Annie flipped through her magazine impatiently.  She’d read it a hundred times, or so it seemed, and she was extremely bored.  She sighed loudly causing Nick to look up from his book, he looked at her and smiled going back to his book.  Annie rolled her eyes at Nick when he wasn’t looking and dramatically threw her magazine on the table and let out another loud sigh.  Nick looked back up from his book and asked,

    “Annie, something the matter?”  She got up off the couch and walked over to Nick who was sitting the floor directly across from her and sat down on his legs.  Nick put his book down and pulled her closer to him.

    “I’m bored,” Annie sighed.  Nick eyebrows went up in mock surprise,

    “No way!” he said.

    “So, what are you gonna do about it Carter?” Annie teased.   Nick pursed his lips, which then turned into a smile Annie loved.

    “Come here,” he whispered through his smile.  Annie and Nick’s faces got closer and he kissed her gently, she pulled away and smiled.

    “Nope! Sorry, that’s not gonna cut it Mr. Nick!” she jokingly said.

    “So, what do you want to do?  It’s obvious MY charms are of no use to you,” Nick said playing along.  Annie looked around and saw a newspaper that was laying on the floor.  She jumped off of Nick and picked it up.

    “Let’s go see a movie,” she suggested.

    “Okay” He said and Annie began to read off a list of movies they could go see.

    “Eye of the Beholder?” Nick turned up his nose and Annie read a little further.

    “Hey, how about Scream 3?” Annie said excitedly.  Nick nodded and they looked at what time it started.

    “Well, we have an hour before we need to leave,” Annie said.  Nick’s eyes lit up as he grabbed her by the waist and drug her back to the floor where they had been sitting.

    “Nick, what are you doing?” Annie questioned.

    “Passing the time,” Nick said.

    “How are we going to do that?” Annie asked.

    “Shhh, just c’mere and shut up!” Nick told her.  He sat down on the floor and pulled Annie on top of him, leaning in to kiss her.

    “Oh, so THAT’S how we’re gonna pass time.  I like how you think Carter!” She giggled.
 

Nick and Annie were standing in line for refreshments at the movie theater.  Both were in high spirits after their little make-out session and almost didn’t make the movie.  They stood in line and giggled and held hands.  They were talking about nothing in particular, but it didn’t matter.  They reached the counter and Nick asked,

    “You want anything?”  Annie said no and Nick ordered some popcorn.  She knew she’d steal some of his anyway.  Annie started scanning the crowd while she waited for Nick and her eye caught on someone in the crowd.  All of the sudden the blood rushed out of Annie’s face and her mouth became dry.  Her stomach started turning flips and and her knees felt weak.  Nick turned around from the counter and said,

    “C’mon baby, we better go get some seats.”  Annie stood frozen.  Nick nudged Annie, but she didn’t move.

    “Ann?” Nick questioned.  He looked at her face and remembered the look.  Nick looked into the direction of the crowd Annie was staring at and saw the exact same person she saw.

    “Oh shit,” Nick mumbled.  Suddenly, Annie shook her head and looked at Nick.

    “Sorry,” she mumbled.  Nick walked her over to where there was no one standing around.  He put his popcorn down and whispered,

    “Do you want to leave?”  Annie said she didn’t and that they should go and watch the movie.

    “Are you sure?” Nick asked concerned.

    “Yeah Nick, I'm positive.” she said. “He’s probably not going to see this movie and even if he does, maybe he won’t see me,” Annie shrugged.  Nick wasn’t sure if seeing the movie was a good thing to do, but Annie wanted to so he went along with it.

    “Just tell me if you wanna leave,” he whispered as they inched closer into the crowd.  They both gave their tickets and started walking to their designated theater when he called Annie’s name.

    “Annie!”  Annie whipped around and saw him.  She stared at the person and then turned back around began walking again.

    “Annie!” the voice said again.  Annie kept walking but the person kept calling her name and the voice started getting closer.

    “Annie!” said the voice as it was now next to Annie.  Annie stopped and looked up,

    “Leave me alone Paul,” she said.  Nick stood there not knowing what to do as he could feel anger rising up inside of him.

    “What are you doing here?” Paul asked.  He had an eat-shit grin on his face and just the sight of him made Nick’s skin crawl.  Annie’s heart was pounding but she remained calm.

    “I’m going to see a movie, just like you Paul,” Annie said quietly.  She turned to look at Nick and grabbed his free hand.

    “C’mon Nick,” she said as she drug Nick to their theater.  Paul followed them in.

    “Guess we’re seein’ the same movie,” he said smugly.  Annie didn’t say anything and watched as Paul went to sit with his friends.

    “Let’s sit up here,” Annie said.  Nick nodded and sat down.

