In The Shadows
by Leslie Johnson
He crouched there in the shadows, waiting for her to come home. He knew she was out with her friend Angela. He’d waited for them to leave before letting himself in with the key she didn’t know he had. He imagined the two women having a delicious supper at The Bistro, perhaps a couple of glasses of wine. Just enough to shave off the edge - so she would be less aware of her surroundings when she returned home.
He expected her to arrive happy and carefree. He imagined her coming in, still laughing at something Angela said. With a satisfied grin on her face from a nice evening out with a good friend, she would walk into her living room, toss her coat over the chair and flop down onto the couch. Then she would reach over and turn on the lamp.
That’s when he would pounce; when she was off balance. Her face would show terror in that instant as she would be caught unaware. He imagined she would scream, a high pitched primal scream. She might even scramble backwards or try to flee. Oh, that made him smile. The thought of catching her by surprise, knowing she didn’t have a clue. She wouldn’t be expecting to see him here - in her home.
The anticipation made him nervous. The more he thought about scaring her, the more hysterical he became. He began gulping in air, trying to calm his nerves as they skittered around under his skin. He wanted to move, He needed to move but couldn’t. She would be home any minute. The last thing he needed was to get caught, She needed to be vulnerable. He needed to be between her and the door when she realized she wasn’t alone. He took another deep breath and thought about the first time he saw her.
There were eight of them on that trip to the mountains. He enjoyed watching her as they hiked along to the falls. Long brown hair, laughing eyes, her slender body moved lithely. They didn’t know each other then and she treated him like he was invisible. Soon, she would see him for the man he was.
Lights flashed across the picture window. The taxi - bringing her home. His breath caught in his throat. His heart fluttered, the staccato beat - off kilter making him light-headed with anticipation. Deep breaths, or he would burst out laughing the moment she opened the door. Keys jingling, metal scraping on metal. She was close now. Soon, my darling. Soon.
As he imagined, she didn’t turn on the lights. She came into the living room, humming a song. What was that tune? Perfect by Ed Sheeran? She’s right - it is perfect and she is going to be perfectly frightened in just a few minutes.
From his hiding place behind the couch, he felt her sit. In the shadows created by the lights coming through the sheer curtains behind her. He saw her flex her head back, her hair spilling over the back of the sofa. Then she stretched out her arm toward the lamp and he got ready to spring out.
He felt her hesitate. Did she sense she wasn’t alone? He held his breath, waiting, counting the seconds, waiting for her to relax again. She shifted closer to the lamp and switched it on. Everyone sprang out from their hiding places. He made sure he landed just in front of her. She gasped and moved back. Her face tight with fear. He smiled.
“Surprise!” the room of people shouted together. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what was happening. Engrossed in his fantasy, he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone. In that instant, he saw her look from him to one of her friends. She relaxed and laughed.
“You guys scared the crap out of me.”
Jillian stepped forward and handed her a large gift bag. “Happy Birthday!” Other presents appeared and someone started handing out drinks. He stepped to the back of the room and watched.
Angela came up to him, smiling. “Thanks for doing this, Kevin.” She put her hand out. “ I’ll take my key back before I forget.”
He handed her the key, smiling. “No worries - happy to help.”
She moved away and he returned to watching. She was laughing at something someone said. She threw her head back and he felt the ache of desire rise. He longed to wrap his hands around her long, slender throat. He wanted to see the fear again. He wanted to watch the light fade from her eyes.
He thought of the key he had cut, the copy of Angela’s. And he knew that soon, he would be waiting for her again, only next time, he would be alone. Next time, she would pay attention to him.
