"So… I'm your girlfriend now?"
Jennifer's question snaps me back to reality, dragging me out of my thoughts just minutes after the two women left.
"What? Hey, we're not finished—"
"You said to her that I'm your girlfriend."
Her voice is calm, but her eyes gleam with challenge.
"Don't change the subject," I scold.
"What subject?" she counters, crossing her arms.
"You being careless and completely ignoring what I asked you not to!"
Jennifer sighs in frustration. "I told you, I opened the door because I knew—"
"That is NOT an excuse!" My voice rises, my arms crossing tightly over my chest. "We agreed—no opening the door. No deliveries. No visitors. No strangers."
"She is NOT a stranger!"
"Damn it, Jen, this isn't your courtroom!" I snap, my patience hanging by a thread. "This agreement isn't some law you can twist just because you find loopholes! It's about your safety! And you just threw it away to justify your carelessness—meanwhile, your carelessness put you in real danger!"
Frustration boils over, and I kick the coffee table, sending it skidding across the floor.
"DAMN IT!"
I exhale sharply, dragging my hands down my face, trying to rein in my rage.
Jennifer steps closer, her arms slowly wrapping around my waist. She rests her head against my chest, her voice soft.
"I'm sorry, okay?"
I release a deep breath, my arms instinctively pulling her close.
"You don't know how panicked I was when I saw the door open," I murmur into her hair. "I thought I'd find you dead on the floor."
She shakes her head against my chest, gripping me tighter. "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful. I promise."
I stroke her back gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I'm close to finding the real culprit. Once I do, this will all be over. You'll get your normal life back. You can move back to your apartment, and—"
Jennifer suddenly steps away from me, her face unreadable.
"You want me to move back?"
I blink. "Yes… you should live your normal life again."
Her expression hardens, but she quickly turns toward the bathroom.
"Hey, did I say something wrong?" I catch her wrist before she gets too far.
She stares at me. "I thought you wanted me here."
"I do. I want you here so I can protect you."
"That's it?" she presses. "That's the only reason?"
I hesitate. "Yes. Should there be another reason?"
Jennifer shrugs, feigning indifference. "I don't know. Maybe… because you love me? Maybe because you actually want me to be your girlfriend?"
I exhale, rubbing the back of my neck. "Look… I only said you were my girlfriend to shut that woman up. She kept talking like I was her fiancé. It pissed me off."
Jennifer's expression doesn't change, but there's something… off.
"Oh… I see."
A beat of silence.
"So I assume… you didn't mean it when you said you loved me either, right?" she finally asks, her voice barely above a whisper. "That's why you've been acting weird the past couple of days. You regret saying it."
"Jen, look—"
"That's cool," she cuts me off, gently pulling her wrist out of my grasp. "I get it."
She walks toward the bathroom, but right before she shuts the door, she pauses.
"By the way, your balls are slightly different in size."
And with that, she closes the door behind her.
A voice echoes in my head.
"Hey, Quite Rauss! You know 'quite' is too good for you, right? You're not even a quarter of a Rauss!"
The boy's mocking laughter rings in my ears, his friends howling alongside him.
"Quite Rauss! Quite Rauss! He's not a Rauss, just a yellow mouse! A QUITE Rauss!"
Their taunting voices swirl around me, surrounding me like ghosts from the past.
Then—
A small hand suddenly grips mine.
"Don't mind them," a cute little girl with straight bangs appears beside me.
I shrug. "I don't mind. They're just stating facts."
Her eyes burn with anger. "You're NOT a mouse!"
I smirk. "We lived in a place worse than a sewer. Technically, I was."
"That doesn't give them the right—"
"Let them be," I interrupt, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "What matters most is that I have you beside me."
Her cheeks flush pink. "You're such a charmer," she murmurs.
I lean in close, my lips brushing her ear.
"I love you, Jen."
She beams. Her mouth opens to respond, but—
BOOM.
She explodes right in front of me.
I jolt awake with a muffled scream, my heart pounding in my chest.
My hand instinctively grabs the empty, cold space beside me.
Jennifer isn't there.
I sit up, running a hand over my face, my breathing ragged.
The dream was so… vivid.
But it didn't make sense.
Why the hell did I dream about being Quint Rauss?
And why… did I want the little girl to be Jennifer?
Worse… why did I tell her I loved her?
My feet move on their own, taking me to the living room.
Jennifer is fast asleep on the couch, her face peaceful.
I crouch down beside her, silently observing her face.
I remember her disappointment earlier. I remember how she barely reacted when I said I didn't mean what I told the woman.
And… I regret not denying it.
Jennifer suddenly snorts in her sleep, then her eyes flutter open.
She jolts violently when she sees me.
"Jesus Christ! What are you doing?!" she yelps, clutching her blanket.
I blink. "Uh… nothing. I just…" I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Why don't you sleep in my bed again?"
She narrows her eyes suspiciously. "No. I'm fine here."
"It's safer in my room. Further from the front door. And you'd have me to—"
"I'm fine. Besides, you said yourself that this place is the safest. Or… did you lie about that too?"
I shake my head. "I didn't."
"Good. Then go back to bed."
She turns away, showing me her back.
I sigh. "Jen—"
"Goodnight."
-------------
When Jennifer walks out of the bathroom, I deliberately spread my arms across the back of the couch, my legs stretched across the cushions, blocking most of the space.
She sighs. "Move your legs, please. I want to sleep."
I smirk, shaking my head. "I still want to watch TV. If you want to sleep, my bed is vacant."
"Just move your legs," she grumbles, pushing them off the couch before dropping onto it. She lays down, her head resting on the opposite corner from me, her knees slightly bent, her legs barely touching my thigh.
"Turn down the volume, will you? It's already 10 PM. Your neighbors will complain."
I smirk. "They've never complained about your screaming during our nights together. Why would they start now?"
Jennifer freezes, her eyes widening in horror, before a bright blush spreads across her cheeks. A second later, she snorts and buries her face under the blanket.
I chuckle before reaching out, grabbing her legs, pulling them onto my lap.
She immediately jerks them back, frowning.
I sigh. "This whole withdrawal thing doesn't make sense, you know."
She stays silent, but I can tell she's listening.
"You don't want to sleep with me anymore just because I said I didn't want you to be my girlfriend?" I press. "We've been sleeping together for over a month without any title. We satisfied each other just fine—"
"Will you shut up?" she groans, lifting the blanket to glare at me. "I really need to sleep."
I study her face. Tell me," I plead with my solemn face.
Jennifer doesn't answer right away, then sighs. "It's precisely because it's been that long," she finally speaks up. "I thought we were going somewhere," she admits before sighing.. "I guess I was wrong. That's okay. I don't want to push you into something you don't want. But… I also can't keep giving my body to you knowing where I stand in your heart."
I reach out to touch her cheek, but she swipes my hand away.
"Please… don't," she whispers.
I stare at her for a long moment before exhaling. "Just sleep in the bedroom. I won't touch you. I promise."
She shakes her head, offering a thin, forced smile. "Here is enough."
I watch her pull the blanket over her head, shutting me out completely.
Sighing, I switch off the TV, stand up, and head to my bedroom.
I pause at the door.
"Good night," I murmur.
A muffled "Night" comes from under the blanket.
----------
"Scott! Scott! Wake up!"
Jennifer's frantic voice yanks me out of my sleep.
Her hands shake me roughly, panic dripping from every word.
"Someone's outside—trying to break in!"
"Scott!! Scoottt!! Wake up!!!" Jennifer's panic voice disrupts my sleep. Her hand is rocking my upper arm, determined to wake me up.
"There is someone outside trying to break in the door," She says in hurry and panic.