    “Are you okay Ann?” Nick asked.  He was afraid she was going to slip back into the near catatonic state she had been in previously.  Annie looked at Nick and half smiled and nodded her head yes.

    “I just wanna watch the movie, that’s all,” she said.  Nick looked at Annie and nodded and sat back in his chair and held Annie’s hand.  She was shaking a little, but she was maintaining her composure.  The movie began but Annie couldn’t really keep her mind on the film.  Thoughts of Paul invaded her brain and even if she tried to think of other things and concentrate on the film, he was still lurking.

It’ll be easier if you relax baby…you know you want this…what the fuck is he doing here Annie?  I want you all to myself Annie.  If I can’t have you no one can…if I can’t have you no one can…this thought kept creeping into her mind.  Annie wasn’t sure if she’d ever actually heard Paul say that or if it was just a reoccurring saying he whispered to her in her nightmares.  Whatever it was, she couldn’t shake it.  If I can’t have you, no one can Annie…I’ll make sure of it…echoed through her brain and continued through the rest of the movie.  She wasn’t even aware the new killer had been unmasked and the movie was over when Nick grabbed her hand and said,

    “C’mon, let’s go.”  Annie shook herself from her thoughts and got up from her seat.

    “Did you like it?” Nick asked as they walked back to the car.  Annie shrugged and got inside Nick’s Durango scanning the parking lot to see if she could see Paul.  She didn’t see him and hoped maybe he was still in the movie theater watching the credits or something.

    “Where to now?” Nick asked.

    “Home,” muttered Annie.
 

    “Guys, I’m gonna catch up with you all later, alright?”  Paul said as he and his friends were exiting the movie theater.  He had seen Annie and Nick get into a truck and he decided he’d see where exactly they were going.  Paul walked to his car and followed them out of the parking lot, staying close the whole way back to Annie’s apartment.  He had sort of lost track of the two of them since Annie decided that her dorm room wasn’t the place to stay anymore.  He couldn’t call and it seemed Annie’s mom was never home.  This was the first time in a while Paul had seen Annie and he wasn’t about to let her go this time.  He followed the black Durango closely and stopped a little bit away from where Nick parked watching the couple walk hand in hand into what he thought may have been Nick’s house.  Paul sat in his car and waited.
 

Annie closed the door behind her and made sure to lock it this time.  She hadn’t seen Paul leave the movie theater, but she was still a little afraid, she walked around the house wide-eyed and looked at everything closely.  She was feeling a little more than paranoid.

    “Ann?” Nick questioned as he watched Annie walking around the house.

    “Nick?” Annie said meekly, “will you please stay over tonight?” Her eyes were filled with terror and it sent a cold chill through Nick’s body.

    “Yeah, of course I will,” he reassured her as he walked over and hugged her tightly.  Annie held on to Nick with a vice- like grip, she felt safe when he was around and at that moment she never wanted him to leave.  Nick held Annie tight and hoped and prayed everything would be fine with her.

    “I’ll stay as long as you want me to,” he whispered. They stood  just hugging each other, each one holding the other one as tight as possible,  never wanting to let go.
 

About an hour later Nick realized that Annie didn’t have anything to eat for breakfast in the morning.  He thought maybe he should wait and go in the morning, but nothing had happened and she was asleep on the couch.  I’ll be gone for maybe fifteen minutes, nothing can happen anyway, he doesn’t know where she lives, he thought.  He kissed Annie on the forehead and grabbed his keys closing the door quietly and getting in his car, heading to the grocery store.  Nick pulled out of his parking space and drove off, not seeing that someone was waiting for this opportunity to arise.
 

Annie awoke on the couch with a start.  She looked around and noticed Nick wasn’t where he had been when she fell asleep.  She heard the doorknob jiggle and thought it must have been him.

    “Hang on!” she yelled as she walked to the door, opening it as she said, "What? Forget the key?” as she walked away.

    “Nope, didn’t forget the key Baby, just don’t have one,” Paul laughed as he entered Annie’s house.  Annie froze, she didn’t know what to do.  Her mouth went dry and a knot formed in her stomach, her palms became sweaty and her knees began to shake.

    “Leave Paul,” stuttered Annie.

    “Annie, honey, you opened the door for me,” Paul said menacingly.  Annie turned around and stared at Paul,

    “Get out!” she said coldly.  Paul stepped in closer to Annie.

    “Nice place,” Paul said.  Annie said nothing and just stared out the open door and prayed Nick would come back soon.

    “Annie, aren’t you going to give me the grand tour?” Paul laughed as he began looking around Annie’s home.

    “No,” was all she said.  Paul turned around to look at Annie and walked back over to where she was standing.  She took a step backwards, but he followed her.

    “You don’t have to be afraid of me,” he whispered.  Annie stared at Paul but said nothing.

