mrs.darkandyandere

The door shakes as the knocks keep coming, annoyingly insistent even after a few minutes of being answered with silence.

Repressing back a sigh, you quietly tip toe closer to the door.

This is ruining your night and honestly, it’s getting a bit creepy. Not just the fact that Dex knows where you live - sure, he works in the FBI, maybe he found your address in their database even if that’s an option you’re very uncertain about - but why can’t he just take the hint and leave you alone?

Your name gets called from the hallway and a peep into the magic eye shows Dex still posted outside, one hand brushing through his short hair as he looks away, shoulders slumping. 

“Please, I just wanna talk. That’s all I want.” he pleads, a slightly different version of the same line he keeps using to try to get your attention. “I know you’re in there, I saw… I mean, I can hear you.”

You freeze, trying to quiet down your breathing. Great. Now that Dex knows you’re in here, he won’t leave your door the entire night.

You don’t want to call the police, that would be a mess, but maybe if one of your neighbours comes out to complain, maybe then he’ll take the hint. 

A wrinkle appears between his brows and he sniffs. He’s close enough for you to look at him and the hallway lightening doesn’t do any favors to the deep circles underneath his eyes or the way he nervously keeps tugging at the collar of the white shirt.

He looks like a nervous mess. 

“Please, I… I just want to explain myself and say how sorry I am about the other night. I know I must've given you the wrong impression, but please, just hear me out.” Dex says, his breathing becoming heavy enough for you to believe he’s gonna have some sort of panic attack. 

You hesitate, hand latching onto the knob by instinct but the good sense left in you refuses to let you twist it. You don’t know Dex, not really, and it’d be tremendously stupid to let an unknown man with whom you’ve been on one disastrous date inside your apartment. 

“Listen, I wasn’t… “ Dex looks both ways at the corridor, before lowering his voice, “... stalking you, okay? I just… happened to notice a couple of things about you. I have a good eye and we cross each other quite a lot, y’know. That’s all.”

You squirm, not quite believing in him as his explanation sounds more like a half-baked lie than the reality.

No one notices such personal details, like he had the other night. Knowing you don’t like onions in your food, that you were wearing your favorite color, that you prefer your current job rather than your old one, that you don’t have a dog. 

On the other side of the door, Dex exhales. “Can you just talk to me? Please.” he grits out. 

When silence is all he receives, his jaw tightens as he calls out your name again, voice gaining an impatient edge, knuckles pounding the door. 

You hold back a sigh and as silently as you can, you slowly step away from the door only to halt when a particularly furious knock shakes the door. 

“If you don’t open this door, I’ll have to break it.” he snarls out the threat and you can’t help the scared yelp that escapes from you when a mean punch is delivered to the cheap wood, shaking the entire door on its frame. “Is that what you want? Uh? Then open the door and we can speak like adults.”

Your heart skips a beat before racing wildly and you gulp when your name gets repeated. This is officially getting out of hand.

“Fine. Have it your way. I’m gonna count to three and if you don’t open the door til then…” Dex leaves the threat open and you don’t waste another second, scrambling to get to your phone that you left on the couch. 

“One.” Dex hisses, the door knob rattling and twisting wildly. The phone slips from your shaky hands and slips between two pillows. “Two.” a fist gets slammed on the door just as you manage to retrieve the phone. 

“Last chance…” Dex warns with a hiss as you race to the bedroom, blindly trying to unlock the screen and praying for the flimsy lock of the room to hold up until the police shows up. 

You barely manage to slam the door of the bedroom close, clicking the lock into place when a voice booms.

You hesitate for a moment before making your way to the kitchen, nearly wincing with every step you take with the ball of your feet aching from the short heels you wore all day.

Matt is right where he said he’d be, stirring the sauce cooking in the pan before going back to chopping off onions. Sometimes - well, most times - you’re jealous of how good your boyfriend is with multitasking, handling and juggling tasks with a precision and efficiency that you can only poorly mimic. 

