Beneath the Shades

ri

na lie - I

ollar signs and dark suits and that

here

hat mansion again like some cul

es me the same sile

ates swall

le somersault as I clutch my chea

I even

o late to b

000 says I'm

scary rich people say

make a beeline for the kitchen - shoes squeaking, he

g fancy. Keep it safe,

lfway throu

e he's

from the

in the

ct face. Mister

e of my new kitchen l

ffee machine - and it hits me immediately that

. Ca

sured like he

e shifts sideways, fingers trailing lightly

th goe

d say s

ing watching this weirdly gra

ge finally, my voice co

and I swear, even behind those dark lenses, I

Miss Russo,"

rough like sandpaper - makes my insid

ng on mysterious, probably dan

na. Really nailin

ther inside, dropping my bag on a

t breakfast. You kn

ans

ee machine and the soft clink o

lour, some berries I spotted in the fridge yes

ill moving slow

step is p

ng out the kitc

okay, th

stress and zero sleep,

one of those mindfulness types. Yoga at d

ing not to be hyper-aware of t

ot cooking in a kitchen that cost

efer to wo

h the air so suddenly

tammer, turnin

w, coffee cup in hand, head tilted

watching me flail like

says, voice still that same calm rumble. "If m

cause - is this man actually bei

ll, technically, not your kitchen, but like... you live here

me

smile. But enough that someth

simply, taking anot

o the stove,

kitchen feels warmer. Not jus

ounting every inch of space...

like maybe, just maybe, I'm no

is screaming that

ocus on my

ly,

d me like static in the air - qui

cutting board, I swear I hear

th

se I hear the soft scrap

mov

os

d my brain starts firing off nonsense like, he's ri

I'm tota

is a

l him come to stand just to my right - not close enough t

re than see him lea

ure - reaches out and brushes lightly

t t

does a

don't just... feel f

incts kick in and slap a st

entric. Don't qu

re good," he

Closer. And way too ca

of bell pepper, "slice the vegetables a bit smaller. More u

llow

That's not sc

chen advic

e sweating like I'

umble, nodding too fast. "S

for a bre

starts prickling like I'm stan

th

teps

ent, like he w

against the tile

says over his shoulder, that calm r

en he'

the k

e, knife in hand, pulse

veggies like they pe

tle too aggressively. "Just me, cooking for mysterious rich guys who

ying to shake off the w

ly like he said - I can't get the

way h

sured. Ca

e took had alread