For one terrible second, I thought the sentence about water was an excuse.<\/p>\n
An ordinary lie delivered calmly enough to make me unlock my bedroom.<\/p>\n
I sat on the edge of the mattress, phone in one hand, staring at the strip of darkness beneath the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much water?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot much yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pipe under your sink is leaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course it was.<\/p>\n
My apartment had apparently chosen this particular night to begin disassembling itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cMove away from the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then footsteps retreated.<\/p>\n
I unlocked the door.<\/p>\n
Marcus was standing halfway down the hallway, barefoot, still wearing the gray hoodie. He had rolled the sleeves above his forearms.<\/p>\n
The kitchen light was on.<\/p>\n
Liam\u2019s bedroom door remained closed.<\/p>\n
I pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was planning to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou woke me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I thought you might prefer that to waking up inside a swimming pool.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked past him.<\/p>\n
A thin ribbon of water ran from the cabinet beneath the sink.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the doors.<\/p>\n
A metal connection beneath the basin was dripping steadily.<\/p>\n
Marcus crouched with difficulty.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have a bucket?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOld towels?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCloset.\u201d<\/p>\n
I paused.<\/p>\n
Then I glared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike someone in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
A smile touched his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cBucket?\u201d<\/p>\n
I brought one.<\/p>\n
Marcus positioned it under the leak, then wrapped an old towel around the fitting.<\/p>\n
He leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have pliers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would I own pliers?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople own pliers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI own a potato peeler.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLess useful here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI own scissors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWorse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a hammer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the hour, I laughed.<\/p>\n
Quietly.<\/p>\n
It escaped before I could stop it.<\/p>\n
Marcus glanced toward Liam\u2019s room.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo should you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did you hear the leak?\u201d<\/p>\n
He gestured toward the couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds like your refrigerator and radiator are arguing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sentence is upsetting.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
He examined the pipe with surprising confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the compression nut.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that bad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Just loose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you fix it without the mysterious pliers everyone apparently owns?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably enough for tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tightened the fitting by hand and repositioned the towel.<\/p>\n
The dripping slowed.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
He waited.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew exactly what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you. Buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
There was that wall again.<\/p>\n
Every time conversation approached his past, he gave enough information to satisfy the immediate question and nothing more.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you used to repair things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus stood too quickly.<\/p>\n
His injured knee buckled.<\/p>\n
I reached for his arm.<\/p>\n
He caught the counter before falling.<\/p>\n
The reaction on his face stopped my question.<\/p>\n
Pain.<\/p>\n
Then embarrassment.<\/p>\n
Then something harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re apologizing because your knee hurts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m apologizing because I almost took your dishes down with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tested the leg carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should sit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s that tone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat tone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one patients use when they\u2019re about to ignore medical advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have extensive experience ignoring medical advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n
We returned to the living room.<\/p>\n
Marcus lowered himself onto the couch.<\/p>\n
I stood by the kitchen entrance.<\/p>\n
It was two-seventeen in the morning.<\/p>\n
I knew because the microwave clock had been seven minutes slow for three years and somehow I still automatically corrected it every time I looked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have pain medication?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded toward his backpack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIbuprofen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake some.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked amused.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really do work in healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour hundred milligrams.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout four hours ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I started back toward my room.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe leak may come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen wake me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can check it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re leaving in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something about the way he said it sounded too final.<\/p>\n
I stood there longer than necessary.<\/p>\n
Then I returned to my room.<\/p>\n
This time I fell asleep quickly.<\/p>\n
At six, my alarm went off.<\/p>\n
For several seconds I forgot there was a stranger in my living room.<\/p>\n
Then memory arrived all at once.<\/p>\n
I sat up.<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Too much silence.<\/p>\n
I unlocked the door.<\/p>\n
The couch was empty.<\/p>\n
My heart slammed once against my ribs.<\/p>\n
The blankets had been folded.<\/p>\n
Marcus\u2019s backpack was gone.<\/p>\n
I rushed toward Liam\u2019s room.<\/p>\n
He was asleep.<\/p>\n
I checked the apartment.<\/p>\n
Bathroom empty.<\/p>\n
Kitchen empty.<\/p>\n
Front door locked.<\/p>\n
I looked through the window.<\/p>\n
No Marcus.<\/p>\n
For reasons I didn\u2019t understand, disappointment came before relief.<\/p>\n
He had left.<\/p>\n
Exactly as promised.<\/p>\n
That should have made things easier.<\/p>\n
Instead I stood beside the couch staring at the perfectly folded blankets.<\/p>\n
