Kiss Goodnight

I squint against the sun as we inch our way up the driveway and a small smile pokes through my lips when the lake house comes into view. Smoke billows from the chimney and floats through the air. Leaves blow through the wind causing snowflakes to drop from them and join their friends on the ground. Kyle puts the car in park and looks over at me with a big smile on his face. I take in the wilderness—the water that sits only ten to fifteen feet away, the feeder that plants itself in the middle of the grass for deer, and the logs that are cut into small pieces to be used for a fire. Birds talk to each other from tree to tree, taking flight when the other is ready.

“You ready, honey?” Kyle asks.

I smile and nod.

Kyle gets out of the car and takes long strides to the trunk, grabbing our suitcases. I grip the metal of the door handle and pull it toward me, freeing myself from the confinement of the passenger seat. As I step out of the car, a cool breeze blows past causing me to hug myself. Kyle steps next to me, his arm around my waist, and pulls me into his chest. I nuzzle my head closer as his warmth seeps into me.

“Let’s get inside,” he says.

I nod in agreement, not able to speak.

He nudges the big, black door open with his foot and drags the suitcases into the entryway. I pull myself away from him so that I can get a better look of the inside. My breath catches in my throat as I take in the décor around us. On either side of the door as soon as you enter is two shoe racks, with coat racks above them. Each wall houses two paintings, which seems to fit in perfectly with the setting of the room. The walls are a dark red, while the borders are a dark brown wood.

I kick my shoes off and slip them onto one of the racks. I eye the heels that are perched on top of the rack but choose against bringing it up to him. I walk slowly to the staircase, which is also a dark brown wood and spirals to the next level.

Kyle clears his throat. “Would you like to see the master bedroom?”

I smile wide and let him guide me up the stairs.

My smile falters as we take each step and I turn around from the feeling that someone is watching us. When I look back, the entryway is bare, and no eyes are on us. I shake my head at myself and squeeze Kyle’s hand. He gives me an assuring squeeze back with a small smile as he opens the double doors to the master bedroom.

I blink a few times as I catch sight of our room for the weekend—a California king bed sits against the wall a few feet ahead of me. The bed is covered in rose petals, and candles light their way into the master bathroom. I follow the trail with a smile and stop in front of the heart shaped jacuzzi tub—which houses more roses petals and offers champagne.

Kyle walks behind me and gives me a seductive kiss on my neck. I turn around to face him and place his face between my hands. A shadow moves across the bedroom as I open my eyes mid-kiss and I pull away from Kyle. He staggers back, almost falling into the tub. His eyebrows rise in question as I rush from the bathroom and into the bedroom. Out of breath, I go to the closet on my left and walk through it but find no one here. I walk to the closet on the right, but still no sign of anyone. I let out a deep breath, when a gust of wind blows through the window.

I walk over and move the curtain aside. Kyle comes behind me, closes the window and gives me a soft kiss on my forehead.

“I’ll have to have a talk with the maid, she must’ve left it open. Let’s get a bath, honey.”

I stand at the window for a few more moments and keep an eye on the ground below us. I try not to blink, for fear that if I do the person will rush from my view. Kyle grabs my arm and inches me back toward the bathroom.

Kyle and I sit on the couch with the flames of the fire glowing on our skin. A glass of wine sits on the end table beside me, while another glass sits on the end table beside him. He shifts his gaze from the television and catches my eye. With a small smile at me, he reaches his hand toward my foot that rests on his lap and slowly massages it. I lean my head back against the couch and close my eyes.

I reach my hand across the arm of the couch and grab hold of my wine glass. Just as the glass touches my lips, the doorbell echoes through the house and I drop the wine glass on myself. I jump from my spot and try to rummage around the room for a towel while Kyle goes to the door. Cold air brushes through the house and Kyle returns with a shake of his head and a stern look on his face.

“What’s going on?” I ask, even though I’m soaked in wine.

He bites his lip and shakes his head. “Don’t worry, must be the neighbors a couple miles away. They got kids, probably playing a prank on us.”

He walks in front of me and gives me a small, lingering kiss. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up?”

I nod but take a long look at the front door. Kyle urges me toward the stairs, and I swat his hand away playfully. He smacks my butt as I take the steps one at a time. With a deep breath in and out, I open the door to the master bedroom and am instantly met with another gust of cold air. I walk to the window, which I remember Kyle closed, and slowly shut it again. I take note of the closet light on, which I don’t remember leaving that way, and take a few steps toward it. Footsteps stand in front of the door from the other side, indicating that someone else is in the room and I back up at a slow pace.

