Page 26 of Beyond Repair, Part One (Damaged Duet #1)
Ridge
T he closer we get to Nina's house, the more my gut twists. "When did they leave?"
I've felt sick since the moment Meg called Henry. When Henry relayed Meg and Will's concerns for Nina since they left to go home today, we all abandoned our breakfast to head over there.
We've been showing up at her house for the past four days around lunchtime and haven't heard much from her parents since two days ago when we sat around the fire together.
"About an hour ago," Henry answers my question. I can't tell if his voice is tight or if it's just my energy twisting shit.
Fuck. Meg and Will's worries about how Nina would handle their departure seem to be rubbing off on me. I don't know this version of Nina. I have no idea what to expect if she is handling it poorly.
My idiot friends tell me I challenge Nina, but what the hell does that mean?
All I hear is that I'm annoying and get on her nerves.
Although, that isn't very different from when we were kids.
Now that I think about it, she was always more cuddly with Henry, would never stop talking with Kai, and followed Trevor blindly.
When I put it that way, it feels like nothing has changed.
But it has . I don't care that her spunk yesterday reminded me of fifteen-year-old Neen.
That's not her anymore. The glare she gave me from the fucking corner of her couch had the power to incinerate me on the spot.
Thankfully, I'm Nina proof. I thrive under her. Fuck, not like that. Maybe like that.
I did learn that while she doesn't like silence, she sure as shit doesn't like the volume of my video game turned up too loud. And yes, I did find her PS4 since it looks like we aren't going home anytime soon.
The thought of going home hurts me. I haven't said anything to the guys about moving here with them, even though I plan on doing exactly that. Trev's worried about me, but his energy needs to be on Nina. Just as mine does. And now it is.
Something about hearing my friends' devotion to the girl we grew up with and never forgot about shifted my priorities.
Those people I know that are counting on us at work have other managers they can talk to.
We did all the groundwork, built our resorts up to run themselves with amazing staff. It's time we move on.
It's time I move on and let go of some of the guilt that keeps Nina at arm’s length.
We were kids. I was a teenager with such a vivid vision of the sketch I was doing that I didn't see the danger of letting Neen leave on her own. Or at least checking she got into Kai's car safely.
I was a child with a crush. Now I'm a man with some serious feelings and a whole heap of self-doubt. One thing for sure is love. I've always loved Nina and now I can't wait to figure out what makes her who she is.
The first step is bringing my walls down. So far, it fucking sucks.
"How much longer?" My throat feels thick, and swallowing doesn't help clear it up. Rubbing my chest does jack shit. "Fuck, I think I'm anxious."
Kai snorts next to me in the back of the SUV. My glare doesn't perturb him. It never does. "He says I think I'm anxious . Dude, you were in therapy for three fuckin' years. What do you mean you think you're anxious?"
"Children," Trevor scolds in the driver's seat while Henry fucking chuckles.
My hand clenches in a fist against my pounding heart. "Excuse the fuck out of you, Kai. Obviously I know when my anxiety is flaring up, asshole. This feels different."
"A sense of foreboding," Henry confirms.
"Yes!" I agree, nodding and adjust my glasses. "So, I repeat," I pause to glare at Kai again before asking my question from before he taunted me, "how much longer?"
Trevor answers me without poking my buttons. "Two minutes. We aren't barging in there. We'll knock and make sure she knows it's us, okay?"
No promises.
"Okaaay?" Trev draws out. When I glance up in the rearview mirror, I notice him raising his eyebrows at me. Instead of arguing, I nod and unbuckle my seatbelt so I can jump out.
A minute later, I'm hopping out of the vehicle before Trevor shifts into park. Kai is hot on my heals as I jog up to the front door.
"Her curtains are closed," Kai notices, and I know what he's saying.
Every time we've been here, they've been wide open. Nina's need to keep an eye on her surroundings has been made obvious by the way she excessively monitors the neighborhood when she's on edge. Which is, unfortunately, more often than not.
"Nina! It's us! Let me in!" I shout like we've done every time, so she's somewhat at ease about opening the door.
After a about ten seconds of knocking and shouting with no response, I try the door handle. "Locked," I grumble.
"I'd be pissed if it wasn't," Trevor says sounding both proud and frustrated at the same time.
My skin feels like it's crawling. "I'm going around back."
"Me too," Henry adds and chases after me as I round her house. "Want a hand?" he offers when we come to a stop at her locked fence gate.
I don't reply as I put my foot into his waiting palms. Henry grunts as he lifts, and I jump. Cursing as I'm fucking launched into the air, I grapple to grab hold of a picket, but all I manage is an ungraceful landing in the grass on the other side of her eight-foot fence.
"What the hell, Hen?! Have you been working out?" I accuse, scrambling to my feet and fixing my lenses.
"Don't blame me, Ridge! I didn't know you could jump that fucking high!" Henry retorts.
Huffing and rubbing my hip, I unlatch the fence to let him inside. He doesn't spare me a glance as he sprints to the patio. It feels like I watch in slow motion as Henry bottles up all his energy and strength to wrench open the sliding glass door, only for it to be unlocked.
"Fuck!" he shouts, startled as he all but throws himself to the ground. Like he didn't just scrape the shit out of his knee again , he jumps up.
"The chaos," I mutter, half laughing, and beat him through the doorway.
"Trev's gonna be mad about the door," Henry whispers, following me.
"Kai's gonna be mad you ripped open your scab."
All humor dies as we round the kitchen island and don't see our girl. Until we rush into the living room.
And there she is.
"NINA!"