Music fills the empty bar like water filling cracks, seeping into every shadow and corner. Each chord pulls me deeper into myself, into that quiet place where everything makes sense. Time loses its grip here—there's only the rhythm, the melody, the conversation between strings and silence.
Until my phone shatters the peace with Nora's ringtone.
"Hey, you," I answer, voice rough with unspoken words.
"Nate?" Camilla's voice crackles through, sharp with panic. "Nora needs you. She's freaking out—you need to come and get her, like right fucking now."
I'm on my feet before she finishes speaking, adrenaline flooding my system like ice water. "What happened?"
"Fucking Farrah happened," she spits, a story in those three words that makes my stomach drop.
The guitar finds its resting place as I snatch my keys. "I'm on my way."
I end the call, and my feet carry me toward the door, every heartbeat hammering out Nora's name.
Nick appears in my path, concern etched across his features. "Everything okay?"
"I don't know." The words taste like fear. "I need to go. Nora??—"
He steps aside without hesitation. "Go."
The engine roars to life under my hands, a reflection of the storm building in my chest. As I tear out of the lot, memories of the last time Nora needed me—and I wasn't there—claw at the edges of my mind. I made a promise then, written in the scars of regret:never again.
This time would be different.
This time, I'd be there.
Even if I'm rushing blindly into whatever chaos awaits.
CHAPTER62
THREE WORDS, NONE OF THEM I LOVE YOU
NORA
The air clawsat my lungs, each breath shallower than the last. The fluorescent bathroom lights slice through my vision, too bright, too harsh against the growing darkness at the edges. My hands grip the sink like it's the only thing keeping me from drowning in the tide of panic rising in my chest.
Through the chaos of my thoughts, I hear his voice—the one sound that's always been able to reach me.
"Where is she?"
Nate's frantic tone cuts through the static in my head, and for a heartbeat, the suffocating feeling lifts. The door flies open, and there he is, filling the door frame with a presence that's both familiar and commanding. He crosses the space between us in three long strides, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Nora." His voice is steel wrapped in velvet.
The warmth of his hands on my shoulders sends electricity through my veins, a current strong enough to quiet the storm raging in my mind. He tilts my chin up, and I'm caught in his gaze.
"Hey, hey… look at me." His voice softens but holds firm. "Breathe with me."
"I… I can't—" The words scratch against my throat, brittle and broken.
"Yes, you can." His hands frame my face, leaving me nowhere to hide. "Look at me. I’m here."
My chest constricts tighter, and my knees threaten to buckle. Beyond our bubble, I hear the bathroom door open, voices murmuring, Camilla shooing people away. But Nate moves instinctively, pressing me against the wall, shielding me from prying eyes with his body.
"Listen to me," he murmurs, his voice low and steady. "We're going to do this together, okay? I need you to find three things to ground yourself. Start with my voice. Hear me?"
"Y-yes." The word is barely a whisper, but it's something.
