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“Sugar.”
The nickname was enough to snap her out of whatever had been holding her thoughts hostage. “Jude. Hey.” Her eyes were glassy, her voice unusually quiet.
I met her in front of her door, taking the key out of her hands when she fumbled with the lock. When she didn’t protest, I grew concerned.
Following her inside her apartment, I watched her drop her bag next to the couch. She disappeared into the bathroom, coming out a few minutes later without her jacket and shoes.
She went straight to the kitchen, pulling out a bottle of whiskey. Unscrewing it, she took a long drink.
Gently taking the bottle out of her hand, I placed it on the counter behind her before turning her to face me. “What’s going on?”
She blinked rapidly, eventually losing the battle of holding back her tears. Pressing a fist to her mouth, she crashed into me, winding her arms around my torso. She held me so tightly it felt like she was trying to fuse her body with mine.
I’d been concerned when she came back looking devastated. Now I was freaked out. And ready to murder whoever had caused her to feel this way.
Picking her up, I cradled her small body against me. Each tremble made me flinch. I felt helpless. There was nobody I could hit. Nobody I could kill. Not until she told me what had happened.
Sitting down on her couch, I held her on my lap, cradling her close. I knew there was nothing I could do right now but make sure she knew I was there for her. “Whatever has happened, you’ll get past it. And I’ll be right by your side.”
Instead of the comfort I wanted my words to provide, they seemed to upset her further, her sobs getting louder.
Not wanting to make things worse, I stayed quiet, holding her tightly. She clung to me, not loosening her grip until her tears finally dried up and her breaths evened out.
She’d fallen asleep.
Lenny would be back any minute from school. I knew she wouldn’t want him to see her like this. I placed her on her bed, covering her with the extra blanket she kept in her closet.
She mumbled in her sleep, clutching the blanket to her chest. When I placed a kiss on her cheek, I could have sworn she said, “I love you.”
* * *
Ariel slept for nearly two hours. Enough time for Lenny and me to play video games, order pizza, and change our minds five times on what we wanted for dessert. We were currently debating between ice cream and waffles.
I knew we’d end up getting both.
A noise in the hallway drew my attention away from the game.
Ariel was standing at the edge of the living room, watching us, her lower lip clenched between her teeth.
“Jude.” Lenny’s enraged cry ripped me out of studying my obsession and back to the TV screen, where my avatar had died a gruesome death. “We were so close to getting to level thirteen. Now we have to start all over again.”
Dropping the controller, I messed up his hair, ignoring his annoyed growl. But I only had eyes for Ariel. She watched me approach her, not moving to meet me as she usually would. Instead, she looked wary, as if she was watching a predator approach.
Ignoring the way her body stiffened, I drew her close, inhaling her familiar scent and burying my face in her hair. “How are you feeling?”
Her hold on me tightened. “Better.”
Releasing me, she gave me a half smile that looked hard won and turned to the kitchen. “Pizza? Really?”
I rushed over to clean up the plates and half-eaten crusts Lenny had left. “I ordered Hawaiian. There’s fruit on it.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “You mean the highly processed, sugar-infused fruit that comes out of a can?”
After making sure Lenny was engrossed in his video game, I stole a quick kiss. “That’s the one. I’m sure there are some vitamins left in there.”
Raising a brow, she grabbed a piece of pizza and took a big bite. I knew it was her favorite, and she always ordered it. I hated pineapple, but it was easy enough to pick off. Or just get another pizza or two since we all liked different toppings.
She dropped onto the couch next to Lenny. “Have you done your homework yet?”
