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“This is so strange,” I said then. “Being able to talk with you. I’m a bit nervous.”
Shay tilted his head, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “Why?”
“I guess I’ve just been so curious about you, and now that I can ask you anything, I’m drawing a blank.” I laughed softly.
“That’s okay.” A pause. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” I replied, nerves thrumming as I waited for his question.
“A few weeks ago,” he began, “you arrived at the bus stop one evening, and you looked like you’d been crying.”
“Oh,” I breathed, the memory of that horrible day flashing back to me. How belittled I’d felt by Mrs Reynolds, and then how much better I’d been when Shay had brushed my arm as we exited the bus. It was the silent comfort I didn’t know I needed from him.
I met his gaze. “Yes, I remember that day. I’d had a rough time at work.”
Shay frowned. “What happened?”
“A woman I clean for, she can be very difficult to please sometimes, and if I mess up and make a mistake, she turns vicious. I’d been on the receiving end of one of her tirades that day.”
His frown intensified. “Does she do that often?”
I picked at a loose thread in my scarf. “It depends. She’s actually been okay the last few weeks. I think it’s because her husband’s birthday is coming up, and she’s throwing him this big fancy surprise party. She’s been too swept up in the preparations to pay me much notice.”
“I don’t like the idea of you working for someone who treats you poorly,” Shay replied, and I somehow felt his protectiveness, even though the voice in my ears wasn’t really his.
I shrugged. “Beggars can’t be choosers, and I’ve worked for worse people in the past. Mrs Reynolds’ bark is worse than her bite. You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle her.”
Shay studied me, not looking convinced. I was touched he still remembered that day, that his concern for me had been so great it was the first thing he wanted to talk about now that we could communicate more easily.
“Thank you for worrying, though. It’s nice to be considered.”
“And that week I didn’t see you on the bus,” he went on, his eyes soft and curious. “Where were you?”
A trickle of shame fell over me as I recalled avoiding him for an entire week. But I’d been embarrassed about running off on him and didn’t know how to fix the awkwardness I’d created. “I, um, I took an earlier bus to work and then a later one home in the evenings that whole week,” I responded and Shay’s eyes softened further. “I was just so worried I’d offended you by rushing off. I hated the idea of you thinking it was because of you being mute and not my own personal shame of not being about to read your message. I was scared to face you.”
“I was concerned about you,” Shay typed. “I thought you might be sick, or that something happened to you.”
“I’m an idiot. I should’ve just turned up and explained myself and instead of leaving you to wonder like that.”
“You can’t have known I’d wonder,” he replied, holding my gaze.
There was something about his eyes that held me captive. I barely knew what I was doing when I reached out and wiped away some of the raindrops that dotted his forehead. He remained still, his eyes glued to me the entire time. The air in the bus felt thicker and my pulse spiked sharply.
Feeling self-conscious, I drew away and noticed we were nearing our stop. I pressed the button, and the ding sounded for the driver. Shay stood, and I handed him back his air pods, making sure not to damage them or get them wet because I knew they were expensive. I pulled the hood of my rain coat up and prepared for the short walk. At least the penthouses were only five minutes from where I got off.
“Do you want to take my umbrella?” I asked Shay. “You have a longer walk ahead of you than I do.”
He smiled at the offered kindness but shook his head, signing something at me that looked like, I’ll be fine.
“Okay, well, see you later.”
Bye, Maggie, he signed, his eyes warm. They were a lovely contrast to the horrible weather outside. Happiness radiated through me. I was so glad we’d been able to talk and patch things up. I hated being mad at him, I realised. Shay was such a comforting presence in my life, and I didn’t want anything but harmony between us. I was already looking forward to the journey home when we could talk through the app some more.
We alighted, and I hurried down the street, my umbrella shielding me from some of the rain but not all of it. I worried about Shay getting drenched and hoped he kept a spare uniform at the hotel he could change into.
