Back inside her old home, Sandra heaved a sigh of relief. She stood in the hallway with her luggage and took in the dreary surroundings. Dull wallpaper lined the walls and a murky carpet covered the floor. She grimaced. The previous tenants had terrible tastes.

The hallway branched off into the kitchen and living room, but she would explore that later. Sandra hoisted her trolley bag and headed up the staircase that led from the hallway. The stairs creaked under her weight like before. She noticed that the photos that used to hang on the wall beside the staircase were replaced with paintings that purportedly increased the energy of the space.

At the top of the stairs was a small corridor that led off to two bedrooms - to her left was the master bedroom. She barely gave it a glance before turning to the right. Her old bedroom looked almost like how she remembered it. The posters of singers and pop divas were taken down but the bed, dressing table, and cupboard were left untouched.

She placed her luggage to one side against the wall and plopped down on the bed. The springs squeaked but it had lost quite a bit of its bounce. Sandra looked around the room. It was drab and lacked character, except for the light pink walls that had faded since she had lived there.

At least the previous tenants had kept it neat, she comforted herself. Everything was in good condition and there wasn’t much to clean. As she sighed, her roving gaze fell on the open door that led to the master bedroom across from her. Unlike her room which still caught the last of the evening sun, the master bedroom was shrouded in darkness.

Sandra could make out the outline of the large king-sized bed there and the long wall-length mirror behind it. Her lips turned dry as she recalled the unmade sheets, the tangle of bodies, and that unwelcome sound. Fingers curled into the mattress beneath her. Her throat tightened, and with it, the familiar ache in her chest.

The walls closed in on her until all she could see was the synchronized movement of shadows. Her breath rattled in sharp and shallow gasps. A familiar numbing sensation spread from the tips of her fingers down to the sole of her feet. Her vision blurred and she thought she was floating.

This was bad.

Through the haze of anxiety, her mind screamed at her to get out of there. Sandra grabbed her clutch bag and stumbled out of her room and down the stairs. She was out the front door in a flash.

Not bothering to take her car, she headed for the gate, opening and closing it with a resounding slam. She hurried down the sidewalk with no clear destination in mind. She needed to put as much distance between her and that house - that bedroom.

Her high heels beat a frantic rhythm on the pavement as she speed-walked through the neighborhood. The smell of food and peels of laughter that drifted from the houses melted into a blur. She wrapped her arms around her chest to protect herself from the icy cold settling into her bones, but it did nothing to assuage her. The cold came from inside.

She had to get away from all this. Setting her sights on her feet, she concentrated on putting one foot ahead of the other. Soon, the pavement and gated properties were replaced by road sidewalks and empty countryside.

The more she walked, the calmer she felt. The fresh night air helped soothe her burning lungs and her breathing returned to normal. Before she knew it, she had reached the small convenience store a few blocks away from her home. She had not been paying attention to her surroundings but muscle memory had led her here, to her old haunt.

Nothing had changed in her absence. There was still a hair salon around the corner, along with an old pub. In the distance was the town center, across a large empty field. She hesitated outside the store, wondering whether to turn back and head home, now that she felt better. But a growl from her stomach reminded her that the kitchen there was still empty.

She sucked in a deep breath and pushed the glass door open. A blast of cool air welcomed her along with the tinkling of a bell. Grabbing a basket from the entrance, she walked down the aisles in search of her dinner for tonight.

With her mind pleasantly occupied by shopping, the tension in her body lessened and the unwelcome memory from before was shelved away in the recesses of her brain. She focused on mentally listing down some necessary household items, grabbing items off the shelves as she walked past. She didn’t take notice of the other customers until a tentative voice called out.

“Sandra? Is that you?”

Spinning around, she came face to face with a boyish-looking, young man. He had a squarish face and angular jaw that accented his sparkling, round eyes. In his hand was a very full shopping basket which, she noted, held a good variety of healthy foods. He seemed familiar but she couldn’t put a name to him yet.

She flashed him a polite smile in response. “Yes. And you are..?”

“It’s me, Thomas! From high school, remember?”

The name rang a bell, bringing back memories of a skinny-looking kid who, on occasion, used to hang around her group of friends. He had grown into a handsome man, although his geeky choice of a simple tee and three-quarter cargo pants reminded her of the old Thomas.

“Oh my god, it’s been so long,” Sandra exclaimed. “I do remember you. How have you been?”

Thomas beamed. “I’m doing fine. What are you doing back here?”

“Just taking a long break from work,” Sandra answered with a wave of her hand. It was a practiced answer that she had come up with. “In the meantime, I’ll be teaching art at our old school.”

“That’s awesome! So you’ll be staying here for a while then, I guess?” Thomas bubbled with enthusiasm.

“Yeah, a few months or so.” She gave a vague answer, opting not to go into details. “How about you? What are you working as now?”

“Oh, me?” Thomas rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. “I’m a police officer.”

She had not pegged him as the police type. Then again, she recalled he was into detective novels and such when he was young. Besides - she discreetly checked him out - it seemed like he was working out.

“That’s cool. Hey, don’t arrest me if you catch me speeding.” Sandra winked.

“Ah of course I won’t-” Thomas caught himself. “I mean I will arrest you-”

Blundering over his words, Thomas’s ears turned red when he caught Sandra holding back her laughter. “I-I meant..”

“It’s alright. I’m just kidding,” Sandra chuckled. He was cute like this and so fun to tease.

“Oh right,” Thomas laughed sheepishly, his eyes averting from her gaze.

A buzz emanated from Thomas’s pants pocket and he fumbled to fish out his phone. He glanced at the screen, grimaced, and pushed it back into his pocket.

“Sorry, I have to go.” A tinge of disappointment colored his voice. “But it was nice to see you again.”

Sandra gave a small smile. “Nice to see you too.”

Thomas turned to leave but he hesitated before spinning back to face her. “Oh hey, you know, if you want company or anything, just give me a ring or drop by my place. We can catch up or drink or-or...”

She swallowed down a chuckle. Despite the bungled attempt at inviting her into his bed, his sincerity shone through. If it had been a different man, she would be disgusted at the suggestion. But knowing Thomas, he really meant to help her get settled in.

“Sure.” Her eyes glistened with warmth. “You do check Facebook right?”

Thomas perked up and dipped his head. “Yeah, you can private message me if you want.”

“Great, I’ll see you around then.” She gave a wave of her hand.

A shade of pink tainted Thomas’s cheeks and he waved back. As Sandra watched his receding back, she felt a rush of warmth through her body. She smiled to herself.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad to be back home.