Feeling Faint (BxB)

Chapter 26

Ben's P.O.V.
I shut the door behind me, leaving Jay alone in the apartment.

Of course, he SAID he'll be fine, but I know him well enough by now to know that it's more likely he's only saying that to reassure me.

I sigh and hurry along to the bookstore. If he's going to insist on staying home by himself, then I'm going to at least try to be back as soon as possible.

The bell chimes overhead as I walk through the door, greeted with the smell of musty paperbacks. Emerson's behind the counter, as usual, currently poring over the latest book on her reading list.

She looks up suddenly as I walk over, shaken out of her trance.

"Hey! Okay so, they think some gang is smuggling drugs along with the book shipments from the company. We're supposed to keep on as normal and sign for the shipment, but they have someone posing as a worker as well and they'll take care of things. We just have to set the bait." She explains.

"Weird but okay. Where's River?" I ask.

She frowns and looks around before calling out, "River?" Only silence returns. She hops off her stool and we search the aisles, but he's nowhere to be found.

"He was in here like 5 minutes ago. I don't know where he went." She remarks.

We search the back rooms but there's only the detective, who hasn't seen him in the past 10 minutes either.

I go over to the bathroom and rap on the closed door. "River?" A shaky voice responds with a small, "Yeah?"

I turn around to Em and gesture toward the bathroom door, mouthing a quick, "He's in here."

"Are you alright?" I ask. A hesitant voice responds, "I- yeah, I just need a minute."

I hear the sink run and turn back to Em, who simply shrugs and goes back to her stool and book.

I wait outside the door for a few minutes, and he finally comes out, looking quite pale.

He walks past me to the chairs by the window, and I follow.

"You okay?" I ask again. He nods but I can see his hands shaking on his lap.

I purse my lips and go behind the counter, preparing him a cup of tea. He sits wordlessly in the chair, staring out the window.

I walk over and pass him the cup. He smiles gratefully and I let him be for a moment, hoping that if he wants to talk he'll tell me. He looks really shaken up for some reason.

When he's looking away, I tap Em on the arm and gestured toward the back room. She follows me and I glance back, making sure he's not paying attention. I lower my voice. "What's wrong with him?"

She sighs. "I'm not really sure. He's been pretty quiet since he got back. I tried to talk to him in the car but he didn't really respond much. I think he's just in shock and still processing everything. I wish we could do more, but you know River, he likes to process and work through things on his own. For now, I guess we just let him be and do what we can. Give it a few days and he should be back to his normal self."

I nod with a grimace. "Yeah, you're right. Just keep me updated, yeah?" She nods just as the detective enters the room.

"Hey guys, they'll be here soon. I'll meet you out in the back alley." She says, crossing through the room.

"We should probably leave River be. We'll just go sign and help carry, and let him chill there." She recommends. I agree and we go out the back door to where the detective is standing.