Before the Morning [BEING EDITED]

31 | Jumbled

Nora agreed to stay the night.

The whole way back to his apartment, Nolan waited for her to change her mind, to say she wanted to go home, that she was fine. But she kept her eyes trained, for the most part, either ahead or on her shoes. She didn't say a word.

However, as they turned off the sidewalk, into the parking lot, she stopped. "My face," she said. "How are we—how are we going to hide it?"

Her panic was hard to take. He thought back to that moment on the porch, just before her dad showed up. How could their night have ended like this?

He bit on the inside of his cheek. "Put your hair down," he murmured. She did—her fingers shook as she undid her braid.

Her hair curled over her shoulders. It hid part of the bruise, but the rest shone boldly, even with their only light being the porch light's soft glow. "Just stay behind me and keep your head down, okay?" he said.

She took his hand. They went inside.

"What are you going to tell them?" she asked, pausing at the foot of the stairs.

He hadn't thought that far. The promise he made thrashed around his stomach.

Nora's face whipped to the side as her dad's hand made contact. Over and over. Whip. Whip. Whip.

"Don't worry," he said. "Everything will be okay."

He started forward, but she tightened her grip on his hand. "You won't..."

"I won't."

She searched his face. "Okay," she said. After taking a preparing breath, she began up the steps. He frowned before following.

Greg was at the kitchen table when they crept inside. Nolan blocked Nora's face from view as Greg looked up, a taut frown giving way to confusion when he saw Nolan wasn't alone. "What...?"

"Nora's locked out of her house," he lied smoothly, guiding Nora through the room. "Her dad's on a business trip and won't be back for a few days. It cool if she stays with us until then?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure," Greg said. "Is everything—"

"All good."

"Thank you," Nora whispered as they hurried down the hall. The apartment was quiet—Caleb would be in bed by now.

Nolan opened his door and flicked on the light. A chaotic floor and an unmade bed greeted them. "I'll clean up in a sec," he promised. He yanked a shirt and a pair of pajama pants from his dresser.

"Thanks," she said. She accepted the clothes, a weak smile hovering on her lips. She wiped at her eyes.

He squeezed her hand. "I'll be right back."

She nodded, and he left, closing the door behind him.

Greg was exactly where he'd left him. He dropped into a free chair and wiped a hand across his face.

"You sure she's just locked out of the house?" Greg asked.

Nolan dropped his hand.

"You want to talk about it?"

Yes. "Not now."

Greg nodded. He toyed with a medium-sized floral box, lifting and shutting the lid with a soft clunk. At first, Nolan's mind was too full for him to realize what box his brother was holding. When it hit him, he tensed, his eyes flying upward.

"Where have you been working?"

He didn't answer.

"Don't bother lying to me," Greg said. "I know."