Page 40 of Deadline for Love

In silent whispers, he poured out his heart,

But her silence tore his world apart.

Though anger brews within, love still holds sway.

Hoping she’ll hear his words another day.

In your sorrow, I see the pain you bear,

Being ignored hurts. It’s unfair.

But fear not, my love, soon you’ll be mine,

I’ll wipe away your tears and make everything fine.

I’ll adorn you with joy, bring a smile so bright,

Together forever, our love takes flight.

Now that I have you, forever mine,

In your arms, love is divine.

No more tears, just joy and bliss,

Together forever, sealed with a kiss.

Nia and I looked at each other and then back at the letters. “It could be the same guy. The only difference is that the poems have improved,’’ she said, and I nodded.

“Seems like your sister knew him personally but ignored him, which upset him.”

Nathan seconded my words. “That’s what I thought too.”

“That’s weird... Bella, maybe you’ve met the sender before, too. Anyone out there that you've sent to the friend zone?” Nia gripped my hand anxiously and eagerly awaited an answer.

“Nia, I’m sorry, but I really can’t think of anyone right now,” I admitted.

I couldn’t easily suspect people around me significantly as I hadn’t harmed anyone yet.

“But he loses his temper quickly, so we should continue to provoke him somehow.”

Nathan shook his head firmly. “We shouldn’t put Bella in danger.” He emphasized with a severe face. His words revealed his concern for me, but I knew Nia was right, and we had to act to stop this guy.

“Hey, if we continue like this, something might happen to Bella. Didn’t you hear that he was at her house again! Not tomention all the other shit going on,” she hissed. “We have to lure him out somehow! The solution is provocation.”

I couldn’t disagree with Nia; she was absolutely right. “I’ll write the article mocking him and making fun of the poems from the past,” I suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” Nia agreed, to which Nathan clenched his fist and looked away.

“But first, we have to do the interview so I can get straight to it and write the articles.”

I took my recorder from the bag, and Nia took pictures of everything in the box. My hands shook slightly as I switched on the recorder and got ready. I wanted to know if I had prepared enough questions to interview Nathan or if I had missed something important...

The cool air of the apartment brushed gently against my skin, adding a certain tension to the atmosphere as we began the interview.

I started with a few simple questions: how old his sister was, what university she attended, and how it all began. Nathan grew paler with each question, and his eyes got smaller and smaller until he closed them when it came to the part where he found her. He seemed to be reliving that horrible moment.

I felt a tightening in my chest and wondered if I had gone too far in asking him about these painful details, but he answered everything, which pushed me to continue.