Chapter 69 BARELY EXISTED

Chapter 69 BARELY EXISTED
THANE
I didn't know how my legs carried me to the front of my door. All I knew was my hand had managed to grab the handle, but I never got to turn it.
“Traitor.” Tiara's voice stopped me.
I turned and found her already halfway up the stairs. She climbed the last step and walked over to me.
“I didn't let you talk to her just so you could leave me out of the loop.”
I sighed. “Can't do that right now, T.”
Her brows knitted together. “Something's wrong?” She studied my face for a second. “You fought again?”
I shook my head. “It's nothing.” I met her gaze. “Thanks for...” My eyes drifted briefly toward Rachel's bedroom before returning to Tiara. “...today. We'll talk tomorrow, aight?”
“What about your FWB?” she asked, arching a brow. “You don't care which room she's in?” Her eyes flicked over my shoulder toward my bedroom.
I followed her gaze and exhaled sharply. “Shit, T...” I looked back at her. “What the… You should've stopped her.”
Her eyes widened. “Wa-Wait…” She snorted. “Are you actually kidding me?” Her eyes glanced around before stepping closer, lowering her voice. “You're the one who brought your booty call home, and now you want me to babysit her?”
“Stop it.” My tone came out firmer than I intended. “She's not like that. Bringing her here was my own mistake, but it had nothing to do with—”
“You need to stop defending her, alright?” She cut me off. “You don't think I know you two have been hooking up? Do you have any idea how insane this looks? Bringing her here, of all places? Especially now?” Her voice dropped. “That's honestly fucked up, dude.”
She pinned her gaze on mine now. “Have you even told Rachel?”
The question caught me completely off guard. For a second, my mind went blank. I searched for an answer, but nothing came to my head. “Rachel knows Nina,” I said finally.
In a stupidly confident manner. Or at least I tried to sound confident.
Tiara definitely didn’t buy it. “Oh, don't give me that bullshit.” She rolled her eyes. “You know exactly what I'm asking.” She let out a pissed scoff, tipping her head back with a long, frustrated sigh before looking at me again. “You know if there's anyone who's been rooting for you through all this, it's me. We almost fought because I kept defending you. So tell me...” Her voice softened. “How am I supposed to keep doing that when you keep making the same mistakes?”
“Dammit, T, I fucking know it's my fault, alright?” I tried to keep my voice down, but frustration still bled through. “She wants a break.” The words seared through me all over again, like a white-hot needle driven straight through my chest. “She... she's done with me.”
I laughed once. A dry, broken laugh. “So can you not make this any harder than it already is?” I brought my palms together in a quiet plea, my throat tightening. “Please, T.”
For the first time since she'd walked over, her expression softened. And for some reason, that almost broke me. I'd had enough fingers pointing at me for one night. I couldn't take another.
She shrugged. “Fine. I'll see what I can do—”
“Please, don't.” I cut her off before she could finish. “It's really fine.” I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I think... She deserves the break.” The last word scraped coming out. “Just let her be.”
I turned back toward my door.
“Thane.”
I stopped but didn't look back.
“Don't give up on her.” Her voice came quieter this time. “You two are good for each other.”
I didn't answer. A second later, I heard her footsteps retreating down the hall.
I stood there for another moment, staring at my bedroom door. Then I pushed it open. The first thing I saw was Nina. Curled up against my pillow.
My shirt swallowed her frame, the sleeves hanging past her wrists while my duvet was wrapped around her like she'd always belonged there.
Something inside me snapped instantly. "Fuck..." I muttered under my breath.
I was already crossing the room before I realized I'd started moving. "Hey." I shoved lightly at the bundle of duvet covering her legs. "Get up."
She stirred, rubbing sleep from her eyes before blinking up at me. "You're back?"
"What the fuck is your problem?" My hand shot toward the bed. "You seriously thought I'd let you sleep here?"
She sat up slowly, running a hand through her messy hair. I looked around the room.