“How was your day?” Matt asks, after pressing his lips to yours in a short kiss. 

“Good. Just another day at work, you know.” you mumble, pushing your face into the crook of his shoulder. “Do you need help with that?” 

“No, don’t worry, I got it.” Matt replies, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Want me to pour you some wine? You sound like you need it.” 

You smile against his skin and close your eyes for a moment, finding it hard to blink them open, exhaustion making your eyelids heavy. 

“I’m good. Don’t wanna fall asleep before dinner.” you say before sniffing the air, the scent of oregano and garlic clinging to the kitchen space. “Can’t miss out on this food, it smells delicious, Matt.”

Matt chuckles, “I’m glad to be of service. Can’t let my girlfriend survive on take-out only, now can I?”

You let out a small laugh and close your eyes for another second. God, you’re so tired, you can barely keep them open for any longer. Work has been busy these past weeks and the load keeps on stacking up, draining both your energy and sanity. 

Matt breaks off your trance when he speaks again. 

“Maybe a pre-dinner nap might do you some good. You seem exhausted.”

“I’m okay.” you say, pulling away from him and fighting back a yawn. 

Matt puts the knife down on the board and turns his head towards you. 

“Are you? Are you really?” he questions you with a small sigh. 

“I am.” you don’t hesitate, the answer slipping right through your lips. “Matt, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, you sure sound fine.” 

You ignore the sarcasm in his voice, but Matt refuses to let the conversation drift away. “You’re exhausted. I can feel that. That company is working you to the bone and you let them.” 

You sigh, rubbing your eyes. 

“Matt… not this again.” 

“It’s the truth, even if you don’t wanna face it.” he argues, “The way they keep increasing your workload and pushing you to do overtime. And for what? For a measly paycheck. How kind of them.”

“I can’t just quit.”

“Why not? It’s not like you’re doing rocket science for them, anyways. They’ll find someone else to overwork.”

You twist your fingers nervously. 

“But I need that job, Matt.”

Matt raises his eyebrows. “You do?”

“Well, my portion of the bills, the rent, groceries…”

“Which I don’t mind paying for. I don’t, truly.” Matt offers and you immediately shake your head, even though your boyfriend can’t see the movement. 

“Matt, no-”

“I’d prefer to take over the bills, if at least you got to rest a bit. C’mon, think about it.”

You shake your head again. “I can’t, Matt. The job market isn’t great right now and I don’t know how long it’d take for me to find something else.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that too much about it. We could make a deal. I take care of the bills and you take care of the apartment and the chores. Sounds fair to me.” Matt proposes with a shrug of his shoulders.

An incredulous chuckle escapes from you and you peer at Matt, confused whether he’s joking or not. 

“Matt, that’s not… it’s not realistic.” you carefully say. Matt reaches out, hand caressing up and down your arm. 

“Why not? It sounds like a good plan to me.” he argues, “I make enough money to handle all of the bills. You always liked taking care of the apartment, all the cleaning and cooking, right? Divide and conquer, sweetheart. Trust me, as a lawyer I can tell it’s a good arrangement.” 

You stare at Matt and the seriousness in his face tells you this isn’t a joke. He actually means it. Your answer doesn’t change though. You can’t accept it.

–

A few days later…

You’re half asleep scrolling on your phone when the email from work pings in your inbox and you lazily click on the notification.

Your eyes scan the email, reading the content before the realization sinks down. You straighten up and push yourself off from the bed, startled and in shock, re-reading the email. This can’t be, this can’t be right. 

Matt comes out from the bathroom, rubbing a small towel to his damp hair. “Sweetheart? Is everything okay? Your heartbeat just-”

“Matt,” you interrupt him, voice shaky as your eyes threaten to leak. “They fired me. They just-Matt, they-”

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s alright.” Matt rushes towards you, firm arms closing up on you in a tight hug as he comforts you. “It’s okay. It’s gonna be fine, don’t worry.”

