I wandered around the city of Las Vegas for what felt like hours but without a phone, I had no idea how long it actually was. I was catcalled by some passing drunks walking out of a strip club. I shuddered and walked faster before one of them could touch me.

Tears rolled down my face with a I wiped them away with the back of my hand. My arms were crossed over each other to break the slight wind that flew around the night. My heart hung heavy with guilt. It felt so heavy it was hard to breath sometimes. All I could think about was Nick's face -- how hurt he'd been. I didn't know where I was going, but I didn't care. I just needed to get away from the others.

Police sirens and the faint cheers from passing bars echoed in the distance. I caught myself before I stepped on a suspicious needle laying on the sidewalk and kicked it to the side. My feet throbbed around the arch and I felt considerably nauseous. Hunger twisted in my stomach and I was frightened I would throw up the breakfast that kind couple bought us this morning.

Across the street, I noticed a couple sitting on a bus bench. There was a stroller between them. A baby sat inside it. They giggled and kicked the air, a wide smile on their face. The couple were talking. I was too far away to hear, but their facial expressions told me it wasn't a pleasant conversation. The women suddenly stood up and walked away down the street. She crossed her arms over her chest and stomped away. Just as quickly, the baby started to scream. It was a loud wail that I could hear from where I was standing. The man picked up the baby and held them close to him, but the baby kept crying.

I shook my head and looked away. Inhaling a deep breath, I kept walking.

I heard the sound of dazed laughing bounced off the walls of the brick building I was walking past. Over my shoulder I saw two grown men walking sloppily down the sidewalk just a few feet away from me. They each were holding glass bottles of what I could only assume was alcohol. One of them looked up and we connected eyes. He patted his friend's shoulder and I sped up my walking.

"Hey, you! You lost, little lady?" A voice called out, each word slurring more when he spoke. Synchronized laughing soon followed.

I started walking faster when their footfalls got louder. There was a gap between the buildings and I quickly ducked inside. There was an exit on the other side of the building so I took it. But when I was only a few feet away, two different guys appeared. I stumbled back, my pulse quickening. With trembling legs, I turned around to see the two guys from before closing in on me. They had lopsided smiles on their faces.

"Ain't she a pretty thing." One of the new guys said, each of them getting closer and closer to me. One of them tossed an empty bottle on the ground. It clattered on the pavement, but never shattered.

"Why'd you run away, baby?" One of the old guys asked me rhetorically. "We're only looking for some fun."

I reversed up all the way until my back hit the cool brick of one of the buildings we were in between. My chest rose and fell rapidly with each breath I inhaled. The men crowded around me and I could smell the weed and booze reeking off of them.

"You like to have fun, right?" One of them asked and the others laughed.

"I call taking her first." Another one called out.

He approached me, his nose almost touching mine. I inhaled deeply and held it there, not wanting to smell his odor. He had stubble on his chin and his blue eyes were dilated like moons. He looked me up and down, grabbing at strands of my hair.

"Can't be much older than twenty, ain't you?" He smiled a crooked smile. His teeth were black and molding. I could tell he has been smoking for over a decade. "Got a boyfriend?"

I didn't reply; I only looked at him with all the disgust I could muster without crying. I couldn't let myself cry, not now.

"Answer him, bitch." One of the other guy's yelled so suddenly I jumped. The guy touching my hair smiled at my reaction.

With my heart beating in my ears, I shook my head.

"Shame," He said. "Would've been fun to make him watch."

Tears stung in my eyes but I blinked them away. I couldn't give into them. It's only what they wanted. So I did something to show them that I wasn't afraid.

I spit in his face.

"Gah," He yelled out in disgust. With lucid movements, he lifted his arm and wiped it face.

Just as quickly as I made the decision to spit, he lifted his hand and slapped my cheek with a force that whipped my head sideways. The sting of pain brought tears to my eyes but this time there was too much to push back. They spilled down my face like running water fell over a clogged sink.

"Looks like we got a freaky chick." He laughed over his shoulder to his friends. "Lucky for you, I like it rough."

Before I could react to what he had said, his hand slipped down to my behind and he groped be forcefully. I winced at his dirty hand on my body. His lips pushed onto my neck and I couldn't help the small cry that fell out of my mouth. My heart was beating so loud I was afraid he'd hear it. I wished the ground would swallow me whole. I wished God, or the universe, or whoever was up there would strike me dead. I wanted to be anywhere than here.

"Dylan,"

For a second I thought I had imagined the call from Nick's voice. I thought it was some cruel joke my mind was playing on me. But when the other guys looked up, I knew it was real.

"Dylan!" His voice was more alert and I felt my heart flutter with hope.

The guy touching pulled himself away from me and spoke. "Get out of here, man."

