Falling Between the Notes (Nicholas Galitzine)

Chapter 55: In the Eye of the Storm

Jade's POV

I stepped into the tour bus, the cool air inside offering a momentary reprieve from the overcast London afternoon. My legs ached from the hours spent rehearsing and soundchecking, but it was nothing compared to the weight sitting heavy on my chest.

No matter how hard I tried to focus on the show, the echoes of last night refused to quiet down. I could still hear Harry's voice in my mind, steady and certain as he confessed feelings I wasn't prepared to face. "I still think about you, Jade. No one else is you."

I shook my head as if the motion could physically dislodge the memory. I hated how much space it had taken up in my mind, how it made me question everything I thought I knew. I hated even more how guilty I felt, like I'd somehow betrayed Nick simply by listening.

Nick.

I hadn't heard from him since last night. He'd texted, and I never answered. I knew he was hurt, angry even, and I didn't blame him. But I couldn't avoid him forever. I needed to face him, explain everything, even if it meant risking more conflict.

Gripping my phone, I typed a message, my fingers trembling slightly.

"Hey, can I call you? I want to hear your voice."

Before I could hit send, a feeling prickled at the back of my neck—a strange awareness that I wasn't alone.

I froze, my eyes lifting from the phone as my breath caught in my throat. There, sitting on the couch in the middle of the bus, was Nick.

"Holy shit!" I yelped, jumping back against the door, my heart hammering in my chest. "What the—Nick?!"

He stood immediately, his hands raised as if to calm me down. "It's just me," he said, his voice low and steady, though his expression was anything but.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I snapped, clutching my chest as I tried to catch my breath. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry," he muttered, taking a step closer. "I didn't mean to."

I pressed my back against the door, staring at him like he was an apparition. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in New York!"

The words left my mouth before I could stop them, and as soon as I said them, I regretted it.

Nick's jaw tightened, his eyes darkening as he stopped in his tracks. "That's what you have to say to me?" he asked, his voice sharp. "Not 'Hi,' not 'I missed you,' not even a hug after three weeks apart? Just... 'What are you doing here?'"

The guilt hit me like a freight train, and I struggled to form a coherent response. "Nick, I—"

He shook his head, cutting me off. "Don't. Just don't. I've spent the last twenty-four hours losing my mind, wondering what the hell is going on with you, and now I'm here, and you... you can't even look happy to see me."

Tears burned at the back of my eyes as I stepped forward, my voice trembling. "I am happy to see you, Nick. I just... I didn't expect you to be here."

"No kidding," he said bitterly. "Maybe if you'd answered your damn phone, I could've told you."

I flinched at his tone, the anger rolling off him in waves. He wasn't wrong. I'd avoided his calls, his texts, because I didn't know how to face him. But now, standing here, I realized there was no avoiding it.

I had to tell him the truth.

"Nick," I started softly, my voice cracking. "I'm sorry. I should've answered. I just... I didn't know what to say."