You hesitate for a moment before making your way to the kitchen, nearly wincing with every step you take with the ball of your feet aching from the short heels you wore all day.

Matt is right where he said he’d be, stirring the sauce cooking in the pan before going back to chopping off onions. Sometimes - well, most times - you’re jealous of how good your boyfriend is with multitasking, handling and juggling tasks with a precision and efficiency that you can only poorly mimic. 

“How was your day?” Matt asks, after pressing his lips to yours in a short kiss. 

“Good. Just another day at work, you know.” you mumble, pushing your face into the crook of his shoulder. “Do you need help with that?” 

“No, don’t worry, I got it.” Matt replies, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Want me to pour you some wine? You sound like you need it.” 

You smile against his skin and close your eyes for a moment, finding it hard to blink them open, exhaustion making your eyelids heavy. 

“I’m good. Don’t wanna fall asleep before dinner.” you say before sniffing the air, the scent of oregano and garlic clinging to the kitchen space. “Can’t miss out on this food, it smells delicious, Matt.”

Matt chuckles, “I’m glad to be of service. Can’t let my girlfriend survive on take-out only, now can I?”

You let out a small laugh and close your eyes for another second. God, you’re so tired, you can barely keep them open for any longer. Work has been busy these past weeks and the load keeps on stacking up, draining both your energy and sanity. 

Matt breaks off your trance when he speaks again. 

“Maybe a pre-dinner nap might do you some good. You seem exhausted.”

“I’m okay.” you say, pulling away from him and fighting back a yawn. 

Matt puts the knife down on the board and turns his head towards you. 

“Are you? Are you really?” he questions you with a small sigh. 

“I am.” you don’t hesitate, the answer slipping right through your lips. “Matt, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, you sure sound fine.” 

You ignore the sarcasm in his voice, but Matt refuses to let the conversation drift away. “You’re exhausted. I can feel that. That company is working you to the bone and you let them.” 

You sigh, rubbing your eyes. 

“Matt… not this again.” 

“It’s the truth, even if you don’t wanna face it.” he argues, “The way they keep increasing your workload and pushing you to do overtime. And for what? For a measly paycheck. How kind of them.”

“I can’t just quit.”

“Why not? It’s not like you’re doing rocket science for them, anyways. They’ll find someone else to overwork.”

You twist your fingers nervously. 

“But I need that job, Matt.”

Matt raises his eyebrows. “You do?”

“Well, my portion of the bills, the rent, groceries…”

“Which I don’t mind paying for. I don’t, truly.” Matt offers and you immediately shake your head, even though your boyfriend can’t see the movement. 

“Matt, no-”

“I’d prefer to take over the bills, if at least you got to rest a bit. C’mon, think about it.”

You shake your head again. “I can’t, Matt. The job market isn’t great right now and I don’t know how long it’d take for me to find something else.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that too much about it. We could make a deal. I take care of the bills and you take care of the apartment and the chores. Sounds fair to me.” Matt proposes with a shrug of his shoulders.

An incredulous chuckle escapes from you and you peer at Matt, confused whether he’s joking or not. 

“Matt, that’s not… it’s not realistic.” you carefully say. Matt reaches out, hand caressing up and down your arm. 

“Why not? It sounds like a good plan to me.” he argues, “I make enough money to handle all of the bills. You always liked taking care of the apartment, all the cleaning and cooking, right? Divide and conquer, sweetheart. Trust me, as a lawyer I can tell it’s a good arrangement.” 

You stare at Matt and the seriousness in his face tells you this isn’t a joke. He actually means it. Your answer doesn’t change though. You can’t accept it.

–

A few days later…

You’re half asleep scrolling on your phone when the email from work pings in your inbox and you lazily click on the notification.

Your eyes scan the email, reading the content before the realization sinks down. You straighten up and push yourself off from the bed, startled and in shock, re-reading the email. This can’t be, this can’t be right. 

