Loving a Killer | 18+

3.0 - Secretive

| Norah |

I laid in bed staring at the ceiling that night. How was I supposed to sleep? After Maddox's sudden and unexpected outburst earlier today, I hadn't seen him. I knew he was hiding something, but he had asked for space. Even though I wanted to rush after him and press for answers, I knew I shouldn't.

Maddox was a very complicated man sometimes. He has been different since we were together, but earlier I saw the old, distant Maddox. I knew something was going on that caused him to retreat to that behavior. That's what bugged me the most.

I sighed, tossing and turning in bed with an uneasy feeling. We didn't sleep in each other's beds very often, and when we did, it wasn't the best night's sleep since one of us had to go back to our room before anyone woke up. But right now I was wishing we could, just like we had the night Matteo got shot. I wanted the comfort of Maddox's warm body beside me so I could fall asleep peacefully. Yet, here I was, stressing over the unknown of what had gotten into him.

I finally decided to pull myself out of bed and look at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning. I groaned and went to get a robe out of my closet. I grabbed a floor-length silk robe and pulled it on, feeling cool on my skin.

I opened my door quietly, even though I was somewhat down the hall from the boys. I didn't want to risk waking anyone up. I went down the stairs and came into the kitchen. Rubbing my eyes, I turned on the light and heard a groan. I gasped, spotting Xander who was sitting at the island, shielding his eyes.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be down here," I whispered sheepishly, still trying to calm down from the slight scare.

"You're alright. The light just surprised me," Xander chuckled. "Come to get a drink, too?" He asked. I noticed the glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Yeah. I just needed some water," I told him, hoping he didn't assume I was coming down for some alcohol in the middle of the night. Although, I wondered why he was doing just that.

I grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the fridge. I turned to face him, leaning on the counter. We hadn't spoken much since the night I went to find Maddox. Yet, I missed the fun times we had, even if I didn't feel that way towards him romantically.

"What are you doing down here?" I asked.

"I couldn't sleep. You?" He replied.

"Same," I said, watching as he took a sip from his glass.

"Does it have anything to do with lover boy?" Xander assumed with a small, knowing smile. It wasn't a shock to me that Xander knew. He knew that I chose Maddox over him, so that implied Maddox and I's relationship status. Though, I had forgotten that he knew all along.

I laughed quietly and shook my head at the reference to Maddox.

"That obvious, huh?" I asked. He chuckled in reply.

It was quiet as we both drank, but it wasn't awkward like I imagined it would be. When I finished my water, I broke the silence.

"How have you been lately?" It was a simple question, but I really wanted to know the answer. I really hadn't had the opportunity to have a good conversation with him.

"Things could be worse. Things back home just aren't going well," Xander answered, taking a large gulp of the whiskey. He was far from drunk though. I knew it was just to relax him.

"Still no leads?" I questioned, guessing that was what he meant.

"Yeah. Everything we think we know about Amathea's death is crumbling. All we have is this," Xander pulled out a locket from his pocket. I furrowed my brow and came over to look at it.