After the shower, Emily wears one of my t-shirts and a pair of boxers. Something warm and unfamiliar spreads through my chest at the sight of her in my clothes. "I'll walk you next door."
She laughs. "It's literally ten feet away."
"Still walking you."
The hallway feels cool after the warmth of my apartment. Emily's bare feet pad silently on the worn carpet, but the sound of heels clicking on the stairs makes us both turn.
Another tenant from the ground floor appears, the one always trying to talk to me and couldn't take a hint. She has blonde hair, and that's pretty much the only thing I remember about her.
"Oh, hey Selena! Good morning," Emily says.
Ah, so that's her name. I always tune her out when she talks to me, and I never really bothered learning who she is.
Selena's gaze takes in everything—Emily's damp hair, my t-shirt hanging almost to her knees, the boxers peeking out beneath. The marks on Emily's neck that I deliberately left.
Her smile looks tight. "Morning, Emily. Alex."
I nod once in acknowledgment but don't smile.
Something about Selena has always set off warning bells. Can't pinpoint exactly why, but I trust my gut. She's tried approaching me multiple times—in the lobby, by the mailboxes, in the elevator. Always with that fake smile. I shut it down each time with monosyllables, silence, and distance.
Selena rakes her gaze along Emily's outfit and laughs. "Cute outfit, Em. Very ... borrowed."
Emily laughs too, but it sounds uncomfortable. "Yeah, we went running, and I didn't have clean clothes, so?—"
"You went running? That's so unlike you. I mean, you usually avoid exercise. Your only favorite physical activity is walking from your bed to your fridge."
The comment lands wrong, and at first, I'm not even sure I heard her right. Something in Selena's tone makes it less of a joke and more of a nasty comment.
"Although I guess you earned it. I saw you at the bakery earlier."
Emily shifts beside me. "Yeah, Alex bought me some pastries."
"Why? You can't afford them now?" Another laugh that doesn't reach her eyes. Emily's smile falters. "I'm kidding, obviously. You can eat whatever you want. It's not like you're trying to impress anyone anymore."
Emily's laugh sounds forced. Nothing like her rich laughter with me. "Right, yeah."
"So you got her to run?" Selena asks me. "I'm impressed. Emily usually can't make it around the block. Did she actually finish, or did you have to carry her?"
"She did fine," I say, voice flat. "Even if she didn't finish, I could have easily carried her with one arm."
"That's generous of you to say. She's lucky to have someone so ... patient and understanding with her. Anyway, I have to run. Just came to say hi and ask about your Valentine's Day, Em, but I now have my answer. You two have fun."
Silence hangs in the air after she leaves. My vision went red for a few seconds back there, and I'm still trying to cool my anger down. I walk Emily to her door and wait as she unlocks it. "You shouldn't let her talk to you like that, Em."
"It's just how she is. She doesn't mean anything by it."
"Exactly. That's how she is. Why do you stay friends with her?"
"She was there for me when I moved in, when I didn't know anyone." Emily shrugs. "She's just blunt sometimes, but she's been a good friend. Besides, she's the one who urged me to write the card."
I step closer. "She's not blunt. She's mean. There's a difference."
"You don't know her like I do."
"Who needs enemies when you have a friend like Selena?"
Emily nods slowly. "I should feed Croissant. See you around."
