She's been slouched on the couch watching her boyfriend yell to his teammates while playing Fortnite for over an hour. Her back aches, Her spine begging her to crack it. There's nothing more she would love to do right now than stand up and go outside. Go anywhere. She looks to her boyfriend for any sign that he could be feeling the same way. His eyes are glued to the screen, hands all over his controller instead of her. The only time he puts his hands on her anymore is if she's being punished or if he comes home drunk craving sex. All she can hear is: "32 health, downed him. Get your bitch ass up the hill before he kills me. Fuck I'm dead. You bastard."

    She reaches up to lightly touch his arm, "Hey, babe, can we go run errands now? You promised yesterday." She had been begging him for days now, begging him to borrow the car so she could pick up more laundry detergent to handle his pile of dirty clothes that has been overflowing into the kitchen. He told her yesterday that they would get it done, likely only to shut her up.

    He shakes her off and readjusts his giant noise canceling headphones, "You're gonna get me killed." He's practically yelling, her voice getting lost under those of his teammates.

    She stands up and walks in front of his screen. He waves her off and curses her out: "God damned it, Sara, get the fuck out of my way". She walks over to the mantle where he always keeps the keys and walks loudly behind the couch where he sits, hoping he'll see her and at least give some inkling that he cares. She makes it to the door without him noticing. "Bye, see you later," She says quietly, knowing he can't hear her anyway.

    She slams the door behind her and runs down the stairs, trying to make it to the car without tears spilling over her eyes. How did I get here? How has it come to this?

    She wipes her eyes dry and starts the car. The old Honda Accord was something her parents had given to her as a gift when she had turned 16, but now it's something she has to ask permission to use. He couldn't afford a car, and with a lack of a real job, he likely wouldn't be able to for a long time. She turns her rock playlist on super loud and takes off down the street.

    More tears well in her eyes as she tries to see the road through cloudy vision. She doesn't know where she's going, but she's sure as hell not going to the store for damn laundry detergent. She might be able to make it to her parent's house a couple hours away. She'd go to her friend, Cassie's, apartment, but he knows where she lives and would track her down. Should I call her to warn her?

    "Hello?"

    She stares into the road as Cassie's voice comes on the phone. She struggles for the words, but plasters a smile on her face to make her voice sound cheery, "Hey, babes, what's up?"

    "What's wrong, Sara?" How'd she know?

    "Look, I'm leaving. I'm going somewhere, I don't know where yet. I left Jake at home. You might want to go somewhere safe for the night in case he tries to find me."

    "Did he hurt you again?"

She glances down at her wrist, the bruise that rests there just now fading from blue to green, "No, not this time. I just can't..."

"I get it. And you didn't tell him?"

    Her voice wavers, "No."

    There's a slight pause on her end, Sara can feel the tears coming again, "Good for you, girl. Text me when you get somewhere safe, I don't need to know the exact location until he's out of the picture. Get a restraining order or something on his ass, okay?"

    "Thank you, Cassie."

    "Of course, girlie. I love you. Be safe, okay?"

    "I will be. Talk to you later."

    "Bye, love you."

    "Love you."

    The phone goes silent and Sara's rock music begins again over the stereo. It's the only playlist she has that lets her truly get out her frustration. The drums and the guitar really help her to let loose and pushes the anger and frustration out of her. There's just something there with a passion that she craves. She bangs on the steering wheel as she merges onto the freeway. Sara's going the opposite direction of her parents' house. She doesn't have a plan, she's just going to drive until she runs out of gas.

    ***

    Sara's eyes grow weary as she fights to keep them open. She's hours away from where she started and the gas in her tank is running low. Not to mention the sun has begun to dip below the mountains and it would be dark very soon. She spots a sign for a cafe and decides to take the next exit: I could really use some coffee.