Then Liam shuffled into the room with his hair pointing in six directions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Marcus?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face fell.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t say goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe probably didn\u2019t want to wake us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s rude.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was trying to be polite.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s still rude.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChocolate cereal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEggs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus said cereal is a valid breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus has questionable judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou invited him home.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cEggs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later, I discovered Marcus had not actually gone.<\/p>\n
He came through the front door carrying two paper cups of coffee.<\/p>\n
I nearly threw a frying pan at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
The coffee tilted dangerously.<\/p>\n
\u201cReturning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the corner store.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith your bag.\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced at the backpack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has my wallet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou scared me.\u201d<\/p>\n
That wiped the humor from his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t just disappear from someone\u2019s apartment and then let yourself back in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said not to answer the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has nothing to do with\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI locked it when I left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had no key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lock doesn\u2019t catch properly unless you lift the handle.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
Marcus slowly held out one coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeace offering?\u201d<\/p>\n
I took it.<\/p>\n
Because I was furious.<\/p>\n
And because it smelled wonderful.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you pay for this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat feels personal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night you wrapped up half your chicken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was food management.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleven dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent part of eleven dollars buying me coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNine dollars and change now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a dollar twenty-five.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t the point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought caffeine might reduce the likelihood of being struck by cookware.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop joking.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did.<\/p>\n
I lowered my voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need that money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed softly.<\/p>\n
He glanced toward the grocery receipt covering the rent notice.<\/p>\n
He had seen it.<\/p>\n
Of course he had.<\/p>\n
Heat climbed my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have read that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know I\u2019m behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see envelopes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s none of your business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
No defense.<\/p>\n
That made it difficult to remain angry.<\/p>\n
Liam appeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus!\u201d<\/p>\n
He ran forward and stopped just short of hugging him, apparently remembering at the last second that Marcus was still technically a stranger.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI briefly left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom thought you escaped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not say escaped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou looked worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus hid a smile behind his coffee.<\/p>\n
Breakfast became three scrambled eggs stretched with toast.<\/p>\n
Marcus tried to refuse.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
I placed a plate in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cEat.\u201d<\/p>\n
He obeyed.<\/p>\n
Liam talked constantly.<\/p>\n
School.<\/p>\n
Basketball.<\/p>\n
A science assignment involving mold growing on bread.<\/p>\n
When Liam mentioned mold, Marcus\u2019s eyes moved briefly toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n
I noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThought I smelled something last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDampness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the sink?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou say maybe like you mean no.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward Liam.<\/p>\n
\u201cOld buildings smell like old buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n
I studied him.<\/p>\n
He changed the subject.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat time do you leave for work?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven-fifteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSchool bus at seven-forty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can leave before then.\u201d<\/p>\n
The practical reality of the morning settled over us.<\/p>\n
Marcus had stayed one night.<\/p>\n
That was the agreement.<\/p>\n
Outside, snowplows had begun clearing the main road. The storm had weakened.<\/p>\n
He had somewhere to go.<\/p>\n
Or at least somewhere not here.<\/p>\n
Liam stopped eating.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could stay until Mom comes home.\u201d<\/p>\n
I answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus answered at the same moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam frowned at both of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I have work,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat work?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings to handle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother is right to have rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
That silenced him.<\/p>\n
After breakfast, Marcus folded the blankets again.<\/p>\n
Then he checked beneath the sink.<\/p>\n
No leak.<\/p>\n
I put on my work uniform.<\/p>\n
He looked at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cLong shift?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEight hours if nobody calls out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich means?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelve.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded like someone familiar with understaffed workplaces.<\/p>\n
Liam gathered his backpack.<\/p>\n
At the door, Marcus crouched slightly to speak to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks for sharing your cereal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou threatened me if I ate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat counts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus offered his hand.<\/p>\n
Liam shook it.<\/p>\n
Then Marcus stood.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated how inadequate my answer felt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled on his thin coat.<\/p>\n
The fabric was still damp near one shoulder.<\/p>\n
I looked at the thermometer on my phone.<\/p>\n
Twenty-one degrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep the hoodie.\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced down.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt belonged to someone who doesn\u2019t need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already took food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t take it. I gave it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Those two words.<\/p>\n
