Chapter 51 His Juliet
Liam's POV
I stood backstage, surrounded by buzzing energy as names were called one after another. The cast list for Juliet was slowly forming. My own audition had gone well, I knew I had the part. But Mia, she should've been next.
She wasn't in the waiting line anymore. My eyes swept the rows of folding chairs. No sign of her.
I checked my messages. Nothing. I called her, but the call was forwarded to voicemail. My stomach twisted.
"Liam," Tina called as she hurried over, her face filled with concern. "Mia went to the restroom, but she hasn't returned. It's been almost an hour."
I thanked Tina, spun around, and strode out of the theater, my steps fast and determined as I headed toward the hallway that led to the restrooms.
"Mia?" I called out as my footsteps echoed off the tiled floor. "Are you here?"
No answer.
The lights down this hallway were dim now, almost everyone had cleared out for the day. The quiet buzz of fluorescent light filled the silence, and the air suddenly felt too still.
I stopped in front of the girls' bathroom and froze.
I heard a faint knock. A muffled cry.
My heart dropped.
"Mia?" I banged on the door. "Mia, are you in there?!"
"Liam!" her voice cracked from the other side. "I can't open it! I've been locked in, I don't know how, please,"
"I'm here. I've got you." My voice was firm now, every cell in my body screaming to break her out.
I tried the door handle. Locked. I rattled it harder, gritting my teeth.
Someone had locked her in.
"Back away from the door," I warned. Then I stepped back myself, took a breath, and kicked hard, once, twice,
CRACK.
The door burst open.
Mia stood there, pale and wide eyed, her hands trembling. Her bag lay discarded on the sink behind her. I surged forward and pulled her into my arms.
"You're okay," I whispered fiercely, burying my face in her hair. "God, Mia, I was going insane not knowing where you were."
She clutched at my shirt like a lifeline. "I thought I'd be stuck all night. I missed my audition, Liam..."
I pulled back just enough to cup her face. "I don't care about the audition. I care about you."
Her lower lip trembled.
"No one locks you in a room and gets away with it," I said darkly. "I'll find out who did this. I swear."
But right now?
I wrapped my arms around her again and held her tighter, as if to erase the fear she just endured.
"You're safe," I whispered again. "I've got you."
She hadn't let go of my hand since we left the building.
The drive back to her place was quiet. Not tense, just full of silence that spoke louder than words. Mia sat beside me, curled slightly toward the window, one arm wrapped around herself, the other laced tightly with my fingers resting between us on the console.
I kept glancing at her. Her face was pale. Her eyes distant. And every time she blinked slowly, I could almost feel the exhaustion radiating off her in waves.
She hadn't said much. But she didn't need to.
I felt it in the way her thumb kept brushing over my knuckles, slow, repetitive, grounding herself. Grounding me.
By the time I pulled into the driveway, the sun was nearly gone, casting the world in a soft, amber glow. I turned off the engine but didn't move.
"Mia," I said gently.
She turned her head toward me, and even in the fading light, I could see the tears brimming again.
"I was really scared," she whispered. "I thought no one would find me. I kept thinking, what if I disappeared and no one even noticed?"
"I would've noticed," I said, my voice hoarse. "I noticed the second I couldn't find you."
She looked down.
"I was holding it together, but when I heard your voice outside the door..." Her breath caught. "I've never felt that relieved in my entire life."
I reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt slowly, then rested my palm against her cheek. "You shouldn't have had to feel that way. Someone did that on purpose, Mia. They knew what they were doing."
She nodded slowly. "I know."
I opened my door, walked around, and helped her out, gently, like she might break if I let go for even a second.
Inside her apartment, she slipped off her shoes and sank into the couch with a sigh. I followed after locking the door behind me, then brought her a glass of water before sitting beside her.
She didn't hesitate to lean into my side.
"I didn't even get to audition," she murmured against my shoulder.
"You will," I replied softly, kissing the top of her head. "They'll make room. If they don't, I'll make them. You were meant to be Juliet, Mia."
She gave a small, watery laugh.
"And you were meant to be my Romeo," she said quietly.
My breath caught.
I looked down at her and gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I already am," I murmured.
I leaned in, brushing a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead, then her cheek. And when my lips finally touched hers, it wasn't rushed or heated. It was tender, sure, full of quiet promises and unspoken comfort.
Mia melted into it, her fingers curling into my shirt. When we pulled apart, she rested her head back on my chest.
"Can you stay a while?" she asked, voice small.
"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered. "Not tonight. Not ever."
And as she closed her eyes, safe in my arms, I tightened my hold, swearing silently to myself that no one would ever hurt her again.
Her breath had evened out. And now, wrapped in my arms, she looked at peace. But I wasn't, I could still hear the echo of her panicked voice behind that locked bathroom door.
I tightened my hold on her. She had fallen asleep like this, curled against me without hesitation, trusting me in that small, quiet way that wrecked something inside my chest.
Then came the sound of the front door clicking open.
My gaze lifted.
Josh.
The guy froze the second he turned into the living room.
I didn't move. I simply met Josh's gaze, steady, unreadable. My hand never left Mia's back.
Josh's eyes dropped to her sleeping form, then back to me's.
"Is she okay?" Josh asked, his voice low, cautious.
I nodded. "She is now."
Josh took a slow step forward. "What happened?"
"She was locked in the restroom for over an hour," I replied, my voice clipped. "She was crying behind the door."
"I found her," I added, softer now. "She was shaking."
Josh's jaw tensed. His hands curled slightly at his sides.
"She's been through enough." I mumbled again.
Josh didn't reply right away. His jaw tightened, like he was holding back a thousand words, but in the end, he stayed silent.
So I spoke first. "I'm not leaving until she wakes up."
Josh nodded once, silent.
I turned my attention back to Mia, the girl in my arms, the one who had fallen apart so quietly and still trusted me enough to hold her together.
And maybe, without even realizing it, she was starting to fix something in me too.