I check her vitals, and they tell me the same.
“Then perhaps a hobby? I read somewhere that humans enjoy knitting. It’s like debugging but with yarn,” Jamie quips, and her laughter peals out again, filling the room and spilling through the speakers into our office.
When she’s with us, she covers her mouth when she laughs as if to shield her joy from too much scrutiny. But here, alone with Jamie, she seems free from such self-imposed restraints, and it’s both beautiful and heart-wrenching to witness.
I shouldn’t be seeing her like this,so real and raw.I haven’t earned this level of intimacy.
Hell, I don’t know if I ever will.
Watching her without her knowledge twists a knot of guilt in my gut. Yet, I can’t pull myself away.
My phone buzzes with a message from Grey.
Grey
False alarm.
I exhale a silent sigh of relief and quickly text back.
You okay?
You guys already eat?
King of sidestepping questions with his own.
Nope, Misha’s still asleep.
His inquiry about food is typical, but his next question isn’t.
Amelia?
It confirms that Grey’s concern for her goes deeper than he lets on.
Glancing back at the screen, I notice Amelia cradling a cup of tea in her hands, dinner seemingly forgotten.
Doesn’t look like it.
I’ll get Chinese.
I quickly use the full access Amelia has given Jamie to check her recent food orders.
She seems to like Chinese food as much as we do.
She’s into vegetable dumplings with sweet and sour sauce.
This feels like cheating because it is.
Noted.
Thanks. Drive safely.
I set my phone down, my gaze lingering on Amelia still chatting with Jamie, but the bright smile is gone.
“Whatwouldyou do if you had the time?” Jamie’s voice is kind and encouraging.
Amelia tilts her head, her brow furrowing as she contemplates the question. “It’s not really about time,” she admits, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s just… I don’t know. I mean, I moved here on my own. No help from anyone. I live alone, do everything by myself. I can’t figure out why it’s so bloody hard to just do fun things alone. I try, but… ugh, it’s frustrating.”
Her words echo within me. Isolation isn’t just physical. It’s a state of mind we share, trapped by our own barriers.
