Page 34 of Only When We Fall
Glued to her,Noah had said. That image alone is enough to make my blood boil.
I weave through the streets, ignoring the ache in my knuckles from last night, ignoring the pounding in my skull from last night’s session. My breath turns sharp in my throat as I near the club, the bass thudding through the pavement.
Noah’s standing near the entrance, pacing. He spots me instantly and waves me over.
“They’re in the back corner,” he says. “I tried to separate them earlier, but Emmie kept laughing and telling me to ‘relax’. She doesn’t get it. She doesn’tseehow he’s watching her.”
I nod once; jaw clenched and push through the crowd.
And then I see her.
She’s slouched into the booth, cheeks flushed, hair slipping from her bun. She’s smiling in that way that tells me she’s drunk, and far too relaxed to notice the danger she could be in. Landon’s arm is stretched behind her like he owns the air she breathes. He doesn’t see me at first. But Emmie does. Her eyes widen, dazed and glassy, and something flickers across her face.Surprise. Relief.Maybe evenguilt.
“Kai?” she says, blinking.
Landon follows her gaze and stiffens when he sees me. “Oh great,” he mutters, sitting up straighter.
I ignore him. “Em,” I say, keeping my voice level even though it’s costing me. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
She blinks again. “I’m mad at you.”
I force a tight smile. “Yeah, what’s new. Let’s just get you out of here and you can tell me all the ways you hate me, yeah?”
“I’m fine,” she slurs, and then hiccups. “Landon said I can stay with –”
“No,” I cut in, sharper than I mean to. “You’re coming with me.”
Landon stands. “Back off, man. She’s not yours.”
I step closer. “And she sure as hell isn’tyours.” A tense silence settles between us. Emmie sways slightly. “I’m not doing this in front of her,” I say, biting back the urge to put him through a wall. “You want to act the good guy?Fine. But not tonight.” Then I turn to her and soften my voice. “Come on, Em. Let’s go.”
She hesitates, looking between us like she’s trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing. Then, slowly, she reaches for my hand. And the second our fingers touch, something in my chest snaps back into place. “I’ve got you,” I murmur.
I wake with a start, inhaling sharply with a sense of panic in my chest. And then my eyes land on Emmie, who’s sleeping soundly in my bed, and the relief is instant. She’s curled on her side, with her hair half across her face, and one hand tucked under her cheek. The sunlight creeps through the curtains, slicing golden lines across the duvet, and for a second, I let myself pretend this is normal. That she’s here out of choice, and not because I had to rescue her from a drunken mistake.
I’d practically carried her back here last night, but we didn’t talk – not about anything. She spent at least an hour throwing up, with me holding her hair back and whispering words of comfort. And then she crashed on the bathroom floor, and I carried her to bed.
I sit straighter, and the armchair creaks, disturbing Emmie. She stirs, blinking slowly, and then groans as the hangover hits. I rush to her side, grabbing the bottle of water from the bedside cabinet and unscrewing the lid. Her eyes narrow, trying to focus on me, and then she gasps and half sits, dragging herself across to the other side of the mattress. “What are you doing here?” shecries, then her eyes scan the room and her brow furrows further. “Where am I?”
“My place,” I mutter, disappointed she looks so horrified.
Her face screws up as she looks at the bedding. “Oh my God, is this your bed?” I nod. “Ew, are the sheets clean?”
I almost smile, even though she’s trying to insult me. “Yes, Emmie, they’re clean.”
She relaxes slightly, then lifts the sheet. “Why am I in my underwear?”
“That was all you,” I tell her, placing the water down and sitting on the edge of the bed. “One minute you were singing Kylie Minogue, and the next you were undressing. I had to force you to keep that on,” I say with a small smile.
Her cheeks glow with embarrassment. “Which song was it?” she asks.
I laugh. “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”
She winces. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
I nod slowly. “I didn’t think it did.”
“Why am I here, Kai?”
