Page 54 of Bound By Thorns
Zarek suddenly clapped his thighs and stood up, decisiveness in his movement. “Well, I’m gonna go get my woman. It’s pretty late.”
“I’ll come with,” Kabir declared, rising to his feet. Together, they strode out of the lounge, their figures disappearing into the hallway. Zane and Sebastian left a few seconds later.
Silence settled over us. My knee started to bounce with nervous energy, a silent timer ticking down the concerns swirling in my head. How was Kaylan going to get back to this building? She was in a wheelchair and it was late. Would anyone accompany her? Delara lived in the same building as the movie room; she wouldn’t be walking Kaylan back. Leora and Zarek were out of the question too, stationed on the same wing as Delara. Amelia was hammered and I wasn’t sure who would be looking out for her.
My eyes snapped to Dylan. He was her brother; why wasn’t he moving? “Aren’t you going to get Amelia?” I blurted out. Dylan studied me for a beat, an unreadable expression crossing his face before he shrugged nonchalantly, grabbing his glass.
“I don’t need to.”
My eyes narrowed, piecing it together, and then it hit me; Kabir had left with Zarek. “Are Kabir and Amelia…?” My voice trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air.
Dylan chuckled and took a leisurely sip of his drink. “They’re still just best friends. You didn’t miss anything there,” he said, his tone light.
But my knee wouldn’t stop bouncing, my thoughts circling back to Kaylan. Should I leave Dylan here alone? Dylan finally rolled his eyes dramatically at my restless fidgeting. “Jesus,go!” he laughed.
His words were all the permission I needed. I jumped to my feet and almost ran out of the lounge toward the movie room.
Kaylan
“Look, Bucky will also fight!” Leora squealed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Delara gave her a playful shove. “Aren’t you supposed to be drooling over Zarek instead?”
Leora rolled her eyes. “Come on, that’s Sebastian Stan! I adore my fiancé, but we’re talking aboutSebastian Stanhere.”
“He’s only got one arm,” Amelia interjected, her mouth comically agape.
“Yeah, and the other one’s made of metal. Honestly, he could do great things with just one arm,” Leora retorted dreamily.
“I’d 100% let him do anything he wants,” Amelia agreed, taking a large gulp of her drink and nodding enthusiastically.
Just then, a cough from the doorway made us all whip our heads around. Zarek and Kabir stood there, amusement written all over their faces.
“Oh, hi fiancé!” Leora called out cheerily, slightly tipsy.
Zarek just shook his head, a grin spreading across his face as he leaned down to scoop Leora into his arms. “It’s late, and you’ve had too much to drink,Mi Corazón. Let’s get you to bed, okay?”
Leora pretended to protest but melted into his arms as he whispered something in her ear, both of them breaking into grins as they headed out.
“Time to go, Lia,” Kabir said, extending his hand to Amelia, who pouted at him.
“If I carry you, I’ll need a chiropractor. So, move now,” he deadpanned, pointing towards the door.
Amelia took his hand, a little unsteady, got up and followed him out. Delara and I were left chuckling at their retreating figures.
“Can you help me get into the wheelchair?” I asked Delara as she stood up to assist me.
Before Delara could reach me, strong arms suddenly scooped me up from the couch and gently settled me into my wheelchair. I looked up to find Logan unlocking the brakes before beginning to wheel me out.
I quickly said goodnight to a smirking Delara, puzzled by Logan’s sudden appearance.
“You know, I can wheel myself. It’s not like this thing’s manual,” I huffed, though I was the only one among us who hadn’t had a drink.
Logan didn’t respond right away, just continued pushing the wheelchair, his expression unreadable in the dim hallway light.
“As I told you before, I’m here for you,” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the faint buzz of the city. The New York skyline was dimly lit by the moon, creating a surreal backdrop as we crossed the glass bridge to our building. I couldn’t help but steal a glance at Logan. He was focused, pushing my wheelchair with a careful determination.
“I don’t need you here for me,” I said, breaking the silence as we reached our floor. He didn’t immediately open my door; instead, he stopped and crouched before me, his expression earnest.
