More Than Meets the Eye - Page 119

“Can I see him?”Baz asked in lieu of a greeting.

“Are you gonna make him cry again?”

Sami had been crying?

Baz’s heart, that he had so carefully patched together on his way over, came undone at the seams, forcing the air out of his lungs.Baz shook his head.He’d do anything he could to get this right.

Naija pushed the door open wide enough for him to step through, her glare never losing its edge, never finding a new target.

Notes of cumin and garlic enriched the air.He didn’t allow himself to marvel for too long at the lit sea of fairy lights above the somehow even more cluttered living room.That was a privilege he had to earn.

Naija cleared her throat.Her eyes darted to his feet.Oh.Baz kicked off his shoes like he had seen Sami do.

“For the record, I’m glad you came,” she said, softer.

“Yeah?”

“He needs someone other than me to believe him.I hope that’s gonna be you.”

So did Baz.Only when he nodded again did she retreat to what he assumed was her room.Another door was ajar enough to reveal a sink and shower.That left one option.

His knuckles hit wood.

A groan sounded from the other side.

“I said I’m fine, Naija.”A scruffy, not-fine-sounding Sami said.Baz ignored the tightness stabbing his chest.That was his to deal with, later.

“It’s me.Can we talk?”

Silence.Baz didn’t dare to breathe.Would Sami ignore him until he left?Had he crossed a boundary by coming here?But then what about the envelope—

Something heavy hit the floor, rattling the reddish boards under Baz’s feet.The door swung open.

Sami’s curls were a mess he craved to smooth out.His widened hazel eyes were heartbreakingly puffy.He wore Baz’s shirt, the one he had borrowed the night Aya caught them, crinkled like the paper of an unfolded origami figure.Positively disheveled and so damn beautiful.

“I got your envelope.I tried to catch up with you, but…”

Sami’s throat bobbed.“I heard voices.I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“I wish you had.I’m so sorry, Sami.I was a fucking idiot to confront you like that.I didn’t even think about what was at stake for you.”

Sami shrugged his right shoulder.“It’s okay.Ian doesn’t need a reason to be mad at me.”

That made it so much worse.“I still shouldn’t have given him one.And you didn’t deserve me freaking out at you like that or ignoring you for days either, I just… I’m sorry.”

Nodding, Sami shoved his hands in the pockets of his navy sweatpants, his gaze low.“I’ve done worse things to better people.For what it’s worth, I’m sorry too.I heard how it went.I thought if I made you think I betrayed your trust, you’d win the motion on spite alone.”

Did he really think he mattered so little that something as silly as sending Baz away would stop him from worrying?No case, no promotion, could ever be more important than Sami’s safety.

“I don’t care about the hearing.I care that he threatened you.”

“He does that.”

“That doesn’t make it okay!You deserve better than that.Better than him.Better than how I’ve been acting.I know I haven’t given you any reasons to trust me today, but if you’ll allow me, I’d like to help make sure he’ll never threaten you again.”

Sami regarded him with a pained smile Baz wished he could ease.“You’re not supposed to care about me like that.”

“Too late.”Sami must have known that, or why else had he dropped the envelope at Baz’s door?