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18
Wynn
A soft chime wakes me—Liam’sphone alarm.
He presses it quietly before sitting up in his bed. I squint my eyes so he won’t notice I’m awake.
He runs his hand down his face, looking so fucking tired. I’m tempted to ask what he’s doing but he stands and pulls a hoodie on, then his shoes, before he steps out of the room.
It’s just like my first night here.
The grotesque image of him walking in with mud and blood coating his shoes resurfaces in my mind and sends a shudder down my spine.
I’m not letting him hurt himself again.
I slip out of my bed and pull my hoodie on. There’s no time to find my tennis shoes, so I settle for my slippers.
The door creaks a little as I crack it open to peek out. The hall is dark and eerie. The exit sign at the end glows a sinister red.
I quietly slip out of our room and prop the door open with one of Liam’s shower flip-flops I find lying near the entrance. I take off down the hall in a hurry. I have to admit, I’m still surprised that they don’t lock us in our rooms at night.
I know James said this isn’t a psychiatric hospital and it’sunorthodox,but still, what kind of rehab just lets people do what they want at all hours of the night?
I suppose the same one that lets the patients fuck in the showers and spa room.
As I turn the corner, I catch a glimpse of Liam’s sweatshirt as the exterior door shuts behind him. He went through the side door, probably because a night guard stands at the main entrance, though I can’t imagine him stopping anyone from doing as they please.
The cold night air drifts over my exposed ankles as I push the door open. Everything in my being says that I should turn around and return to bed, but I know that I won’t be able to sleep knowing he could be hurting himself again.
He walks casually through the back fields and onward to the forest of maples behind the manor. Once he’s out of sight, I slink through the field after him. The grass is wet from all the rain we got today, but at least it’s not drizzling anymore. The air is crisp and bites at my skin. Leaves crunch beneath my feet.
I stop at the edge of the forest and glance back at the manor. The moon brims over some dark clouds, illuminating the building in pale, iridescent light. The red hue of the vines that climb the walls makes it look like a haunted mansion, sleeping in the dead of night and waiting for some fool to wander in.
A branch snaps and my head swings back toward the forest.
Liam’s standing in front of me with his arms crossed and a sleepy grin on his face. His dark hair is tousled, a few strands falling beautifully over his forehead. The dark circles beneath his eyes give away his restlessness, and the thought of him being as tortured inside as me breaks my heart.
“You’re trouble. You know that?”
My brows pull together in apology. “Well, I wasn’t planning on getting caught.”
He chuckles and a sense of calm falls over me. The corner of my lips pulls up with his alluring voice.
Liam extends his hand to me and jerks his head toward the forest. “Let’s go then.”
My eyes round as the moonlight illuminates his warm gaze. He’s like a perfect fairytale character. The kind of man that doesn’t exist—yet here he is, in a rehab for his mental illness. Stuck with me as his roommate.
I take his hand, the warmth quickly banishing the cold night air.
This is unlike him. He’s been unrelentingly kind lately.
“Where are we going?” I ask on a breath.
He tugs my hand and we walk into the forest of maples and pines, the last drops of rain dripping sporadically around us. A few tap on my head and I become conscious of how wet my slippers are. They’re destroyed at this point. I may as well have gone barefoot.
“You’ll see,” Liam mumbles. It’s darker under the canopy of the trees, but I can hear the smile in his tone. Is he happy that I followed him out here?
We walk in silence until we reach a clearing. I’m not sure how he knows where he’s going in the woods at night, but here we are. Dark grass sways in the evening breeze. The moon is covered by clouds, but one look tells me that the wind will soon push them out of the way. The scent of wet, fallen leaves and fresh rain envelops me.