    She pulls into the parking lot of an old country themed cafe. The red paint peeling with white painted wood criss crossing the door, making it feel like a barn. Regardless of how it looked, she could smell the sweet scent of pie drifting out, reaching her in the car. Without registering her moves, Sara's pushing open the large doors. The delicious scent of treats slaps her across the face and her eyes grow large with desire.

    The woman at the counter smiles at Sara as she walks in. "Hiya hunny, whatcha having?" Her hip is popped under her red apron which is caked in what is likely flour.

    "Hi, uhm, what would you recommend? I need some sort of energy boost."

    "You like mango?"

    "Yeah."

    "One mango shortcake with a sweet chai?" she writes on a piece of paper, not looking up to see if Sara would agree. It seemed as if she knew exactly what Sara wanted.

    "Sounds perfect to me. Thank you."

    "Sure thing sugar, take a seat anywhere and it'll be out in a minute." Her rosy self disappears to the back kitchen.

    The tables look almost as if someone had chopped down a tree outback, and put it on a stand. The chairs were similar, but with a red cushion on the seat. It reminded her of a small place in the mountains her family used to visit when she was a kid. There were only two other people here. One older man sat near the counter, flirting with the waitress. There was one other man who's back was facing Sara, his blonde hair the only color around besides red and wood. She couldn't see his face clearly, but he must've been a regular. He talked with the waitress for a while when she came to bring him his coffee to which she laughed at what seemed to be more than out of politeness.

    Sara pulls out her phone to stop herself from staring at the strange characters around her. 15 missed calls and nearly 100 texts. Most of them from Jake. She couldn't bring herself to open his messages, so she pulls open the one not from him. It's from Cassie. It reads: "Hey girl, I hope you're safe. I just wanted to let you know I got an alert from my cameras at the apartment of an attempted break in. I guess Jake noticed you're gone. Be safe, okay. And don't come back for a while. I love you."

    Angry tears start to well in Sara's eyes. Who the fuck does he think he is? Why would he do something like this? How did I let myself get here? She wipes her eyes dry just as the waitress comes with a plate and a mug for her.

    "Here's your mango shortcake and chai. You alright?"

    "Yeah, thank you, I'm okay. It's allergy season I guess."

    The waitress looked at her skeptically, but didn't say anything else about it. "Enjoy, hun."

    "Thank you."

Sara takes a bite into the mango shortcake and a sigh escapes her lips. She covers her mouth a bit too late. The stranger sitting with his back to her turns to face her. His blonde hair falls over his eyes as he twists. He notices the shortcake in front of her.

"That one's my favorite too. Everything they have here is cum in my pants good."

One of Sara's eyebrows raise and a smile appears on her mouth, "Come again?"

He laughs, "It's just an expression, I'm realizing now it sounds kinda creepy." He holds out his hand to her, "Sam."

She looks at his hands for a second, strong and calloused, likely worked on a farm around here. She shakes it. "Sara."

"What brings you out here, Sara? We don't get a lot of visitors, unless they're stopping at the Chik-Fil-A down the street."

Sara thinks about Jake for a moment, knowing she's not going to spill her whole story to this beautiful stranger in a random cafe. "Just traveling. Wanted to see something new and needed a caffeine kick. This place looked much better than any other fast food spot."

"Well," he smiles, "I'm glad you stopped here. Can I join you? I don't have to get back to work for a couple of minutes. I'm on my lunch."

Sara looks at the clock by the register to see that it's almost 7pm. She wonders where he works and scoots over her chair, "Please do."

He picks up his mug and swivels to sit at the chair across from Sara. He moves so impossibly quickly and quietly she's shocked. She lets out a little cough. "So, um, Sam, where do you work?"

"I work at the barn across the street. I'm in charge of the animals. I guess I should've said my dinner break instead of my lunch, I've been with them since 7 this morning."

"Oh damn, when are you off for the night?"

"Whenever the lamb falls asleep. We have a newborn and I have to keep a close eye on her. We're worried about her freezing at night. What about you, Sara?"

