“Please,” I sob. “Please, please, please stoppppp—”
Finally, he stops. I don’t know when. I only realize it when he crouches in front of me, hands on myshoulder, voice low and panicked now. “God, Cece. Baby… shit. Are you okay? What do you need? What can I do?” He’s still speaking. He’s still talking.
I scream. Not from rage, but from sheer desperation. My hands fly out and I shove him through the doorway. I use all the strength I have left before slamming it shut.
Silence.Yes, silence.
I stumble back. Hands over my ears. Pressing. Shaking. Crying. I don’t want to hear my own sobs. I just need it all to stop.
Please stop.
But then—
Knock.
Knock.
Soft. Too soft.
But it’s loud. It’sso loud.
I whimper. Curling tighter into myself. “S-Stop.” I don’t know if I say it aloud or not. I just want everything to stop moving. For the world to stop spinning. For my eyes to stop seeing. For the sounds to disappear. For everything to reach zero velocity. But it doesn’t.
And all I can do is wait until it does. Hoping the nothingness persists for just a little longer.
ELEVEN
Levi
I jolt awake at the sound of her bedroom door opening.
Fuck. Fuck.Fuck.
My whole body cramps as I shift from my position on the floor. My back’s screaming from spending the night upright, slumped against the wall. I manage to lift my head. And there she is—standing in the doorway, looking at me with a mix of shock and sadness.
Christ.
I still can’t get the image out of my head. One minute she was just… blank. Staring at me with her usual calm. The next, she was sobbing on the floor, gasping for air like it hurt to breathe.
My chest hasn’t unclenched since. Even now, looking at her, I can’t tell if it’s going to happen again.
My calm and quiet Cece—completely unraveled.And I’m terrified it was my fault.
I finally push myself upright. Her eyes track every movement, cautious, wary, and it guts me.
“Good morning,” she whispers, frowning just a little.
I step closer and brush my thumb across her forehead. The frown softens first, and then melts away. It’s almost insane how I find that slightly rewarding.
But the exhaustion from last night is still there on her face. I know she cried until nearly midnight.
Swallowing hard, I push in a little more. My hand cups her cheek. She leans into it slightly, but not fully. There’s hesitation there.
“Levi?”
I meet her gaze.
“Did you sleep on the floor?”
