Axel gave my hand another quick squeeze before he stood up. “I have to leave for work.”
I watched him walk out as Jordan bustled into the kitchen with his shopping bags. “What is happening on the front lawn? The grass is all torn up, and there are guys putting up cameras on the side gate.” He froze when he saw the table still set for dinner.
“Do you want a coffee first?” I walked toward him. “Because I have a big story to tell you.”
Life becamecomplicated over the next week. I didn’t see much of Axel, and when I did, he was holed up in his office, distracted by work. He never came to bed at the same time as me, and he was usually gone when I woke up.
I hated how uneasy I felt, even with Oleg and Anton working overtime to protect me. I tried to act normal, and my friends did their best to act like things were fine, but I think we all sensed that things were different.
One morning, on a standard break between classes, Oleg walked me to the public bathroom and stopped me before I tried to enter.
“Let me check it out.”
“You can’t just stroll into a woman’s bathroom.”
He looked frustrated. “Watch me.”
I just needed a moment to breathe. “There’s a line of girls waiting to use the toilets and a fight over the sinks and mirror space. Trust me, there are no men in there. And there’s only one entrance.”
He didn’t look happy, but he agreed. “I’ll be right here.”
I stood in line behind the rest of the students on break, and by the time I got to use the toilet, most of the bathroom was clearing out.
I shared a smile with a girl in the reflection of the mirror as I washed up. Then I got distracted by my group chat with Selena and Tanya, and by the time I started to put on my lipstick, the place had completely emptied. Honestly, I kind of welcomed the quiet. Especially after the past week.
I studied my appearance as I lined my lips. Was this how the rest of my marriage would be with Axel? Would we get into progressively less safe situations until my entire life was ruled by security decisions? I filled in my lips with gloss. Or was this just some blip in an otherwise ordinary life? I stood back and studied my work, admiring the rich color of my new lip shade.
Bang!
It was the familiar sound of a toilet stall door slamming shut.
I thought I was alone.
I put my lipstick down and backed up so I could look down the long row of toilets. Nine of the stall doors were ajar to some degree, but the tenth door, the one at the very end, was completely shut.
Was someone in there? I had been convinced that I was the only one in the bathroom, but maybe someone had walked past me when I was on the phone.
I looked down the long row, wondering why my heart was racing.
This is stupid.
I crept along past the empty stalls until I was able to peer low and catch sight of the owner’s shoes. Except the stall at the end was empty. There were no feet.
I shook my head, annoyed at my paranoia. Had I really heard anything? I turned and walked back to pick up my bag. The stallwas probably locked or shut from the inside for maintenance. With my bag over my shoulder, I headed for the door.
I stopped walking.
I had used the stall at the very end, and the latch on the door was missing, so when I sat on the toilet, I had been compelled to hold the door shut with one hand.
So why was the door suddenly staying shut?
I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself from quietly walking again down the long row. I peered underneath.
Again, there were no feet visible in the last stall, but the door remained firmly closed.
No one is in there, Mila.
My heart hammered in my chest.
