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“You’re copying me,” he accuses with another giggle. His words are childlike in their innocence but his voice is so grown up. Deep and masculine. It doesn’t quite fit together.
“I guess I am.”
He pulls his legs in tighter as his eyes keep flitting up and down my body. If he had been a quote-unquote “normal” twenty-something, I might have been insulted by his brazen objectification. But in this case, I know he’s not checking me out. What he’s doing issizingme up.
“I’m sorry I scared you earlier. I didn’t mean to.”
He frowns. “It’s not safe here.”
That feels like a bucket of ice water. Is he trying to warn me about Uri? Has he been hurt by Uri?
No. It can’t be. I’veseenthem together. Sure, I’ve watched from a distance, but body language is hard to deny. It’s hard to fake, too.
“What do you mean?” I ask, keeping my tone as calm as possible.
“The rat spray. It’s poisonous.” Again, I suppress a shiver of unease. What is he talking about? Is there something going on that I’m not aware of? He turns his nose up to the ceiling. “But… I can’t smell anything.”
“What are you trying to smell?”
“The rat spray. To get rid of the rats.”
“There are no rats here.”
He starts rocking back and forth again. It’s not as pronounced as the last time, but it’s an easy tell. Still, I have no idea what about my statement has upset him. “Therearerats,” he insists in a harsh mumble. “Urisaid.”
Ah.
“Oh! Of course. That’s right,” I say, slapping my palm against my forehead. “How could I forget? There were rats but Uri took care of them.”
The rocking slows and his eyes home in on me. They’re blue, too, but a different blue than Uri’s. Lighter, more subdued. “Why are you here?”
“Because—” If I’m reading him right, I deduce that Uri means a lot to him. The very idea of Uri lying to him nearly spun him into anxiety. “—I needed help. I needed a place to hide out for a bit and Uri told me I would be safe here.”
“Itissafe here. Except for the rats.”
“Right. Except for the rats.”
“He didn’t tell me that you were down here.” His brow furrows. The rocking starts up again. “He didn’t tell me.”
“That’s my fault. I told him not to tell anyone. I was scared and I didn’t want anyone to know.”
He bites his bottom lip. “Oh.”
I look around the space, seeing it in a new light. “This place is amazing. I love it here. It’s really cool.”
The rocking stops and a slow smile spreads over his face. “Me, too.”
“Is that your video game collection in the corner?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
“Wow.”
His smile gets a little wider. “You wanna play?”
“I don’t know how. Will you teach me?”
He nods again, but not like an adult would nod. His head bobs up and down fiercely. Grinning, he launches himself up off the ground and I follow along. His size is even more obvious when he’s standing, but he stays hunched and cautious like he needs to be ready to flee at any moment.
