Page 37 of The Perfect Melody

“Mum.” I put a hand in her path to get her attention, not sure she’ll hear me over the noise of the bar—it’s unusually rowdy tonight. “Can you do me a favour?”

Concern pulls her eyebrows downward, but she doesn’t hesitate. “Sure. What do you need?”

“Get Reggie to ask that large table of guys to leave. One of them got handsy with Cassie,” I explain before she has time to ask. They’re about done, but they’ve been drinking a lot. Mum could handle them no problem, but Reggie will help make sure they don’t argue.

“Got it.” She nods. “You’re going to check on Cassie?” she asks, already knowing the answer. It’s the only reason I’m not taking care of the troublemakers myself, and she knows it.

“Yeah, she didn’t look good.” Understatement of the century. She looked like she was having a panic attack. My sister Aria used to get them—I know the signs.

“Go. I’ll take care of that table then hop behind the bar if it gets too busy for Jamie to manage on his own.”

“Thanks.” I turn on my heel, striding for the back door without another word. Mum has everything under control in here.

A small group of people surges in through the back door just as I arrive. I wait impatiently, practically bouncing on my heels for them all to get inside and out of my way.

Snippets of conversation reach my ears, telling me it’s started raining, but I don’t care. Cassie’s been out there alone for long enough. I’m not detouring for a jacket, not when she needs me.

Cold, fat raindrops fall from the dark clouds above with increasing frequency as I look around. She’s not in the beer garden, but that makes sense—she wouldn’t want to be around people right now. Where would Aria go? With hurried steps, I walk around to the side of the bar. Then I see her.

My feet root me to the spot as I take her in. Cassie’s short, only coming up to my shoulders, but she’s always had too much personality to seem it, even when we first met and she was shaken by the accident. Not now. She looks so small, slumped on the floor, head between her knees. Fragile. Her shoulders shake. At first, I think she’s crying, then I hear it. Laughter tinged with hysteria.

The sound jolts me back into action, and I take measured steps towards her. She tilts her head to look up at the rainfall, and the look in her eyes cracks my chest open. Cold rain makes my hair fall into my eyes and my t-shirt stick to my skin, but I don’t care. Cassie is the only thing that matters right now.

It’s only when I settle down on the ground beside her that she notices my presence. This close, I can hear her laboured breathing over the heavy rain. Her breaths are too quick and shallow.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” she replies around another sob tinged with hysteria.

“S-sorry I left.”

“Don’t worry about that. The only thing I need you to do for me right now is to take a deep breath. Can you do that?”

“I-I’m trying.”

“Can I touch your hand?”

She nods, the elastic holding her ponytail together slipping under the weight of her damp hair.

Taking her hand in mine, I place it over my heart, then take an exaggerated deep breath. “Focus on my breathing. Try to match it.”

Her breathing slows a little, but it’s still too shallow, and her eyes have that glazed, unseeing look Aria used to get.

“I want you to tell me five things you can see.”

“What?”

“Five things you can see, Cassie.”

“Um, the ground?”

I nod. “That’s good, keep going.”

“The ground. Dark clouds. My trainers. The wall. You.”

Her breaths are growing deeper, and her hand is no longer balled into a fist. Now her small palm rests flat against the drenched cotton of my t-shirt.

“Good. Tell me four things you can feel.”