#Chapter 41 - Keith’s Soothing Touch

Shirley “I’m on my way..” That’s all Keith had said in reply before he’d hung up the phone - no questions, no reluctancy. All I’d heard were those four words and swift steps before the phone had gone silent. Standing here now, I almost wish that I would have asked him to stay on the phone with me until he arrived. The knocking and ringing have stopped, but that hasn’t done anything to calm me. I feel like I’m going to crumble - my bones are so tight and my muscles so strained that I fear they might actually shatter. Either that, or I may have a heart attack based on the way my heart pounds within my chest. It’s practically painful as I run a hand along my sternum, taking small gasps of air as I try to shake the panic. But I know it’s not going anywhere. As awful as the pounding and doorbell ringing were, the silenced aftermath seems to almost be worse. It feels like a calm before a storm - like any second a window may shatter behind me and the person will be ready t