Page 112 of Somno Slave
“Hey—uh, is this Rheda?”
The voice is soft. Slightly nervous, but warm.
“Yes,” I say, more carefully than I mean to. “Who’s this?”
“Oh—sorry. It’s Joe. We, um—” a small, embarrassed laugh, “we bumped into each other at the pub? I got your number from your friend.”
Right.
Joe.
“Oh,” I say because nothing else seems to work. My heart ticks loudly.
“I hope you don’t mind. I wasn’t sure if calling would be weird. But I thought I’d try anyway.”
He fills the silence quickly. “I just— I was wondering if you might want to go out this weekend? Nothing big. Coffee, or— I don’t know, a walk or something. Just... yeah.”
My grip tightens slightly around the phone.
A date.
The word sits there, heavier than it should be.
“I—”
My gaze lifts without meaning to, to the corner of the living room. For a second—just a second—I swear something moves. A shape. Too solid to be shadow, too still to be alive.
My breath catches so sharply it almost hurts.
No.
No, no.
I blink, hard.
The space is empty. I stare at it longer as though it might reveal itself.
“Rheda?” Joe’s voice cuts back in, gentler now. “Sorry—did I catch you at a bad time?”
I swallow.
“No,” I say quickly, too quickly. I force it steadier. “Now is fine.”
Silence presses in again. I drag a hand through my hair, pacing once across the room before I even realise I’ve stood up.
A date.
It’s normal. Safe.
But—
My eyes flick again to the corner.
Empty. Still empty.
“I can do this,” I murmur, barely under my breath.
“Sorry?” Joe asks.
