“You?” he asked.
“Could be better.” Søren sighed and his muscular shoulders slumped, making the guitarist’s eyes fall on the scratches he had all over them and his arms, which were visible because of his dropped-hole tee.
The fuck have these two been doing?
Chris easily got sidetracked like that. Even so, the weight of the sadness in the Norseman’s expression made his weird mood sink even deeper.
His brow furrowed, and a lump sat in his throat. “Is everything okay with Leah?”
“No.” Søren clenched his jaw. “I mean, we’re good, but I think she could use a friend. That’s why I asked you to come.”
“If she’s going through something, I doubt she’ll want me here after all the shit I said.” The guitarist crossed his arms over his chest. “I haven’t apologized yet, and she feels safe around you, anyway. Which makes me wonder, why aren’t you with her if she’s not okay?”
“She thinks I’ve gone to the space center with everyone else, but there’s no way I’m leaving her alone like that.” He tipped his head up. Letting out another sigh, Søren ran a hand through his long, wavy hair, slicking it back. “She got a notification with the resolution for Ryker’s parole.”
Ryker.That fucking name gave Chris the creeps.
“He’s getting out in a month.”
“Fuck me,” the guitarist gasped, his arms falling limp at his sides as shock and wrath bashed his entire body. That piece of shit was supposed to be in jail for eight years. How could they let him walk out freely, sooner than he should, after almost killing Leah six years before?
“Yeah…” Søren’s nostrils flared, and he frowned, gulping as he averted his gaze.
Chris’s fists tightened and his nails dug into his palms. The temperature of his body had probably increased by ten degrees. He didn’t want to think about what this man might be feeling at the moment.
“She let it all out last night and is calmer now, or at least pretending she is.” The Norwegian frontman looked at him again. “She asked me to leave her alone, to go have fun. As if that’s possible.” Søren snorted bitterly, eyes rolling. “And as much as I wanna be with her… I also want to respect the space she needs. But I think with you it’ll be different since you’ve been with her through it all from the start and are in no way involved with that bastard.”
There. Chris’s heart scrunched. Søren felt guilty. It was so obvious it hurt.
He wanted to tell him that when someone becomes abusive, in most cases, it’s their decision. Not their friends. Not their families. Not the fucking gods or devils they blamed it on sometimes. Not all monsters had a reason to exist. They simply did.
“I’ve got her.” Chris softly squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t worry.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Of course.” He nodded. It was his best friend they were talking about.
“I’ll stay on the terrace, near the pool out back. If you need anything—”
“We’ll come look for you later.” Chris didn’t let Søren finish the sentence. “She’s stronger than she looks.” He grinned, trying to comfort him.
“I know, it’s just—it’s been a lot lately.” The vocalist shook his head as they made their way inside the hotel. “Be gentle, okay?” he said in a warning tone.
“Promise.” The guitarist put a hand on his chest and raised three fingers of the other.
Søren chuckled and pressed the button to call the elevator. “We’re in room 707.”
“Okay.” Chris smiled. “By the way, Wolff, this must be hard for you too. But just so you know, you’ve been nothing but a fucking haven for her from the start. Never doubt that.”
He swore the vocalist’s eyes watered when he clenched his jaw.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened before them. “No prob.”
Leaning back on the lift’s wall, the guitarist crossed his arms, his brain raking over all the scenarios he could find before he reached the room.
If Søren had left Leah alone, that meant she probably wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. But he’d also said she’d let it all out the previous night. Had she had a breakdown? Chris hoped not. He hated knowing she had drowned to that point and he wasn’t there to help. Though, now that she was seriously dating someone, maybe it was time for him to step away.
