"You can leave me if you wish, my love, but I'm not going anywhere." - Keaton Henson, 10am Gare du Nord

~~~

We arrived at the event afterward. Avery's arm latched onto mine. The venue was large and filled with people dressed to impress. I thought my funeral suit fit in quite nicely.

"Shall we?" My girlfriend questioned.

"We shall."

"Y'all are so cute, it's nauseating," my grandma commented.

Avery couldn't stifle the laugh escaping from her lips. Her laugh was adorable, yet I thought everything she did was something to be admired. I guess it was because she was who I admired. As we made our way through the entrance, my eyes were glued to her. She had me in a trance that I didn't want to exit.

As the decor got more elaborate, I found her squeezing tighter and tighter onto my bicep. She looked up at me with her brown eyes, searching for comfort. I was willing to give it to her.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's just a lot of people around," she answered. Her voice was slightly shaky and sounded strained at points. Suddenly, the room felt smaller as more people packed in.

I could tell that she was anxious. She kept looking frantically from the left to her right, scanning the room.

"I know, but it's okay. Nothing bad will happen. I wouldn't put you in harm's way," I reassured her.

"It's just a lot. Sensory overload, I guess," she said.

I continued looking at the room before I noticed an elegant passageway. It was heavily lit, yet not cramped at all. With the venue being one of the most grandiose halls in Annapolis, it didn't come as much of a surprise. The arches that acted as an entrance to the section were lined with gold.

"It's a little quieter over there," I mentioned. Avery took one glance over there before she grabbed my hand and took me over there.

"Aggressive much?" I joked. She looked at me and began to laugh.

"Sorry, I just knew that this was where I wanted to be. I mean, look at these paintings."

The paintings were framed with gold detailing and all of the artworks had a sense of delicacy. There were about six and all of them had a woman as the subject. I assumed they were all by the same person. Avery stood inches away from one of the more sorrowful pieces. Why would she be interested in that?

"Is this one your favorite?" I asked, putting my arm around her.

She got closer to me. "Yeah, it's just emotional. The girl in the painting looks like she's been through a lot, but she's still beautiful."

All I saw was a girl crying.

"Wow, you're smart," I commented.

"Oh, don't act so surprised. Anyway, I'm very used to analyzing. Stories are best told without words, especially ones like these."

"How?"

"Well, art is open-ended. Everything is fluid and not clearly defined. One person's analysis may reveal an aspect of their lives, but it's under the guise of artistic scrutiny," she elaborated. I could tell she was passionate about the arts. When she was explaining it, she began to pace a little, hands moving with her words.

"Someone's arts education is being put towards good use."

"Yeah, I'm only good at dancing but I know a little about acting, art, and singing. I'm not really good at any of those though."

"Are you kidding me? I bet you're not too bad at any of that. I have a hunch that you're actually a good singer."

She laughed again and looked down at her feet. "You're too kind, but I'm not lying. You'd know that if you ever got to hear me sing."

"Why not give me a rendition of something now?" I suggested. Her shy demeanor became even more inclusive. "There's no one around."

"Nice try, but you're still around. That accounts for a person in my book."

"I'm not one to judge."

"That's a lie and you know it."

Now, she had me laughing. "Well, I try not to judge you."

"What have you been judging me for?"

"Nothing. When I said judging I meant looking at you and forming a conclusion about you."

"So, you mean a judgment?"

"Sorry, I said the wrong thing. For example, I saw your dress tonight and came to the conclusion that you looked stunning in it."

Her face softened, matching the refined look she'd created. Her cheeks warmed to a shade of pink. "Oh. Well, thank you then."

"No problem." I grabbed her face and pulled it closer, leaving a kiss on her cheek. "Now that that's settled, are you feeling overwhelmed anymore?"

"Nah, I think I can go back to general population now."

With Avery's comfort mostly reinstated, we were tasked with finding my grandma again. Avery spotted her first, but the woman was surprisingly quick on her feet. Why she was rushing was undetermined.

"Where is your grandma going?" Avery questioned.

