Broken Sky

20| Something About Her

My worry escalates as I bend down next to Lais. There's so much fear in her eyes, her lips trembling.

Why is she like this?

I've been sensing that something is wrong since the moment we entered the club. She's been acting strange, as if she can't stand any longer being in this place.

It's definitely more than just being uncomfortable. She looks pale, fidgeting the entire time.

And after that fight happening inside the club, I know that something is definitely off -- that's why I followed her here.

She stares up at me weakly, helplessly, still hugging her knees on the floor, shaking.

She's traumatized.

I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure about that. Something has been triggering her.

There's only fear in her eyes as she looks at me.

Since she has backed away from my touch, I need to be careful. I don't want to scare her even more.

"It's okay, Lais," I whisper, assuring her. "I'm not going to hurt you. Can you stand up?" I reach out my hand to help her.

She stares at it for a while, as if my hand is poisonous.

She looks away and hugs her knees even tighter. A few moments pass with her still trembling on the ground. She looks so scared, it's almost painful to watch.

"Lais," I whisper again.

Reluctantly, she faces me again.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Lais." I'm trying my best to make her trust me. "I know that you don't feel comfortable in here. I'm just going to help you get out of here, okay?"

Lais looks into my eyes, as though she wants to make sure that I really want to help her. I give her another assuring look, and her eyes soften.

Slowly, she reaches out to take my hand although hers is still shaking.

Holding her hand, I sigh in relief before pulling her back up on her feet. She's in no proper state to be alone now, and I'm glad that she decides to trust me to help her.

We're walking hand in hand, and I lead her back into the club, keeping her close to me so that she won't bump into some other people.

Judging by the look of it, she's still very much scared of the environment around here. And if I let go of her, she would break down again.

Once we reach our table again, both Liam and Sarah stare at us. From the look on their faces, I know that they're wondering what is wrong with Lais.

Julia, however, looks displeased, her lips pursed. I don't give a damn about her -- I didn't ask her to come here for me.

Liam looks taken aback when his gaze darts on our connected hands. "Where are you guys going?" he asks as I don't stop my steps.

"There's an emergency. We're heading out. You guys have fun," I say, not waiting for his response. I feel his grip on my arm a second later.

My jaw tightens.

"I'm taking her home," I state, surprised by my own voice that sounds so protective.

"Just let them go." I can hear Sarah whisper to him while I walk away with Lais, and I appreciate it. She even sounds delighted that Lais and I finally talk again.

After stepping out of the club, I lead Lais to my car and help her get into the passenger seat. I get inside too, hopping behind the wheel.

Before I start the engine, I turn to Lais.

She looks down, still shaking, her hand clutching the seatbelt.

"It's going to be okay, Lais," I say even though she still doesn't want to look at me. "I'm driving you home, okay?"

She nods, and that's all I need before I drive my car. I already know the location of her apartment because I've seen Liam dropping her off, so there won't be any problem.

The entire ride there is silent -- I'm giving her time to compose herself while we're on the journey.

When we reach our destination, I stop the car and look at her again. She seems to have calmed down a bit, her eyes opened as she looks to the front.

"Thank you, Jake," she stutters, her voice barely a whisper. "I-I'm sorry. I wasn't supposed to--" she chokes. "I thought those nightmares have stopped, but--" She can't finish her sentence, and my heart sinks.

Nightmares. I know how it feels, Lais.

Her sobs break, and she starts crying softly. I don't know what to say to her because I don't have any idea about what has happened to her.

She might not be ready to open up to me -- it seems like a really deep and personal thing for her.

So I just listen to her crying, until her tears stop. Who would have thought that the confident Lais at work could be so vulnerable?

When her sobs finally stop, she wipes her tears away and turns to me, and that's when I look into her broken eyes.

A sudden pain slices my heart, and I look away.

Why can't I look at her? There's something in her eyes that triggers pain inside me. Just like every time I look up at the sky during the daytime. What is this?

Something isn't right, but I ignore it. I always tend to overthink when it comes to my nightmares.

"I think I'll go now," she says, snapping me back into reality. "Once again, thanks, Jake." A soft smile touches her lips.

"Oh, right." I almost forget about that.

Sighing, I get out of my car and open the door for her. She steps out and inhales a deep breath, looking up at her apartment.

But then, she frowns. "How did you know where I live?"

"I saw Liam take you home while I was on the way to my house."

She snaps her head toward me, looking surprised and...guilty.

I wait for her to say something. Perhaps, about the reason why she accepted Liam's offer right after she rejected mine.

But she says nothing and tears her gaze away from me instead.

Another sigh leaves my lips. "Well then, take care. I hope you'll get better soon, Lais."

She just nods quietly, a nervous smile plastered on her face. I watch as she turns around, walking into her apartment.

My eyes don't leave her until she fully disappears from my sight. She's going to be fine, isn't she? I can't help but wonder about that because she looked so broken when she was having PTSD back then in the club.

Anybody would have been worried about her had they seen it.

I turn on my heels and walk back to my car, unaware that my heart is beating fast against my ribs.