Page 19 of Shadowing You

She took a couple of steps, pausing until he urged her toward the table. She sat, her hands folded in front of her on the surface.

She watched him warily.

“Are you hungry?” He dropped his backpack and a duffel bag she’d taken from the back of the scooter, then searched the cabinets. Empty. “I’ll order something. What do you want?”

The question seemed to confuse her.

“Mei Lin?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He filed that away. The woman he’d married had never lacked for an opinion. This one seemed…terrified.

“No problem.” His words came out too lighthearted. He wasn’t sure how to behave. Nothing about this felt natural or right. “You’ll need some clean clothes, I assume.” He waited for her to answer, but she didn’t. “Anything else?”

She shook her head, her focus on the table. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” She’d apologized on the street too.

“I don’t mean to be so much trouble. More trouble than I’m worth.”

He crouched in front of her. “You’re not, sweetheart. You’re worth everything.”

The words seemed to confuse her. “Can I…?” She took a breath and tried again, her words spilling out fast. “Is it all right if I take a shower?”

“Of course.” It was a challenge to keep his worry—and all his questions—inside. “Come on.”

He stood and held out his hand. When she took it, he walked her down the hallway, stopping at the open door to the bathroom. When she didn’t lead the way inside, he did and turned on the tap to get the water heating, and then returned to the living room and grabbed shampoo and soap from his backpack. He set them in the shower for her.

“There you go,” he said. “If you prefer a bath, feel free. Or do both. Take your time.” He met her eyes and smiled. “Use all the hot water in the building if you want.”

She looked at the tub, then at him, like she was waiting for something.

“I’ll order us some food. You sure there’s nothing specific you want?”

“Um… maybe rice?”

“Might be hard to find rice in China, but I’ll give it my best shot.”

She scrunched her eyes like she was struggling to decode a message.

“It was a joke, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead and pulled the door closed between them.

He stood there a minute, finally forcing himself to walk away.

Mei Lin was not the same. She was not okay.

He opened a food app, connected it to a credit card number his father had given him, and found a restaurant that offered a good variety of items. He ordered a couple of meals, then switched to a grocery app and ordered protein shakes, bottled water, a toothbrush, and a few days’ worth of clothes for Mei Lin.

He didn’t know what else she’d need, but this should be enough for now.

He dialed Gavin, not realizing until his father answered that it was the middle of the night in the States.

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“You okay?” Gavin whispered. “Did you find her?”

“I’m with her. She’s alive.” His voice cracked on that last word, and he sat heavily on the sofa.