Chapter 36 - Roses ❤️

                                    

                                          

Liam

My heart is racing. Ethan is talking to me, but I can barely hear him over the pounding in my ears. The bus ride to the hotel takes an eternity, and I can't even sit next to her.
Her hands are shaking, and I almost want to kiss Pan when he goes to sit by her. I strain to hear what they're saying, but there's too much noise around me. All I catch is Pan asking her if she's ok.
At least she's not alone.
The bus stops in the hotel parking lot, and we file out. I make sure to walk close to Faye. I can't just leave her, not now.
"Hey, are you coming with to the dinner?" Ethan asks.
That's right, we're supposed to have a team dinner tonight. And Faye is supposed to be there.
"Hold on."
I jog up to Faye. "Do you still want to come to dinner with us?"
She shakes her head. "No, I think I just want to go to my room."
"That's understandable," Ethan says, and I notice he joined us.
"I'll walk you there." I hold my breath, waiting for either of them to say something.
Faye just nods.
"I'm sure you could get some room service," Ethan says. "Or we can bring you something."
"I'm fine. I had a hot dog earlier."
We enter the hotel, and some of the guys break off to discuss the upcoming dinner. It's at a restaurant not too far from the hotel.
"I'll make sure she's ok," I tell Ethan. "And I'll probably skip the dinner."
His eyes narrow, and for a panicked second, I think he's about to smile. "Sounds good." He turns and walks away.
"You don't have to see me up," Faye says as I follow her into the elevator.
She pushes the button for her floor. The doors close and we're alone.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you." I run a hand through my hair. "I shouldn't have done that. None of what happened was your fault. I was just so fucking scared."
She takes a shaky breath. "Ok."
Her eyes are focused on the display over the door. I stand next to her, wondering if I fucked up badly.
The doors open before I can gather my thoughts and we get out together. She stops at her door and puts the card in the reader.
"Thanks for walking me."
I clear my throat. "Listen... I was... Can I come in for a bit?"
She nods and pushes the door open. Her room is pretty much a copy of the room I share with Ethan. Except, only one of the beds is occupied. When she closes the door after us, it's like we're all alone in the world. She takes off her jacket and throws it on the unused bed. I unzip mine, but leave it on.
"When you called me and I realized what was going on, I freaked out. I almost threw up. I didn't know what to do. So I put it on speaker. JD was the one who got us moving. I've never been that scared in my life."
"But you found me." She sounds so fragile.
"When you screamed..."
I want to see her eyes. I want to make sure she's still here with me. But she's looking away.
"I just wanted to take some photos of the arena. I thought they might come in handy." She bites her lower lip. "I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have been alone."