My gaze locks with Phantom for a moment before the rusty metal door comes flying off its hinges. Instinctively, I scream.
Phantom is on the intruder in a heartbeat, their arm wrapped around their neck, the palette knife held against the vulnerable skin there. It’s not sharp enough to cut, but with enough force, it could puncture, and potentially be lethal. But I’ll never let Phantom feel like that again, like their life is in mortal danger.
Amidst the commotion, it takes me a moment to process my fear, and come to realize who the intruder is.
“Noah?” I ask, climbing off the bed and running to them. “What are you doing here?”
“Maeve,” they choke out over their crushed windpipe.
“Phantom, loosen your grip,” I urge.
They shake their head. “He just broke down our door. No way.”
“He can have you on your ass in a second,” I cry.
Noah’s eyes whirl wildly as they take in the absolute disaster that is the studio, but I’m focused on Phantom. I shoot them a piercing glare until they finally relent, releasing their grip.
Noah bends over, placing his hands on his knees as he draws in a large gulp of air. “Maeve, what have you been doing? Your parents are freaking out. They’re getting the cops involved, filing a missing person’s report.” His eyes are wide as the ocean, sending my pulse skittering into a panic. And he’s cut his hair since we last spoke. Since we broke up. Just a few days ago.Has it only been a few days? Wait? How longhasit been?
“How long have we been here?” I ask Phantom.
“Just a few days.”
Noah’s eyes narrow as he says, “You haven’t answered your phone since your dad dropped you back at school on Friday. You’ve been MIA for four whole days, Maeve.”
I gasp.Shit.I hadn’t realized.
“Do we even have my phone?” I ask Phantom.
They nod. “It was in your pocket, but I took it out. It’s on the shelf by the door.”
I run to retrieve it. “Shit, it’s dead.”
I look to Noah again. “How did you even find me?”
“We’re still sharing our locations. The app shows the last location you were at before your battery dies. I knew I’d be able to find you faster than the police.” His brow pinches as he assesses me. “Maeve, why didn’t you know where your phone was? Why did you have to ask this ugly bastard?”
A mixture of hurt, fear, and anger flashes across Phantom’s face.
In a dark tone, I warn Noah, “Don’t you dare speak about them that way.”
“You’re joking,” he says with a laugh. “This is the guy? The one you left me for?”
“Phantom isn’t a ‘guy,’” I snarl. “And you’re the only one here being a bastard at the moment, Noah.”
The corner of Phantom’s lips curls up appreciatively.
Exasperated, Noah says, “They were the one holding that thing against my neck.”
“It’s just a palette knife,” Phantom says before tossing it on the floor with aclink.
My patience is wearing thin, so I snap and yell, “You broke down the fucking door, Noah!”
“To rescue you,” he yells back.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Who said I needed rescuing?”
“God, Maeve! Look around! Look at this place you’re in!” Noah gestures to the room with swinging arms. “It has crazy written all over it!”
