Page 143 of Invisible Bars

Naji was changing… slowly. The nervous eye-darts, the constant nail-biting, the full-body tics every time we had a serious talk—none of that was present right then. Her tics were still there but not consuming her. And that told me more than any words could.

She was getting comfortable… with me… with us.

I leaned back slightly, narrowing my eyes as her words settled inside me like a decision I wasn’t ready to face.

Why hadn’t I turned her phone back on?

It had been three weeks, which was long enough to earn some trust, for Naji to prove she wasn’t plotting anything and to show that she wasn’t running away—because if she were, I was sure she would have found a way by then.

So what was holding me back?Was I still clinging to my paranoia, half-expecting her to flip the script and remind me of all the reasons I had been wary of trusting anyone? Or perhaps there was a more selfish part of me—one that reveled in the idea that I was the only person she could turn to in this fucked up ass world.And maybe that made me just a little more dangerous than I wanted to admit.

“I’ll take care of that too,” I finally responded. “Anything else?”

“Y-Yeah.” She paused, chewing her bottom lip. “I have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday… here... with my neurologist. I can’t miss it. It takes forever to get another appointment. W-Will you be able to take me?”

Tuesdays were usually lighter workdays for me, and though I rarely cleared my calendar, I already knew I would for her.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’ll move some things around. We’ll go together.”

She smiled.

I made a mental note of the date, already plotting how to clear the day.

“Also… can you… can you get me some pads?”

Shit.

I forgot all about women and the monthly chaos that came with them—blood, bloating, back pain, the whole emotional rollercoaster wrapped in a crime scene.

I scratched the back of my neck. “Damn. You’re on your period?” I asked, realizing too late how blunt that sounded.

Naji looked away, nodding, clearly embarrassed.

“Okay. I’ll get some today. You need anything else while I’m out?”

She shook her head, but her eyes didn’t match the gesture. They looked unsure. Like therewassomething else—but she wasn’t ready to say it yet.

I didn’t press—I’d learned not to. Pushing Naji when she wasn’t ready only made her shut down, and her comfort mattered more than my curiosity.

“Aight,” I said, standing. “I’ll be back.”

After leaving her room, I went straight to mine to shower. I let the water run hotter than usual, hoping it would clear my head. But it didn’t.

My thoughts kept circling back to Naji.

Despite her saying she said she didn’t want anything else, I was still gonna bring her some snacks anyway, even if she was too shy, too stubborn, or too embarrassed to ask for more than the bare minimum.

As I mentioned before, Naji’s silence spoke volumes—much more than her words ever could. The way she curled in on herself when she asked for help, as if it physically pained her to need anything, made me want to support her even more.

So, I had already decided I was gonna get her the blue pack of Always maxis, some chocolate—two kinds, just in case—hot chips because who doesn’t crave something salty and spicy? Some ginger ale, since I had heard that it helps with cramps, and I’d throw in some kind of sour candy that looked like a bad idea but would hopefully make her smile. I wasn’t trying to play the hero or anything like that, but I refused to let her feel alone any longer… not on my watch.

Our marriage started as damage control—survival, even. It was a decision made in a moment of chaos but it didn’t feel fake anymore. I wanted to protect Naji—more than that, Ineededto. Naji was soft,yeah, but she was also strong in a way most people would never understand. What she’d survived… and the way she kept pushing through despite it all... it humbled me.

I don’t know where we’ll be six months from now, or a year down the line, but I know one thing for sure: next week, at that dinner, Giselle is gonna test every nerve in Naji’s body. And I’d be damned if I let anyone—including family—make her feel small.

Chaos and Naji didn’t mix. But me and protection? That came naturally. And if it came down to it… even my mama could get checked.

Chapter Twenty-One