That, added to the ideology that his aggressor would be “innocent until proven guilty”, meant that he’d be treated as a liar until proven otherwise.
The stress of going through that felt unnecessary and like a waste of time if Jesper hadn’t faced any charges at the end of such a painful process. So he just never did it.
“Ifyouwant to do it, we’ll do it regardless,” Niels said.
“Thanks. I… I’ll think about it.”
This was good,reallygood, but it was also too much.
Kaj had felt envious of Noah for almost half his life, thinking he never had anything of his own. That despite having these amazing humans around, he was alone. Turns out it was all in his head. And now, he was so overwhelmed with the amount of love and support, he didn’t know what to do with it to not disappoint them.
“Okay, then…” Niels said while checking something on his phone. “We’re flying to Spain in six days. When do you wanna do this?”
“Since we already know who he is,” Noah started, exchanging a quick glance with Kaj, “we agreed that the sooner the better. Even if we provide all the messages and crap he’s been sending me along with whatever you have from Kaj’s case, the police would still need to prove it before arresting him, and that shit takes time.”
“Someone’s done their homework,” Xander muttered as a proud smile curled the sides of his lips.
“I just contacted Mikkel, the private investigator.” Noah shrugged, looking at Niels.
“Good. I’ll talk to him so we can gather and organize all the information we have to bring to the police.”
“He also said that since Jesper has a criminal record, it’ll be easier to imprison him. Then again, he’d have to be proven guilty.” Noah paused for a second and added, “Of course, I’ll only do this if you all agree.”
“Why would we oppose?” Aksel said, raising a mocking brow.
“Because the band’s still dealing with the backlash of what your ex-vocalist did, and if this goes public in any way, it could only add to the stress you’re already dealing with.”
“First, what Emil did and this are two completely different things,” Xander deadpanned. “Second, we’re tougher than you give us credit for.”
“Exactly.” Aksel nodded. “Besides, we need to get rid of that leech so you two can actually start enjoying your relationship.” He gestured at their joined hands and flashed them a cheeky grin. “I had no idea it was that serious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you be so transparent with a relationship before.”
“Got a problem with that?” Kaj retorted.
“Not at all.” Aksel chuckled. “Just pointing it out. It’s cute.”
“What the hell? Shut up.”
“And he’s moved in with us,” Mads said.
“There’s noushere. This ismyplace.” Kaj narrowed his eyes at Mads.
“So you keep saying…”
“And this is just temporary,” Noah chimed in. “Kaj freaked out a little and said he didn’t want me living alone at my place.”
“That’s probably the smartest thing he’s done since I’ve known him,” Niels said matter-of-factly.
“Fuck you, Niels,” Kaj snapped, but there was no real bite behind his words. Actually, he was close to cackling again.
“Holy shit!” Xander laughed with that resounding, full-chested laugh of his. “Our drummer boy is in love!”
“Fuck you, too, asshole.”
That only made the bassist laugh louder, infecting everyone else in the room.
The sound of their ridiculous insanity filled the room, bouncing off the walls, wrapping around Kaj like a hug. He took a deep breath, allowing himself to savor the moment.
For years, he’d built a fortress around himself, convinced that he couldn’t carry his burden with anyone, that he had to do this alone. But oh, how wrong he’d been.