I could see a clear picture of the scene now. Nick was standing right between the start of the alley and end of the sidewalk. His chest was rising and falling like mine, his eyes darted between each assailant. They started to surround him, each man clenching their hands into fists.

"No. Not without Dylan." Nick held his head high, not showing any fear. He clenched his own fists, ready to take on every single one of them.

My eyes fell to the ground, searching for something. Anything I could use to defend him with. As strong as Nick was, he would never be able to take on four men, drunk or not. They were bigger and older. The men took a few steps closer to Nick and he took a sharp breath.

The bottle.

My heart swelled when my eyes locked onto the bottle one of the guys tossed just a few minutes ago. I glance at the men, they were even closer now. Nick didn't flinch. He stood tall with his eyes locked on the guy that had touched me.

I heedlessly crawled down to the ground, moving as fast as I could to the bottle. My fingers wrapped around the neck tightly and I swung around and smacked the bottom half on a dumpster. It shattered in half, creating a sharp end. The men turned around as I stood up, holding the neck with both of my trembling hands.

"Stay back!" I shouted with as much force as I could muster, but my voice still wavered with anxiety. "Stay back or I'll fucking kill you!"

The men glanced at each other and put their hands up in surrender. One of them mumbled 'let's get out of here' to the others and they bolted out of the alley, completely passing Nick. I waited until their footfalls fell silent in the distance to lower the bottle.

Relief washed over me like a wave during a storm. My legs buckled and I fell to the ground on my knees, the rest of the tears fell from my eyes. I could see Nick running towards me through my blurry vision. My body shook like a leaf, and even though I was safe, I couldn't stop.

Nick wrapped his arms around my fragile body. He held me close. "It's okay now." He whispered in my ear and I sobbed. "You're safe."

I wept into his shoulder. The fear almost completely vanished when he held me. Our bodies were so close, I could feel the heat radiating off of him. My heart swelled with an ineffable feeling. It felt like our souls were connecting. I felt invincible just from his touch. As long as he held like this, I would never be hurt again.

"I was so scared." I managed to croak through weeps, but it was muffled by his shirt.

I felt him nod against my shoulder. "I know. But you're okay now. I'll never let anything hurt you. Never." His hand held the back of my head against him and I squeezed my arms around him.

We sat like that for a long time.

~ ~ ~

Once I had calmed down enough that my body wasn't shaking, Nick helped me stand up. We walked out of the alley, but Nick's hand never left mine. He held it tight, as if when he'd let go, those men would come back. I could still feel his dirty hand on my bottom.

"Thanks for saving me." He said out of the blue.

I look up at him with raised eyebrows. "What? You saved me."

He smiled but I could see sadness behind it. "No, you saved me. You're the one that got that bottle. You're the one that threatened them."

I looked down at the ground, watching a crack in the sidewalk pass as we walked. "You were about to take on all of them four them. You would've died."

"I don't know if I would've died." He chuckled humorlessly, but I only looked at him with a sad stare. "I would do anything for you, Dylan."

I blink away the tears forming in my eyes, guilt pulling at my heart. "I'm sorry."

He looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"No, I do. For not telling you." I wiped a stray tear from my cheek. "That I was pregnant" He looked down at the ground in silence. "God, you must think I'm such a slut."

He stopped abruptly, his grasp on my hand pulling me back to him when I kept walking. He placed his finger under my chin and gently pushed my head up to look at him. I gasped when our eyes connected. My heart started to beat faster.

"You are not a slut." He told me in the softest voice I've ever heard. His eyes roamed every inch of my face. "Everything happens for a reason, right?"

"But I lied to you." Two more tears rolled down and he wiped them away with his thumb.

He shook his head. "No, stop that. Stop blaming yourself for everything. It's none of my business, anyways."

"But it is because-" I cut myself off.

I squeezed my eyes shut and more tears slid down. I inhaled a sharp breath, letting my lungs fill with the cool Nevada air.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" He asked when he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Yes. Yes, I swear I was. I just didn't know how. Or when." I told him earnestly. He looked back at me with gentle eyes. "I was afraid you'd think-"

"-you were a slut?" I nodded and let him wipe away another tear. "Don't be stupid." I chuckled and sniffed and he smiled. "There's that smile I love."

love

I looked down at the ground for a moment and looked back up at him. Neither of us said anything. We just looked into each other's eyes; each other's souls. My whole body went warm, like I was being wrapped by a thick blanket. His fingers burned the skin he touched and my breathing stopped for a second. It felt like my heart stopped for a second.

Then Nick said: "We better keep walking."

I nodded and sniffed again. His hands dropped and he intertwined one of them with mine. We continued down the sidewalk in silence, but it didn't feel like it. Our hearts were speaking at that moment. Maybe not to each other, but mine certainly told me something.

~ ~ ~

Happy birthday to me. :)