You Belong to Me – 12

 

 

Forty-five minutes later, his shopping cart almost full, Corey wheeled it toward the produce department. He paused by a display of spices that were on sale, wondering if he’d ever use any of them, when he felt as if he were being watched. Turning slowly, he looked around. There were several people in the vicinity, but none of them seemed to be paying any special attention to him. “Nerves,” he muttered under his breath and moved on.

 

After getting tomatoes and potatoes, he checked out the cauliflower, trying to find a head that didn’t have black spots on it. Again he got the creepy feeling someone was staring at him. And again, when he looked around, no one seemed interested in him. Still, unnerved now, he grabbed a bunch of broccoli, tossed it in the cart, and headed toward the checkout counters, stopping just long enough to snag some bananas on the way.

 

Five bags of groceries—and way too much money spent—later, he was at his car. As he put the bags in the trunk, he kept glancing at the other people in the lot, wondering if one of them was…what? A stalker? His gift giver?

 

It wasn’t until he was back in his apartment that Corey was able to shake the feeling of being watched. He got everything put away, and then, not wanting to leave again, he decided it would be a good time to hang the pictures his parents had given him for Christmas.

 

He laughed, looking around his living room. I need a fifth wall. Given that every open space on the four walls was filled with pictures he had collected or been given, that wasn’t far from the truth. However, with some judicious rearrangement, he was able to hang the new ones. An hour later Corey stepped back, pleased with the results.

 

By then it was suppertime, and with food in the house, he set about fixing something to eat. When it was ready, he took his meal into the living room, settled down on the sofa, and ate while watching the news. The only interesting part, in his opinion, was finding out the weather would be seasonably cold but not unbearable. Tomorrow will be a good day to stay inside, though. Maybe, when I’ve finished chores, I can finally read the book Kerry gave me. With that settled, he did the dishes and went back to watch a couple of his favorite programs before going to bed.

 

It took him a long time to fall asleep. Thoughts of his stalker, had him tossing and turning, trying to figure out who it could be. Finally his mind calmed down, and he slept.