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He sighed heavily before speaking. “I’ll go keep an eye on him. Let me know if you need me.”
Birgitta stayed sitting at the table, gulping down her third glass of wine. There was no getting out of this evening alive, so she may as well drink it all away. She was hoping for a small break, a bit of peace from the tension she felt at dinner, but Julia wasn’t going to let her off that easily.
She stood in front of the sink, furiously scrubbing at her plate. “Why are you like this around him?” Julia snapped, her voice raised over the sound of the rushing water.
Birgitta couldn’t remove her eyes from the sight of it. The sounds reminded her of earlier that day when Malik had walked in on her in the shower. She gulped, trying not to let her cheeks flush from arousal.
“Hm?” Julia asked.
She stopped scrubbing and looked over her shoulder, pointedly.
“Why do you let him walk all over you?” Julia asked. “Why do you serve him like you’re beneath him?”
Birgitta downed the rest of the wine, feeling it burn her throat as it went. Gasping for air, she set the wine down and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
“Mama,” Julia snapped.
She took a couple of steps toward the table, the water rushing behind her still. Her soapy wet hands hung loosely at her sides, the water dripping down onto the ground. Julia’s blue eyes widened as she waited for an answer.
“What do you want me to say?” Birgitta said, trying not to slur her words. “He’s having a hard time. I want to be nice to him.”
Julia scoffed. “He’ll never have an easy time if this is the way he acts in Sweden. Do you want him to be a chauvinistic pig to every woman in the country, or just you?”
Julia was speaking too quickly, using large words that weren’t processing right in Birgitta’s inebriated mind. She held up her hands and swayed in her seat as she tried to understand what Julia was saying.
“Mama,” Julia spoke over her, “if you let him treat you this way, he’s going to think that every woman in Sweden will allow this. Do you really want to release him into the world without setting him straight?”
Birgitta finally found her focus and managed to look her daughter in the eyes. Even though her head was swimming, she tried to keep herself alert enough to know what the hell was going on around her.
“Mama,” Julia said, softer now. “You know I’m right.”
“I’m not releasing him onto anyone,” Birgitta said, finally thinking clearly enough to be able to defend herself. “If this is the way he wants to act, who am I to tell him he’s wrong? He’s an adult. He can act how he likes without me mothering him.”
Julia’s whole body tensed then, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she clenched her jaw and returned to the dishes. Birgitta could see her shaking her head, see the dark outline of her daughter’s lips moving as she mumbled angrily to herself.
Birgitta knew that Julia was trying to help but, what she didn’t know, was that Birgittaenjoyedit. Being dominated, told what to do, cornered until she had no out… She lived for it. Every time Malik came near her, it was like her whole body had been doused in gasoline and set alight.
“He’s a pig, Mama,” Julia said, quieter now. “If he’s going to be here for a while, I don’t want to visit anymore.”
Birgitta felt her whole world shift sideways. Gravity was dragging her down, to the right, as she stared at her daughter in shock. Reeling, she tried to stand up and go over to Julia, but her drunken legs couldn’t hold her weight.
She collapsed back down into the seat and found her head hanging, her forehead propped up by the palms of her hands. Everything was underwater, muffled and distant.
“He was staring at your chest all night,” Julia snapped. “Right in front of Papa.”
Birgitta felt her drowsy eyes look up to Julia. “He was?”
Julia frowned. “Don’t sound so happy about it,” she snapped.
A strange moment passed between them. Birgitta had been trying to hide her feelings all night, but now she was past the point of being able to control herself. The wine had flowed and now it was taking over her, lowering her inhibitions until she said and did everything that she was trying to hide.
“He stared at mine too,” Julia sighed. “It made me and Papa very uncomfortable.”
Birgitta’s eyes snapped up to her daughter’s face. “He didnot.”
She didn’t think about the words coming out of her mouth. The alcohol was taking over her, causing her to speak too harshly, too quickly. She sat up straight, adjusting her back, as she tried not to bristle at the thought of Malik checking out Julia.
Julia frowned, causing a deep groove to appear between her eyebrows. “Are you calling me a liar?”
