Listen to Human by Christina Perri

I gripped Adrian's arm as he carried me in his arms to the long sofa in the living room, he placed me gently like he was holding an egg.

"Hey, you're going to be fine."
He whispered stroking my hair, I nodded frantically wanting his words to be true, was I ever going to be fine?

"I will be right back."
He left me alone.

I whimpered gripping the sides of the sofa, he returned with a glass of water. Maybe it was the migraine, I left the pills at Tristan's place. All my belongings were there, I have to get them back.

Adrian pulled the table in the middle closer to where I laid, he sat down not resting all his weight on it.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital," he suggested.

"No, it's okay. The pain is subsiding."
He didn't look convinced.

"Is this the first time?" He asked looking too concerned.

"No," I lied.
Anything to avoid going to the hospital, I was sick of staring at white walls of the hospital, the nauseous smell of disinfectants and medicines.

He moved his hand closer and placed his palm on my forehead.

"Shit! You're burning up."
He stood up in a flash and left.

He returned with his car keys and the blanket I had around me earlier.

"I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No, I'm fine. It's nothing serious I swear."
I said sitting up but my body didn't feel the same anymore, my strength was wearing out and I was aware of the goosebumps on my skin.

"I will be okay once I have some rest."
I added collecting the blanket, I wrapped it around myself and laid back.

"I will make you some soup, it's not going to be good as you expect," he said and laughed at himself. I nodded with a lazy smile and he left.

The soup was not that bad, my tongue was still urticating from the soup. I returned the empty plate and thanked him.

"I will take you to your room."
He told me after he returned from the kitchen.

He held my arm as we climbed the stairs, the pain in my head wasn't bad as before. He pulled the comforter up to my neck after I laid on the queen bed, he touched my forehead again, I flinched from the coolness of his hand.

"You are still hot."
He sounded worried, he left and returned with a small towel soaked in cold water.

He rubbed my face and my arms gently and placed the towel on my forehead.

"He never wanted this, that's all I want you to know," Adrian whispered.

"He destroyed my life, he ruined everything for me. I don't care if he decides to take his life."
He just stared at me after I was done talking.

"I will be back to check on you."
He told me before leaving.

I closed my eyes and went to sleep instantly.

∆
The sound of the door opening woke me up, my eyes squinted at the sun rays from outside, what time was it?

"Hey."
I heard from behind me, I turned to look at Adrian. He was holding a tray filled with French toast, blueberry jam, bacon, and tea.

"Hi."
I sat up slowly and rest my back on the headboard.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better than last night."
I said and sighed in relief, I moved my messy hair back to see clearly. He dropped the tray in front of me and placed the back of his palm on my forehead.

"I'm fine now, Adrian."
I said when he pulled his hand away

"What about your head?" he asked with a scrutinizing stare like he could catch any lie that left my lips.

"I don't feel any pain."
Except the one in my heart that won't stop.

"I will get you some Aleve just in case."

"Okay."
I mumbled, he smiled at me and left. I hated medicines, I preferred injections one hundred percent.

He returned with a small bottle, he dropped it on the nightstand and sat next to me on the bed.

His tousled hair needed some brushing, his black hoodie matched the mood on his face. I saw the bags underneath his eyes, did he have any sleep last night?

He stayed up taking care of me while dealing with the truth behind his relationship with Karen. No matter how many smiles he wore, I knew underneath he was bleeding and hurting.

"Have you eaten?"
I asked adding jam to the french toast.

"I had coffee."

"Just coffee? Eat this."
I forced the bread with jam into his hand.

"I have enough."
I said quickly when he opened his mouth to reject it. He chuckled softly and ate it with a shrug.

"Thanks for last night."
I said giving him the best smile I could muster up.

"I think I owe you a lot after everything I did to you, so don't thank me."

"Yeah, you definitely do."
I said nodding my head, he laughed at me.

"I promise I will leave once I figure things out but for now, you never saw me and you don't know where I am."

"Yes, mam."
He said, throwing two fingers in a salute, I smiled and ate my bacon. I missed the old Adrian, it was nice to have him back.

∆
I tried to figure my life out, I wanted to remain off the radar. I had stayed here for almost a week and I already felt like a burden to Adrian even if he kept telling me I could stay for as long as I wanted.

I didn't want to return to my family or contact anyone, maybe I would be forgotten, nobody cared anyway.

If I went missing it wouldn't mean anything to my family cause I was dead to them, Grey had probably moved on and Vina...
I missed her, she was the only one that believed me. She was the only one I could turn to for advice, but I didn't want to contact her, I knew she'd be worried about me by now.

I needed to sort things out myself, but it was hard, Tristan made it hard. The fact he was in my head, no matter the amount of alcohol I consumed every night he was still there, the memories, I wished they could disappear.

I cried every time in the shower, I was happy the water always washed my tears away.

 I needed a new life, a life without Tristan, a life without any of my exes, a life without my family, and one not surrounded by monsters. I needed to start somewhere, maybe create a new identity?

