I cast a gaze at Leda, who just shrugged. She looked dead on her feet, and I felt the same, the weariness now starting to attack me viciously.
That, and I didn’t want to go without their food for the rest of my life, however many days were left in it. “All right, but only one night. Deal?”
Satisfied with my answer, Ruhua nodded. “Deal. Go. Sleep. Touch her all you like. Just be quiet.”
My cheeks reddened, and Leda coughed to cover her laugh. “Yes, ma’am.”
Ruhua was the only other person on this earth that I wanted to keep happy. Something about that little woman made me think she could take me out with a single swing.
She patted my cheek like the mother I always wanted before I led Leda up past the living room and into the cramped bedroom that boasted a bright red comforter. Items from their earlier life in pre-communist China decorated the small space, and I felt like we were intruding in their private domain.
“She’s not actually going to let us sleep in here, is she?” Leda asked as I shut the door behind us.
I shook my head. “Once she gets it in her head, there’s no changing her mind.”
“Well,” Leda replied, giving me a small smile. “I guess we have no other choice then.”
“No, we don’t.” I shook my head, reaching for the hem of my shirt. “I need for your clothes to come off now, Leda.”