Chapter 87

everything that he has told her, everything he has shown her, all the emotions he seems to be feeling, it is impossible to let him sleep alone in the dark and silent room. She forces herself to get up, crosses the room, and opens the closet in the corner of the room. Inside the closet lays a few hoodies and various articles of clothing that are all dirty. She finds a plain white shirt and a pair of sweatpants on the rack, and she quickly changes her clothes, leaving them in the closet before she gets back under the covers. She lies still on her side facing the door, her back facing him. She keeps her body still and tries not to breathe for fear that she will disturb the silence between them, which she knows she will not be able to do.

She waits for about fifteen minutes until she hears him shuffling about behind the curtain that divides their rooms. For some reason she thinks he’s gotten undressed. Her heart pounds against her chest as she hears rustling noises, and for the longest of