Page 83 of Insidious

“No.”

That comes quicker now.

“He showed me everything. Messages. Chat logs. He gave me his phone.” I hesitate, then add, “I … looked at deleted stuff too.”

There’s a flicker of embarrassment I can’t quite hide. Sandra hums.

“You needed to be sure. And he was eager for full disclosure.”

“His messages were not very exciting. I think there was a grand total of ten one-to-three-word replies. I felt a bit mad,” I admit.

“Or human,” she says lightly.

I huff a small laugh.

“Do you still think there was something inappropriate?” she asks.

“No. I think he was as lost as I was and didn’t know how to deal. A comedy of errors.”

“Then what’s bothering you?”

I watch Amelie for a second.

“Why didn’t he tell her off?” I say finally. “Why not just shut it down properly? I don’t feel like I had closure.”

Sandra is silent for a moment.

“Some people,” she says slowly, “grow up learning to avoid conflict at all costs.”

I chew on that.

“He told his mum,” she continues. “That’s a big step, especially if he’s spent years letting her take the lead. Particularly after losing a sibling. That kind of dynamic runs deep. He may have learned it from his father too. And he wanted you there when he did it.”

I realise his dad is more or less the same.

“He always just … lets things slide. Expects me to calm down and forget about it,” I murmur.

“And now he didn’t,” she says gently. “That must have been hard, but I think he has realised the alternative is losing you.”

I swallow. “But with Chloe—”

“Have you considered,” she cuts in softly, “that he might not have wanted a confrontation in a place where everyone knows him? Where it reflects back on his parents? I am sure there were neighbours listening in on the drama.”

That hadn’t crossed my mind.

“He may have been choosing a quieter boundary,” she adds.

“I didn’t think of that,” I admit.

“That’s okay,” Sandra says. “You’re both learning each other again.”

When the call ends, I don’t move straight away.

From the office room, I can hear the low murmur of Isaac’s voice on a work call.

Amelie lets out a sharp, delighted squeal, and I feel something like hope in my heart.

***