Page 15 of Faithful

It’s random and unexpected and not like him and renders me speechless for a long moment.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I eventually blurt out.

“Just curious.”

Again, I’m not certain what he’s aiming for, so I just sit there on my new bed surrounded by bleak, bare walls, my mind racing.

“Hey,” Kai whispers. “Don’t go breaking your head about it, college boy. It’s not that important.”

Somehow, I don’t believe him.

* * *

I spend the remainder of the week working on my paper folding. By Saturday, there’s close to a hundred shapes all over my room, most of them hanging from the ceiling, a few lined up on the nightstand, a few more on the dresser.

“Wow!” At some point, Leigh peeks inside through the cracked door. “Look at you, Martha Stewart. You really know how to make this place cozy. Does it mean I’m about to meet your bae?”

“Fuck off.” I give her the middle finger and continue working on the teal-colored butterfly.

“Paul and I are leaving for Cancun tomorrow,” she says, stepping into my room.

“For how long?”

“Six days.”

“You’re coming back next Friday?”

“Yep?”

“Why not stay the weekend?”

“He has some previous arrangement with his family he can’t miss.” Leigh rolls her eyes. “Grandma’s ninetieth birthday or something.”

“Is he inviting you?”

“We haven’t discussed it yet.”

“I see.” I set the butterfly on the desk and stare at it, studying the lines.

“You’re gonna be alright?” Leigh asks several heartbeats later.

She’s lingering by the door, her gaze jumping from one object to another with no rhyme or reason. It seems almost as if she’s seeing me for the first time. And perhaps she is.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I pluck a small boat from the collection of shapes on my desk and hand it to her.

She accepts my offering with a smile. “You’re really good at this stuff, Watson, you know.”

“I promise not to burn down the place when you’re gone, Farley.”

“That’s reassuring.” She laughs. “With all that paper in the apartment.”

My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and I can tell it’s a new Google alert from the corner of my eye. Tension stiffens my shoulders.

“Okay,” Leigh says, sensing the sudden shift in my mood. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Once she’s gone, I check the news.

Iodine’s management and Evelyn Grimm have come to an understanding. The sacrificial burning dispute is settled and won’t be going to court. The amount the accusing party received is unknown.

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