Between Me & You - n.r.

Chapter 10

Nick's POV

I haven't heard anything from Griffin in 4 days. Everything has been eerily normal. Peaceful even. I know better than to forget about it and go back to my regular life though. I know it's coming. Whatever it is.

I want to reach out to Hailee so badly. I didn't mean any of the things I said to her and if it was safe for her, I'd apologize in a heartbeat.

If only she knew what was going on.

I've spent countless hours searching for new music that I think she would like. It all goes on a playlist that I'll never give her.

Everything I Didn't Say is what the playlist is called. It is made up of all the songs we listened to in my car, all the songs that she liked, all the songs I know she'd like if I showed them to her.

The song I'm adding to the playlist right now is Next To Me by Emeli Sande. She'd like this one because it's made up of little stories.

You won't ever find him be unfaithful

You will find him, you'll find him next to me

But mostly, I want her to know that if I could, I'd be by her all the time. Gives meaning to the title Everything I Didn't Say, doesn't it?

I know there's no need for me to panic
Cause I'll find him, I'll find him next to me

I pull out my phone and compose a text to Hailee:

Hey, just wanted to see how you're doing. I miss you.

My finger hovers over the send button. I know I shouldn't. I might be jeopardizing her safety.

There's a battle in my mind. Send? Don't send. Send? Don't send.

In the end, I decide not to send it. It hurts my heart a little, but I know it's for the best.

Outside my window, the world is quiet. It's getting later, about an hour and a half until the sun goes down. It looks calm out there and something inside me longs to exist in this small, serene corner of the world.

I get up and go for a walk. The fresh air is calming and I immediately feel better.

My walk is long. An hour later, I'm still walking.

This would be the perfect time for Griffin to attack me.

My own thoughts startle me and I push them away quickly. Suddenly I'm a lot less calm.

"Nick!" A voice interrupts the quiet and I turn around slowly.

I see Hailee rushing towards me.

"Hailee? What are you doing out here?", I ask.

"I should ask you the same thing", she replies.

She catches up to me and slows to walk next to me.

I'll find him, I'll find him next to me.

"It's been a long time", Hailee says quietly.

"I regretted saying those things right after I said them", I said. I didn't know if she wanted to hear my sad excuse for an apology, but it had to be said.

"I regretted walking away", she replied.

We found ourselves walking along main street where shops were closing down and restaurants were serving their last customers.

"Hailee, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be talking to me", I muttered.

"Why not?"

"There's some things going on with-"

"I don't need to hear about it." She said it like she already knew. Maybe she just put the pieces together.

"I just want to keep you safe", I said.

"You don't need to protect me, Nick. I'm a big girl."

"I'm dealing with dangerous people. Why can't you let me consider your safety?"

"I'm sorry... I'm just used to looking out for myself."

"God knows you're good at it too."

We walked in silence for a while and it was just a mutual understanding that neither of us knew where we were going. Just seeing where the night took us.

We passed a group of abandoned storefronts. Dark alleyways were present on both sides.

It was a sketchy place but neither of us really payed attention to it until we heard the gunshots.

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Hey readers!

So here is chapter 10. I left you all with a little bit of a cliff hanger which I'm excited to build on.

The song for this chapter is Next To Me by Emeli Sande. This singer has a really unique voice and she's really talented. Check it out!

Just wanted to let you know that when this story is finished, I'll be posting the Everything I Didn't Say playlist that will have all the songs mentioned.

Also, just wanted to thank you guys for commenting! I got a lot of comments since the last chapter and the feedback was awesome. Keep it coming!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

That_Epiphany