The way he says her name makes her heart stop. A slight southern accent escapes his tongue. "I'm just a student still. I'm working to get my Master's in elementary education. I work part time at a daycare over the summer, but I'm off this week."

He laughs, "We both work with kids, that's fun." Sara gives him a quizzical look, "Kids, as in baby goats. And you have kids at your daycare. It's a farm play on words." He looks slightly embarrassed and stretches to scratch the back of his head.

It's Sara's turn to laugh. "Now I get it, I like it. We do both work with kids. How long have you been working with animals?"

His eyes light up, "I was raised on a farm, so my whole life I guess. It started out with just the chickens, then the pigs, and goats. Eventually I was taking care of them all. It's something I've loved all of my life."

She takes a sip of her chai. "That's so sweet."

"Thanks, do you like animals too?"

Sara lets out an ugly, horrible snort of laughter, "I'm sorry, I meant my drink was sweet." His cheeks turn pink and looks down in his mug. "You're sweet too. And yes, I do like animals. My parents have always had at least one dog, and we used to travel to a cabin in the mountains where many of our neighbors ran farms. They always let me come over and visit the animals. I wanted to be a vet for a long time before I decided I wouldn't be able to handle the emotional aspect."

Sam's smile halters for a second, "It's definitely hard, but it's rewarding. Watching new life come into this world doesn't make it easier when we lose one, but it's something else to see both sides of."

Sara looks down into her mug and wraps her hands around it, "I've never thought of it like that before." She looks back up to meet his gaze, "You must be really passionate about this."

He smiles politely, then looks up to where the waitress is waving him over. "Shit," He grunts, "I'm going to be late." He turns back to Sara, "It was absolutely wonderful to meet you. Will you be staying the night here? Or are you back on the road?"

She hadn't thought about that yet, the sun hadn't quite gone down and she did just have caffeine. She knew she should get back on the road... "I'll probably stay here for the night. Do you know a good place to stay?"

Sam's smile widens, showing off his pearl white teeth, "Ask Margret before you check out here. She's the waitress. She runs a B & B next to my farm. Visit me in the morning?"

The way he asked that question sounded more of a plea than a command. She wasn't used to that from a man. "Uhm, sure, I'd love to. But only if you give me a tour."

"I promise." He waves to Margaret before running out the door. Not without one last glance at Sara.

Margaret approaches Sara's table. She puts her hand on her hips, "Are you all finished up here, hun?"

"Yes, thank you," she pauses for a second, making sure she feels comfortable to stay one night in this town, "Oh, and uh, Margaret? Do you know a nice place to stay around here?"

Margaret smiles wide, "I do, hun. And I have a discount for those Sam has found a friend in."

***

Sara stretches in the small twin bed of the B & B. A rooster from next door decided it wanted to scream and wake her up before the sun has fully risen. It peeks through the top of her blinds, not quite reaching her eyes. She yawns and sits up, wishing that her chicken alarm clock had let her sleep in. She turns on her phone to check the time. Through all the missed text and calls notifications, she can see that it's only 5:30 am. She sighs and flops down on the bed. She holds her phone over herself and begins to scroll through the messages:

"Where'd you go?"

"The car's gone, wtf, I never said you could have it"

"Respond, stop ignoring me"

"Whered u go"

"Cassie's not answering her door, I know you're there"

"I can't track your phone, turn it back on"

"When I find you, ur dead"

They were all like that. She couldn't look at any more of them. She knew that he would likely put some sort of alert on the car that she was driving. She couldn't rent a new one anywhere around here, and if she did they would have to see her ID anyway. He'd find her soon enough and there would be hell to pay. She shuts her eyes as more tears try to escape. The rooster alarm goes off again and she shoves a pillow over her head.

***

Sam runs over to her with a wide smile and his arms open for a hug. She definitely doesn't have the energy for this, but she lets him embrace her anyway. She couldn't imagine how he could have so much energy this early in the morning.

"Good morning! I'm glad you came for a tour. I hope the rooster didn't get you up too early."

