JEREMY
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Episode 18
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Jeremy got out of bed that morning when I was still in it. He left a note explaining why he didn’t want to wake me up when I opened my eyes.
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“Hey, gorgeous, given how much you needed to sleep, I didn’t want to wake you up. I apologize for keeping you up all night talking about topics you ought to have heard a long time ago. I’ll be leaving right now. Breakfast will be sent to your room per the directions I’ve left. Simply let them know when you’re hungry. When you’re ready to leave, please let me know. Pumpkin, I love you “.
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After reading Jeremy’s note with groggy eyes, I promptly went back to sleep. A few hours later, I woke up, had brunch, took a bath, and then went to check out.
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I had forgotten that Jeremy had requested that I notify him when I was about to leave. I’m not even sure if I’m glad I left that hotel room that day without informing him now that I think about it.
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I could clearly see Jeremy’s car sitting in front of the gate as the cab I had taken reached my gate. As we approached, it became clear that the automobile was in fact Jeremy’s, contrary to my initial assumption that it was probably just a car that looked like his.
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I was taken aback when I noticed Jeremy’s SUV at my parents’ home. I strained my brain for conceivable explanations as to why Jeremy should be at home right now rather than traveling to Port Harcourt.
I found none.
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Jeremy knew where I was. He knew where to locate me if he had forgotten something or needed to tell me “something,” and if not, he could have just called my phone.
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After I alighted, I almost forgot to pay for my trip since I got lost in my thoughts.
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I couldn’t help but feel anxious as I reached the front door. My interest was piqued simply by the fact that I had no idea what to anticipate. My heart started to beat more quickly than it ever had.
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I wasn’t overreacting, I assure you. Since I’ve known Jeremy for so long, I am certain that he wouldn’t have been in my home with my parents when he knew I was gone if it weren’t for something he regards as being of the utmost importance.
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Jeremy was a quiet person. He showed a degree of respect for my parents that I had never witnessed before. It was one of the initial factors that led my mother and aunt to fall in love with him. Among my family members, Jeremy was frequently unduly timid. Even talking on the phone with my parents demands a unique kind of grace most of the time. When I initially brought Jeremy to my house to meet my family, he was only able to eat two full spoons of the rice that was provided to him at dinner.
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One might have thought that as the days passed, Jeremy would become used to my family and perhaps even loosen up, but that was never the case.
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In order to sneak into the building and navigate the hallways leading to the seating area, I softly threw open the door and started to enter.
After I had barely tiptoed halfway down this hallway, Jeremy brushed into me in a way that seemed like he was attempting to get away as quickly as possible. He ran into me, and his expression was not at all what I had anticipated. It lacked any element of surprise or thrill. It lacked any nice qualities.
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Jeremy wore a serious expression.
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I noticed emptiness when I gazed into Jeremy’s eyes.
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Blood red glowed in Jeremy’s eyes.
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I looked around to make sure I wasn’t being “punked” or whatever, but nothing in the immediate area gave me any reason to think that was likely the case.
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My parents were also nowhere to be found. The house was silent as far as I could tell.
It was strange, particularly if Jeremy, an “august visitor,” was just leaving.
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I had been caught in the act of sneaking into my own house to listen in on conversations, a temporarily startling act that could have been stopped by Jeremy’s customary “Hey baby” gesture. One I never got.
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I leaned in for a hug with the intention of asking Jeremy what he was doing in my house after we were done, but all I got in return was an icy shrug.
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I had to drag Jeremy back when he tried to stroll past me without even flinching in response to my presence.
To be continued…
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Moshood Avidiime The Writer
