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I never thought about it before, but after a little while, I had to agree with her. The noise was comforting, Amber and Britney looking at something on a phone between them, Mariana and Elizabeth talking while cooking. Jo and Gabi sat closest to me and talked amongst themselves, but made eye contact with me a lot to make me feel like I was part of the conversation. It was nice, and I relaxed after a while.
“So, Rosie. What do you do for fun?”
Jo’s focus moved to me, and she leaned forward, curiosity on her face. She wasn’t asking anything unusual, but it was a difficult question all the same. I shrank in on myself, lifting my shoulders.
“I-I-”
There was no judgment in her face when I couldn’t give her an answer. She smiled softly, gesturing to the room.
“There are a lot of different hobbies in this room. I like reading, Gabi and Elizabeth are gamers, Mariana likes the arts. Britney is a closeted anime fan–”
“Hey!” Britney scowled at her.
Jo raised an eyebrow. “Tell me I’m wrong. Whenever we hang out at Elizabeth’s, you’re more interested in what’s on the TV than the conversation.”
She flushed, making a face. “Maybe the TV is more interesting than talking about nurseries.”
Amber snorted. “I call bullshit. Elizabeth and I aren’t having babies and you still stare at the TV.”
While they argued over Britney’s hobby, Jo glanced back at me with a grin. “See? We’ve got all types here. And if you’re into something new, I guarantee we’ll have your back. Nothing is too weird for this group.”
She must have thought I was stammering because I was embarrassed. I was too ashamed to admit that I didn’t have any hobbies. I’d been too busy trying to survive the last few years. I dropped my gaze to my hands, twisting my fingers roughly until Gabi shifted closer, covering my hands with one of hers. When I glanced up, she looked concerned, but before she could ask me more questions I couldn’t answer, Mariana spoke up.
“Food is ready. Come grab a plate.”
It brought the focus off me and I let out a shaky breath when they all moved to the kitchen. I wanted to escape back to the bedroom, but it was too hard to move on my own and I didn’t want to be rude either.
“Here.”
Elizabeth stood in front of me, a plate in her hands. She offered it to me with a small smile. When I took it, she moved to walk away, but hesitated for a minute. She spun back to face me and let out a breath.
“I understand being nervous. I’m not really that social either. You can talk when you’re ready, there’s no rush. These are good people. No one is going to get mad if you don’t have an answer right away. Okay?”
She thought I was being shy. There was some truth to that, so I let her believe it. It was better than the alternative. So far, none of them seemed interested in figuring out who I was outside of a few innocent questions. I needed to keep it that way. The more people I spent time with, the more likely someone was going to figure it out and send me back home.
* * *
It was just after lunch when Viktor came back. He wasn’t alone. A few men followed him. Some I recognized, some I didn’t. All of them made me nervous. Gabi frowned at their arrival, pushing to her feet.
“What are you all doing here?”
“They want to see that she is okay. They are not satisfied with my assurances,” Viktor growled, irritation written all over his face.
Amber rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”
Britney stood too, moving to stand between the couch and the group of men. “I already told you, she doesn’t feel comfortable around men. This possessive alphahole crap isn’t going to help her feel better. Go away.”
One of them shot her a look, speaking to her in Russian. “She prevented injury, beloved. We only want to see that she is well.”
She scoffed. “Freaking her out isn’t going to help, Vlad. She’s already had a tough time with just us here.”
The embarrassment was overwhelming as they argued about me. I wanted to escape more than anything, but when I tried to get off the couch, Viktor stopped me, kneeling by my side.
“Tell me where you need to go. I will bring you there.”
I gave him a helpless look, silently pleading. Like he could read me, he dipped his chin, easing me off the couch and into his arms. When he stood, he shot a look to the group of men by the door, speaking to them in Russian.
“She needs rest. I told you, she is well. Leave.”
