His Obsession || Book One

Puzzle

"You've been avoiding me. Why?" the voice announced.

Almost immediately I recognized who was speaking.

"Eric," I heard myself mutter, "How'd you get in here?"

"Answer me." he flicked on the lights angrily and gritted his teeth together.

I lightly gasped, realizing again that I was prey to the tiger in front of me. The fear was squeezing my chest, it made it hard for me to breathe.

Eric waited while I hesitated.

"You're scaring me." I took steps back until I was against the wall.

"Answer!" he hissed through his teeth.

"Why'd you kill Alecia?" my voice soft and careful.

There was a short pause, her name took him by surprise. He didn't answer, though I waited for a long moment.

Finally, he spoke, "Who told you about her?"

I folded my arms, "I'm not answering anymore if you're not going to answer my questions."

"Fine," his face tightened, "Marcello was a traitor. Rico loathed him and quite frankly, so do I."

"That's not my question. Why'd you get in their business?"

His jaw flexed in irritation, "I had a preference for Alecia, and as did she. She married Marcello, though she'd often tell me she was in love with me, and not Marcello. But, I wasn't too fond of her, she was just great company." He cleared his throat after a few seconds and pressed on, nearly inaudible, "She became obsessed over me and nearly forced me to marry her bigamously. Alecia wouldn't stop bothering me, and so I killed her. I hung her at Marcello's house, to be exact."

"How could you be that cruel?" the tears fled from my eyes.

His look exasperated, "Cruel? I was just playing nice."

"Get out of my house! Leave!" I shoved him, but he didn't budge.

"You begged me to answer! That's the answer!" he yelled back.

I pushed him with all my force, but he stood tall without moving.

I gave up and fell to the floor. I balled up and buried my face in my thighs.

Eric's voice shifted to sadness, "I know I'm a terrible person... I know. I didn't fall from heaven like you think I did."

It got awfully quiet after his statement. I peeked up from the legs and he was gone.

Eric's POV:

It was my second bottle of white wine. I was on the couch next to Santiago who was actually paying attention to the TV. I was too busy trying to forget Danica's haunting cries, which were stuck in my head, taunting my heart.

"I still think Alecia was hotter." Santiago interrupted my thoughts.

I avoided looking at him, so I wouldn't punch him in the face.

He shook his head at me, "There's plenty of fish in the sea, Eric."

The thought of someone else in my love life made me sick. I wanted no one else but her.

"Fuck you, she is my sea." I grumbled, getting up and sitting on the stool at my bar.

If I could beat myself up, I would.