It takes me a while to get Alex home, seeing the destruction to his brother's memorial is only making things worse. Right now he's distraught, that's obvious. No one wants to see something like this. But right now I have no idea what to do to make it better except to be there for him.

I can't believe someone could be so cruel and malicious to do this to an already grieving family. And I have no idea what the words could be about. I know Liam was very dedicated to his work, motivated to help this town. But I know that some people didn't always see eye to eye with him because he's very strong headed and wanted things done his way. Though I didn't think people despised him like this.

We slowly walk back to our apartments, my arm is wrapped around his shoulder, tugging him into my side as he weeps silently. He's run out of tears and now he's still trying to catch his breath. When we reach our foyer he's deathly silent and I fear what's going on in his head right now.

I walk straight past my door and towards his instead. Alex fishes out his keys from his pocket, his eyes laying firmly on the wall in front of him. There is nothing left in them, no light, no life. Nothing. I begin to panic but I know I need to keep strong for him, he needs someone more than anything right now.

Being alone could make him spiral. I don't want a repeat of when he came to me that day. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about what he said, the pain and defeat in his voice. Alex has been doing so well with his own grief, with attempting to move on but I get sometimes he's going to have drawbacks. It's not going to be a simple ride. But this... this just destroys all the progress he's made.

Once Alex gets out his keys and we walk into his apartment, I don't say anything. I shut the door behind me and step in. Alex walks straight to the sofa and sits down, eyes heavy and sore.

I don't even give him the chance to allow me to leave because I refuse to ask him if he wants me to stay. He's not in any fit state to be alone and I'd be the worst friend to leave him.

When I perch down on the sofa beside him, it's like he doesn't even notice that I'm here.

"Alex," I whisper carefully. He doesn't look, he doesn't flinch. So instead I slide a hand over his shoulders and tug his body back into mine. I know for a fact that human contact can heal a broken heart. "It's okay."

He sniffles and rests his head into my shoulder. "I don't understand," he whimpers so quietly that I barely hear him. "I don't understand why they would do this."

I inhale slowly and clutch him tighter. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Alex hiccups and then raises his head, staring back at me with his bloodshot eyes. "How could it be your fault?"

My heart cracks at his sheer devastation. "I just don't want to see you like this. I'm sorry that someone has done this to you, to your father, to your family. It's not like our town at all and I'm sorry. You came here to get closer to him, to experience our community power and yet something as disgusting as this happens."

Alex's lip trembles. "Did people not like him?"

I stare back at him. Now is not the time to explain that people didn't always understand his choices, that sometimes people saw him as overbearing. He did great things for this town but I know not everyone liked him in the way the givers of the community did.

"Of course they liked him," I say after a few moments. "He was such an asset to this town. He gave so much. He wanted to give so much more. People are jealous, people are cruel. It says nothing about him at all."

Alex's eyes flick between mine as if he read my hesitation as something else. "You'd tell me if you knew something, right?"

I suck in a silent breath and flash him a soft smile. "Yes," I nod and hate myself for lying. But I can't see him like this for a second longer. I can't. He's already down, he's already crushed. I can't kick him when he's already down. "I would tell you, Alex."

His expression drops and he sniffles again. "Thank you."

My head twists because I can't bear to look at his face. The face I've just lied to. It doesn't feel right to lie but I'm telling myself I can tell him in the future. When he's in a better head space and he'll understand why I did what I did.

I hate seeing him cry. It crushes me to pieces.

"Were you two super close?" I ask, trying to get off this subject.

Alex's head falls onto my shoulder again as he nods. "He was my best friend. He supported me through everything. Without him I wouldn't have made it through life. He was really my shining star. I struggled making friends in school and even though Liam was popular, he still made time for me. He tried to include me but I was the one who was resisting."

"He sounds like he was great," I admit.

"He was the best," his voice cracks harshly. "And when I know that I'll never get to see him again. It fucking destroys me. It hurts so badly that sometimes I can't sleep, I go off my food."

I drop my head to touch his in a supportive manner. "You're still grieving," I whisper carefully. "It hasn't been long and you're still finding your feet after him. And personally, I think you've been doing a great job. You found yourself a new set of friends, you got your first culinary job, you even went on your first date."

Alex stifles a laugh. "Are you mocking me about that?"

"Never," I shake my head. "But you've done so much in the past two months. And I'm proud of you, for carrying on, for fighting. Liam would have wanted this for you, to live your life to the fullest and experience things that he won't get the chance to. Don't give up, Alex. Please don't give up."

For a few moments he's silent and I start to panic. Maybe I went in too deep, I always go too deep. Sticking my nose in where it's not welcome but then Alex moves his head and flashes me those grey eyes.

"I'm not giving up," he whispers. "I've been fighting and I've been fighting since the first day I met you."

I shudder beneath my clothes at his words. "I know you have," I say confidently. "Because you've built this new life for yourself despite how hard it must have been. And that is some true dedication to yourself. You should be proud of what you've accomplished."

"Sometimes I feel like I need others to say it before I can recognise it," he admits slowly. "Which is probably the saddest thing I've ever said."

My lips slip into a small frown, and I find my fingers brushing the fabric of his t-shirt on his arm gently. "It's not sad," I say honestly. "Everyone's journey with progression is different but that doesn't mean it's wrong. There is nothing wrong with seeking reassurance but you can always find that in me. I think you're great. I've always thought you are great."

Alex's chest rumbles and I know that he's crying. "Sometimes I don't know what I did to deserve this."

"You deserve a chance, a chance at true happiness with content in this world."

"Thank you for being with me," he whimpers slowly.

