"I was a liar, I gave into the fire. I know I should have fought it. At least I'm being honest."

--- Ariana Grande

I whisper with wide eyes.

He looks at me with the same expression.

"What are you doing Victoria?" He breathes out after a few moments of dead silence.

I drop my gaze to the ground because now I can not look at him. He opens my fisted hand and takes out the pills from them. Tears form in my eyes and my lip starts to tremble.

I can't look at him.

He puts his hand under my chin and lifts it so that I can look at him but I keep my eyes closed so I don't have to look at him. He cups my face in both of his hands.

"Look at me, Victoria." He whispers and uses his thumbs to wipe my tears.

I shake my head.

"Okay then talk to me." He demands firmly and softly.

"I c-can't," I say in a cracked voice.

He just pulls me in a tight hug and hug him back and let out my sobs that I was holding back. He rubs my back and the other hand is placed on my head, pulling me even more closer.

I hug him so tight and cry away all the emotions I have stored.

During my sobbing, my legs give up and I fall onto my knees taking him on the ground with me. I grip his shirt tighter and pull him towards me more.

"I c-can't live li-like this any-more." I cry out.

"Tell me what's wrong Ria. Let me help you please." He is begging me to let him help me.

"You can't Christian. N-no one c-can." My voice breaks.

"Don't say this, I can, if you let me. You are killing me like this, killer." He says and attempts to chuckle but fails miserably.

"I am fucked up Christian. No one can fix me." I pull away from him but he doesn't loosen his grip on me.

"Everyone is fucked up in someway Ria, no one is perfect." He pulls me into a hug again and I melt into it.

His body heat, his touch making me feel better. The man who I know nothing about, basically a total stranger is hugging me right now and I never want this to end.

"Let's get you your medicine and take you to bed. We'll see everything in the morning, okay?" He asks.

I nod my head and he picks me up bridal style and I instantly wrap my arms around his neck. He takes me to my room and sits me on my bed and places the comforter on my legs.

He kneels beside me places his one hand on my cheek and looks directly into the eyes.

It looked like he could see right through me. "You okay?"

I shake my head and mumble a little 'no.' What's the point of lying, he could already tell I am lying.

"Sleep. It will make you feel better." He tells me. "You look tired." He points out.

"I probably look like a mess right now." I let out a weird chuckle.

"No, you still look beautiful even with a red nose and flushed cheeks." He teases.

I look at my hands in my lap and fidget them. A hand is placed on them and is preventing me from moving them. I look up at him.

"I'll bring you your pill, you need to sleep." He says and without waiting for my answer he is off.

He comes in and places the glass on the nightstand and places the pill on my palm.

"I can't take it Christian. I need something strong."

"Why? It's enough for you to have a good night's sleep." He counters.

"You do not understand," I say in a low voice.

"Then make me." He holds my hand. "I'm lost here, Ria."

"I have very bad night terrors and when I try to wake up, I can't. I have to go through all that." I say looking at our joined hands.

"What are those dreams about?" He asks.

"When I was 12, I almost drowned to death and even now in my dreams I drown over and over again," I say holding in my tears. "I feel that water in my lungs, in my chest. Me choking on it, every time I sleep." I explain.

"Then you don't need the pill. You are going to sleep without a pill and I will help you okay?"

I don't respond just look at him. How will he help??

"Okay?" he asks again.

"Okay."

"Good. Now scoot over."

I widen my eyes. "I beg your pardon."

He takes in a deep breath and picks me up making me squeak and puts me in the middle of the bed.

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?" He chuckles watching my expression.

He takes off his shirt which makes me cover my eyes. He laughs at me.

"What are you doing princess?" He takes my hand off of my eyes.

I open my eyes to see him really close to my face, the moonlight from my window illuminating his face making his features look sharper and him more beautiful. My breath hitches at the proximity of our distance.

I subconsciously lick my dry lips which causes him to look at my lips. He looks into my eyes again but I break the contact and he breaks the silence.

"Let's go to sleep."

I was a little disappointed at that moment that I didn't get to kiss his soft lips. The feeling of his lips on mine but I let it slide.

I lay back on the pillow and Christian lays back next to me. Christian scoots closer to me and pulls me into him and I rest my head on his bare chest and my arm around his torso.

"You want me to tell you a story?" He asks.

"What about?"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes." I chuckle.

"Once upon a time there was a man, he was very lonely and lived with a father and a sick mother. He had a bad past. He had no friends and the friends he had were only using him so he had a hard time trusting anybody.

His childhood was rough and growing up without friends wasn't easy for him. He always prayed to God to give the princess that is waiting for him. One day he was walking home when his father's enemies attacked him.

He managed to run away but was very injured. He had lost all hope, he thought he was going to die. He hated the fact that he never got to meet her princess that was waiting for him. Someone that he would love, someone that would be the light to his darkness." He told me while stroking my hair and my back.

It made me sleepy and his voice ensured me he is here with me.

"Did he find her?" I ask in a sleepy voice.

"He did. When he was injured he was found by his princess. She went all the way for him as she did for everyone. She was kind-hearted and always thought about others. She took him to her castle and cleaned him, gave him clothes to wear, food to eat.

She was more than anything the man was hoping for. She was too good for the man. The man knew it would be wrong if he drags that beauty into his broken world but the man was too selfish to let something this beautiful that life gave him, go."

"As the days passed the man knew it was the right decision, he couldn't see his princess sad. he wanted to protect her beautiful princess from the dangers of the world. She was his everything, he...." His voice got lower and lower and my eyelids got heavier and heavier.

I snuggled more into his warmth and closed my eyes and fell into a slumber not before feeling a pair of lips on my forehead.

With a small smile, I was sound asleep.