    “Annie, remember when you and me were the only thing that mattered?” Paul whispered to her as he pulled her close to him.  Annie’s heart was racing fast and her stomach was turning in knots.  She tried to squirm out of his hands but he had a firm grip on her arms.

    “Remember those times baby when we would make love and you told me you’d love me forever? I remember those times Annabelle,” Paul whispered as he bent down and started kissing Annie’s neck.  She began squirming but Paul grabbed her neck and forced his lips onto hers.  Annie broke away violently,

    “NO Paul!” she yelled.  She pushed him away and tried to run outside but Paul grabbed her quickly by the wrist and yanked her back inside.

    “COME HERE!”  He held tightly to her wrist as much as Annie tried to wriggle away from him.

    “You know, I’ve missed you Annie,” He said loudly as he held onto her and closed the door. “I’ve really missed you.  We were so good together.  What the hell do you want with that dumbass anyway?” Paul asked in a harsh tone.

    “He’s more of a man than you could ever dream of being,” Annie quipped.  Paul’s eyes got wide and he yelled,

    “What the FUCK did you just say to me bitch?”

    “You fucking heard me you prick!” yelled Annie.  Paul let go of Annie and she made a run for it, she grabbed onto the doorknob but Paul yanked her back by her hair.

    “Get the fuck over here!” he spat through his teeth.

    “Paul, leave me alone? Why don’t you go and fuck someone else’s life up?” Annie yelled.  Paul yanked on Annie’s hair again and it jerked her head back hard, she yelped loudly.

    “What did you just say?” Paul spat.

    “I SAID…FUCK SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE UP! YOU’VE DONE YOUR JOB WITH ME!” Annie screamed.  Paul smiled a little and wrapped Annie’s hair around his fist forcing her head back.  He walked to the side of her body to look into her eyes.

    “I don’t want anyone else Annie,” he smiled.  “I don’t think I’m done with you yet anyway.  Your life is fucked up? What about mine? YOU LEFT ME! REMEMBER?” Paul was screaming now.  Annie swallowed hard.

    “Yeah, I fucking remember,” she spat quietly.  “It was the best thing I’ve ever done!”  Paul gripped tighter on her hair jerking her head back a little farther.

    “Let me go Paul!” Annie implored.

    “When’s Sweetie getting home?” Paul laughed.

    “Fuck off!” Annie yelled.

    “Now, now, I’ve already tried that Annabelle.  You don’t seem to like that, do you? I remember when you used to LOVE that,” he whispered into Annie’s ear.  Her skin felt like it was crawling off her bones.  Paul let go of Annie’s hair but threw her down on the floor standing over her, pinning her down on the floor so she couldn’t get up.

    “Tell me something Annie,” Paul said as he bent over her. “Do you love that asshole?”   Annie looked around her living room and stared back up at Paul.  She laid mute.  Paul stood up, obviously frustrated, and kicked her in the side.  She screamed in pain.

    “FUCKING TELL ME!” Paul yelled.  He kicked her again.

    “YES!” Annie screamed.

    “YES! I love him! Please, Paul, don’t do anything!” Paul looked down at Annie and smiled,

    “Oh Annabelle, the fun is just beginning!” He leaned down over her and kissed her hard, and she tried with all of her might to get away from him.  Annie tried to move but winced in pain as her side began throbbing where he had kicked her, she thought she was going to pass out.  All of the sudden both Paul and Annie heard what sounded like a car door slamming.  Oh God please, don’t let anything happen to him, Annie prayed.  She heard the jiggling of the doorknob.

Nick opened the door and walked in unknowing, he was welcomed by Paul.  He put his arm forcefully around Nick and took the bag he had in his hands, throwing it to the floor.

    “Welcome home!” Paul said cheerily.

    “Fuck you!” Nick retorted, trying to pull away.  Paul smiled,

    “I remember the last time we saw each other in such exciting conditions you said you’d kill me if I hurt Annie again,” he said as he nodded over to where Annie was laying.  Nick looked in the same direction and saw her laying on the floor.

    “Annie!” he said as he made a move to go to her.  Paul held tight to stop Nick,

    “Not so fast bucko!” Paul chuckled.

    “Get the fuck off of me!” Nick spat.  Paul smiled at Nick and slammed him up against the wall.  He hit the wall hard and slid down wincing, Paul walked over to where Annie was laying and kicked her one more time,

    “FUCKING BITCH!”  Paul yelled as he kicked her.  Nick jumped up and lunged at him.

    “You motherfucker!” Nick yelled.  He jumped on top of Paul and knocked him to the ground,  punching him in the face twice before Paul mustered his strength, rolled over and slugged Nick in the stomach, hard.  Nick was disabled for a moment and Paul took that minute to stand up and kick Nick as hard as he could in the stomach.  Nick let out a grunt and closed his eyes,  he could feel tears of pain springing to his eyes.

