The second the tyres screeched to a halt in front of the bar Naomi was at, Chris killed the engine almost immediately and practically ripped his keys out of the ignition before stumbling out of the car he rented. Dashing across the parking lot, he hadn't even bothered to lock his car because the only thing on his mind at the moment was Naomi.

Naomi's safety. Naomi's well-being. Naomi's everything.

With his keys looped around his index finger, Chris pushed past the bar's rickety doors and was immediately drenched in the bar's dim lighting. There were only a few people in the bar; a couple whispering away in one little corner, a group of girls and guys talking about the day they had and an elderly man sipping slowly on his mug of beer.

Frantically, he surveyed the entire bar before his worried eyes landed upon a petite figure that was hunched over the bar. Naomi. From where he was standing, he could distinctly see just how shattered she was because she looked far worse now than she had these past two weeks.

He knew something was clearly bothering her to no end, eating away at her and occupying the entirety of her mind but it honestly looked as though the thing that was bothering her had completely disintegrated and crushed her from the inside out.

She was trembling---her entire physique was shaking so violently that the sight of it sent an instant and gut-wrenching pang right to the centre of his heart. She was crying. She was crying and she was even trying her best to do it discreetly, and it pained him to see her like this.

With his heart weighing like an anchor, he jogged over to where Naomi was seated but just as he was about to gently place his hand on her back, the bartender stepped up to prevent him from inching any closer to the petite woman.

"You Chris?" Gerard asked in a gruffy manner with his arm still stretched out.

"I am," Chris responded immediately with a nod but the bartender didn't seem too convinced. He didn't blame him because at least he knew that Naomi was in good hands before he arrived. "You texted me through her phone," he gestured towards Naomi's still trembling figure, "saying she's had way too many drinks when I kept calling her repeatedly."

Gerard nodded, his eyes still fixated on Chris. "I know. . . just wanted to be sure it really is you. She has a picture of the both of you on her phone---you just look a little different with the cap on."

Chris quirked an eyebrow at the bartender but decided not to press further because her having a picture of the both of them wasn't his main concern. The bartender noticed his trepidation---it was practically exuding off of him---and stepped aside, allowing Chris to make his way over to Naomi.

Chris threw a nod at the bartender, silently thanking him before taking two long strides towards the petite woman. Her head was turned the other way so she didn't actually notice that Chris was right behind her until she felt a hand on her back.

"Naomi," Chris softly cooed, his face just inches away from the back of her head.

Naomi nearly perked up at the sound of his voice, especially since the booze was still in her system, and lazily lifted her head off of her arm to turn around to face him. "Chris," she squeaked, her eyes fluttering open and close every so often.

He sighed softly in both relief and dismay, his eyes nearly brimming with tears because he couldn't, he just couldn't stand the sight of seeing her so incredibly fractured. He didn't know exactly what was eating away at her and though he so desperately wanted to know what it was so that he could help her out, he knew this wasn't the right time to be asking questions.

"She's been going on and on about her mom and dad since she downed her third mug," the bartender piped up, his voice laced with sympathy. He pursed his lips and shook his head, breathing out a sigh and mumbling something about how a person's parents could even be that selfish.

Chris had no clue what the actual problem was but from what the bartender was grumbling lowly about, he could vaguely make out just what it possibly was.

Naomi hadn't mentioned a single thing about her parents in all the time they've known each other and he could now faintly recall Naomi being close to tears when his mother gave her a hug before they left for New York after the black-tie event. He thought she was just a little overwhelmed---in a good way---by how amiable his folks and sisters were but now. . . now he knew that that wasn't the reason.

"Thank you for looking out for her," Chris said thoughtfully as he helped Naomi to her feet. Gerard waved it off and offered a lopsided smile as he collected the empty glasses and stowed them away in the sink.

"Why did you have to leave me. . ." Naomi muttered under her breath, her hand latching on to Chris' forearm as she tried to steady herself. He turned to look at her, ready to ask her what she meant by that when the bartender spoke once more from beside him.

"Listen, man. Just look out for her," he said, gesturing towards Naomi with the same sympathetic look on his face that he had earlier on. "And I don't just mean physically but emotionally as well. She seems to be feeling really guilty towards you, so, if you can. . . try and find it in your heart to forgive her for whatever it is that she's feeling guilty about. She's been crying all night over you and 'bout something else."

Chris felt his breath hitch in his throat the second those words bounced off the bartender's lips. He turned to look at Naomi, whose fringe had flopped right into her face and whose hand was still feebly clinging on to his forearm while she tried to keep her eyes open. Instinctively, he reached out to gently tuck her fringe away, allowing his fingers to linger over the shell of her ear just for a little while as his eyes darted from one corner of her face to the next.

Guilty? He pondered. Why would she feel guilty towards him and for what reason? God, he really wanted to ask her what it was that she was feeling guilty about but he knew better than to press her for an answer.

