Page 84 of The Sound Of Silence

I’m about to pull away when another crash has Willow’s face contorting with fear, and I can’t stand still anymore.

Leaning forward, I move her hair away from her ear and whisper as quietly as possible. “You’re safe here. I’m going to check it out.”

Despite the calmness in my voice, my heart pounds in my chest as I take a step back, always assuming the worst.I’ve lived through worse.

Willow frantically shakes her head and propels forward, sinking into me with her hands gripping my tee as she burrows her face into my chest.

I freeze at the intimacy of the moment, my hands locked stiff beside my body. But when I try to move away, she silently objects, and I give in, pulling her into me for a hug before pressing my lips to her hair.

A tightness consumes my chest as I release her, but I ignore it, moving toward the door.

“I promise, you’ll be okay.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Willow

AssoonasJessecloses the door, I’m met with silence again, and it’s deafening. It’s always deafening. My heart slams against my chest cavity, and despite how worked up I am, it has nothing to do with what just happened between us.

Which I suspect is due to shock.

Pressing my ear to the door, I try to find out what’s going on outside, while attempting the impossible…to calm myself down. My emotions are running high.

When I can’t hear anything, my stomach swirls, and I contemplate opening the door for a peek.

Hesitantly reaching for the handle, I snap my hand back and shake my head just as another loud noise penetrates the air and Jesse calls out with an urgency to his tone. “Willow!”

Without questioning it, without thinking about what I might find on the other side of the door, I run to him. And the second I turn the corner, I see why he needs me.

Pippa’s out cold, hanging from Jesse’s arms as he stands up and navigates his way through the mess.

My heart clenches as I run toward them, my hand gripping my towel while I move things out of my path.

I’ve just reached for Pippa’s hand when a sharp sting radiates through my foot and I falter, my eyes slamming shut. I only pause for a second before taking a deep breath and ignoring it, instead focusing on the scene in front of me, looking for any signs that Pippa’s okay.

“What happened?” I ask Jesse even though I’m doubtful he knows any more than I do.

“I wish I could tell you,” he says, confirming my thoughts. “I found her slumped over in the kitchen, barely an inch from that.” He points to a pool of vomit on the floor as his teeth clench, clearly uncomfortable with the situation he’s found himself in.

And now I’m worried about both of them.

Lifting my hand, I run a finger down Pippa’s cheek to see if it rouses her, while searching her body for injury. Though now that I’m closer, I can smell the alcohol leaking from her pores, and it doesn’t take long to put the pieces together.

My body stiffens as I bite back my emotions, my mind flashing back to when we were younger—to the numerous times I found her this way, or close to it. To the fights. To the anguish. This was a common occurrence for Pippa after her time at boarding school.After my accident.But I didn’t think she still drank like this.

“How often is she like this when you’re home?” I ask as Jesse carries her to the couch and I follow behind them.

Jesse peers over his shoulder, his eyes meeting mine as his brows furrow. “Never. She’s never been like this. That I know of.”

At least that’s something.

Jesse lays her down as I run back for a wet cloth, pressing it to her forehead. When I gently stroke her hair, she stirs, and I can’t help the sigh that escapes me.

I was right. She just passed out.

“Can you help me get her to bed? She’s drunk. She needs to sleep it off.”

“She’s not drunk. I’ve seen drunk Pippa before. She’s a loud, obnoxious, happy drunk.”

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