Page 63 of The Liar in Room 5

Once out of the shower, my phone vibrated on the wooden bench I’d set it on to keep it dry. For reasons I wasn’t ready to think about, I hurried to check the messages.

Daddy

Figured you’d be exhausted, so I ordered you some dinner. It should be there in about ten minutes.

Call me later if you’re up for talking a little bit and not too tired.

Rather than responding in the moment, I gave a thumbs-up and hurried back to finish rinsing, get dried, dressed, and slather on the moisturizer I desperately needed.

On my way back to my room, I passed a few other residents. I wasn’t any more sociable, but I was making an effort to be friendlier. It still felt awkward being so much older than most of them, but it wasn’t front and center in my mind like it had been.

Daddy couldn’t have timed it better because the delivery driver was pulling up as I opened the front door to wait for my food. After thanking him, I went back to my room and settled on my bed.

In usual Henry fashion, it was too much and incredibly considerate. Hot-and-sour soup, fried rice, Mongolian beef, General Tso’s chicken, and extra fortune cookies. It was delicious, and I was so grateful to be able to eat in the quiet of my room.

It was beyond me how one man could be so considerate and ask for so little in return. I wasn’t sure how I could make him understand how much I appreciated his care, but nothing felt like enough. Even when I stayed over, he fussed over me and rebuffed any attempt to stop him. In fairness, I didn’t try very hard because I loved how it made me feel.

Dammit.

There was that word again.

I couldn’t keep it out of my mind when I thought about Henry. I’d thought I was in love before, but I’d never felt like this. There had always been a twinge of fear that I wasn’t enough, so I needed to reinvent myself to become enough.

Henry only wanted me.

And that scared the hell out of me.

“Is this an okay time?”

“Yeah, of course. It’s always the right time for you to call me,” Daddy answered. “But can we switch to video so I can see your face?”

“Yeah, but fair warning—I’m glowing.”

Before he could ask for an explanation, we switched over to a video call. Before I had to say anything, I heard Daddy’s swift intake of breath.

“Yikes, you weren’t kidding. Forget the sunscreen?”

“Yep, and I’m not making that mistake again. I eventually put some on, but the damage was already done. How’s New York?”

“If I tell you the truth, do you promise to tell me about your first day?”

“Sure.”

“It fucking sucks. It’s too noisy and crowded, and it’s hot, and there’s no breeze, and I hate hotel rooms when I’d rather be home with you. And my original flight was delayed, so I had to grab another one, and I’m a bougie bitch who likes at least business class. Instead, I had to sit in economy near the restroom, and it put me in a shitty mood. I’m also pretty annoyed I couldn’t be there for your first day.”

Daddy finally ran out of steam—and breath—before throwing himself grumpily back onto the pillows.

“Sorry?”

“Yeah, me too.” He sighed dramatically before asking, “Tell me about your first day.”

“I loved it, sunburn and all. Ben was super sweet when I showed up to take him to school, which was a nice start.”

Henry asked a few questions along the way but mostly let me drone on about the minutiae of the day, including more detail than he probably wanted about our daily schedule. Each week had a different focus, and today was all about plants, so we collected clippings and used them to practice the alphabet and letter sounds. I was a little jealous that my afternoon was spent working instead of napping in the low-hanging hammocks like the kids. Henry promised he could make that happen for me, but I was almost afraid to ask if he was serious.

At some point, our conversation grew quieter, and it felt more intimate. He was in his hotel room, reclining against a pile of pillows with his shirt off and sleep pants slung low on his hips. I was lying in bed with my phone directly in front of my face. I hadn’t wanted to be too loud, so I’d dropped my voice to a whisper.

“Sweetheart, have I mentioned how damn much I miss you?” Daddy said huskily. It was off camera, but he might have adjusted himself. I couldn’t quite tell.