Can't Let You Go

Chapter 59

***TALLY/HONEY***

"These clothes fit well and the soft material isn't irritating to my skin at all. When did you even have time to buy them?" Liam asks as he changes after dinner.

"Zayan bought them before I came back from Switzerland. Toiletries, too. People tend to dismiss him as a flake because of his breezy personality, but he really pays attention to those he cares the most about. You're lucky he's adopted you."

"It's still his probationary period." Zayan grumbles with the same bad attitude he's had since Liam ran us off earlier despite saying he understands the reason is that we showed up without notice against his express wishes.

"Final step of the discharge," Nurse Ashley says as she comes in on Zayan's heels holding papers, "fill out this information about your aftercare and cross check with your admission papers."

"I'll take those." Moving faster than he should on his injured leg, Liam grabs the clipboard from the nurse as he hisses in pain.

"Let me handle it, you sit down." Going to his side to support him, I try to direct him to the bed, but he moves towards the small table.

"No, I'll do it. I was delirious when admitted and I don't want you to see how much I probably messed up on these because it will only make you worry when I'm fine now."

"Liam, it's pretty late you know?" I start tentatively as Liam writes, "And it's a seven hour drive back home..."

"Uh-huh."

"Would it be triggering to stay in a hotel tonight?"

"Oh." He looks up from the table. "I don't think so but we won't know until we try."

"I'll find a place for us," Zayan offers. "I've always wanted to have a sleepover for the three of us, so I'm only getting one room. Any objections?"

His tone makes it clear he won't accept any, so we make none. Conversation is minimal until we get to the hotel.

"What's the matter?" I whisper when Liam goes to the bathroom.

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that; I can see your face and you haven't called him 'Jaanu' once today. Did you guys argue on the phone earlier?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm in a terrible mood for some reason and I have a killer headache."

"Oh, Babe. Why didn't you say? I've got headache medicine in my purse."

After handing Zayan the pills and a glass of water, I rub his neck and shoulders for a few minutes. When Liam opens the bathroom door, Z suddenly grabs my hands and pulls me down into a position of hugging his neck from behind.

"I'll always love you no matter what," he whispers.

"I know, I love you, too." I kiss his cheek. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"It's your turn in the bathroom," Zayan says as he lets go of my hands.

Both pairs of eyes watch me intently after I come back into the room, waiting on me to make a choice that's more complicated than it should be. After confessing that his anger was mishandled fear, Liam has kept in physical contact with me as much as possible. However, "sleepover" is Zayan's usual code for "I'm upset and don't want to sleep alone" or "I've got so much happiness to share that I don't want to sleep alone" and it's definitely not the latter.

"Tally, can you help me?"

Adjusting the pillows under Liam's leg, I recall Zayan's actual words about tonight. "Should we switch to a king room?"