𝐒𝐲𝐧 ┃𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

87. 𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝐴𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑘

Queen

I licked the spoon, the sweet strawberry cheesecake ice cream melting against my tongue. I hadn't felt so relaxed in days. I relished the feel of his soft t-shirt against my skin- a feeling I hadn't had in days since my pettiness extended to boycotting his clothes. I relaxed on the couch in Syn's office, quiet music playing in the background.

He sat on the floor in front of the couch, legs crossed and his glasses perched on his nose as he read one of the hundreds of papers in front of him. After he finally got the energy to tear himself off of me, we took a shower and he went to the store, bringing back tampons and a much-needed pint of my favorite ice cream.

His hand caressed my leg that was draped over his shoulder and I realized that this actually calmed him. He threw himself into work afterward but at all times, he had to have at least one part of us touching. Whether it be our hands, his hand on my thigh, or my leg dangling over his strong shoulder— like it was now.

I leaned closer to him, the smell of his soap filling my nose before offering him a scoop of ice cream with my spoon. He took it into his mouth, his eyes still glued on the papers and I tilted my head. I wanted to help him, I just didn't know where he needed me. I set the ice cream down before speaking up. "What are you looking at?"

"A report." He flipped a page. I looked at him, his vagueness making me frown and he turned his head to glance at me before sighing and turning back to the papers. "I'm sorry. It's a report from an explosion that happened here a few months ago. I'm trying to figure out what the fuck happened."

"The orphanage?" I asked.

He raised a brow at me. "How do you know about that?"

"Don't worry about that," I dismissed it. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't think so. I've gone through this shit over a hundred times. It's all bullshit," he replied in frustration before glancing at me."And you being here already helps more than you know." He placed a kiss on my knee.

"Maybe you need fresh eyes," I said, standing up. "Switch spots with me."

He hung his head to the side, giving me a disbelieving look and I smiled at him, reaching my hands down to help him up. He sighed in defeat, not wanting to say no to me, and placed his hands in mine. I pulled him up and when he was standing he placed a quick kiss on my lips before taking my spot on the couch. "Work your magic, baby girl."

I smiled, tightening my ponytail before kneeling on the floor, my back to him. I sat on my heels, looking down at the mountain of papers with a determined look. Syn's hands moved to my shoulders, massaging me as I silently read through countless files. I asked questions every few minutes and even though to him I hadn't gotten very far, I could tell he loved that I was just trying.

"So everyone died," I said.

"Everyone. Children and volunteers. There was nothing left," his voice trailed and my heart broke for him. I had never so desperately wanted to figure something out, just so he could have one less thing on his plate.

I continued reading, highlighting every piece of information that seemed useful. After a few hours passed, I was still on the floor...my mind racing as the images of people lying in the rubble were stuck in my mind. What started as a need to do this for Syn grew into anger for every one of the victims and their families. We needed to figure this out for them.

I was pacing the office, a banana in one hand and a folder consisting of the info for the renovations and construction in my other. I took a bite of the banana, Syn insisting that I eat something if I wasn't going to take a break.