He hesitated. “Enough.”
“Liar,” she said fondly.
“You eating?”
“Yeah.”
“Also a lie.”
Melvin huffed a quiet laugh. “I’m fine.”
She gave him a look that could strip paint. “Stop saying that like it’s an answer.”
He nodded once. “Yeah. I’m good.”
She studied him. “You’ve got that face.”
“What face?”
“The one you get when you’re holding your breath.” Her eyes sharpened. “You doing that thing again?”
Melvin’s fingers tightened on the laptop.
“What thing?”
“The invisible thing.”
He didn’t answer. Her voice dropped. “How’s your… temper?”
“Managed.”
“Mmm. Any late-night pacing? Claws in the mattress?”
“No.”
“Mel.”
“I said managed.”
She leaned back, studying him. “So what changed?”
Melvin stared at the screen. “There’s a guy,” he said finally.
Her eyebrows lifted. “A guy.”
“Don’t start.”
“Tell me.”
“He’s in my unit. Same company.”
“Oh,” she said lightly. “Same cage.”
“And he makes it harder.”
Her expression sharpened. “Harder how?”
“He’s loud,” Melvin said.
