She still has that glassy look in her eyes.
I brush her damp hair off her face. “Do you see me?”
Nothing.
“Harley?”
She blinks twice.
“It’s only the two of us in the house,” I say. “No bogeyman.”
She intakes a sharp breath.
“Ka— Kaz—” She dissolves into tears.
“You’re safe, Harley.”
Her breathing is labored.
My pulse races, thumping against my temples. “You had a nightmare.”
“I’m sorry I woke you up. I haven’t even been here twenty-four hours, and already, I’m a terrible roommate.”
“Shh, you didn’t. I wasn’t asleep yet. And for the record, you’re not a terrible roommate.”
She shuffles closer to me on the bed, and I wrap my arms around her.
She’s shaking like a leaf.
Her sobs intensify, and her body jerks with her cries.
‘I’m not like them.’
Was she having a nightmare about vendors demanding to get paid after Ellen and Qi bailed out on her?
‘Please, don’t hurt me.’
Did someone try to hurt her or was it just a bad dream?
Fuck, I want answers, but pushing the matter when she’s this vulnerable and reluctant to open up, would make me an asshole.
The only thing I can do now is hold her, so I do just that.
Several minutes later, she pulls away from me.
“Do you want a glass of water?”
She nods.
I rush to the hallway bathroom, grab a glass from the cabinet, fill it with water, and return to the bedroom.
“Here you go,” I say, handing her the glass.
“Thank you.”
Her dried tears left track marks on her face.
The sight causes me to bunch up my hands into fists.
