Everything I Need

21

   I froze when I heard the voice then slowly turned around to be met with the face of the one person I never really cared to see again. A face I honestly hoped to never see again yet here we are face to face in the teacher parking lot at Alamo Vista High School. "Good to see you Lauren and you look really, really good."

   I scoff as I watch his eyes travel up and down my body. "What do you want?" I ask through gritted teeth as my heart is beating so hard I can feel it in my ears. I don't want him to see that I'm affected by him being here. I don't want him to know that he scares me.

   "I just wanted to say hello. Is that a crime?" I do not want to hear anything else he has to say so I turn back to my open door to get in my car when I feel a hand grab my upper arm stopping me. It feels like my stomach drops at the unwanted contact and he squeezes my arm before losing his grip and I know I will have a bruise with how hard he squeezed. "Okay, fine I miss you and wanted to see how my wife is doing."

   I jerk my arm away and glare at Mike. I can feel my eyes watering but refuse to cry in front of him. "I'm not your fucking wife and don't ever touch me again! You have no business being here. Leave me the fuck alone!" I jump in my car and quickly leave the school parking lot. I glance in the rear view mirror and Mike is watching me as I drive away.

   I am a nervous wreck right now and honestly really scared. I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack and that is something I've never had happen before. Something about Mike just wasn't right. He looked really bad and strung out. The feeling I got just being around him was unsettling. He is definitely not the same man he was when we first met and damn sure isn't the man I once loved.

   I am shaking because I am so scared right now and I do not want to be alone. I know Kyler has a lab right now and was going to be an hour later getting home after me. I hate to disturb her but I just don't think I can be by myself and she is the only person I want right now. I need her. Using the hands free in my car, I call Kyler and hope like hell she will answer.

   "Hello." I hear Kyler whisper as she answers the phone. I hear movement, then she apologizes apparently to her professor. As soon as I hear the door close, she anxiously asks "Baby is something wrong?" I know she left her lab to answer the phone and I feel really bad for bothering her and for interrupting her lab.

   "Kyler..." I say as my mind is racing and I am still checking my rear view mirror to make sure Mike is not following me. Finally I say "I need you. I-I'm sorry to interrupt your lab but... please.... C-Can you please come home? I'm nearly there and I-I don't think I can be by myself right now because..."

   I don't even get to finish what I'm saying when Kyler cuts in "say no more baby, I'm on my way. You're not hurt are you? Are you and the baby okay? I will be there in 10 minutes max then you can tell me what's going on. Just stay on the phone with me until I get there even if you don't want to talk. I need to be able to hear you and know you're okay."

   I breathe out a sigh of relief as I start crying and try to answer my wife. "N-No, I'm not hurt and me and the baby are fine. I-I will explain everything when you get home." I manage to say as I try to keep from crying even more. I can hear Kyler breathing heavier and I know she's apparently running to her car. I stay on the phone even after I get home and get inside the house. I make sure the doors are locked plus set the alarm just to try and calm my nerves while waiting for her to get here. About eight minutes after I get home, Kyler arrives, she disables the alarm and does not hang the phone up until she is inside our house and physically looking at me.

   I lunge forward and wrap my arms around Kyler and start uncontrollably crying. She quickly wraps her arms around me and kisses the side of my head as she is holding me. I grab a hold of her shirt with both hands and tighten my hold on her. She continues holding me and whispers over and over that she has me and that she is right here for me as she comforts me. Finally she pulls back and says "okay baby, let's go sit down and you can tell me what's going on." She wipes my tears then I nod my head and we walk to the living room and sit down.

   I don't want to be far from my wife so when we sit down, I sit right up against Kyler to the point I should have just sat in her lap. She is the comfort I need right now and I just want to feel her touch even in the simplest way. "I-I'm sorry again for disturbing your lab and if I freaked you out but I was freaking myself out. As I was leaving school this afternoon, a car pulled up when I was about to get into my car. I didn't look to see who it was until my name was called. Kyler, it was Mike. He showed up at the school and said he wanted to see how I was doing. Said he wanted to see his "wife" and even tried to keep me from leaving at first."

   Kyler looks shocked at the fact that Mike was there but she also looks pissed. She bawls her fist up tight, to the point her knuckles turn white. She looks at me and in nearly a growl asks "did he do anything to you?" I shake my head no.

   "H-He just grabbed my arm and squeezed it but I jerked my arm away when he loosened his grip. He made me feel really uncomfortable and... and something just wasn't right with him, Kyler. Mike has changed and not in a good way. I-I wonder if it's been him when I have felt like I was being watched because it happened again today after you left this morning? I had to go out to my car for a folder and felt like I was being watched."

   Kyler wraps her arms around my neck and holds me against her chest. "I swear if he tries anything, I will hurt him. If he hurts you again... I... I will kill the bastard. I will do my very best to make sure you are always okay and feel safe. I will do whatever I can because you are my number one priority. You and our baby. I think we should get a restraining order against him. I would feel better and we should probably talk to the principal about him being on school property and see what they can."

   Kyler rubs her hand up and down my back in a soothing motion. She moves her arm around me, to pull me closer against her. As her hand reaches my arm, I winch from the soreness of my upper arm where Mike grabbed me. I didn't realize it was even that sore until she touched it. "Are you okay baby?" She questions as she sits up and reaches for the hem of my shirt. Before I can say anything, Kyler pulls my shirt up and says "turn around."

   I start to protest because it's just my arm and there was really no point in pulling my shirt off but I turn around anyway. Kyler skims her fingertips over the discolored skin where you can see the imprint of Mike's fingers. She gets on the floor on her knees and gently kisses my arm. "Why take my shirt off to look at my arm?" I finally ask.

   Kyler gently kisses my arm again and says "I just wanted to make sure there were no other marks on you."

   I squint my eyes at my wife. Does she not believe me? "Did you think I would lie to you if anything else happened?"

   Kyler takes my hands in hers and looks into my eyes. "No baby, I know you wouldn't lie, I'm sorry, I just... I needed reassurance for myself that he didn't do anything else." She wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head in my lap. "I love you Lauren and I don't want to see your hurt. I promise you, if he ever touches you again...." She says as her voice breaks and her words seem to get stuck in her throat.