Page 173 of Toxic

"I wish that were true, Skye. Now, take me to bed."

***

The next few weeks passed in much the same way.

Soren gradually shifted from the withdrawal he’d shown at first to opening up more and more. There were certain behaviors that I remembered from our college days, which started resurfacing. His previous self-absorption and focus solely on his own needs began to fade. Occasionally, he would make me tea, sometimes even clean up a bit, suggest small outings like walks, or invite me to join him at the pool. It was in the same building where we lived, so we could go often. Soren loved swimming; ashe explained, he was on the swim team as a child. While he used to go there alone, he started spontaneously asking if I’d like to join him.

Changes started appearing in other areas too. He began touching me more casually during the day, like running his fingers through my hair or gently massaging my shoulders. After sex, when we lay cuddled up, his hands would trace small circles on my chest, and sometimes he’d even touch my cheek shyly, gently caressing it.

It was a slow process, like unraveling a thread from a ball of yarn. Gradually, something inside him was unlocking, warming up to our relationship. With each passing week, I noticed these small but significant improvements.

Interestingly, nesting also became a part of his daily routine. Soren began making nests more frequently, and they became better, bigger, more elaborate, and even more colorful. He started bringing in new elements from the closet.

Once, I brought him as a gift a few decorative silver cords to help form the nests. He blushed a little, and the next day, I noticed he had used two of the cords to reinforce the structure of a new nest.

I liked to watch him while he was busy building it, with a cute little frown on his forehead.

These were small things, but they brought me great joy because I knew Soren was, in a way, thawing out. I wouldn’t say he completely trusted me yet; there was still a certain cautiousness, a bit of shyness when it came to openly expressing his feelings. But I could definitely see a lot of progress.

He still spent time alone on the balcony, staring at the city skyline in quiet contemplation, but it didn’t last as long as it used to. And, of course, he’d quit smoking, which to me was another sign that he believed… that this pregnancy could have a positive outcome.

***

Everything changed one day when I got a call from my older brother, Bay. I had the weakest connection with him of all my brothers, except for Snow. Although he wasn’t exactly a quiet loner, he always seemed a little disconnected from our family, focused on his career as a musician and YouTuber.

His call really surprised me, but I answered, curious about what he had to say.

"Hey, Skye, I’m calling about something a bit unusual. Do you remember…" He cleared his throat. "Alex, the guy I was dating in high school?"

That conversation certainly had an unexpected start.

"Of course, he used to come over sometimes. We played chess, and he always beat me—never went easy on a ten-year-old!"

Bay chuckled. "Well, Alex played chess at the state level. He was great; why would he go easy on you? You’d never have learned anything that way."

"And I never did. I still hate playing chess."

Bay coughed quietly. "Anyway, I’ve kept in touch with him over the years… we chat sometimes on Messenger. Alex always had numerous health issues—allergies, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and so on…"

"Yeah, yeah. I remember. He always carried an inhaler."

"He's in an experimental desensitization program run by Malden Pharmaceuticals that gives him a good chance of a full recovery. The initial results are promising, but the therapy is really tough. He's passed out a few times after leaving the therapy chamber and gets dizzy often. I've driven him a fewtimes, but I have a concert on Friday afternoon and can’t make it. I know you live close to the Malden branch, where he gets his therapy. Could you take him there and bring him back? I’d really appreciate it. I asked Winter, but he already has a meeting scheduled for the exact time, and it could run late since there are sometimes a few people in line for the therapy chamber. The appointment times are scheduled in two-hour blocks, and you have to try to get in."

Still somewhat puzzled by the unexpected call, I answered, "Sure, I can take him. It'll be nice to see him after all these years, although… I still won’t forgive him for constantly cornering my king in chess!"

Bay chuckled, sounding relieved. "Thanks, bro, I owe you one!"

When he told me the time, I realized it would mean leaving work a little early and possibly getting home about two hours later than usual.

Since the ByteBites project was entering its crucial phase, and we were just days away from presenting it to the client, I headed over to Winter. I’d been working eight hours a day on it lately, doing Nathaniel's tasks only in the evenings, so I wanted to clear it with my director.

I saw Winter standing in the hallway, talking to an employee. As I approached, they were just wrapping up their conversation, so I quickly mentioned I needed to leave a bit early today. I gave him a brief summary of my conversation with Bay, and Winter agreed without any issue. I noticed that during our talk, Winter glanced over my shoulder at something behind me but didn’t say anything.

"Sure, no problem, you can leave early today if Soren agrees. Tuesday is a big day for your team, so make sure you get everything done."

"I already asked him, but I wanted to clear it with you, too, because it’s the hot phase now, and every hour counts."

"Yes, that’s true. But since you have it covered, you can go."

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