“Yeah,” I breathe.
Barbara doesn’t say anything for a moment, then hums thoughtfully.
“Okay. Here’s the important part. How do you feel right now?”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she says carefully, “are you scared? Disgusted? Angry? Ethan and I have done some… questionable things. So I won’t judge.”
I look down at my toenails with their chipping pink lacquer.
“I’m confused,” I admit after a while. “Embarrassed. A little shaken.”
“And?” She draws the word out.
“And…” I hesitate. “I’m not terrified. I don’t feel violated. It’s… Caleb.”
There it is. The truth I’ve been circling, finally said out loud.
Barbara lets out a long breath. “Okay. That matters.”
“Does it?” I ask, running my hand through my hair. “Because shouldn’t I be calling the police right now if my bodyguard did something to me in my sleep?”
“In theory? Yes,” she says gently. “In reality? This is messy. And personal. And it feels so on brand for these guys.”
I huff out a weak laugh. “That’s not reassuring.”
“Basia,” she says firmly, “I’m not saying this is okay. I’m saying you don’t have to decide anything right now. You’re safe this second, yes?”
I glance at the locked bathroom door. At the steam curling around me. At the faint sounds of Caleb moving in the kitchen, completely ordinary. I know he’d guard me with his life.
“I… Yes.”
“Good,” Barbara says. “Then breathe. Finish your shower. And don’t confront him yet.”
“Yet?” I echo.
“Yet,” she confirms. “Because if something is going on, you need proof. And clarity. Or you’ll blow your life up.”
My chest tightens. My heartbeat pounds in my ears as I finally let myself say what I’ve been thinking since I woke up.
“What if I don’t want him to stop?”
“Oh, yeah. There it is.” There’s a smile in Barbara’s voice now, and I feel blood rushing to my face, my defenses rising faster than the price of eggs.
“I was being hypothetical. I didn’t say?—”
“You didn’t have to,” she interrupts gently. “Bas, you’ve had a crush on that man since day one. And obviously he feels the same way, though the way he’s going at it is… objectively kind of fucked up.”
I lean my forehead against the cool tile, huffing out a half-hysterical laugh.
“So what do I do?”
Barbara hums. “If you don’t want him to stop, nothing obvious, I guess. Pay attention. Trust your instincts. And maybe… don’t drink the tea tonight.”
I swallow. “Like… trick him?”
“Exactly. Catch him in the act, so to speak. Get confirmation. And Bas?”
