Obsessed

Ash walked up and down the aisles of the little antique store, her hazel eyes fell on the little black notebook that sat next to the other trinkets. She slowly reached out and touched it, only to pull back quickly. A sense of peace had washed over her, she hadn’t realized she was tense in the moments before touching that journal. She looked around at the other trinkets, seeing a small porcelain elephant, an old tea set with delicate flowers painted on them and other easy nicknacks, but no other journals. “I have a million journals at home.”

She turned and went to walk to another area, frowning when she couldn’t get that journal out of her head. With a huff, Ash turned back and grabbed the journal. “I swear, one of these days I’ll actually write in one of the million other journals I have.” The laugh she let out was warm and soft.

“Are you finding everything alright?” The cashier smiled at Ash, her eyes were a cloudy gray that stood out against the bright red hair that framed her face.

Ash nodded as she set the journal down along with an antique sign that used to be an advertisement for an old apothecary business, a small wooden shelf and a statuette of a little duck. “More than I needed, but yeah.” She watched the cashier ring up the sign, shelf and duck but completely ignore the notebook. “Oh, and this.”

The girl stopped and looked down at the journal, her brows furrowing as she picked the book up. “I’ve never seen this, did you find it in here?”

“Yeah, I got it over there at the oak table. The one with the porcelain elephant and-”

“Weird, I just checked everything this morning, this notebook wasn’t over there.” The cashier shrugged and tucked it into the bag with the other items. “Guess it’s yours.”

“Did someone else leave it? I don’t want to just take it.” Ashe frowned at the girl who only laughed. “Why are you laughing? I don’t want you to get in trouble-”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at your concern. But you’re my second customer of the day, third body to walk in this place. The others didn’t even look through the store, they came for the other business we offer here. That journal wasn’t there last night or this morning. I don’t remember buying it and- you know what? I’ll make you feel better about it.” The girl held up a finger before pulling a giant binder out from under the counter. She thumbed through the pages and stopped on a small section, the first page had ‘Books/Journals’ on it. “You can thumb through that, I promise you, ‘small black journal’ will not be in there.”

Ash gave a huff before shaking her head. “No, no. I believe you… but if anyone comes looking for it, will you call me?” When the cashier nodded, Ash wrote her number down and quickly paid for what she bought.

Ash sipped her coffee, sighing in relief when the warm liquid hit the back of her throat and warmed her to her core. It had been a week since she visited that antique store and left with the journal. No one had called her about it, but she still didn’t want to write in it, it felt wrong. She glanced over to her desk; from where she sat, curled up on the couch, she could see the black leather bound journal sitting in front of her computer screen. “I don’t think I could think of anything that would be worthy enough to write in you.”

Then don’t.

Her blood ran cold as the winter lakes in Michigan, her throat tightened as a sweat broke out across her forehead and at the base of her throat. “Hello?” She slowly moved, pushing herself up and out of her comfortable spot on the couch. “Is anyone there?” The world seemed to extend before her as she looked around her small apartment, she didn’t get the sense that someone else was in there with her, but… she had just heard a voice, clear as day behind her.

Did I startle you?

Ash whipped around, hazel eyes wide as she looked towards her desk. Seconds turned into minutes, which turned into hours as the coffee cup slipped from her fingers. Her mouth hung open as she stared at the man who was suddenly in front of her, her coffee cup in his hand like she hadn’t dropped it, but had handed it to him. “Who…?”

“I do apologize, my dear, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The man kept his golden eyes on her as he set the cup on the end table next to the couch. “My name is…” he paused, as if trying to think of one. “Alec. You can call me Alec.”

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and all of her senses were on overdrive, telling her to run; but at the same time, she knew better than to run from a predator. And that was exactly what this person was. “Where did you come from?”

Alec raised a brow at her and smirked, shrugging as he reached up and touched her face. “Why, that little black book you brought home.”

“But how? It’s just a journal. I looked at it, there was nothing special about it.” Ash shied away from his hand, a small noise leaving her when he caressed her cheek. “Stop that.” She felt her cheeks warm when he only smiled more and dropped his hand.

“Just a journal… that the storekeep didn’t know was in her store? Seemingly just appeared? As if it’s one goal was to end up with you?” Alec laughed, it was a deep sound that started in his belly and bubbled out from his throat. “Whatever you write in that book, I can make happen.”

Ash narrowed her eyes as she watched him. “I doubt that.”

“Try it.”

She pushed around him and over to the desk, staring down at the journal. “What’s the catch?”

“There is no catch. Just know, I won’t kill anyone for you. Nor will I make anyone fall in love with you.”

Ash gave him a look over her shoulder, frowning at him. “Alright, Genie. Where’s your magic lamp?” Her frown deepened into an annoyed pout when he only eyed the journal. “Whatever.” She flipped it open to the first page, scribbling down ‘$1’. She turned to him and shrugged. “No magic dollar has appeared in my hand.”

Alec plucked her phone off from the arm of the couch and held it out to her, smiling at her. “Just a dollar? How boring.”

Ash yanked her phone away and went to her bank application, rolling her eyes. “I don’t even remember what was in it before, so that doesn’t count.”

Alec propped a hip up on the desk and grinned at her once more. “I do love skeptics. Come on, dream big, kid. Why not five thousand. Oh, how about ten thousand? Twenty thousand.” His voice pitched as he leaned closer to her, excitement making those golden eyes sparkle and his smile gained an edge that Ash ignored.

She wasn’t sure what pushed her to do it, why was her heart slamming into her throat as she tossed her phone down on her desk and picked her pen back up. She stared at the journal, it felt like it was begging her to write something, anything, in between it’s covers. She jotted down twenty thousand dollars. And for good measure, a reliable car. She turned to him, a Cheshire cat like grin spreading on her face. “Bet you can’t do that.”

One of those dark brows slowly climbed up that strong face; that excitement turned into joy as Alec reached into his pocket and pulled out a keyfob, holding it up to Ash. “I’m almost offended that you doubt me.”

The grin dropped from Ash’s face quickly, her eyes moved away from Alec and down to her phone. Her heart jumped to her throat as she stared at the numbers. It had gone from eight hundred thirty-four dollars and twenty-six cents to twenty thousand eight hundred thirty-four dollars and twenty-six cents. “How?”

Alec pushed off the desk as he dropped the key on the journal. “I told you what I could do, my dear.” When he turned to her again, she was as pale as a ghost. The poor thing looked like she was a deer in headlights. “What will you write next?”