My room. My bed. My shirt on her body. After everything that had happened tonight the sight of everything nearly made me lose my shit.
Rachel's face flashed through my head again. The hurt in her eyes. The disappointment. The way she'd asked for a break. It felt like someone had reached inside my chest and squeezed.
"Get off my bed." My voice came out lower this time. "Now."
Her eyes searched mine. "I was just—"
"I said get off!"
She climbed down more cautiously this time.
My eyes swept the room until they landed on her dress lying across the armchair. Of course. She'd gone through my things. I walked over, grabbed the dress and came back.
"I'm..." Her voice cracked. "I'm sorry."
I didn't even hear the apology anymore. I tossed the dress at her. It landed against her face before slipping into her arms.
"Get dressed."
She stared down at it. "I was waiting for—"
"I don't care." The words came out flat. "I've spent the whole night cleaning up one mess after another." I laughed bitterly, though there wasn't a damn thing funny about it. "You're already part of the mess, so don't get me any more pissed off."
She looked like she wanted to argue. Instead, she lowered her head. "I didn't mean…"
"No." I shook my head. "You don't get to tell me what you meant anymore."
Silence stretched between us. Rachel's face wouldn't leave me alone. Every time I blinked, I saw her asking for a break. Every damn time.
Nina shifted awkwardly. "You're not... mad at me."
I looked away. Not because I couldn't answer. Because if I looked at her right now, all I'd see was another reminder of everything that had gone wrong tonight.
"You two fought?" She hesitated. "...Why?"
That was it. I turned slowly. Every ounce of restraint I'd been clinging to finally gave way.
"I said..." My chest rose sharply. "Get the fuck out.”
She didn't move and neither did I. Moving felt like too much. I honestly wasn't sure my legs would hold me if I took another step.
Something warm gently slipped around my wrist. I shoved it off immediately. But she didn't try again. She just... stayed.
My head felt unbearably heavy, like someone had strapped a block of concrete to it.
I don't even know where the strength came from. One second I was standing there. The next, I was already at the wall.
My fist slammed into it. A dull crack echoed through the room. Then another.
"Fuck!" Pain shot through my knuckles, but it barely registered.
"Oh God..." Nina rushed forward, grabbing my forearm before I could throw another punch. "Stop it. You're hurting yourself."
She caught my hand. "Dammit..." Her eyes widened. "You're bleeding."
She looked around frantically, probably searching for something to stop it. I couldn't have cared less. I jerked my hand away. "Why do you care?" My eyes dropped to where she'd been touching me before lifting back to hers. "This..." I laughed once, a smoldering breath escaped me. "This isn't changing a damn thing."
I stepped around her. "So how about you just leave?"
She forced a small smile. "You can tell me to leave all you want." She shook her head. "I'm not leaving you like this." Her eyes swept the room again. "Where do you keep your first-aid kit?"
I ignored the question then tried walking past her. She caught my sleeve. I yanked free. She hurried around me again, blocking my path.
"Thane..." Her voice changed. "What happened?"
I froze.
The second our eyes met...I knew she'd seen it. Whatever I'd been trying so hard to keep buried. Her expression softened completely.
I covered my face with both hands. It suddenly felt impossible to stay standing. Everything crashed into me at once.
Rachel. The fight. The break. The guilt. Every damn thing.
Quietly… Nina wrapped her arms around me. She didn't say anything. She only rubbed slow circles over my back.
For a second, I wanted to pull away. Instead… I broke. My forehead dropped against her shoulder. The tears came silently without any sobs or words. Nothing. Just exhaustion.
I held onto her harder than I meant to. Not because I wanted her. Because I didn't have anything left to hold myself together.
She kept rubbing my back patiently. Without saying a word. After a long while, she slowly pulled back. I instinctively looked away but she gently cupped my face before I could.
My eyes met hers again. Her thumb brushed gently across my cheek, wiping away the wetness there.
Her gaze drifted lower. Stopped on my lips.
"Nin..." My voice barely existed anymore.
She didn't answer. She just…