Call out to Big Bird.

Her bare feet slid slightly on the damp tile as she crept toward the bathroom door, keeping one hand pressed against the wall for balance. She hesitated just before the threshold, every instinct screaming that she should not do this—but she needed answers.

Very carefully, she opened the door just enough to poke her head and shoulders out. The hallway light was off, but the dim orange hue of sunset filtered through the apartment windows, casting long shadows across the walls.

She kept her voice low and cautious, like someone afraid of confirming a bad suspicion.

“Big Bird?” she called gently. “Did you… take my clothes and towel?”

No response. Just the soft hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen and the creak of the apartment settling.

She leaned a bit farther, scanning the apartment.

Still nothing.

Her arms instinctively crossed over her chest, and she shrank back an inch into the doorway, suddenly hyper-aware of the cool air hitting her skin. God, I’m actually naked right now, she thought, her face burning. I can't believe this is happening.

Gina’s eyes darted from corner to corner—first to the (now empty) laundry hamper still sitting near the bathroom, then to the couch, the empty kitchen nook, the partially open door leading to the landing.

He was gone.

The pit in her stomach dropped further. She clutched the edge of the door with both hands now, eyes widening as her heart began to pound.

“Oh no,” she whispered. “He definitely did.”

Note: This chapter was initially composed with the help of ChatGPT, and then edited with the help of Gemini.