A Song For You//[Thonny]

Chapter Twenty-Six

The air in the rehab facility felt sterile and quiet, the kind of quiet that made Colin's footsteps echo far too loudly as he followed the staff member to the common room. His stomach churned with unease, the weight of this visit pressing heavily on him. It had been three months since he'd seen Jonny, and the last time they'd spoken had been a shouting match—Jonny calling him a traitor and Colin trying, futilely, to reason with him.

Colin didn't know what to expect now. The image of Jonny being driven away that day—furious, broken, and lashing out—had burned itself into his memory. What if Jonny still hated him for what he'd done?

"Right through here," the staff member said, pushing open the door to the room where Jonny was waiting.

Jonny sat in a chair by the window, staring out at the gray winter sky. He looked thinner, his shoulders slumped slightly, but there was something different about him too. Colin couldn't quite put his finger on it—maybe it was the way he held himself, or the faint trace of calm in his posture.

At the sound of the door, Jonny turned, his gaze locking with Colin's. His expression was guarded, his mouth pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, neither of them moved.

"Hey," Colin said awkwardly, stepping further into the room.

Jonny's lips twitched in what might have been an attempt at a smile, but it didn't quite stick. "Hey."

The silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. Colin shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unsure of what to say. He wasn't used to feeling this way around Jonny—hesitant, unsure—but things between them had changed so much.

"You look... better," Colin finally said, his voice cautious.

Jonny huffed a soft, humorless laugh. "Better than what? A train wreck?"

Colin winced, but Jonny's tone wasn't as bitter as he'd feared. "Better than the last time I saw you," he said honestly.

Jonny nodded slowly, his gaze dropping to his hands, which were fidgeting in his lap. "Yeah, well... I guess that's not saying much."

Colin moved to sit in the chair across from him, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Jonny, look, I—"

"If you're here to apologize," Jonny interrupted, his voice sharp, "don't bother. You did what you thought was right, didn't you? No point in apologizing for that."

Colin frowned, taken aback. "I wasn't going to apologize for sending you here. I was going to say I'm sorry for how I handled it—for not talking to you about it first."

Jonny's eyes flicked up to meet his, and there was a flash of something—anger, maybe, or hurt—before it disappeared. "You didn't give me much of a choice," he muttered.

"Because you weren't giving yourself a choice," Colin shot back, his voice firmer than he'd intended. He took a deep breath, trying to rein in his frustration. "Jonny, I didn't want to do it this way. But you were spiraling, and nobody could get through to you—not me, not Thom. You wouldn't listen."

Jonny's jaw tightened, and for a moment, Colin thought he might lash out again. But then Jonny let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping further. "I know," he said quietly. "I know I wasn't... in a good place. I just..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Colin leaned back in his chair, his gaze softening. "You don't have to say anything, Jonny. I just needed to see you. To know you're okay."

Jonny let out a bitter laugh. "Okay might be a stretch. But I'm... better than I was. At least that's what they keep telling me."