Something in my chest tightens and drops to my feet. A familiar guardedness creeps back inside me. It’s that same feeling that used to consume me when we spent our first few weeks of acquaintance arguing and sabotaging each other.

“What are you talking about?”

His eyebrows pinch together. “Nikki, please don’t get defensive.”

I shake my head and start to walk forward, but he lays a gentle hand on my forearm, stopping me.

“Do you think I wasn’t paying attention all this time that we’ve been parked side by side? You made your mum take days off work. You were so diligent about her taking breaks every single day.” He runs his other hand through his hair. “Even when I would come over to your house those nights when we . . .”

An elderly woman in a walker passes by us in the hallway. We fall silent and flash her dual polite smiles.

Callum waits until she’s out of earshot before he starts speaking again. “Even on those nights your mum was gone from your place, you made sure she was doing some activity that you thought was good for her.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” I yank my arm from his grip. “I care about my mom, Callum. I want her to be safe and healthy. That makes me a bad person somehow?”

“No, that’s not—of course you’re not a bad person, Nikki. You’re one of the best people I know.”

Warmth surges up my chest, a direct counter to the anger mowing over my insides.

“All I’m saying is that you should try to understand what your mum was thinking when she made the decision to hide that from you. Maybe if you ease up a bit, she’ll be more open with you.”

“‘Ease up’? Callum, I really don’t need to be lectured by you.”

My hard tone echoes softly against the hallway walls. Just like that, any semblance of warmth inside me evaporates into thin air.

“I admit, I’m protective of my mom, but she’s literally all I have. Remember?”

My voice breaks on the last syllable of “remember.”

Callum’s eyes are alight with worry. “Nikki, I didn’t mean it like that.” He lifts his arm and moves like he’s going to reach for me, but then jerks it back to his side. “You have me too. You know that, don’t you?”

I bite down so hard, my jaw aches. “Do I, Callum? Because anyone who’s with me needs to support me, not criticize my relationship with my only living parent.” I take another gulp of coffee. It burns down my throat, sour as vinegar.

“Of course you do.” His low tone turns bitter.

“Well, right now it feels like all I have is someone who wants to fuck me, then judge me.”

I don’t mean the words I say or the angry tone I take. But my emotions are a dumpster fire after seeing Mom in the one place I never, ever wanted her to end up.