The room was empty when I stepped out of the bathroom. The girls must have gone off to find something to eat or wandered elsewhere. At least, I figured Em had. The silence felt oddly pronounced, as if the space had lost its warmth in her absence. I moved over to my small pile of clothes, neatly folded from the day before, and selected a sweater and a pair of slacks. Even though it was Christmas vacation, I couldn’t quite let myself go fully casual. Something about the way I’d been raised—and the expectations I placed on myself—made me feel obligated to wear something that looked at least remotely formal.
You wouldn’t have to wear that with her.
The thought crept into my mind unbidden, unwelcome, but stubbornly lingering. I sighed and tugged the t-shirt over my head. As the fabric cleared
