TWENTY-TWO
––––––––
Going home and waiting until after dark, Zara lit all of the candles in her blue window and waited for him to come to her. She was ready for his taunting and happy to accept the humiliation of extending this invitation, which he would no doubt try to amplify when he showed up. Mocking her request for his presence with any insistence would be more telling than he realized.
If he did show up after declaring to no longer need her, he’d be revealing the truth of his addiction and confirming Art’s assertion. If he didn’t show up, it would prove that he really did have no further use for her and that he wanted nothing more to do with her.
After cleaning up and putting away her laundry, Zara came into the living room to find that the candles had been extinguished. Glancing