Reeling himself out of his thoughts, Chris gave the bartender a staggered nod before shooting him a silent 'thank you'. Snaking his arm more securely around Naomi, he took one step at a time, making sure that she could keep up with his pace as they headed towards the dilapidated doors.

. . . . . .

The drive to Naomi's place was filled with nothing but murmurs constantly falling from her lips. At times, Chris could make out just what exactly she was saying but other times, he simply could not because her sentences would just come out in slurs.

Even though she was still kind of woozy, Chris couldn't seem to shake off the feeling he was getting from her because she was practically exuding it. It was like she was being burdened by this excruciating and inexplicable sorrow that was only dragging her further through a dismal abyss.

And halfway through the drive, he even found her silently sobbing with her head propped up against the window, choking back her tears as quietly as possible and silently trembling as desolation filled her to the very brim. It killed him to know that she was shouldering such pain---a pain he didn't even know was there.

He took one hand off the wheel and reached over to her, placing it on her shoulder as her petite frame continued to twitch vehemently despite his attempts at comforting her.

"Naomi," he called out to her softly as he rubbed her arm soothingly, his eyes never leaving the road.

"I'm sorry, Chris," she murmured, her voice cracking as it drew Chris' attention toward her. "M'sorry I can't. . ."

He was at a complete loss for words. He simply did not know what to say or what to ask, and whether or not he should even be asking any questions. But he couldn't ignore the fact that her voice actually cracked and that a soft sob actually left her lips when she apologized to him.

What was she even apologizing for?

Taking his eyes off the road for a split second, he turned his head to the woman beside him and noticed that she wasn't trembling as much anymore. This elicited a sigh of relief from him and he could literally feel his worries die down a little. He could feel the worrisome feelings beginning to seep out of his veins now that Naomi was a bit calmer than she was a few minutes ago.

Though, he still had no idea what she was apologizing for.

The rest of the drive was filled with nothing but absolute silence between the pair and Chris took it as a good sign because Naomi wasn't trembling anymore and neither was she choking back her tears. Just as he was about to pull up in front of her building, he spared a glance at her and noticed she'd kicked off her sandals, her knees now huddled to her chest while her head remained propped against the window.

He knew he'd have to wake her up sooner or later because she had the keys to her condo unit and it was nowhere to be found in her purse. With a heavy heart, Chris hopped out from the driver's seat and rounded the car to get over to where Naomi was.

When he moved to pull the door open gently---completely forgetting the fact that Naomi was actually leaning against the window---Naomi was about to plummet head first towards the pavement but Chris was quick enough to crouch down and catch her in his arms before anything could happen.

Though, her head collided with his chest a little harder than he'd expected because he thought that he'd managed to soften the blow, even if it was just by a smidge. Chris watched as Naomi screwed her eyes shut, stirring in his arms before the creases between her brows eased away.

"Naomi?"

"Hmm. . . " she hummed in response, her head still fuzzy as fuzzy as before.

"Naomi, I'm gonna need you to take your keys out of your pocket 'cause I can't reach for it, and I won't because that would be inappropriate," he grunted a little as he gently leaned her back against the passenger's seat. "Can you do that for me, babe?"

Instant regret washed over him as swiftly as the term of endearment slipped past his lips, and right there and then, Chris wanted nothing more than for the ground to crack open and swallow him whole. He wasn't sure if Naomi would remember any of this when morning comes but if she did, he'd have to explain to her and probably cook up a story to cover himself.

Foolish, foolish, foolish.

"Naomi?" he called out once more, his tone as soft as before.

He waited for a moment but when he'd gotten no response from her, he sighed and pursed his lips, knowing that she's most probably passed out from downing that much alcohol. Still crouching down beside her on the stony pavement just right outside her condo, Chris decided to weigh out all his possible options.

He initially thought of driving her to one of her friends' place but then he remembered that neither of the girls were here in Georgia.

Driving her to the nearest hotel seemed like the most plausible idea---he could book her a room and come back in the morning to check in on her, and drive her back. But just as he was about to settle on that idea, another incomprehensible murmur fell from her lips and his plan on booking her a room in a hotel just went down the drain.

Chris knew he couldn't leave her alone, not like this. Not now. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. . . but right now, in the state that she's in, he knew he couldn't bear to leave her alone while she tried to sleep off the effects of the alcoholic drinks she'd consumed tonight.

He simply did not have the heart to leave her alone. He couldn't. How could he ever?

He blew out a sigh and nodded lightly to himself before reaching for Naomi's seat belt. He strapped her in, made sure her head was in an upright position so that she wouldn't suffer from any neck aches in the morning before shutting the door as gently as he could.

Once he buckled himself up in the driver's seat, he casted one last glance at her before driving the both of them back to his place.

---
a/n; seeing naomi this sad breaks my heart 💔

there's definitely going to be a part 2 to this (after the next two to three chapters---you'll find out why 💗💔)!