We saw that she was cutting through the crowd of businessmen and associates. We were going to follow her, but family got in the way. Literally.

Katelyn was standing in front of us, her signature scowl reminding me of New Years. Avery was sending a piercing stare her way. I could tell that if I didn't do something soon, then this night would fall apart before it even kicked off.

"What is she doing here?" Katelyn asked me, completely ignoring Avery. "This is my dad's event, not a strip club."

"She's my plus one. She's a guest."

"Well, your guest isn't welcome."

"By who's standards? Because the last time I checked, your dad was okay with me bringing her. This is your dad's party, right?" I said. Avery squeezed my hand tighter which was a signal that she was about to snap.

"Katelyn, can you just leave me alone for one day?" Avery pleaded. "This isn't even about dance."

"Do you think I want to see you as many times as I do?"

"Just stop, Katelyn. You're not even pretty enough to say shit like that," I intervened. Her facial expression worsened, which I didn't think was possible.

"Just because your weird ass got a girlfriend doesn't mean you know what beauty looks like. I mean, have you seen your girlfriend?"

At that moment, I kind of blacked out. The number of people witnessing me didn't matter and neither did my conscience. I honed in on my anger and that was all that was coursing through my veins. I'd be damned if I let someone belittle Avery and get away with it. It didn't matter if they were family or not.

I realized I had punched Katelyn when she began to cry. I wanted to say sorry, but the words weren't forming.

Avery looked at me in shock and I realized that I didn't want her to look at me that way anymore. Even though Katelyn had demeaned Avery to a detestable amount, Avery still didn't want her to be hurt.

And I got in the way of that.

She scurried out the door as more people began to pay attention to us, including my grandma.

"Wait, I'm sorry!" I yelled as I followed her.

She stood at the end of the entrance stairs, staring at me. I heard footsteps behind me that were from my grandmother.

"I'm gonna stay here and get a ride with Jack. You go on and drop her off," my grandma ordered. I was obviously willing to comply since that setting wasn't where I wanted to be anyway.

She went back inside, leaving me and Avery outside to settle this.

"C'mon, let's walk to the car," I advised, putting my arm around her.

Even though she was right next to me, she felt distant and cold. Even as I walked her to the car, she remained silent.

"So, you're not even gonna talk to me?"

"And you're not even gonna talk about how you just punched a girl," she seethed, avoiding eye contact. Seeing her ignore me cut to the bone.

"Katelyn's different. What happened tonight was a long time coming, but I'm not the type to hit girls."

She looked up at me before returning her gaze to the asphalt road.

"Is that what you're worried about? You think I'm going to hit you?" I asked, hoping that wouldn't be the case. I didn't want her to be scared of me.

"I mean, Katelyn said one lousy comment about me and you flew off the handle. How am I supposed to know that that won't happen with me?"

"It won't," I promised. I grabbed her hand, which she didn't seem opposed to. "And you shouldn't let her say anything like that to you."

"Adrian, I can fight my own battles."

"I know that, but it hurts me to see her tear you down like she does."

She looked up and this time, I knew it was going to be for good. "You really mean that?"

"Yes, I do. Seeing you hurt by her makes me upset. Even though her insults are directed towards you, it's still very personal to me. So, I understand that you have to fight your own battles, but as soon as you're involved, it becomes my problem, too."

She went silent again.

"So, do you understand why I made it my problem?"

She nodded. Under the light of the parking lot, I realized that her lip was shaking. She was about to cry.

Instinctively, I pulled her into my embrace. She rested her head on my chest while sobbing onto my shirt.

"Why are you crying?" I mumbled, rubbing her back.

"I've never had anyone have my back like that."

"As long as I'm here, you'll always have someone. Believe me, I'm not going anywhere."

At that, she sobbed even louder. I let a tear fall from my eye, allowing a part of myself to surrender to her.

A/N

This was way longer than I thought it was going to be, but that's not a bad thing. I've noticed that more people have started to book so, if you're new here, hey! And if you're old, then welcome back.😎

Also, what did you guys think about this chapter?