The Stranger In My Bed

Exposure

Thank god for all the wine I drank or I don't think I would have slept. It was light out when I woke up, but I didn't feel like leaving my bed. What happened with Victor last night was still stuck on a loop in my brain. I hurt him, and I hurt him badly.

I sighed and covered my head with the pillow. I knew "Victor" wouldn't be here today, but I still couldn't stand to see Mr. Weston's face. I knew it would make those memories even stronger. Besides, Victor would return eventually, and what would I say to him?

If I talked to Jack now, then Victor would only use this to confirm what he'd said last night. However, if I didn't talk to Jack then I would be left in the same position as before, and I would feel like I was lying to him.

I screamed into my pillow. Why did this all have to be so complicated? Then again, what did I expect when I got involved with a man who was mentally ill. In what scenario did I ever think our biggest issue would be the boss/caretaker relationship?

The easiest solution was obviously to quit, but I really didn't want to do that. The second easiest would be to go back to a "professional" relationship. With all of them. I couldn't change what had happened, but I could at least make sure it never happened again. I could tell Jack I simply changed my mind about a relationship. After all, we'd only known each other a week. It was nothing serious.

I let out a deep sigh. That was an obvious lie. I wouldn't be agonizing over this if I really thought it wasn't serious. The truth was, I had no clue what I was doing, and according to Thomas, I might never know. I could only sit back, let things happen, and hope it would all work out.

With that, I finally stepped out of bed and got dressed. I went downstairs, only to see some boxes piled by the front door. When did they get here? As I wondered this I saw Thomas walking down with another one.

"Good morning, Ms. Walton," he said cheerfully.

"Morning, Thomas. Are you leaving already?" I asked.

"No, no. Tomorrow," he said, shaking his head, "but I thought it would be better to get everything together. I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

"Well, why don't you have some breakfast first? You'll need the energy."

Mr. Weston suddenly ran down the stairs. He didn't even stop to say hello as he zoomed past us. I panicked a minute, was he avoiding me?

"Thomas, you old bat!" He cried from down the hall. "Why didn't you wake me? I'm losing light!"

I couldn't help the sigh of relief that came from me.

"Arthur," I said simply.

"Good, you're starting to recognize them," Thomas said with a chuckle. "Well, in that case, let's hurry and eat before he takes off again."

We shuffled quickly to the dining room. Arthur was shoving food into his mouth hurriedly. Was he even chewing? I quickly started to do the same. After last time, I wasn't going to take my time eating around Arthur.

Sure enough, by the time I'd managed to finish a few bites he was already done. He didn't even speak, just motioned for us to follow. I ate a few more bites and put an apple in the pocket of my dress for later. Thomas started to stand.

"Thomas, you stay," I said, wiping my mouth. "I can handle him, eat properly."

I didn't even wait for his response as I hurried to catch up to Arthur. I didn't need to worry about where he went, I knew he was in the studio. As I entered I saw him glaring down at his camera. He gave a frustrated sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"Is everything okay, Mr. Weston?" I asked.

I was surprised by how relieved I felt taking on the caretaker role. It somehow felt easier.