After kicking off my shoes in the front entrance, I went upstairs to the bedroom, where I threw down my backpack. I'd been trying to stick to one of those ridiculously complicated Korean skincare routines for my last semester of school, but not tonight.

I fell straight into bed and deep black sleep. Until my Monday morning alarm went off what felt like only a few seconds later.

Alexa always wanted to act like she didn't hear you this early on Monday mornings, so it took me a few yells before I could get it to turn off.

I stumbled into the bathroom, emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. But I woke right the hell up when I found Victor in there, toweling off from the shower he had just taken.

"What are you still doing here?" I demanded; my voice was squeaky with shock.

He wrapped the towel around his waist before answering, "This is my house. So I decided to enjoy it for a little while."

"For how long?" I demanded.

He shrugged. "As long as I decide."

My Alexa chimed up from the other room, warning me that I only had thirty minutes until I had to be at school. I'd learned to set reminders every ten minutes from the time I was supposed to get up. That was the only way to ensure I didn't go back to sleep or get caught up in a good graphic novel after the alarm went off.

I switched the shower back on. "I have to go. I have to go to school."

"I won't stop you," he answered. But then, after a slight pause, he signed, "This time."

Wow. Threaten much?

But at least he finally left me alone in the bathroom. I got showered and dressed and even managed to throw on some lip gloss and foundation in record time. Victor wasn't in the bedroom when I got out of the shower. After I got downstairs, I hastily scarfed down a microwave breakfast burrito. And I swear I could hear him kicking around in the overhead guest room I sometimes used as an office.

He wasn't bothering me exactly. But his "this time" would definitely hang over my head today. If not for the rest of the semester.

This is why I so didn't need Elizabeth Ann Margaret to approach me right after Monday's seminar. The first part of our main thesis production class took place right before lunch. Jacoby had already split, probably to go suck on his vaporizer outside. And everyone else in the amphitheater where our small grad class met was either pulling out the lunches they'd brought from home or making plans to grab something either on or off-campus during the hour break.