    “Get up asshole!”  Paul quipped as he stood over Nick.  His eyes opened and with all of his strength, he forced himself up from the floor.  They stood eye to eye with each other and  Nick took a swing at Paul, but this time Paul was too quick for him.  Paul grabbed his fist and laughed punching Nick square in the jaw.  The two started throwing wild punches at each other, each getting in a few here and there but nothing was really fazing either of them.  Nick used all of his strength to slam Paul up against the wall and like a little boy, he kicked him in the shins.  Paul paused because of the pain and then Nick swiftly kicked him in the stomach and a slammed him in the jaw.  Paul slid down the wall and Nick heard Annie moan, he looked over in her direction and ran over to where she was.

    “Baby!” he whispered.  Nick bent over and cradled Annie’s head in his arms. “Annie, Come on, you gotta get up!” Nick implored.

    “Nick,” Annie whispered.  All of the sudden Nick was whipped around by Paul's arms and punched in the mouth.  He fell backwards onto Annie and she yelped in pain, Paul grabbed  Nick roughly and basically threw him across the room.  Annie screamed.

    “NICK!” She made an attempt to get up but was knocked back down by Paul.

    “Sit the fuck down, bitch!” He screamed as he made his way over to Nick.

    “Leave him alone Paul!” Annie begged.

    “You don’t want him, you want me! I’m right here Paul! I’M RIGHT FUCKING HERE!” she screamed.  Paul looked over at Annie and smiled,

    “Wait right there sweetheart.  I’m not done with this asshole yet,” he said as he pulled something out of his back pocket.  Annie stared at Paul and what he was pulling out of his pocket, all of the sudden it was painfully clear Paul was pulling a knife out of a holder.

    “No God! Paul! NO!”  Annie forced herself to get up.

    “Sit the fuck down Annie!” Paul yelled.  Nick laid on the floor dazed.

    “Sit down now you fucking whore! This is what you get BITCH!” Paul screamed as he began walking towards her with the knife.   Nick had suddenly became aware of his surroundings and shook his head and stood up,  he lunged at Paul who was then jutted forward with the knife still in his hand.  Annie saw he was coming straight for her and quickly moved out of the way with a scream.    A brawl started between Paul and Nick, they were both wrestling with each other and Paul pushed Nick to the floor, falling on top of him.  They began flailing around and rolling around all over the floor, Annie was screaming but they didn’t stop.  All of the sudden, the rolling stopped and Nick let out a pained sigh.  Paul stood   and turned to Annie, her eyes widened in terror as she noticed his shirt was stained in blood.

    “NO!” Annie screamed as she tried to make her way over to Nick, his stomach was covered in blood and he had passed out.

    “Nick!” she yelled.  Paul grabbed her and wrenched her back.

    “LET ME GO!” she screamed.

    “Shut your fucking mouth!” Paul said through clenched teeth.  He held Annie by the neck now.

    “SOMEBODY HELP ME!” Annie screamed as loud as she possibly could.  Paul covered her mouth with his hand, but she bit him.

    “OW! You fucking bitch!” he yelped.  He whipped Annie around and smacked her in the face.  The smack knocked her to the ground, but she quickly got back up.  Annie started wildly throwing punches and actually got a few in Paul’s face.  He was so shocked she was hitting him he didn’t know what to do.

    “YOU BASTARD!” she screamed.  “You have no balls! You rape and hurt women! You fucking asshole!” Annie yelled as she assaulted Paul with her fists, he pushed Annie away, but she persisted in the assault.

    “I’m sick of being afraid of you!” she yelled.  “You are an animal! You don’t deserve to live!”

    “SHUT UP!” Paul yelled!  He lunged at her with the bloodied knife in his hand.  She jumped out of way and pushed him from behind, sending him crashing into a wall.  His head hit the wall hard and Paul fell on the floor and looked as if he were unconscious.  Annie ran to the phone and quickly dialed 911.

    “Yes, there's an intruder in my house and he’s stabbed my boyfriend!  I need police and an ambulance quickly!” Annie said out of breath.  She quickly rattled off her address and hung up, running over to Nick and kissing his forehead.

    “Baby, it’s gonna be okay!” she said quickly and breathlessly.  She held his head in one hand and she tried to stop the bleeding with the other one.  Annie glanced over at Paul who was out cold, he had blood running down his head, but he appeared to still be breathing.  She cradled Nick and prayed someone would come quickly.  Oh God Nick, please be okay.  I love you so much.  Please God, let Paul be out of my life forever, Annie prayed as she sat on the floor cradling Nick in her arms.  The sirens began to get close to her house, silently she said another prayer and just wanted Nick to be okay, his warm blood slowly seeping from between her fingers.