Page 12 of Don’t Watch Alone

Chapter ten

Blaiz

I clock in and glance around, but Andy’s nowhere in sight. Maybe I dreamed it. Maybe Greg didn’t actually hire him. I haven’t told Tony because I know he’d blow up, and I can’t afford to lose this job, not yet anyway. Not until I find something else.

I start folding shirts, trying to settle into the shift, when Andy walks in. So much for wishful thinking. It wasn’t a fucking dream. He’s really here.

Right on cue, Greg steps out of his office.

“Blaiz, you’ll be training Andy today. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

Perfect. I have to train the guy who has been stalking me.

“So, what do we need to do?” Andy asks, pulling me from my thoughts .

“We mostly straighten displays… clothing, jewelry, belts. When someone comes to check out, I’ll show you how the register works.”

“What should I do now?”

Leave the fucking store sits right at the tip of my tongue, but I hold it back.

“Go straighten the belt display. Make sure the same styles are on the same hooks.”

He nods with that weird little smile and moves toward the accessories wall.

I focus on a stack of sweaters, trying to keep my hands steady. I still remember how he has been watching me. And now I’m supposed to work side by side with him like everything’s fine. Like this is normal.

I hear the belts clinking together. I glance over. Believe it or not, he’s lining them up with remarkable care and accuracy. His back is to me, like he’s enjoying every second he gets to be here with me.

I force myself to look away. To act normal. I need this paycheck. Moving back in with my parents would be a fucking nightmare.

“So, do you usually work alone, Blaiz? ”

His voice startles me. He doesn’t turn around, but I hear the fake casualness seeping through.

“No, Mary usually works with me.” The second it’s out of my mouth, I regret it.

“Mary, right. She didn’t come back, did she?” he says. Not as a question like he already knows the answer.

I say nothing for a second, then, “No, she didn’t.” I refocus on a denim display. I can feel his stare intensely on my back.

“Too bad,” he says. Then adds, “She was... very particular about the belt display.”

I gasp. He shouldn’t know that. It was something Mary and I joked about—how she’d fix the belts even if they were already perfect. No one else would’ve noticed that detail. Unless he was watching from inside the store and listening to us.

I squeeze my fists. Confronting him would only make things worse. I need to keep it together.

Every time I glance up, I catch him staring at me. Then, he starts walking over towards me.

“Blaiz, can I talk to you? ”

“What about?” I don’t look up; I just keep folding.

“Remember that night I told you to be careful? When you and your friends went to the movies?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“I can’t say how I know, but something bad is going to happen.”

“You keep saying that! Just tell me what it is!”

Greg bursts out of his office.

“Blaiz, why are you yelling at Andy?”

“She wasn’t,” Andy cuts in. “I couldn’t hear her. So she just talked louder. We’re sorry… it won’t happen again.”

Greg pauses, then nods. “Alright. Just keep it down. We don’t want to scare off the customers.”

He heads back into his office and shuts the door.

I stare at Andy, speechless. He covered for me. The same guy who makes my skin crawl just saved me from getting written up. This doesn’t make sense .

He stands there, watching me with those steady eyes, his head is turned just a bit. He’s not smiling, but there’s something... knowing in his expression.

“Why did you do that?” I whisper, folding a plain white tee so hard I might tear the fabric.

“Because Greg wouldn’t understand,” he says. “And I needed you to hear me.”

“Hear you about what? The movie night? What the hell is going to happen, Andy?”

He steps closer to me. I’m forced to look into his eyes, and for a second, I feel completely trapped.

“I told you, I can’t say how I know. But it’s bad, Blaiz. You need to be careful and change your plans.”

“Change my plans?” I laugh. “It’s just a movie with some of my friends. What could possibly happen?”

“People go to the movies every day. And tragedies happen. Sometimes, someone knows.” His voice drops lower. “Mary knew.”

My stomach drops. “Mary? What are you saying? What does she have to do with this? ”

He glances at Greg’s door, then back to me. “I warned her, but she ignored me and never came back after that.”

“Are you threatening me?”

He shakes his head. “No. I’m warning you. There’s a difference. People who don’t listen... sometimes they disappear… or worse.”

A silence develops between us. My thoughts are all over the place. Mary. Her disappearance. Now this.

Greg wants me to train him. To show him around. Meanwhile, he’s slipping in threats wrapped in riddles and acting like he’s doing me a favor.

“Just... go back to the belts, Andy.” My voice shakes. “Please. Just do your job.”

He holds my gaze for a moment too long, then turns without saying a word. Just walks away like nothing happened.

The movie is Friday night. And now... I don’t know if I should go.

Or if not going is exactly what he wants to happen.