I reach my hands behind my back to keep me from bumping into anything and startling the person in the closet. When I reach the doorway to the room, I turn and face plant into Kyle’s chest. He gives me a big smile and rests both hands on my shoulders. I give him a nervous smile and try to pull him down the steps, but he doesn’t budge.

“Kyle, we need to leave,” I say, panic laced in my voice.

His eyebrows scrunch together, and he shakes his head. “What’s going on with you?”

I bring my fingers to my temples and give them a small massage from the headache that’s now pounding in my head. I shake my head at him and rush toward the stairs. In one swift movement I am about to take a step down, and in another I am falling to the ground. Muscular arms wrap around me and hot breath tickles my ears as my eyes blur.

“Kyle?”

All I see is his smile before my eyes close and fall into the darkness.

A woman laughs in the distance, causing my eyes to shoot open in panic. I try to touch my head where I must have fallen earlier, but my hands can’t move. With a glance down, a rope binds my hands to the arms of a kitchen chair and ankles to the legs of it. I wiggle as much as I can, but it seems to only make the binds tighter. Once I regain most of my consciousness, Kyle and a woman are sitting at the kitchen table eating a romantic dinner. She feeds him strawberries, and he smiles at her after each bite. With a lick of her lips, she brings her face inches from his, but he closes the distance for her. I close my eyes, not wanting to see that view.

With a groan I say, “Get a room.”

The woman’s head snaps in my direction, a sneer plastered on her pretty face. She closes the distance between the two of us a few inches at a time, taking her time getting to me. She looks over her shoulder at Kyle, who smiles at her and follows her lead. I look away from him as his gaze meets mine.

One of his hands comes up to my face, fingers grazing my cheek and down to my bottom lip. I nip at his thumb and he curses at me. With a hand up in the air, I brace myself for the impact of his fist.

“Kyle, no darling. Not yet,” she says.

Kyle shakes his head and backs away from me. The woman takes his place, and she bends down so that she is eye level with me, blue eyes shining from the flames across the room. She shakes her head and gives me a small smile.

“You are so naïve,” she says.

I raise an eyebrow.

“You really didn’t realize that someone was taking your place?”

I glance from her and to Kyle, who won’t look into my eyes. I look down at the bound limbs and shake my head. She grabs my chin and forces my face up so that I look at her. Her hand connects to my cheek and blood coats my tongue.

“That’s for messing with my man.”

I smile at her. “Don’t you mean my man? Pretty sure I had him first.”

She reaches behind her dress and pulls out a knife, causing my eyes to widen in response. She laughs a sinister one and waves the knife in front of my face. Kyle fidgets behind her, still not making eye contact with me. I shake my head at him and return to look at the woman. She brings the knife above her head, ready to get rid of me once and for all, but Kyle pushes her to the ground.

The knife slides across the floor, inches from Kyle but a foot away from the woman. He walks toward her with the knife in hand, smile spread across his face, and gives me a wink. He reaches the woman, who gives him a pleading look and reaches a hand to him. He smacks it away and brings the knife to her throat. She tries to cower away from him, but he holds her in place and pushes the knife further into her skin.

Red seeps from the wound as her whimper gets louder and more painful. In an instant he releases the knife and glides it across her already deep wound. Blood gushes from her neck as he rushes to release me from my binds. I step away from the chair and him, snatching my hand away when he grabs for it. I glance at the knife still in his other hand, coated with her blood, and he drops it to the ground.

Each step he takes forward is another step I take back.

“Stop!” I say.

He stops, but still holds out a hand.

I shake my head. “How could you?”

His eyes glisten with tears as he shakes his head. “I can’t tell you. I’m sorry, I really am.”

I laugh enough for him to scrunch his eyebrows in my direction. I look from him to the woman he just killed and keep laughing until my stomach hurts. He walks over to me, but I move away from him. I lose my balance on something and glance at my foot. The knife glistens as I bend to pick it up.

Kyle comes over to me, this time I don’t back away and tell him no. He sees it as a sign that he can continue. When he reaches me, I bring the knife to his stomach and plunge it through his skin. Blood coats my hand as I twist the knife around in a circle. He grunts at the gesture, grabbing hold of my hand to stop me and falls to the ground. The knife stays in place as his eyes plead for me to help him.

I smile at him, bend down until my face is inches from him and plant one hand on his cheek. My thumb brushes against his lips before I bring mine to his. Once his chest stops rising and falling, I get up and head to the front door.

Sirens and red and blue flashing lights make their way up the driveway. My eyes stare blankly at the police officers as they run pass me and into the house. Cuffs smash against my wrists and a hand guides me to the back of a police car. Before nudging me inside, one of the officers come running from the house and mention that the man has a handprint on his face and blood on his lips.

I smile at the ground and say, “All I wanted was one last kiss goodnight, officer.”