Chapter 9Quiet and quiet and quiet.
No boots by the door. No bag on the couch. No lingering warmth on Reza’s side of the bed.
Vince imagines the careful steps Reza must have taken out the door as he lets himself sink down onto the mattress. Curls into himself and he presses his face to the pillow. Closes his eyes. Breathes in.
Landry powder and lavender, even here. Even in their bed.
He casts a reluctant gaze to the equally reluctant sky, lightening into bleak morning on the other side of the window.
Run while you can.
He took all the oxygen from the flat with him, wherever he went. That was a bit selfish. Vince gets dressed and it’s silent. The atmosphere is still and linen white, willing him not to move through it. Not to make this a reality he can’t escape.
He must, he knows. It’
