After lunch, I made my way back upstairs without saying much to anyone. I didn’t know if anyone noticed, but I didn’t care. I just wanted quiet. My room was still the same—still still. The curtains I’d melted earlier were gone. Someone must have cleaned it up.
I didn’t think too hard about that.
I got out of the clothes I’d worn to lunch and stepped into the bathroom. The water was hot, almost too hot, and I stayed under it for a long time. Let it pour over my skin, trying to feel the tension melt off.
No thoughts. Just heat and silence.
When I finally stepped out, I wrapped myself in a towel, dried off slowly, and changed into something soft and light. I had no intention of going back out tonight. The sky outside was already turning amber, the edges of evening creeping in.
Dinner? No
