Second Chances

Submitted into Contest #182 in response to: Start your story with a home alarm system going off.... view prompt

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Romance Suspense

This story contains sensitive content

TW: stalking


Kayleigh tucked her long blonde hair into a black beanie, clicked off her mag flashlight, and stood pressed against the back side of Mason’s house. She watched through the window as the light came on and Mason walked sleepily down the stairs to the alarm keypad by the door. “Intruder… Intruder... Intruder...” The alarm was saying over and over in a calm husky female voice. “Fucking alarm!” She heard Mason yell over the voice of the alarm system. He punched a series of numbers into the keypad which stopped the voice and in less than minute, the phone rang.

“Yeah? Yeah, the password is Leelo. No, from Fifth Element. I dunno. It went off again. I know, fourth time this week… No, I haven’t seen anything weird around the house or grounds. Maybe there’s something wrong with the system? Next Tuesday? 9 am? Sure…no problem. I’ll just keep it turned off for now. I really need some sleep. I have a long day tomorrow. Okay…see you next week.” Mason hung up the phone, headed upstairs, and turned off the light.

Kayleigh made a mental note: Tuesday, 9 am, perfect. Everything was going according to plan. She had been camping out along the back tree line of the property to trip the alarm every night the past few days hoping it would come across as faulty. With Mason turning off the alarm for the night she could finally move to phase two. She was determined to win Mason back, she just had to have the right setting in place for him to see how much he missed her. She clicked on her mag light, crouched down, and walked stealthily from the house to the tree line bordering his property to pack up her gear and head home. She had a lot of work to do.

Mason broke things off six months ago after he found out Kayleigh had put a tracking device on his car and phone. It wasn’t like she was trying to control him or anything, she just liked to know where he was and when he might be almost home. How else could she know when to get dinner ready? Or have his favorite drink on hand when he walked through the door? She was only trying to be the perfect girlfriend for him. He said she was suffocating him but how could that be when all she did was make sure he had no cares in the world. Her life revolved around him so much by then, she lost her job and her friends fell by the wayside. She didn’t care. All she thought about was Mason. 

The first couple of months apart were excruciating. She tried so hard to show him she had changed but every time she reached out to him either his secretary wouldn’t give him the message or the front desk wouldn’t let her know when he was available for lunch. She even tried sending him things like his favorite snacks and little gifts to show him she cared but they’d always get returned. He didn’t seem to appreciate her leaving little notes on his car either, but he used to love it when they were together. She was trying to give him the space he claimed he needed but she was confident there was some manipulation by his staff because the next thing she knew, she was being served with some sort of protection order. Why would he need a protection order? She loved him, she wasn’t a danger to him. If she could only talk to him, she could make it right. She had to help him see.

Taking care of the alarm was easy. She giggled remembering how annoyed Mason got last summer when a family of raccoons moved in under the back porch. Every time they climbed up onto the trash to get the cans open, it would knock against the door and trip the sensor. Mason must have gotten up to turn it off ten times before finally turning it off the rest of the summer. She knew if it was tripped enough times, he would just turn it off and leave it off. She knew him better than he knows himself which would reward her some uninterrupted alone time with him.  

Friday morning, time for phase two. Kayleigh rented a car (so he wouldn’t recognize hers), parked a little bit down the street from his driveway so she could see when he left (gosh he looks cute today), made her way up to the house on foot, and entered through the back door near the kitchen. He still has the magnets they collected together on the fridge door, so sentimental of him. She paused for a moment, standing in the kitchen that used to be theirs, feeling that warm sense of comfort that she used to have when they lived together. She let out a deep sigh and then added some powdered sleep medication she had stockpiled from her insomnia days into a couple of his beers in the fridge.

Mason was a creature of habit so she knew he always had a drink or two when he got home from work before having dinner. He used to walk in the door, give her a kiss, and she’d hand him a cold beer while she finished dinner. She still didn’t understand where she went wrong. Luckily his beers were twist offs so he’d never know she added the medication. It was only enough to make him drowsy and cooperative. Kayleigh prayed it would work, if she could just get him to relax and spend time with her, she knew he’d want her back.

Kayleigh grabbed her duffle bag and headed upstairs to prepare the bedroom. She planned to decorate it the same way they did for their first valentine’s day together – that was a good day. She placed candles around the room and had flower petals strewn about on the floor and bed. She added candles around the tub and set out special towels and bubble bath on the counter. She smiled and sang to herself as she did this thinking how impressed Mason was going to be when he saw how much effort she put into making him feel wanted and loved. She was definitely the romantic one in the relationship but she didn’t mind.

Her stomach growled and she realized she hadn’t eaten yet, she’d spent so much time thinking about Mason that she forgot to think of herself. She went back downstairs to make some lunch, helping herself to what was in the fridge along with some iced tea and plain potato chips. After she finished eating, she couldn’t help but put her dishes in the dishwasher along with the other dishes left in the sink. She liked cleaning up after him. It made her feel important. After all, he was tired from working all day, he should come home to a clean house.

