Page 200 of Invisible Bars
Saroya’s voice came back, calm and clipped.
“I know a little about her background already, so I’m familiar with her condition. I just didn’t knowshewas yourwife. And for the record—I’m not one of those people who needs a warning to show basic human decency.”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me.
“Aight. See you soon.”
Click.
Now came the part I didn’t feel like doing—delivering the news to Naji. She was upstairs soaking, probably humming or talking back to her own thoughts. And there I was, about to walk in and ruin her peace. Saroya was on her way over, and Naji had to know. It wasn’t the kind of thing I could sneak by her. Still, there was no easy way to interrupt a woman’s bath… but that’s exactly what I was about to do.
The smell hit me before I opened the door—warm vanilla, faint lavender, and something a little citrusy. Soft steam curled under the doorframe like it was sneaking out to greet me.”
I opened it quietly and stepped inside.
There she was.
Naji was half-submerged in the oversized tub, with her head tilted back, curls pinned up loosely, and one arm resting along the edge. Her eyes were closed and her lips slightly parted in peace. The water was still, except for the gentle movement of her knee breaking the surface every few seconds.
I sat on the edge of the tub, careful not to startle her.
“I hate to interrupt your ‘me’ time,” I made my presence known, voice low.
Naji’s eyes fluttered open slowly, pupils still soft from rest. “T-Too late.”
I smiled faintly. “So, I just spoke to my publicist. She’s on her way over and wants to speak with both of us.”
“W-whyme?” Naji asked, her voice pitching high with a tic. “Jesus in jacuzzi bubbles!”
She slapped at the bubbles, sending water sloshing over the rim of the tub.
“Well, you’re the star,wifey,” I explained. “And… she wants to meet you. So you gotta cut this royal bath short. She’ll be here in thirty, and I need you dressed by then.”
Naji groaned and sank deeper into the water until her chin touched the surface.
“Ugh! I… I don’t think I’m ready to be back in the spotlight. I just wanted some d-damn tea—pillowcase prosecution!”
Naji’s shoulders jerked slightly under the water as another tic rolled through her; her toes flexing against the edge of the tub.
“You got tea,” I commented with a chuckle, trying to lighten the moment. “It just came with a side of internet fame.”
She let out a dramatic huff with her lips poking out and arms crossed beneath the foam like a pouty goddess.
“This is discrimination against bubble baths!” she complained.
I smirked. “I’ll make you a new one tonight. Same scent. Hotter water. Only this time… I’m getting in too. So I can wash your back—with my tongue.”
She blushed, trying to hide it behind a half-hearted glare.
“I d-don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing, being thatyou’rethe reason I’m… in here in the first place.”
“Exactly. That’s why I should be the one to undo the damage.”
I kissed her forehead and stood up.
“You got twenty-five minutes. I suggest you get moving, baby.”
As I made my way toward the bedroom, I decided to open up Instagram and scroll through some of the comments. There she was—Naji—caught in several angles, looking confused at the counter. Her hair slightly frizzed, her purse barely hanging on her shoulder, and her tics subtly surfacing through her expression. Another angle showed the cashier looking stunned as Paris laid into him.
