The door bell rang. Warped sound fought back the silence that permeated my house. For a moment I thought it would be her. It was impossible but I that didn’t keep me from thinking that everytime someone came to the door or called me on the phone. I crossed my arms. If she couldn’t be at the door, then there was no point in answering it.

I ran a finger along the patterns scratched into the table, looking for a sign. There was nothing but jagged lines and looping swirls. The door bell rang again. It seemed more insistant this time but I was confident in my ability to do nothing.

“I know you’re in there.”

Ugh.

Nick.

He was the last person I wanted to hear from.

I stilled my breathing. I was not home.

“Come on, open up. I know you’re in there.” I could tell he was trying to keep calm but strain tightened his voice, strangling the words. He knew nothing.

I wondered if I had enough Salami and OJ to last the weekend. I hoped so.

“I have a key. I was just ringing the bell to be polite. I’m coming in now.”