I’m dying to hear her voice, though. That soft, delicate tenor that immerses itself in the hollows of my bones. The sexy little purr she has whenever my name slips from her tongue. I’m dying to hear it all.
Soon.
The hotel Ash is staying at isn’t too far away, making the drive home no longer than fifteen minutes tops.
Those fifteen minutes go by too soon, and before I know it, I’m parking in front of the house.
I sit in the car for a few more moments, doing my best to collect my whirlwind thoughts and erratically beating heart before stepping inside.
Just because Amira called me a few dozen times doesn’t mean she wants to see me. I don’t know what I’m walking into the second I walk through the door, but I don’t have the time to waste. The longer I sit here, the more I fear I’ll lose my nerve to do what needs to be done.
Exhaling, I undo my seatbelt and shove the door open, planting one foot on the ground at a time until I reach the top step.
Hand on the knob, I give myself one last second to rethink my decision, but every solution leads to this. So, with a deep inhale, I twist to the right and enter my broken home, stopping short when I see the upturned table and scattered remains of a fractured token.
My guard is up instantly.
Slamming the door shut behind me, I begin trudging through the house, keeping my feet silent until I see Shadow running out of the bedroom, snuggling up between my legs.
“Hey, girl. Where’s your momma?” I ask, bending low to give her head a quick scratch.
I knew my dad was fucking wrong when he told me dogs were dumb as shit because, at the mention of Amira, Shadow twists away from my touch and darts back into the room.
Following her wagging tail, I turn my gaze to look into the open door of what once was Adrianna’s room. Time slows as I walk past the destruction of the space; broken glass and mangled pieces of paper lay across the floor, an overturned nightstand toppled on its side a few feet from the bed, its contents spilled out underneath it.
“What the fuck….”
Taking a deep breath, I brace myself to face Amira, not knowing what I’m walking into, as I ready myself to cross the threshold.
Head between her legs, Amira rocks back and forth against the frame of the bed. Her hands are grasping the back of her neck, phone hanging loosely between two fingers, as she murmurs incomprehensible sentences.
“Amira?” I ask, stepping into the room, my feet light as I cross the space between us.
She doesn’t hear me or chooses to ignore my calling. If anything, her rocking only grows stronger. Hard enough that I can hear her spine crashing against the wooden frame.
“Amira!” I say again, louder. Harsher. The bite in my tone frightens her out of her daze. But not completely. Her head lifts from her knees, eyes meeting mine slowly… fearfully.
“Hey. Hey, you okay?” I ask, sinking down to my knees, placing two fingers underneath her chin to elevate her head entirely.
After a few blinks, clarity returns to her gaze.
“Ro-Roman?” she stutters, eyes fluttering rapidly as her hands come to clasp around my wrists.
“Yeah. Hey, you okay? What happened in the living room… and the bedroom?” I question, dropping back on my heels as I tear my wrists from her grip to push the damp, sweaty hair away from her puffy face.
My fingers brush against the warmth of her cheeks, sending her arms flailing to wrap around my neck as she scurries from the floor to slink onto my lap.
Wetness soaks through my shirt as the fabric collects the tears falling heavily from her eyes. Body-wracking sobs break free from Amira’s chest while her hands seize and claw the muscles in my back.
I can’t do anything but sit on the floor and hold her until her weeping subsides, soft coos flowing from my lips, hands running over the individual notches in her spine.
I soak up this sudden neediness and store it behind my heart. Who knows when I’ll get a chance to just hold her again. After telling her why I’m really here, I doubt she’ll let me touch her ever again.
“You’re back.” She sniffles, climbing my body until her chin rests more comfortably in the crook of my neck, tears dripping down the back of my shirt, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. “I didn’t know if you were going to come back.”
“I didn’t either,” I admit under my breath, running my fingers through the short curls surrounding her head.
Her endless apologies are drowned out by the blood whooshing violently in my ears. Nerves incinerating whatever courage I had before walking through this door.