It was getting late and Mason was due home in a couple of hours so Kayleigh headed back upstairs for a hot shower. She wanted to shave her legs and be fresh for him when he came home. She toweled off, dried and styled her hair, applied just the right amount of makeup exactly how he liked it, and put on the dress he bought for her years ago. It was a dark green form fitting dress with a mini hem line showing off her long shapely legs, his favorite. The first time she wore it, it wasn’t for very long. She didn’t even make it all the way downstairs before he started to unzip it and go down on her right there on the staircase. He was so turned on by how sexy she looked, she hoped the dress would work its charm this time, too.

While she waited for him to get home she wandered around his room – she didn’t care for his new sheets, she’ll have to change them eventually. He still left his pajamas in a pile on the floor, she picked them up to toss them in the hamper but stopped herself for a moment; she lifted his shirt up to her nose and could still smell the mix of deodorant and sweat. Her favorite scent, him. She felt a tingle of energy move like a wave through her body and she sensed her panties get a little moist. She slid her hand down her body to touch herself when she heard the front door open – he’s home! She could barely contain the squeal of happiness wanting to escape from her lips but she knew she had to be quiet. He couldn’t know she was waiting for him yet, she didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

She tiptoed across the bedroom to the door and cracked it open so she could hear what he was doing. It sounded like he was in the kitchen cracking open a beer, just like she knew he would. The sleeping pills shouldn’t take long, she knew he’d be making his way up any minute.


“Hello?” He said. Her heart stopped for a moment, could he sense that she’s here?

“Nah, man. I don’t think I can do drinks tonight. I am feeling totally beat all of a sudden.. Yeah it just hit me. Maybe tomorrow night. Yeah, okay. See ya.”


Ah, just a phone call. She felt a mixture of disappointment and relief. It would’ve been romantic if he could sense her presence, she can always sense his. Regardless, the plan was working. He’s tired and will soon be walking upstairs to find the romantic oasis she’s set up for him. She scurried to her duffel bag, grabbed a lighter and quickly lit the candles around the room and then waited behind the door for his arrival.

She heard him come slowly up the stairs with heavy steps, open his door, and watched him enter the room with his head down in one of his hands. As Mason stepped into the room, Kayleigh closed the door behind him. He took his hand away from his face and looked around the room.

“What the hell—” he shook his head in disbelief and blinked his eyes as if his vision was getting blurry.

“Do you like it?” Kayleigh said standing behind him. “I did it for you.”

Mason froze at the sound of her voice, he didn’t want to turn around to see her but he knew he had to. “What are you doing here? What did you do to me?”

“Just a little something to help you relax, babe.” She stepped closer to him as if no time has passed, reaching for him to give him a comforting hug, “I know it’s been a long time and I didn’t want you to feel nervous.”

Mason’s words began to slur a bit. “I don’t want you here, you need to go.” He was trying to stay focused but his body was becoming more wobbly.

“I know you say that right now and technically I shouldn’t be because of that silly little paper, but we both know you don’t mean that. You’re scared of how good our relationship is so you ran away but I’m here to give you another chance.”

“Me another chance…?

“Yes! Baby, yes…that’s why I’m wearing your favorite dress. Remember what happened last time?” She reached for his hand and placed it on her waist.

Mason pulled his hand back and stepped backwards until his legs came in contact with the bed. “No, Kayleigh…this isn’t right.”

Kayleigh advanced until she was an inch away from Mason’s body. She slowly reached out her hands and traced her fingers up his arms while saying, “You couldn’t keep your hands off me that night. Remember how you made me cum so hard making love to me on the stairs?” When her hands got to his shoulders, Kayleigh gave a slight nudge with her hands and Mason fell back onto the bed. “We can be like that again if you just give it a chance.” She parted his knees, stepped between them, and leaned over him. She traced a line from his neck down his chest to the front of his jeans with her fingers and grasped his crotch. She could feel him getting hard. “See baby, I knew you wanted me deep down…you like that, yeah?” she said as she pressed and rubbed her hand on the front of his jeans. She looked up toward his face and saw he was practically asleep. “That’s okay, baby…I’ll take care of you. I’ll make you feel really good.” She leaned forward and rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart beating.

“I’m so happy, Mason.” She whispered. “I know when you wake up and see me here and we get a chance to talk… really talk, without other people getting in the way, you’ll see how good I am for you. I know it.” Kayleigh tilted her head up and looked at Mason’s sleeping face, lifted herself up a bit, and kissed him softly and sweetly on the lips. “I know you love me, Mason, and this is just the first step in proving it to you. You’ll see.” 