I continue to stroke his arm soothingly. "I'll be here for as long as you want me to, Alex. I won't be going anywhere until you tell me."

I'm sure he snuggles closer into my body at my words and I know exactly what they mean.

❖ ❖ ❖

When I head to work the next day, I can't stop thinking about Alex. No matter how much I focus on the project I'm creating for this afternoon, my mind wanders back to him and his mental state.

Everyone knows about Liam's memorial that has been destroyed. It spread like wildfire and I don't know how it's going to affect Alex in the long run. I'm severely worried about him. He doesn't deserve this. None of his family do, all I want is for them to have peace now.

"Oh my God," I hear someone say from across the room but they're not talking to me. They're talking to a small group of people working on a presentation for our manager. "Even more stuff about Liam is coming out now."

I whip my head to the sound of their conversation. "What about it?" Someone asks.

"Well you know how Liam's car hit another woman's head on and they ruled it as human error?" She asks and they hum. "Well the woman who was in the other car, she just woke up from a coma and she remembers there being another car involved. A car that swung into Liam's lane, forcing him to swerve and hit this other woman's car."

My eyes are blinking rapidly and I turn away so it doesn't look like I'm eavesdropping.

"So are you saying that someone did that to him on purpose?"

"I mean... the article is insinuating that foul play was involved. They're opening up the case because now they believe that it could be intentional but they need more information, witnesses. They so easily ruled it off as human error, now it could even be a murder case."

Fuck. I curse inside my head.

A murder case? Alex is going to be distraught.

I don't even realise that my heart has started to rattle inside my chest, so quickly it's practically vibrating. I knew that some people didn't like him but not enough to force him to get hurt or in turn kill him, or to even trash his memorial.

There is a bigger story and I need to get to the bottom of it.

Some people who work for our charity used to be fairly close with him, our projects used to cross over with certain schools and institutions. Everyone here knew who he was, it was hard not to know him when he took over and everyone loved him.

Although it made us struggle with our funding because everyone wanted to work with Liam, we still managed to team up to get the best out of this town and the future for the children.

He definitely meant no harm but it was obvious how determined and leaderlike he was.

The day goes by slowly and I don't give my work the attention it should. My mind is elsewhere and I can't stop it from wandering. I resist the urge to bombard Alex with messages, he's probably at work himself.

And if he finds out the news that it could be a murder case... I rush home as quickly as I can.

I swing by a doughnut shop on the way home. I'm not entirely sure why but sometimes comfort eating and a bit of sugar can make the tiniest bit of difference. And I can't come empty handed, I feel useless when he always brings things for me.

When I reach our floor I head straight to his door and knock, the cardboard box with six glazed doughnuts in one hand. It takes a few moments before the door swings open, Alex is standing in a slouchy t-shirt and some sweatpants.

He's not crying but his eyes look red raw, skin blotchy and dark bags. "Hi," I say carefully.

His lips twitch into a forced smile. He doesn't say anything back.

"I got you these," I say, gesturing to the doughnuts. "Can't say that I made them but I know that doughnut shop is delicious."

I watch as his eyes spy the box, he steps forward to take it shakily. "Thank you."

My hands shove into my pockets as I stare back at him. If I don't do something with them I'll end up bundling him into my arms and I don't know if he needs the space, sometimes people don't like affection to make them feel better.

"How are you feeling today?"

Alex shrugs painfully sharp. "So-so. I didn't go to work today. William gave me the day off."

My lips slip into a frown at his expression. He's broken. He's shattered. And I can't do anything about it to make it better. I wish I could, I want to take away all his problems and watch him blossom into someone who will be happy for eternity.

He doesn't meet my eyes and I open my lips slowly. "Can I come in?"

"I'm not great company right now," he croaks with a sigh.

"That's the last thing I care about, Alex," I tell him truthfully. "I want to make sure you're okay. I want to be there for you."

His grey eyes are glassing over with tears again when he meets my gaze. "Did you hear?" He says barely above a whisper.

I clear my throat and brace myself for what I'm about to say. "The case being reopened?"

Alex nods and glances down at the floor. "Yeah."

I step forward and Alex moves out of the doorway, allowing me to shut the door behind me firmly. He walks to the kitchen counter and puts down the doughnuts, turning slowly, very slowly to face me again.

"Someone wanted to hurt him," he rasps, expression scrunching as he speaks. "They did it on purpose and they killed him."

My lungs take a steady breath as I walk towards him. "Hey," I say, gripping onto his arms gently. "They've opened the case which means they're going to find whoever did this. It's not going to go away lightly and the person will be brought to justice. I promise you."

Alex's wobbly eyes pierce my heart like a spear. "How do you know that?"

"I believe in karma," I whisper. "I believe in people getting what's coming to them."

"I wish I could think that. But I can't. It's just a nightmare that never ends."

As the time ticks by, I can't stop myself from embracing him into my chest. Alex doesn't resist, he exhales like he's been waiting for me to hug him this whole time. Even his arms cling to my back tightly, his head pressing into my shoulder.

"You are strong, Alex," I rub his back soothingly. "You can get through this and Liam will get the justice he deserves."

He bunches his fingers into my shirt tighter, pulling me closer. He doesn't say anything but we stay like this for a while, for as long as he needs because needing a true friend in times like these mean everything.

Even when everything seems impossible.

❖ ❖ ❖

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Author's Note

Ahhhhh, they've reopened the case and it could be possible murder??!😱😱😱

Alex's grief and sadness hurts me so much and River is such a great friend, the way he supports Alex is like no other!🥲🥰

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