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‘Caleb, I’m going to count to five. Then I’m going to let him in and leave you to it.’
Caleb’s door opens when I get to five.
‘You wouldn’t dare,’ he seethes.
‘Isowould. Do you have his girlfriend in there or not?’
A small, stunning blonde with dishevelled hair steps out from behind him, eyes wide with panic. I’d probably feel more sympathy for her if Caleb wasn’t topless, with what looks like smudged lipstick on his torso, rolling his eyes and pouting like a small child.
‘Rachel?’ I ask.
She nods in response.
‘Is the man on the other side of that door dangerous? Do I need to call the police?’
She shakes her head.
‘Now would be the time to speak up, because I’m kicking you out,’ I say.
‘He’s not dangerous.’
I escort her to the door and take a picture of her and the guy. ‘Just in case,’ I tell them as I shut the door. I lean against it, close my eyes and allow myself to breathe. My legs feel like they are about to give way.
‘What the hell did you just do?’ Caleb says, approaching me.
I ignore him and focus on getting to my room. My body is beginning to shake with adrenaline and I need to find somewhere quiet to sit for a minute.
‘That was none of your business.’
Still shaking, I stop and face him. I shouldn’t be dealing with his rubbish.
‘I live here too, okay? I deserve to feel safe. I deserve to open the door and not find a guy with a metal pipe, desperate to put it to use. I get that you’re comfortable having a different stranger in this house every night. That’s fine – it’s your life. However, I’d quite like to have a quiet breakfast from time to time. I shouldn’t dread coming out of my room because I don’t want to play shrink to, or defend myself from, the array of women that I find here almost every morning. That was absolutely terrifying. We have no idea what that guy is capable of, but I’ve just handed over a woman I should be protecting, because I was too frightened for myself. This happens again, I’m moving out.’
I’m shaking badly. Caleb notices, reaches out, and I step back. Embarrassed, I escape to my room. I tap into my breathing exercises as I try to stave off a panic attack. This conversation has been brewing for a while. I need a shower. It will make everything okay. By the time I step out of it, I’ll feel better.
A knock comes a little later, as I am taming the curls in my hair.
‘Hey, Ariella. Can we talk?’
Caleb stands in my doorway in his pyjama bottoms and a T-shirt, with his black hair shiny and damp from a shower. He almost looks human.
‘I’m sorry.’
The last thing I expected to hear was an apology.
‘Can I make you a cup of tea while we have a chat?’
I’m immediately suspicious. ‘Okay.’
I don’t want to have an argument, but something’s got to give. I grab a hair tie, follow him through the living room and hoist myself to sit on the kitchen countertop. I watch him put on the kettle carefully and quietly. He reaches for my evening lemongrass and ginger tea, dips the bag twice, then lets it steep while he makes his own. He then removes the bag, grabs a lemon from the fridge, cuts a wedge, then squeezes it; exactly as I would before bed. I unexpectedly feel my guard drop and my anger leave as he hands it to me.
‘I really am sorry.’ He sits on a stool and looks up to face me where I am perched. ‘I don’t want you to feel unsafe, and I can’t imagine how scared you must’ve been earlier.’
I look at my mug as I take a sip.
‘But I had a life before you moved in and that’s not going to change, so we need to figure out what works for both of us, because I don’t want you to move out. You’re a bit depressing but you don’t make a lot of noise, you don’t complain…well, until tonight. You don’t pry and you’re pretty considerate. Most importantly, you’re paying more than I could ever dream of charging anyone else.’ He smiles. ‘So, what bothers you?’
He playfully manoeuvres his head to make his gaze connect with mine. I hold that gaze. I am not backing down. If he is trying to be cute, it’s not working.
