16
To my ears, the room fell eerily silent. The sound of the guys talking and eating became muted. The only thing I heard was the rapid pounding of my heartbeat.
It had been many months since I'd last seen Morris. We'd first reconnected, after being estranged for years, because of his girlfriend. She'd found the emotional wounds still festering from Harper's death and helped him through it. She'd tracked me down and encouraged a reunion.
Seeing Morris was confusing, painful, but I didn't begrudge her for it. I had missed him over the years. I didn't regret having him back in my life.
That didn't mean I wasn't conflicted over having him show up out of the blue like this.
With his short hair cut close to his scalp and his broad shoulders taking up most of the doorframe, Morris looked more bodyguard than rock star, but anyone who saw him behind a drum set would never doubt his true calling.
"Hey." The corner of Morris's lips tilted up an inch, as close to a grin as I'd ever seen on the stoic man.
"Hey." I returned his smile with a small one of my own.
I didn't really blame Morris for Harper's death. I knew it wasn't his fault. But seeing Morris again ripped open those still barely healed scars. It reminded me of everything I'd tried to put behind me. Everything I'd tried to forget.
Everything that had resurfaced since meeting Liam.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, not unkindly.
"Came to see your show." That tilt of his lips curved a fraction higher. His brown eyes held a note of pride.
"Thanks for coming, man," my brother said. "But you gotta know we're gonna make your band look like shit compared to us." He smirked, but his eyes flicked to me.
Gael knew what had happened. He'd been there. He'd seen the fallout. He knew how difficult this was for me.
"That's a long drive, just to come out for one show," I said.
"Wouldn't miss it," Morris said simply. He regarded me silently, then held out his arms.
With a moment of hesitation, I stepped forward, letting him embrace me with a squeeze. I wrapped my own arms around him. I was taller than average, especially with my heeled boots, but Morris was even more so. The top of my head didn’t even reach his chin.
His hand on my back was as comforting as it was heart wrenching. Old memories flashed through my mind. There was something missing. A second hand was supposed to be on my back next to his. The double embrace of the two men who meant so much to me. Harper, the love of my life, and Morris, the brother of my heart.
Tears pricked the back of my eyes. A vast emptiness in my chest gaped open. The void where Harper's hand was supposed to be both burned with regret and chilled with mourning.
I let go of Morris and stepped back. I hoped my glistening eyes didn't give me away. Despite his impassive expression, from the shine in Morris's own eyes, I knew he was just as affected.
"Who's this?" Liam asked from behind me.
Blinking back tears and clearing my throat, I made introductions. "Liam, this is Morris, an old friend."
Morris held out his hand to Liam, who eyed it suspiciously.
"Morris Edwards," the drummer said.
Recognition lit up in Liam's eyes. "Feral Silence?" he asked.
Morris nodded.
"And you know Cerise?" Liam asked.
"We go way back," he said.
Liam looked between me and Morris. The frown on his lips didn't ease. If anything, it deepened.
"You two are close," he said.
