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You can’t fix this.

Before Leo got any closer, I bolted.

I wasn’t running, but I knew how to speed-walk out of a situation like a pro.

“Bloody hell.” I heard Leo’s curse right as I left his office. I was sweating. My vision was tunneling. I didn’t try to mold my face into anything. Focusing on getting to the sensory room was my first priority. I had to make it there.

“Hi, Jac—oh,” Violet’s voice brushed past me. I didn’t wave, I didn’t acknowledge how she also seemed to greet Leo.

Nicole was just walking around the corner, and I almost stumbled into her.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Nicole asked, bracing both of my arms to avoid a collision. I shook my head and kept going, ignoring her protest as I finally,finally, made it.

I flung the door open, stepped inside, and pushed it shut behind me before flipping on the diffuser.

A thud echoed in the room when there should have been a latch catching, and suddenly Leo’s voice was trapped in the space with me, “Jacqueline, breathe.”

I shook my head at him. I didn’t need to breathe. I needed to stop. Stop everything. Stop thinking. Stop seeing Mary’s look of betrayal over and over and over in my mind. I needed to peel out of my skin and scoop out all the unease boiling in my stomach. I didn’t remember pulling out the throw blankets and falling onto the pile of bean bags, but once my body made contact, I finally attempted to inhale a full breath.

“Jacqueline—” that was Mary’s voice.

I balled my hands into fists again, pushing them against my head as hard as I could handle it.

“Fuck off, Mary,” that was Leo’s voice. His large hands were pulling me off of the bean bags. I was shaking, tears streaming down my cheeks as I shook my head. It was the only form of protest I could manage, but Leo ignored me.

In a blink, I was rewrapped in the soft blanket, but my back was against Leo’s front. His feet planted on the ground while his long legs bent on either side of me, creating a cage. His long arms were wrapped around me, and Leo’s grip on my forearms locked me against him. His head was bent forward, his cheek rested against my head as he settled me between his legs.

“Breathe, love,” Leo instructed.

I gasped through a breath, letting my tears soak the fluffy material of the throw blanket. My fists were still tightly pressed against my head.

“Jacqueline, it’s okay—” Mary started again, crouching next to us. I didn’t hear her shut us all in here, but I couldn’t find it in me to be upset. I didn’t know what to do.

“I’m so sorry—” I panted, embracing the tight squeeze Leo’s arms gave me, “I’m so sorry. I’m sorr—”

“Stop it,” Leo interrupted, “You’re safe. No one else is upset.”

“Well,” Mary tilted her head back and forth, “I have some feelings about this.”

“I don’t give a fuck about your feelings,” Leo snapped, “Get out of here.”

“Fuck you,” Mary flipped him off.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered again, my breathing slowly coming back to me. Slowly, it was still a struggle.

“Shh.” Leo squeezed his legs around me. I almost, almost forgot we were at work, had Mary not been crouching next to us. She studied us with her dark eyes and red lips turned downward.

Every time I tried to speak up, Leo shushed me, flexing his limbs to squeeze around me again.

Time passed in a way I couldn’t keep up with. I had no concept of what time it was while I struggled to regulate my meltdown, but I knew that at some point I had closed my eyes. I focused on the feel of Leo’s heartbeat against my back, his chest expanding against me, his arms locked around me, his legs squeezing me, because it helped.

Leo didn’t have to help me, but he did.

I finally opened my eyes, to see Mary sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Her face wasn’t as hard, but she still didn’t look happy.

My heart sank a bit more at her expression.