Matt comes out from the bathroom, rubbing a small towel to his damp hair. “Sweetheart? Is everything okay? Your heartbeat just-”

“Matt,” you interrupt him, voice shaky as your eyes threaten to leak. “They fired me. They just-Matt, they-”

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s alright.” Matt rushes towards you, firm arms closing up on you in a tight hug as he comforts you. “It’s okay. It’s gonna be fine, don’t worry.”

The door shakes as the knocks keep coming, annoyingly insistent even after a few minutes of being answered with silence.

Repressing back a sigh, you quietly tip toe closer to the door.

This is ruining your night and honestly, it’s getting a bit creepy. Not just the fact that Dex knows where you live - sure, he works in the FBI, maybe he found your address in their database even if that’s an option you’re very uncertain about - but why can’t he just take the hint and leave you alone?

Your name gets called from the hallway and a peep into the magic eye shows Dex still posted outside, one hand brushing through his short hair as he looks away, shoulders slumping. 

“Please, I just wanna talk. That’s all I want.” he pleads, a slightly different version of the same line he keeps using to try to get your attention. “I know you’re in there, I saw… I mean, I can hear you.”

You freeze, trying to quiet down your breathing. Great. Now that Dex knows you’re in here, he won’t leave your door the entire night.

You don’t want to call the police, that would be a mess, but maybe if one of your neighbours comes out to complain, maybe then he’ll take the hint. 

A wrinkle appears between his brows and he sniffs. He’s close enough for you to look at him and the hallway lightening doesn’t do any favors to the deep circles underneath his eyes or the way he nervously keeps tugging at the collar of the white shirt.

He looks like a nervous mess. 

“Please, I… I just want to explain myself and say how sorry I am about the other night. I know I must've given you the wrong impression, but please, just hear me out.” Dex says, his breathing becoming heavy enough for you to believe he’s gonna have some sort of panic attack. 

You hesitate, hand latching onto the knob by instinct but the good sense left in you refuses to let you twist it. You don’t know Dex, not really, and it’d be tremendously stupid to let an unknown man with whom you’ve been on one disastrous date inside your apartment. 

“Listen, I wasn’t… “ Dex looks both ways at the corridor, before lowering his voice, “... stalking you, okay? I just… happened to notice a couple of things about you. I have a good eye and we cross each other quite a lot, y’know. That’s all.”

You squirm, not quite believing in him as his explanation sounds more like a half-baked lie than the reality.

No one notices such personal details, like he had the other night. Knowing you don’t like onions in your food, that you were wearing your favorite color, that you prefer your current job rather than your old one, that you don’t have a dog. 

On the other side of the door, Dex exhales. “Can you just talk to me? Please.” he grits out. 

When silence is all he receives, his jaw tightens as he calls out your name again, voice gaining an impatient edge, knuckles pounding the door. 

You hold back a sigh and as silently as you can, you slowly step away from the door only to halt when a particularly furious knock shakes the door. 

“If you don’t open this door, I’ll have to break it.” he snarls out the threat and you can’t help the scared yelp that escapes from you when a mean punch is delivered to the cheap wood, shaking the entire door on its frame. “Is that what you want? Uh? Then open the door and we can speak like adults.”

Your heart skips a beat before racing wildly and you gulp when your name gets repeated. This is officially getting out of hand.

“Fine. Have it your way. I’m gonna count to three and if you don’t open the door til then…” Dex leaves the threat open and you don’t waste another second, scrambling to get to your phone that you left on the couch. 

“One.” Dex hisses, the door knob rattling and twisting wildly. The phone slips from your shaky hands and slips between two pillows. “Two.” a fist gets slammed on the door just as you manage to retrieve the phone. 

“Last chance…” Dex warns with a hiss as you race to the bedroom, blindly trying to unlock the screen and praying for the flimsy lock of the room to hold up until the police shows up. 

You barely manage to slam the door of the bedroom close, clicking the lock into place when a voice booms.