***

Mason’s head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. He could barely open his eyes as he felt the warmth of the sun coming through his bedroom window while he drifted in and out of sleep. All he could think of was the nightmare he had last night causing memories of his ex-girlfriend Kayleigh to go through his mind. Everything was great until she lost her job and made him the focus of her energy. At first it was fun playing house, coming home after a long day at work with the smell of dinner cooking in the kitchen and being greeted at the door with a beer. She was adventurous in bed and didn’t seem to mind when his friends came over. Everyone said how lucky he was to have such a cool girlfriend.

Then, after a while, little by little, Kayleigh began pouting when he left the house and calling his work throughout the day, even when it wasn’t important. She started showing up at his office at weird times and would get upset if he was in a meeting and couldn’t see her, embarrassing him in front of his coworkers. He tried reasoning with her and even suggested she get a job but Kayleigh wouldn’t have it. Taking care of him was her job now, she’d say.

Soon, she started to push away all his friends and family. They stopped coming over to avoid her but he managed to hang out with them after work before coming home. He wouldn’t tell her where they would be or when he’d be home. She did not like that at all. One time, he was with his friends at a sports bar and saw her in her car across the street through the window watching them. He asked her about it but she denied it and told him he was crazy to think she would do something like that.

Luckily, a few weeks later he got a flat tire and found a tracking device when he was replacing it. He knew he had to break up with her and it wasn’t going to be good but it had to be done. He ended up needing a restraining order due to her coming to his work and making a scene; ranting and raving about all the things she did for him and even making up stories about him making her have threesomes with his friends. She would send him packages at work of little teddy bears with candy or flowers or leave love notes on his windshield. It took a few months but it seemed like she finally started to let me go.

Mason finally felt awake. He looked around and saw unlit candles along the windowsills and on top of his dresser. He tried to sit up but something pulled at his arms. He looked to his right and left and saw his arms were tied to the bedposts. He tried to move his legs and discovered they were tied too. He felt an instant panic come over him. Suddenly he knew his nightmare wasn’t just a bad dream. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs and saw exactly what he didn’t want to see; Kayleigh walking into his room wearing one of his shirts, just like she used to.

“Mason! You’re awake my darling! Oh, I’m so happy! I’ve made your favorite breakfast. Here we have French toast, scrambled eggs, some bacon, and coffee. I’m sure you’re hungry since you skipped dinner last night.” She said as she came closer to the bed, set the tray down next to him, and then nuzzled into him. Mason felt frozen in disbelief.

“Oh, I got a hold of the security company and told them not to bother coming Tuesday and I got a hold of your boss, who is so sweet by the way, and told him you had a family emergency and wouldn’t be in all week. We have the whole week to ourselves, Babe! Isn’t that great?! It will be just like before, only better because now I know how to be better for you.”

“My hands Kayleigh…”

“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll feed you. Everything is going to be perfect. You’ll see.”

Mason opened his mouth to receive the bite of French toast. His mind raced until he realized what day it was – Saturday. She doesn’t know that by the end of tonight all of his friends will be at the door for game night. It’s going to be a rough few hours, but for now he’ll satisfying his empty stomach as he awaits the calvary.

“Coffee, please” He said, watching her smile in disbelief.

“Anything for you.” She replied.


January 28, 2023 04:49

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4 comments

Amanda Lieser
14:51 Feb 15, 2023

Hey Jeannette! Oh this one was so good. When I saw the CW, I was a bit nervous on how it was going to go, but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the perspective you chose and you did a brilliant job of embodying this human. I also loved the way you told their story-their history together. It was wonderfully maniacal. My favorite line was: He still has the magnets they collected together on the fridge door, so sentimental of him. I loved how this line really encompassed the delusion early on. Although, second place shout out to her being obs...

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Jeannette Miller
00:31 Feb 17, 2023

Thanks Amanda! I'm so glad this one worked out. My daughter Rebecca reworked the parts you liked for me, so, I will tell her :) She'll be happy. My version was a bit clunky and I was stuck so she cleaned it up and added some nice touches. Thanks for reading and commenting! :)

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Lily Finch
05:36 Jan 28, 2023

Jeanette, I enjoyed this story. You had wonderful details that made the character believable. I thought Mason acted like a typical guy, so you nailed that one too. The story was convincing. I felt freaked out, too, by reading this one. It gave me a queer feeling. That girl is a whack job! Your story elements were all there too. Well done. There is hope for Mason. Thanks for the read. LF6

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Jeannette Miller
17:31 Jan 28, 2023

Lily, Thank you! I struggled with this one a bit. I had my daughter go through it and she reworked some parts and tightened it up. I barely made the deadline last night! Yes! The typos...Thanks for catching those. I need to fix them. I missed those in the rush of getting it submitted. That girl is a whack job, haha. Thank you for reading and commenting! :)

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