As we entered deeper into the dining hall, the noise settled into a steady thrum around us. More inmates and girls had taken their ces at the tables, the atmosphere thick with tension, whispers, and stolen nces.

I felt so many eyes on me.

On us.

More on him.

Coban didn’t seem to care. He walked with that same sure–footed arrogance, like the air parted for him.

We reached a quieter table near the back, and he sat without a word, shoving a tray across the table surface in my direction. I hadn’t even realised he’d already picked up two.

I stood there for a second, unsure if I was allowed to sit.

“Sit down, Be.” He deadpanned, as though I was being irritating, but I couldn’t be sure whether he had wanted me to sit with him or to take it and move away a little.

–

The way he said the pet name – like it tasted wrong in his mouth gave me chills. But I obeyed, sitting gingerly across from him.

The food in front of me looked decent. Scrambled eggs, toast, some kind of sausage. But my stomach twisted tightly to even think about eating with so many predators now circling the room.

I stole a nce at him.

Coban didn’t look angry anymore – not exactly. Just tired. Distant.

–

“Thank you,”

,” I mumbled, unsure what part I was thanking him for the tray, or saving me from my encounter with Jay,

He didn’t answer. Just stabbed at his food with the dull fork, chewing like it was a task, not a meal.

I kept my eyes down and started to eat too, slow and quiet.

After some time had passed, and I had managed to eat half of what was on the te, I was finishing my bottle of water before he spoke again…

“You said you got lost looking for someone? Who is it?” He questions, eyes settling on me as I swallowed thest gulp.

“Ah, yeah, well it was my friend Cara who came here with me, I was looking to see if she was doing ok, but I haven’t been able to find her yet.” I exin, as he just stares through me when I talk.

I had barely noticed that nobody seemed to join our table to sit down, leaving us taking up an entire space alone whilst most others were crowded.

Was Coban that bad?

“This is only half of the group. We have five minutes left before we have to leave to let the next lot in. One day we will be early for breakfast, the nextte.” Coban talks, but his eyes drift around the room as he does, calcting.

“The only way they’ll let me out of here in the end is if they can see that I’ve kept you in one piece and that you are with me most of the time so that’s what you’ll do. I was warned to keep you safe, in return for my freedom so don’t go getting lost again!” He went on to warn me, as I nodded and began to fidget with my bottle, crunching it a little to distract myself from his intensity.

“Be?!” He snaps, causing me to pause in my movements, ncing up.

“What?” I whisper, unsure of what it was this time.

“Quit fucking ying with that bottle, it’s driving me nuts!” He states, before he reaches across to snatch it from my hands – causing me to flinch at the swift motion.

Woah…

“You’re so jumpy! Why is that?” He pushes on, as I shrug weakly.

“I’m just nervous here, I guess?” I attempt to say, as he literally rolls his eyes at my reasoning.

“You going to exin that bruise to me yet?” He does a full circle back to our earlier disagreements as I ce my hands underneath the table to avoid him seeing them tremble…

I dropped my gaze, my fingers curling into each other in myp. He really wasn’t going to let it go. But why was it so hard for me to just admit the truth?

“I already told you,” I said quietly, “It was just something stupid really. Not worth talking about.”

His chair scraped a little as he shifted forward causing me to jump once more, proving his point.

“You think I’m a fool, Be?” he asked, voice low but heavy with warning. “You flinch like someone raised a hand to you, and you’re walking around like a kicked dog. So either you tell me, or I’ll start making assumptions. I don’t do well with guessing games.”

My throat tightened. “I don’t think you’re a fool.”

“Then stop acting like I can’t see through your bullshit.” He concludes, leaning back again.

I swallowed hard, torn between pride and the real, sharp fear of setting him off. I didn’t even know him not really, so why should I show him the darkest parts of my past?

“Should I be worried that you’ll get yourself in to fights in here hmm? Do you like to cause trouble, is that it?” He pushes me for an exnation as I close my eyes over to control myself.

“My Dad did it.” I state, the sentenceing out snappy, instantly causing for me to stiffen at myself when I heard it.

I opened my eyes wide, as he stared at me, as he always did, unmoving. Like he was trying to see through me, to peel back theyers I was trying to hide beneath.

“Your Dad?” He repeats, as I nodded once to confirm that he had heard me right.

“So that’s what brought you here. That’s what you’re running from.” He hummed, folding his arms and seeming satisfied with my answer.

I didn’t answer him, just lowered my gaze, feeling mocked.

The silence stretched between us like a pulled wire, humming with all the things I wasn’t saying.

“The only person you have to fear in this ce, is me.” He drawled out, a wicked grin shing across his face for only a few seconds before it was gone.