Silence. Silence was the only thing between Solace and Sage as they made their way home.

She distinctly remembered seeing a towering granite building as Kane sped away from wherever they were held. Solace swore she spotted a life-sized bronze statue of a man with a sword. The name of the monument was on the tip of her tongue, but her brain refused to budge.

The entire drive to her apartment, she sat mum, staring at her hands. Sage's intense gaze bored into the side of her head, but Solace was at a loss for words. She was minuscules away from having a drill shoved into her insides. This was not what her life was supposed to be. A boring life filled with drab politics, quirky sitcoms, and her self-conceived regrets was what she wanted. Not to be mutilated and have her bones cracked apart, so her family could never see her again.

Solace had never felt such raw fear before. It did not compare to her trips to haunted houses or getting lost at two a.m. in the morning after she decided it was a good idea to drive to Portland to surprise her mother for her birthday. The horror could not even measure to being followed home by some random creepy dude who decided to spend his lovely afternoon terrifying young women, or almost missing her history final exam.

This was unadulterated and crude.

And the ironic thing was that Kane had called Sage to warn him about Vince. He couldn't have done it over a phone call, huh? But at least, the drill-wielding maniac hadn't shown up at her apartment.

Her hands trembled as she pulled the key out of her pocket, but the wretched thing would not listen. She was too unsteady until she felt Sage's warm hand, guiding her to the lock and twisting it gently. He followed her inside, and the door shut, leaving nothing but pure stillness between them. There was no Kane to stop them from speaking, nor was there Emi.

Just the two of them, and when she inhaled a deep breath and faced him, she saw the troubled expression contorting his features. Sage's lips were pulled down to a frown, his brows furrowed, and his eyes bloodshot.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sulking his head, sounding unequivocally defeated.

Something snapped inside her, and she lashed out. "You're sorry?" Solace demanded, her anger pouring out of her until she shook. "He was going to kill us! That man didn't think twice before he almost drilled a hole into my heart!"

Sage winced. "I didn't know what Vince was up to. Kane promised me we were safe until New Year's," he urged, attempting for her to understand.

Solace harshly wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Obviously, Kane was wrong because we were chained to a ceiling like fucking animals being prepared for slaughter," she snapped, her fury rising at her inability to stop her crying.

He stepped forward, holding out his hand and as if he decided against it, brought it back to his side. "Please, don't cry," Sage said gently like her tears were blades to his heart.

She fought back a sob, exhaling and inhaling shakily. Her throat tightened painfully. "He was going to torture us, Sage."

"He wasn't going to torture us," he replied weakly with a sheepish smile.

Annoyance took root at the center of her chest. "Care to explain the sharp knives and murder drills, because we sure as hell weren't at the fucking dentist," she fired back venomously.

Sage scratched the side of his head, nodding his head. "Okay, yeah, he was definitely going to torture us," he conceded tiredly.

The words reverberated through the air and into her bones, and the next thing she knew, a fresh set of tears hit her like a wave. The last time she cried like this was when Grann had passed away. But that was from grief. Not from pure undiluted fear. Solace had never felt so terrified, so weak. Salty tears rolled down her cheeks, and she shook, using her hands to cover her face in embarrassment. Breaking down in front of her rival, the boy she had never shown weakness to, was humiliating.

A set of arms wrapped them around her body and pulled her into his chest. It was just like this morning: warm and comforting. As much as she wanted to push him back and save face, Solace couldn't fight it. She didn't want to. So, begrudgingly – but not begrudgingly – she hugged Sage back, sniffling into his chest like a child.

Solace was not sure how long they stood like that. "This is weird," she muttered against his sweater. It was wet from her tears.

"Want me to let go?"

She mulled over his question. His touch was keeping her emotions at bay, and his touch was firm but gentle. Solace never wanted to leave. "No," she breathed out.

And at that, his arms tightened around her.

Comfortable silence stretched out for several minutes. No one spoke except for the ticking of the clock Emi broke one too many times and the faint Christmas music coming from across the hall. Eventually, Solace had to let go, so she parted from him just a few inches. She could not bear to let go immediately. He glanced down at her with a small smile, his eyes glassy.

"Why are you crying?" she choked out with a breathy chuckle.

"I'm not immune to torture, SoSo," deadpanned Sage as he softly wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb.

She smiled at the gesture, and brought her hands up to his eyes, using her palms to wipe away his. Sage shifted his face away, attempting to escape her grasp, but she held on to him tightly, determined to dry his tears.

Soon enough, they were squishing and squeezing and slapping each other's faces, giggles and threats being exchanged between them.

"I wasn't going to let anything happen to you," Sage said once their little war was put to an end. They still stood too close.

Solace shook her head sadly. "You were in chains. There was nothing you could do. You couldn't help me."

His jaw clenched, and he removed his hands away from her shoulders. The realization had hit him strongly, and he let her go, stepping away, crestfallen. Sage's features hardened, and he looked like a boy on a mission. "You're right, but I can do one thing," he declared, shouldering his backpack.

She watched him carefully, frozen in her spot. Sage was going to walk out of her life, but she wouldn't dare let that happen. He was stuck with her, and she was stuck with him.

"I'll leave. You're officially out." He turned to walk out the door, and her heart fell to her stomach.

"Bourik," yelled Solace angrily. And the next thing she knew, she was cursing and shouting insults in Creole. She was mad he was doing something so moronic as leaving without letting her make a choice for herself. She was mad that her heart ached at the notion of him walking away from her, disappearing from her life once again.

Sage gawked at her, shocked and mouth agape as he stood there, taking it all in. "Okay, that sounded particularly rude," he remarked when she called him a tèt zozo.

It did not take long for her apartment to be filled with Spanish curses and insults, mingling with her Creole. They stepped closer and closer, their anger attracting one another like a gravitational pull. Her chest heaved up and down, and his arms splayed to the side in frustration. The tension in the room was not just from their indignation of one another, but it was something more. Something Solace did not quite understand but felt in the undertones of outrage.

"Let me go," Sage ordered, close enough she felt his warm breath on her face. "The only way I can keep you safe is if I leave. I'm giving you an out. Take it."

Solace gritted her teeth and poked him in the chest. "That's the thing, Sage. I should want out, but I don't," she revealed. "I can't walk away until you're safe. You're stuck with me." He opened his mouth to fight her, but she ripped away his backpack and chucked it to the side. "You're not leaving, and neither am I."

Sage ran a hand down his face. "So demanding," he muttered, his lips tugging up into a smirk.

"Do you understand, Reyes?"

He rolled his eyes at the use of his last name. "Yes, ma'am," he drawled with a lazy two-finger salute.

She exhaled a deep breath and stepped away from him. Solace could never breathe fully when he was around. But after breaking down in Sage's arms – something she would deny if he ever brought it up – her mind felt clearer and her heart just a bit lighter. Crying could do wonders to the soul. Don't get her wrong. The terror that had settled on her spine was latched on like a parasite, and it wouldn't be going away any time soon. But New Year's Eve was only more than a week away.

Solace would make it to the new year alive with all her limbs attached. So would Sage. She had made that promise to him. She had every intention of seeing it through.

"Good, but if I ever get tortured because of you, I will castrate you," threatened Solace.

Sage grinned widely. "If you're ever about to get tortured, I promise to kill you."

***

Author's Note:

I'm too tired for a proper author's note, but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and their hug lol. Some of you may have thought they would kiss, but for those who have read my other books, it's gonna be a while.

But hang in there.

Until next time - m.k.t