I hid the alcohol in my hand under the bed when I heard Adrian's footsteps, he was back from work.
I promised him I'd stop alcohol for a few days but it wasn't working, I needed it to stop me from going crazy.

He knocked on the door calling my name, I let him in with a fake smile.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

"I will freshen up and see if I can fix us something to eat."
He told me and left.

I wished I could cook for him, but I have forgotten all the cooking lessons I got from 'he who shall not be named'

I joined him downstairs after brushing my mouth to get rid of the alcohol smell. I decided to help cut the vegetable while he did the rest. Turned out we were both awful in the kitchen but we tried to cook something edible.

"Chloe?"
He called, my heartbeat paused, maybe he knew I'd been drinking.

"Yeah?" I feigned innocence.

"How long are you planning not to contact anyone? Everyone thinks you've gone missing."

"Good, it should stay that way."
That was all I told him and returned to cutting the vegetable.

"Tristan already told your family the truth."
I paused immediately after he said that.

"They are all looking for you, your friends, your family, your ex. They are searching for you."
I didn't say anything.

"It's hard to pretend I know nothing about your whereabout when they are all going crazy looking for you, the whole town knows the truth already, Tristan told everyone on the news, it's on the media. They want you back, everyone is searching."
He waited for me to say something but I was quiet, he carried on.

"Your best friend created a website for you to come back home, your family sued the Sanchesters. They are still handling the case in court."

I was missing out, I didn't even have my phone with me and I rarely watched the news since I got here but it was better that way. I increased my grip on the knife, I was furious. My family wanted me back now? Wow, what a great family.

"I know Tristan hurt you, I am not trying to defend him or anything but he..."

"I'm not feeling too well, I will go up and rest my head."
I said dropping the knife, I walked quickly out of the kitchen.

I locked the door to my room and sat at the foot of the bed, everyone knew the truth? Then why wasn't I happy?

The truth was out, but it still felt like something was missing. I wasn't thrilled with the news, this was what I wanted but it didn't seem like it anymore.

I swallowed the dryness in my throat and laid wistfully on the bed. Life was so complicated, I should go and apologize to Adrian, he didn't mean any harm. I stood up and left the room, I paused in the living room when I saw the person on the local news.

Tristan?

I found myself moving closer to listen to what he was saying.

He looked like a dead man walking, he didn't even try to look good for the cameras.
His eyes were pale, he wore a peach sweatshirt and black jeans, his hair looked fuller and his stubble was slowly being replaced with a beard.

His blue eyes stared at the cameras, he licked his lips after each sentence like it was a way for him to calm his nerves.

I read the headline, COME BACK HOME, CHLOE.

I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palm. There was dark anger within me that needed release. 

"....I know we hurt you, what we did was awful and inhuman, we are really sorry Cassie, please come home. We need you back home, your family needs you, your best friend needs you..."
He paused and stared at his feet then back at the camera.

"I know you hate me, I deserve that. I miss you, Cassie, it hurts not to have you near. You're more than a distraction to me, I love you more than I thought I could ever love anyone. If you're out there and you're seeing this, please come back, not for me but for your family and best friend.
If you're watching this and you've seen this beautiful lady, please call the number on your screen, thank you."
He took a glance at the news anchor and gave him a smile.

They shook hands and he left, I sat there with different emotions running through my body. I fought the urge to reach for the wooden antique on the table and smashing the tv. It might make me feel better.

"Asqueroso pedazo de mierda!" I said within gritted teeth. It was one of the insults I picked up from Vina, it meant disgusting piece of shit.

"So sad, if you have seen this beautiful lady, don't hesitate to call the number below or inform the police."
The local news Anchor said and flashed his white teeth.

I stood up to leave and saw Adrian standing not far away from where I was, he heard the news too.

"How long?"
He asked me as I walked to the dining.

"If you want me to leave, I will leave. I'm not ready to face the whole city or the whole world. I want to be alone even if it has to be a year."

"I'm not asking you to leave, I can't keep lying and watching them suffer. Tristan is in deep shit because he is at fault for your disappearance, I'm not trying to save him but things could get worse if you don't come out."

"I am a fucking twenty-year-old, I can live in secret if I want. Why does every care if I'm missing? It doesn't make me feel better Adrian," I said almost screaming

I sat on the nearest seat and groaned, this was way harder than I expected.

"I'm not ready."
I told him almost breaking down in tears again.

"I know how hard it must be for you, take your time, I will wait. Just make sure you make the right decision."
I stood up and gave him a hug, we both needed it.

He hugged me back stroking my back. 

"Sorry if I'm giving you a hard time."
I muffled against his chest and inhaled his nice cologne.

"It's fine."
He whispered and I felt him smile.

His relationship with Karen must be taking a toll on him. He's been avoiding the topic, but I knew he was still hurting.

"Cassie?"
We both heard Tristan's voice.

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