I've Never Cried

Chapter Fifty-five - "Say Something."

"I've Never Cried"

Chapter Fifty-five

'Say Something.'

Scene...

The Following Evening

Joe's POV

"I don't wanna go in there," Demi whispered, staring at the house before her. She sat beside me in my car, her arms crossed, her lips pressed into a pout.

"That is incredibly cute," I said, grinning at her expression. She lightly smacked me on the arm with the back of her hand.

"Shut up, I'm serious," she said, keeping her eyes on the building. "I thought we were gonna wait until she wasn't home."

"Demi," I said, looking at the back of her head as she stared out the window. "I want to start our lives together. But I can't do that if you're living in a hotel."

"Ugh, I know....," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Then let's go in," I urged, brushing my hand through her hair and gripping her shoulder gently. "I promise to hold you back if you try to kill her again." I finished Jokingly.

Demi cracked a smile and shoved my hand away.

"Fine, loser. Let's go."

As I learned more about Demi, I discovered just how self-sufficient she was. She never waited for me to open a door for her, never required me to be too much of a gentleman, and rarely made a fuss about any of my habits. As she allowed herself out of the passenger seat, I quickly followed behind her, and met her at the door.

"You have your key?" I asked when she stopped moving.

"I've never had a key. She never locks the door."

"Then why wait?" I asked rhetorically, before placing my hand on the knob and twisting it open.

"Joe!" Demi protested, but it was too late. I walked inside, did a quick sweep of the first floor, and came right back to look her in the eye.

"Welp, she's not down here, Dem. Wanna try the upstairs?"

"You suck," she said, rolling her eyes. I cracked a grin at her, and we both made our way up the stairs.

"The shower's running," I said once we'd reached the top, but Demi ignored me, and headed into her room.

"I'm gonna start packing," she said. I fully understood why Demi was resistant to checking in on Selena, but I couldn't help but be a little curious as to if she were alright. None of us had heard from her since the day of the fight; and the last I'd heard about her was Nick's revelation from the night before.

In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I became concerned.

"Dem," I called out.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna check on her."

It didn't take long for Demi's footsteps to grow louder before she reached me, as I stared at the bathroom door.

"You think something's wrong?" She asked, standing aside me. I took a breath, my eyes and ears locked on the sounds coming from the bathroom.

"I . . . I don't really know," I replied.

Something felt strange; off.

"Selena?" I called, taking a step toward the door. The shower kept running, but I got no response. I placed my ear to the wood, listening even closer. Lifting my fist, I slowly knocked. "Sel?" I tried again.