Bella’s home, and she’s very honest

Footsteps sounded on the patio—lighter this time. Bella's shadow fell across the grass. "Mum's still at work," she called, flopping onto the adjacent lounger with her sunglasses askew. "Dad's locked in his office like a hermit again." She wrinkled her nose at the half-empty sunscreen bottle between us. "Christ, you reek of coconut."

I feigned a stretch, tugging my bikini top back into place with practiced nonchalance. "Forgot to do my back earlier." The lie slid out smoother than the lotion still glistening between my shoulder blades.

Bella kicked off her sandals with a thunk. "Dad's been weird all week." Her toe nudged the sunscreen bottle—James' fingerprints visibly denting the plastic. "Keeps jumping when I walk into rooms."

I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth, counting three slow breaths before answering. "Midlife crisis?" The words came out airy, but my pulse hammered against the lounger's slats. A bead of sweat—not from the sun—trickled between my shoulder blades where his hands had been minutes ago.

Bella snorted, twisting the cap off her water bottle. "More like repressed rage. Mum texted—she's pulling another double at the hospital." The ice clinked as she took a long swig. "Dad hates when she does that."

The lounger’s wooden slats dug into my hip as I shifted, suddenly hyperaware of the bikini strings still damp with sunscreen—James’ fingerprints practically seared into the fabric. "They fight a lot?"

Bella shrugged, peeling the label off her water bottle. "Not fight. Just... silent. You know?" She flicked the crumpled plastic at me. "Like two ghosts haunting the same house."

The water bottle crackled as she took another swig. "Honestly? I wish he'd just fucking snap. Get a girlfriend. Fuck a stranger in a hotel. Something." Her laugh was sharp as broken glass.

My breath hitched—like stepping off a cliff. "You'd be okay with that?"

Bella rolled onto her side, sunglasses sliding down her nose. "Rather than watching him slowly turn into a depressed zombie?" She shrugged. "Yeah. As long as he doesn't bring her home." The ice in her bottle cracked ominously. "Why? You offering?"