. But regardless….. An organic grin blossomed across my own lips. It makes my heartbeat so fast, whenever he looks at me that way.
We stayed like that until the clock struck ten. I closed my book, set it down on the coffee table, and got up to stretch my arms high above me. Loid blinked up from the file he was overlooking now. "Off to bed?" He inquired and I nodded. "Yes, I'm getting tired." "Alright then. Have a good sleep, Mrs. Forger," my husband grinned softly, which I mirrored his tendre expression. "You too. Sleep tight, Loid." With one last glance at each other, Loid turned back to his document and I made my way to my bedroom.
My hand was just about to grab the doorknob when that sudden feeling of dread overtook me again. It was absolute, and terrifying. Don't go in there, this tiny voice pleaded in my mind. Don't go inside!
I had to take a moment to stop and think rationally. Why? Wait, what's wrong with me? It's just my room; there's nothing bad inside there. Besides, there's no reason to be afraid of anything here; Loid's right down the hall. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. Still…. Gazing down at the doorknob, my fingers quivered slightly. Why can't I shake this horrible feeling? It's like sensing a predator's nearby when none really are. Or so I thought.
Convincing myself that I was being foolish, I forced myself to turn the knob and go into my room. That was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I should have listened to that little voice inside my head. As soon as the door spun open, my eyes locked onto a masked figure, clad in a tight black suit, and brandishing a very sharp knife standing in the middle of the floor. He looked as if he'd been waiting for me to arrive, judging by how ready his stance was to attack me. I only had time to let out a single, blood-curdling scream which I'm sure everyone in the apartment complex heard as he seized my wrist, yanking me towards him with force. My shriek lasted for all of three seconds before he covered my mouth with the hand holding the knife in order to silence me. But it was too late- you can guess what happened next.
"Yor!" I'd never seen Loid move that fast before. He was under the doorframe less than a second after the intruder covered my mouth. It also didn't register in my brain that it was the very first time he referred to me by my first name, probably because it takes less time to say than "Mrs. Forger". I swear, the look in Loid's eyes just then when he saw that armed man holding me there….. He must have seen red.
What happened next was a blur for me personally. Before I knew it, my body was being flung out of the creep's grip and I was tossed out into the hallway like a ragdoll. My side landed against the hall wall, but it didn't hurt. Still I winced upon impact out of reflex, and when I blinked back into the room I witnessed Loid beating the ever-loving crap out of that man. His knife went flying out of his hand, sliding across the floor and stopping under the bed. I'd never seen Loid that enraged before; it honestly looked like he wanted to kill that man right then.
But of course he didn't. After punching him a number of times in the face, my husband held the man up by the collar of his shirt right close to his irate face. You could see blood dripping down from the man's nose onto Loid's hands. "The next time you put your hands on my wife will be the last time you ever use them!" He shouted at the guy very, very loudly. I would have been blushing up a storm if it wasn't for the fact Loid's head turned to me just then. "Call the cops," he ordered, and I instantly obeyed. Loid hollered from the room for me to wait outside until they arrive, which I did; he held the man captive in my room during the whole time we waited.
The next hour was chaotic. An army of police swarmed our entire building. Neighbours were alerted to the break-in, and a cop took down my statement in the living room while two others spoke to Loid. By the time they'd left- with the man in cuffs of course- another hour had gone by and we were exhausted- or I was exhausted. Loid still seemed pissed off and wide awake now. He didn't say a word to me until the police were gone, waiting until we were alone to finally address the matter. And it started with him going to fetch a suitcase much to my shock.
"That's it. You're going to stay at a hotel- tonight," he directed, pulling down one of the biggest suitcases from the hallway closet. My eyes widened in alarm. "What?! A hotel?" "You're not staying here tonight," his tone was tart and super serious; I think this whole ordeal really frightened him. All the more reason we should stay together!
My hands clasped together defiantly. "I don't to go to a hotel, not unless you're coming with me." "I can't leave the apartment all night. There're sensitive documents here I can't leave unsupervised," his back straightened up. "Then I want to stay here too. I don't wanna go sleep in a hotel alone. Please Loid; please let me stay here with you," I pleaded, holding my interlaced hands up in front of me.
Loid looked torn. I bet one half wanted to say tough luck, you're going, but the other half was hesitating…. He rubbed the back of his head contemplatively while silently staring at me. Eventually his head lowered a tad.
"Move into my room. We'll trade rooms right now." "Oh, you don't have…" "I'm not arguing with you about this, Mrs. Forger!" He hollered back, more out of desperation than anger. I stopped, looked at him, and realizing how serious he was. Loid let out a long groan, closing his eyes and tossing his head back so he was facing the ceiling. His hand ran over his wary eyes after a second. "God damn it….." Again, this was one of those times he spoke more aloud to himself than to me. I watched him, feeling so bad for him; it was so traumatizing for both of us.
"A-Are you alright?" I whispered after a tense pause. "Are you alright?" He repeated my question back to me, gazing in my direction with gentler eyes now. I blinked in surprise, too stunned to answer. Me? He's asking if I'm alright after he practically destroyed his hands beating up that guy's face. When I failed to answer, Loid's expression grew firmer. "Did he hurt you? Are you injured anywhere?" My cheeks coloured and my head gave a tiny shake. "N-No, I'm alright. A-Are you….?"
My husband stared at me a minute, letting his bottom lip drop without him realizing. His eyes grew lighter, his shoulders lowered a little. His eyes met mine…. reached mine. "Mrs. Forger…" He breathed. "Loid?" My eyes widened a tad. "You sure you're ok?" "Yes, I'm fine, really," I soothed him in the softest tone possible. He didn't reply right away, letting his gaze naturally lower onto mine. His lips opened a sliver again, staying quiet for a brief second. He took his time to speak next. "Damn it….. I didn't know," he finally uttered incredulous. "Know what?" I asked. His hands balled into fists, trembling at his sides.
"That worrying doesn't have an "off-switch"."