That's a lot of questions. And no, we are not leaving him there. Someone else will take care of it." He reaches for my hand again, but I quickly pull it back.
"Someone else like who?" He sighs loudly at my question.
"Someone who is going to be here anytime soon if we don't leave—" Before he could finish, a voice – no, a shout – interrupted him, and he left.
He actually left. He just walked past me in a flash. Did he leave me here all alone to deal with whoever just screamed my name?
"Lyra! Babe!" It's Oliver.
He rushes towards me, his face full of panic, and hugs me tight. I am so confused by his presence that I don't even feel it until he lets go.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? I just heard a gunshot, and I see your front door open. I thought someone hurt you. Talk to me, babe. Tell me you are fine." His voice was shaky, worry evident in his voice, but I can't focus. All I could hear was Cyrus's last words before he left.
"Someone who is going to be here anytime soon if we don't leave."
How did he know Oliver was going to be here? Why would he say Oliver was going to take care of that intruder?
"Lyra! Please talk to me." Oliver shakes me hard, and I finally look back at him.
"I'm fine." I managed to murmur. He closes his eyes and sighs.
"Thank god, babe! I thought something happened to you. But don't worry, I'll take care of it. You don't have to be scared, okay? I'm here. "I'm right here, babe." He presses a kiss to my forehead before his gaze lands on the intruder passed out on my bedroom floor.
He brushes past me and stands at the door.
"What happened to him?"
He turns around and stares at me puzzled. What kind of look is that? Is he puzzled because the intruder is hurt, or is it because I'm not?
"I hit him with a vase, and he passed out." I lied while motioning at the shattered vase. He nods his head.
"Good. You did good, babe. "What about the gunshot, though?" His questions were clearly out of line for a man who was worried about me.
"It fell when I hit him, so I threw it out the window. It must be somewhere down." He stares at him pointedly, not hiding the fact that I don't buy his concern.
"Thank god! But you don't worry, babe. I'll take care of it. I'll take care of this man; I'll take care of everything, okay? So don't be scared, hmm?" He walks up to me and offers me a little smile.
I only nod, not wanting to respond much. Something about him feels off today, or maybe he always was. I was just too blind to see it.
He takes out his phone and types something on it. I look around, hoping for Cyrus to be here somewhere. He asked me to leave with him, didn't he? There is no way he left me alone with Oliver. He seemed like a responsible man.
"Come on." I turned around so fast I lost my balance. But I quickly grow disappointed seeing it was Oliver, not Cyrus.
He catches me and helps me gain balance.
"Woah! Easy."
"Sorry!"
"It's okay, babe. Are you ready to go?" He asks me again.
"Go where?" He merely smiles at me.
"This place is not safe for you, babe. This building in itself is very sketchy. All kinds of people live here, and they might hurt you. Just like this intruder." He strokes my hair, his voice laced with worry and affection.
"I have never experienced anything like this before, and I have been living here for years. I'm not going to leave my house because of one bad incident. Besides, we broke up, remember?" Oliver's jaw clenched at my last words.
"What about it?" He asks in a flat tone.
"I can't leave with you. We're not together anymore. I have no reason to go to your apartment." I remind him once again since he clearly forgot or didn't take the breakup seriously.
The audacity of this man. If he thinks I'm going to take him back this easily, then he is dead wrong.
Wait—
Did he plan this all to make me take him back?
No fucking way. He probably paid that man to break in and scare me, and then he would come at the right time, save me and console me, and I would forgive him.
I'm going to throw up.
"I know that. I remember. But you can't spend the night here. What if you get nightmares? So please, Lyra. Just for the night. Come to my place. I know you don't trust me. Not anymore. Not after that night." He grabs my hand in his. Though I know he's as fake as my nails, he can't fake the affection in his eyes.
I know that he does like me still and probably won't do anything to actively hurt me, but I still can't trust him. Not since he called for the backup. Whoever he texted might arrive here anytime soon, and I can talk him out of whatever he's thinking once he's alone. So I'll have to leave with him.
I slowly nod my head, and his face lights up with genuine happiness. He presses a quick kiss to my cheek.
"Thank you, babe—I mean, Lyra. And sorry for that, I just couldn't hold back."
He then proceeds to wipe my cheek where he kissed me and fetches my phone and jacket for me before ushering me out.
The more we are closer to his apartment, the more I'm turning restless. I don't want to go to his place. But what do I say? Sure, I can come up with excuses, but they have to be believable. Something that he can't argue with. I open the window to let the wind calm me, but it does nothing.
"Are you hot? I can turn the AC on if you want." I shake my head at him.
"I'm not. I just felt nauseous. I feel like throwing up." I am not lying when I say this. I do feel sick because of the nerves.
"Do you want me to stop the car—" The car comes to a screeching halt before he could even finish his sentence. I almost slammed into the windscreen if not for the seatbelt.
"Who the fuck—?" Oliver grits out before he takes off his seatbelt and goes out. I follow suit, and I'm met with Cyrus fucking Grayson leaning against his bike in the middle of the road.
And surprisingly, I'm relieved.