Liam wasn't sure what was going on. He expected Everleigh to tell him to back up; to yell at him or call him some scathing name for trying to help her. Instead of doing that, she just looked down, a few silent tears slipping down her pretty cheeks. The sight of those tears clenched at his heart in a way Liam wasn't used to, and he didn't quite understand what it meant. All he knew was that he needed to figure out what was wrong so he could make those tears stop. It was a strange compulsion, but he wasn't thinking about that now. Not when Ever was doing something as surprising as leaning into his touch as if seeking comfort; or at least Liam hoped that's why she did it.
Before he could say anything else, she was reaching to remove his hand from her face, which confused him even more. Was she going to yell at him after all? His eyes followed as Ever pulled out her phone, and it reminded him that his own had gone off around the same time. Liam wasn't big on gossip, or gossip sites, so he didn't think much of it. He figured it was just a coincidence, at least until she dropped her phone, face going pale white as she slid off her knees. Concern instantly filled his dark eyes as he looked down, terrified it was some horrible news. "What is it? What-" he started, but stopped mid-sentence as his eyes caught sight of the fallen cell phone.
There was no way to miss what was on that screen, and instant realization washed over him. Why Ever had been crying in the first place, why she suddenly looked like she was going to be sick. Some psycho had snuck into her shower to snap a picture; they'd probably taunted her too, if her behavior when he first ran into her was any indication. One hand curled into a fist as white hot anger washed over him in a rush, and it took every ounce of control in Liam not to shake her and ask her where the bastards responsible for this were. Instead, he took a breath, calming himself enough to move closer to her and wrap his arms around her as she sobbed. As much as he wanted to rip the guys apart who had done this, he could tell Everleigh needed someone right now. He wasn't that good at comfort, but he could try.