Burning Out

58- hopeless

Song- Never Say Never by The Fray

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"Where do you want to go?" Noémi hesitantly asks.

I've only just got in the car, tears trickling down my face and she's looking at me like I'm a deer caught in the headlights. I don't want her to pity me or anything of the sort, so it's okay that she's a bit out of her comfort zone dealing with me like this.

I take a deep and unstable breath in to cut some time to think over her question. "I need to go to Leonardo's. I need to check that Mia is okay, I bet she's worried out of her mind that we haven't come back yet," I rush out, feeling overwhelming guilt that she's left alone at his hotel.

"Okay, yeah, sure," Noémi nods quickly, already restarting her car and beginning down the street in the direction of Leonardo's.

I interlock my hands and stare out the window to try and wish away the impending panic attack. I watch each grounded object pass by through the glass: the windows of buildings, a few scattered trees, bins sat on the pavement— all the way until Noémi's voice breaks me out of my focus.

"So, are you able to tell me what happened?" she asks gently.

I appreciate her waiting until my crying had subsided a bit before asking. I get that she has to ask, part of her job would give her the natural curiosity to inquire about the events, so I don't blame her.

I roll my head back onto the headrest, shutting my eyes while more tears flutter from my tear ducts. I haven't cried this hard in such a long time. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm crying so much.

Actually, that's a lie. I do. It's because of Leonardo. I'm crying my heart out because I don't know where he is or if he's safe.

"I— uh, let me start from the beginning," I say, more so of a guide to keep my mind gone in order rather than informing her. Regardless, I see her nod in my peripheral. "So Leonardo and I were at his suite after he came back from the meeting. He told me about the stalker guy and then I needed space so I told him I was going for a drive— "

"I can't imagine that he would let you do that?" she interrupts.

"No, he didn't want me to go alone so he tailed me in his own car," I explain and she follows my answer with a nod. "Well, anyway, I drove to the racetrack and there was a race on so we watched it. I saw Kaede there and she invited me out to her club. Leonardo and I both went to the club and we... uh, we ended up in the bathroom," I awkwardly pause, presuming she understands what I'm referencing to. She doesn't say anything so I just continue. "While we were in there, we heard a gunshot."

This gains a reaction from her. I glance across and catch her jaw clenching, both of her hands gripped tightly around the wheel as if it could slip from her grip at any second.

"We heard a gunshot so Leonardo made me stay in the bathroom while he went out to check it out. He told me that under no circumstances should I go out there and that I should stay locked in the bathroom until he comes back to get me."

I pause to catch my breath in which time Noémi takes to fill the silence. "I don't like where this is going," she mumbles lowly.

I mean it's kind of obvious, isn't it? I'm here alone crying while talking about my— about Leonardo having gone face to face with gunshots.

"Neither do I," I sorrowfully laugh, completely pitying myself.

She looks across to me, eyes zoning onto the tears rolling down my face at a slower pace now, and reaches a hand out to rest on my two interlocked ones which are lying in my lap.