Alicia My eyes looked red and puffed up so I washed my face again as I heard the sound of footsteps and the polite voice of someone talking to Caleb. He barely spoke a word with the person and I heard the soft thud of the door closing as the person left. I stared at my reflection in the mirror for a long time. The memory of Bill and his friends lunging at me and their disgusting gazes still made me shudder. But more than that the way Caleb had punched Bill black and blue was etched in my brain. I could still recall the way he had punched Bill until the bones in his broke and the wra th on his face when I put myself in between him and Bill to stop him when he would not listen to me. That face was filled with pure ra ge and for the first time, I truly felt afraid of Caleb. I had only seen him be mean or snarky, not so aggressive and violent. All this time I had been egging him a lot, taunting and teasing him, not knowing what monster I was toying with. Now I felt afraid of him and his rage. I would never want to be on the receiving end of his wrath. Trying not to shiver, I slowly turned the doorknob and stepped outside, tying the bathrobe around my body securely. I walked back into the living room and noticed that food had been brought into the room anda few cloches were placed on the dining table. Caleb had gone back to sleeping on the couch, resuming his earlier position with his hand thrown up over his head to cover his eyes. But I noticed something that had not been there before. The soft beige carpet was dotted red at some places. Curious, I bent down to see what it was and realized it was blood. The blood was fresh and it had yet to dry. My gaze followed the small streak of blood and saw that it led back to Caleb. He was bleeding? Or was it Bill's blood? Wanting to know the answer to my questions, I slowly walked towards him and peered at his clothes. He still had not changed and looked extremely tired. His clothes were smeared with blood and I wondered how he walked away like that with all the hotel staff watching. But then I recalled he had been wearing a jacket that covered up everything. When I bent a little to take a peak, I heard his voice.

“ Your food is going cold, go eat” His voice startled me and I would have almost fallen on him but I gripped the edge of the sofa fast enough.

“I…I am not hungry”I answered though my voice sounded like a croak to me. Caleb did not lift his hand from his head but muttered,“ You haven't eaten anything. Eat” I pushed the hair behind my ears and stood by the co uch wondering how to respond to that. The fact that he knew I had not eaten was surprising given that he had not even been around me for the past few hours. The thought of food made my stomach rumble but I did not want to eat, not alone.

“ You?”I managed to ask. He shifted on the co uch a little and answered in the same dry voice.

“ Not hungry” My fingers fidgeted nervously with the belt of the bathrobe as I thought of a way of talking to him and making it less awkward.

“ The… food looks too much for one person. And... I don't want to eat alone. Can you join me?” I tried again. His shoulders sagged and I saw him take an irritated breath before taking his hand off his head to look at me.

“I thought you could not wait to be away from me.” Ouch. I threw him a look of hurt as he slowly placed his feet on the carpet and straightened his back.

“ You… can wash up a bit and I will serve plates until then.” Caleb merely grunted as he made his way to the bathroom while I hurried towards the dining table. The food had not gone completely cold and the sight of it along with the delicious aroma made my mouth water. I began setting up the plates and served us both while also running to the side table to grab the glasses and water jug. After around ten minutes, the door to the bathroom opened again.

" There are no towels here. Can you pass me one?”

“Y- yes” I hurriedly got up and almost stabbed my toe against the chair but grabbed a towel from the wardrobe and placed it on his outstretched hand.

“ Thanks” He was standing just in front of the mirror and closed the door quickly but in that second,I saw his reflection in the mirror. There were a few red spots on his chest. Before I could make out what it was, if he was injured, and how deep the scar was, he shut the door on my face. I blinked but stepped away and made my way towards the dining table. Not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable, I turned my chair and sat on it so that my back would be facing him if he wanted to dry himself and look for clothes in the suitcase. Caleb stepped out of the bathroom and I heard the sound of the zipper opening as he grabbed his clothes, wore them, and came to si t in front of the table. I gave him a small smile and began eating. He looked at me once but did not say anything as he too began eating. After a few minutes of awkward silence,I asked.

“ So where did you go today?” Caleb pretended to not hear it and reached for the glass of water to take a sip. I rubbed the back of my ne ck and tried again.

“I... noticed blood. Are you all right?”I asked. At that, he looked up at me and muttered,“I am fine. Finish your food.” The clipped tone in which he spoke to me did not leave me any other option except to listen to him. We ate the meal in silence, my earlier appetite vanishing into nothingness. Still, I forced the food down my throat and managed to finish my plate. Caleb was faster than me and he had gotten up the chair before I did. I thought of talking again but he walked away and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. I finished the last bits of food and wondered what to do with the leftover food. He came out of the bathroom and noticed me staring at the food and spoke.

“ Just dial 1 on the phone and call room service, they will clear the table.” I nodded as I saw him wince when he accidentally brushed his hand against his abdomen. And I also saw him trying to hide his limp as he walked towards the couch. I was not sure if he had sprained his ankle as well and pretending to be okay. He had just sat on the co uch when I said,“ You don't have to sleep there. Sleep on the bed." Caleb took a small cushion in his hands and adjusted it as his makeshi ft pillow.

“I am fine here” I got up from the chair and walked towards him.

" No, you are not. I see that you are hurt and you don't want to talk to me about it. Or anything for that matter. This silence is killing me.” He only glared at me but took another small cushion and placed it behind his back. But I snatched it and added,

“ Talk to me. You said we are supposed to behave like a married couple and be all happy and nice in front of others.” He replied,“ In front of others, yes. In this room, you don't have to pretend to be my wife.” Caleb had reached for another cushion but I snatched it again... or tried to. But his reflexes were faster. Before I could grab the cushion, he had reached for my hand and tugged at it. I was not sure if he had wanted to pull me near him or push me aside but somehow I landed on his lap, his hand holding me by the wrist and his face an inch away from mine.