Violet Detours (BOOK 2) : Badly, Madly, Deeply

THE NEW ALLIANCE?

"Hey, Vance. Where are you going?" Granger called and grabbed Lesley by the shoulder before she could get further away from thr HQ's door.

She finally turned to face him.

His heart burned at the sight of her puffy eyes lined with red that completely says she had been crying.

"I'm going back to Moniyan."

"What? But we're not done here."

"No." She replied. "You are not done here. You still have to get Rafaela back. Gusion still has to get this Cube. All the others has their reason to be here. But me-" she paused when her voice trembled, her eyes starting to water again. "There's no reason for me to be here."

Granger gritted his teeth and reached out for her arm. "But I need you here."

Lesley's brows furrowed, her eyes staring at him with doubt and hesitation and pain. "And why would that be?"

He paused.

What should he tell her?

He didn't even know why his heart seemed to be squeezed so tight right now, or why he wanted her to stay so bad that he was preventing himself from yanking her into his shoulder and forcibly bring her back inside.

"Those guys huddle in group. I don't have any group to be in. I could only trust you to have my back in a fight."

Lesley scoffed irritatedly, but he saw how the pain in her expression seemed to hsve lessened. "Pathetic way to make me stay, Granger."

He gripped her arm. "I'm serious."

She stared up at him, and as they stood there merely gazing at each other, with her merely a foot away from him, a scene back in that room over a bed flashed in his mind, making his throat go dry and his neck heat up, the urge to lean in and do it again surfacing in his subconscious.

But Lesley gently slid off his hand which was gripping her arm tight. "I'm sorry, Gunboy. But you're gonna have to take care of yourself this time."

He turned weak as he heard how certain her tone was, letting him know there was no more changing her mind.

So he sighed. "Fine. How will you go back?"

"Harley is waiting for me ahead."

"Let's go." He headed to the direction she had just pointed.

"You don't have to-!"

"Promise me you'll be fine, that you'll get to Grandrock safe." He said, looking at her over his shoulder.

Lesley smiled. "You know I could never be certain with that."

"Then you're not going."

"Fine! I promise!" She snapped when he grabbed her arm and was about to drag her back to the HQ.

"You better be at Grandrock once I get back, Vance."

One of Lesley's brows arched up as she glanced at him. "If I didn't know better, I would've thought you were concerned about me."

"Because I am, Lesley."

Surprise flashed in her eyes, but Granger didn't care anymore.

He just couldn't conceal anymore how much he cared of her well-being.

She must not be used to him being like that because Lesley looked away and silence fell between them as they walked.

Why did the street suddenly got so quiet?