**XVII: Liam and Blake**
**Liam**
Liam raised an eyebrow and twisted to look over his shoulder as the door to Blake’s room opened slowly. He felt a smile curling the corners of his lips—he had forgotten she was here.
She must have either had one hell of a night or one hell of a show if she—
Liam rose to his feet when he saw Blake’s expression, only just remembering to his laptop carefully onto the couch before stepping around it.
“Blake.”
He closed the distance between them in just a few strides. She was still blinking up at him in confusion. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and more bloodshot than they had been this morning. Why did she look so tired, so sad?
“Liam,” she looked almost dazed as she said his name. Her voice sounded…strange. Her eyes focused on him then, but only for a moment before she looked away.
“I was just going to take a bath,” she murmured, “What are you doing here anyway? Where’s Marie?”