295 The One To Save

[Johan's POV]

"Yohei?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you... really sure about Russell?"

Cuddled under the shade of a tree, his back pressed against Raymond's chest, Johan turned his head slightly to the side to catch his best friend's troubled expression. He let his gaze linger on the chestnut eyes reflecting the calmness of the river, unsure if the question was about dating Russell or something else entirely.

"Do you believe he's not involved in Marianne's death?" Raymond asked when he didn't receive a response from him.

Johan shifted to face Raymond fully. It was nice to be pressed up against him, but with the kind of weather they're having, sweltering at noon after a light drizzle at night, any skin contact felt like making love with the devil.

"What made you think he is?" Johan asked, fanning himself with his shirt.

"Someone told me—"

"And how reliable is that someone for you to believe what they said?"