We’re holding each other’s hand as we look at the stars. We finally stopped talking after hours of sharing Conspiracy theories and horror stories that we think is cool.
“This is great, right?” She asks me for the fifth time.
My ceiling looks so cute now, the stars will surely make my room bright at night when the lights are out. I think I don’t have to open the lights when I’m going to the bathroom anymore.
“Yes, it is.” My conscience is sitting around the corner. I set my ringtone to the loudest so that we can prepare if ever Jax texts me that he’s gonna come over.
She rolled over to kiss me. “Do you notice anything different?”
“Uhm, no?”
“Come on.” She sits down. “Observe.”
“Did you cut your hair?”
“No! Not that one.”
“Don’t make me guess, just say it.”
She raises her right hand. “I threw the ring Ocean gave me.”
She threw the engagement ring her dead fiancee gave her? If ever Jax cheated on me and he died, all my anger will be washed out.
She must hate him so bad.
I wanted to ask her thousand question about what she just said but all I can ask her was “Why?”
“It’s no use anymore and it just reminds me of him.”
I tried so hard not to say anything that might make her offended. If Ocean’s listening to what’s she’s saying, he’ll be so offended and I’m sure of it.
“So, tomorrow? Tonight with Pal?” I’m so glad that I can make this topic to avoid talking about her dead fiancee. Also, I’m never going to forget about Tonight with Pal.
“Oh yes. Speaking, I have to go now because they’re going to give me heads up with all the questions they’re going to ask me.” I escorted her to her car.
I’m glad that I don’t have any close relationship with my neighbors so I don’t have to worry about them telling Jax.
Speaking of Jax, he said that he’s going to come over today. He was busy this past few days because of some kind of training and seminar he went with Detective Sanchez.
Jax adores Detective Sanchez when it comes to Detective work. Jax said that he’s hands on with his career since he doesn’t have any family, his son died at age 9 from a car accident.
I went to my bedroom to get my clothes.
This is one of the times where I get excited to take a bath. I feel so dusty since we gave my room make over. We also installed stars on my ceiling so I don’t need to always use my night lamp.
When I entered the bathroom, I saw her phone lying above the medicine cabinet.
My mind’s first suggestion is to call her, but then I remember that I have her phone.
“I’m just gonna give it back tomorrow.” I said to myself.
I dip myself inside the tub and choose a playlist to listen to. I moaned as the dustiness I’m feeling dissolved.
This is great. To have your mind unoccupied by the wickedness outside. Never felt like this for a long time since the day my Conscience decided to give me company.
It sucks when that feeling ends when Denise’s phone rang. I stayed in the tub til it turned off because I couldn’t answer it.
After a few minutes, a message tone dings from her phone. My nosy side went on top. I grabbed my towel to check her phone.
It’s a message from someone named Tale.
Where’s the other half of my payment?
Maybe you can give me extra for framing your model friend. It ain’t easy asking FBI guy for cooperation.
I can’t believe what I just read. My gut shattered into two pieces, now that all I want to do is follow my gut on whether to read some more or just put down the phone and go enjoy a nice bath. I tried to follow the second one, but my mind’s too loud.
She framed Mira? She did and it means whoever killed Ocean’s still out there.
I grabbed my towel again to check her phone. This time, I brought it back with me to the tub.
I scrolled down to the beginning of the conversation. It’s not that long and it started weeks ago.
2 weeks before Ocean died.
The conversation started with the Tale guy sending [ROCKY] and Denise responding [TALE] which I guess is some kind of a code for confirmation. After that, they talked about Ocean— his normal routine, location, name of his friends, Mira, the Article I wrote. All of that came from Denise.
My forehead’s furrowed while reading the conversation. I don’t know what’s going to happen after I finish reading this but I hope that the saying ‘Curiosity kills the cat’ is not true.
I slowly move my finger down when I saw that I’m scrolling to a part where the Tale guy sent her a picture of something.
The conversation on this part happened the day Ocean died.
My heart stopped when I saw what’s in the picture.
Ocean. Dead. Knife still intact. Blood gushing over his neck. His eyes, they’re open.
I laid my head down to the side of the tub. My tears are flowing continuously. I can’t even close my mouth because of the shock I’m feeling all over my body.
The photo I just saw, Jax told me what it means. It’s a confirmation that the target person is Dead.
She hired someone to kill Ocean.
My heart jumped and the phone slips out of my hand when I heard a knock from the door. I tried if the phone’s still working but it’s not anymore. I opened the medicine cabinet and hid the phone there.
I don’t know how I managed to wrap myself up with my towel to answer the door. When I looked through the peephole, I felt like dying on the spot.
It’s Denise.
“Jess? I think I left my phone above your medicine cabinet.” She shouted.
I tried to collect myself quickly before opening the door. “Oh hey, what did you say?”
“I’m so sorry to bother you in your bath.” I’m glad that she didn’t ask me if I’m okay means that I did a good job collecting myself. “I think I left my phone above your medicine cabinet.”
I open the door wide. “Come in.” I offered so that I wouldn’t look suspicious.
“Actually, can you grab it for me real quick? I really need to go.”
“Of course. Just a moment.” I went to the bathroom not to search for the phone because I know exactly where it is. I went to breathe before denying that her phones here.
“It’s not there. Tried other places too but it’s not here.” I said trying so hard not to look nervous. “You can see it for yourself.”
“No, that’s fine. I must’ve misplaced it because of too much problem going on in my mind. Thanks anyway.” She gave me a kiss before walking away.
After slamming the door, I found myself on the floor sobbing so hard. I can’t even recognize my own apartment anymore because of the tears blocking my eyes.
I got up to walk back and dip myself in the tub, hoping that it would wash away this thing that I’m feeling right now. If honest, I hope that the water will consume me to death so I don’t have to keep this a secret anymore.
If I can go back minutes before finding out the truth, I will.