I drove Liam to school because the bus was delayed.<\/p>\n
Marcus declined a ride.<\/p>\n
I argued.<\/p>\n
He won.<\/p>\n
That bothered me all the way to work.<\/p>\n
The nursing home was chaotic before I finished signing in.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Cohen had fallen trying to reach the bathroom.<\/p>\n
Mr. Alvarez refused breakfast because someone had misplaced his reading glasses.<\/p>\n
A new resident was crying because she couldn\u2019t remember why her daughter hadn\u2019t visited.<\/p>\n
By nine-thirty, I had no time to think about Marcus.<\/p>\n
By eleven, I thought about him constantly.<\/p>\n
Had the shelter opened?<\/p>\n
Had he eaten the chicken he saved?<\/p>\n
Was his knee swollen?<\/p>\n
Why did I care?<\/p>\n
That question irritated me most.<\/p>\n
I had known him less than a day.<\/p>\n
At lunch, my coworker Denise sat across from me in the break room.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, like you didn\u2019t sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiam sick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my yogurt.<\/p>\n
Denise waited.<\/p>\n
She had known me long enough to recognize incomplete answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
I should not have told her.<\/p>\n
I knew this before the words left my mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI let someone sleep on my couch.\u201d<\/p>\n
She blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another blink.<\/p>\n
\u201cA man you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her spoon stopped halfway to her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you meet him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside the grocery store.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou brought a strange man from a grocery store into the apartment where your child sleeps?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was injured.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not make him safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that, but I\u2019m not convinced you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
The fear I had managed all morning returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw him leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t completely true.<\/p>\n
I had left for work before he had physically gone.<\/p>\n
Denise saw hesitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
She leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left him alone in your apartment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly briefly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith your stuff?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith your landlord notices? Your checkbook? Liam\u2019s school information?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denise sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not judging you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are absolutely judging me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am judging the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the polite version.\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have a landline.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen take lunch early and go check.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I have eight residents assigned to me and two aides called out.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
School.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
I answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Bennett? This is Greenfield Elementary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every terrible possibility arrived at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Liam okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s fine. His bus route has been canceled this afternoon because of road conditions. We need someone to pick him up.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Relief first.<\/p>\n
Then logistics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
After several conversations with my supervisor, I managed to leave forty minutes early.<\/p>\n
The entire drive to Liam\u2019s school, Denise\u2019s words replayed in my head.<\/p>\n
You left him alone in your apartment.<\/p>\n
I pictured my television gone.<\/p>\n
My grandmother\u2019s small jewelry box.<\/p>\n
My emergency cash envelope containing exactly forty-three dollars.<\/p>\n
The grocery money.<\/p>\n
The rent notice.<\/p>\n
Then I imagined something worse.<\/p>\n
A copied key.<\/p>\n
Personal information.<\/p>\n
Photographs.<\/p>\n
I hated myself for thinking those things.<\/p>\n
I hated myself more for not having considered them enough before.<\/p>\n
Liam climbed into the car carrying a papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 volcano.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tilt it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMount Vesuvius.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you bringing ancient Italy into my car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt erupts tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt better not erupt today.\u201d<\/p>\n
He buckled his seat belt.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Marcus leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assume so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou assume?\u201d<\/p>\n
I started the engine.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeat belt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s already on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen sit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The roads were improving.<\/p>\n
My anxiety was not.<\/p>\n
When we reached the apartment building, I noticed something immediately.<\/p>\n
The curtain in our living room had been moved.<\/p>\n
I always left it partly open.<\/p>\n
Now it was completely drawn.<\/p>\n
I stopped on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
Liam nearly bumped into me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStay behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I took my phone from my pocket.<\/p>\n
The front door downstairs opened normally.<\/p>\n
We climbed to the second floor.<\/p>\n
Apartment 2B was silent.<\/p>\n
My key went into the lock.<\/p>\n
Before turning it, I listened.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
I unlocked the door.<\/p>\n
It opened smoothly.<\/p>\n
Too smoothly.<\/p>\n
Usually I had to shoulder it.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
Then pushed it wider.<\/p>\n
The kitchen table was not where I had left it.<\/p>\n
Neither was the couch.<\/p>\n
A chair stood near the wall.<\/p>\n
The refrigerator had been pulled several inches forward.<\/p>\n
My heart began hammering.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStay behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped inside.<\/p>\n
The apartment smelled different.<\/p>\n
Warm bread.<\/p>\n
Wood dust.<\/p>\n
And something metallic.<\/p>\n
Then movement came from the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Marcus stood up behind the counter wearing the gray hoodie.<\/p>\n
For half a second, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around my phone.<\/p>\n
His expression changed the instant he saw my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked around the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
For one terrible second, I thought the sentence about water was an excuse. An ordinary lie delivered calmly enough to make me unlock my bedroom. I sat on the edge … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4928"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4956,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4928\/revisions\/4956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}