Sara let out a small laugh, "He definitely didn't let me sleep in, but it means I have more time for you to show me around. It's a beautiful place."

It truly was beautiful. With the sun on the barn, the crimson red stood out among the bright green of the grass. There were slight cracks in the roof which the light caught on and clearly showed the dust rising from it, as if someone had just cast a magical spell on the barn. There were white panels on the door here too, much like the cafe, but the doors were significantly larger and could be opened by just the top or just the bottom to control the movements of the animals inside. She could hear the sounds of those animals coming from the back: the snorts of pigs, the neighs of the horses, and the grumbling from the cows. While it didn't smell very pleasant, she knew she was going to have fun. She looked down at her already muddy converse and was glad she didn't have the time to get new shoes the week before.

Sam gently reaches for her hand which she lets him take. His hand is much larger than hers, calloused and warm. He smiles wide and nods his head to the giant doors, "Are you ready?"

Sara returns his smile, "More than ready."

He gleams and gently pulls her in the direction of the barn, "I'm going to show you my big girls first, then we'll see the horses and go down the sizes from there."

"And your big girls are?"

"Cows," He says with a smile as he pushes the large door open. The smell of hay rushes through Sara and she stifles a sneeze. In the barn are two pens full of cows and hay. There are two cows in each pen, with more than enough room to wander. One of the cows has a plaid blanket resting over her back.

"What is that for?" She asks, pointing to the blanket.

Sam drops her hand and begins walking over to the cow, straightening her blanket. "That's Annie's special blanket. That was her baby blanket and now she needs it for comfort." He gently strokes Annie's face, bringing her cheek up to his lips to give her a quiet kiss. "She doesn't even like us taking it away to wash it. She comes into the house with us and stands in front of the washer until it's done." He looks back at Sara, "They're basically just giant dogs."

Sara laughs, "Definitely the strangest dogs I've ever seen." She slowly approaches Annie and gently pets her forehead. Annie leans into her hand, begging for more attention.

Sam chuckles, "I think she likes you."

"I think she just likes more female attention. She has to put up with your smelly ass all day."

They both laugh for a while, sharing sarcastic jokes and gentle touches. Sam takes her hand again and leads her out back of the barn to the horses, and pigs, and chickens, and of course the new baby goat. Sara hadn't had a day as relaxing and bright as this in what felt like forever. The sun warmed her spine and brightened her eyes. She never feared her company either, Sam was the perfect gentleman: kind, and caring, and aware of her. Not just aware that she was in his space, but aware of her feelings and comforts and was never pushy. He even brought her into the kitchen to make her a home made, healthy salad. One day in this new place Sara already felt like a new person. She watches him carry the bowl of mixed greens to the table. He was wearing a little apron just around his waist that read "Kiss the Cook". The whole thing felt like a scene out of a bad Hallmark movie.

"Bon appetit!" He says with a smile plastered on his face. Sara sits on a stool, kicking her legs, worried that if she were to move it would ruin the beauty of this moment. Sam notices the look on her face, "What's up? Did I say something wrong? I can say Bone apple teeth instead." He walks over to her and picks up her hand in both of his.

Sara laughs, "No, it's nothing. I'm just enjoying the moment."

"Do you know what would make this moment better?" he asks, "A nice salad in your belly. You must be hungry, let's eat."

Sara lets him lead her to the table. He pulls out her seat on the side that looks out the window. From here she can see the goats and the chickens roaming the fields, the rolling hills in the back were bright green, the grasses blowing in the wind. Sam takes the giant spoons from the salad bowl and messily serves them both, spilling a trail of lettuce, fruits, and nuts.

They sit quietly for a while, simply enjoying the company and the food. That is until Sam cleared his throat. "Uhm, Sara?"

"Yeah?" She takes a bite of her salad.

"How long are you thinking of staying here?" Sara nearly chokes on her surprise. She gulps down water, her eyes starting to tear. "I didn't mean to startle you, you don't have to answer."

"No, no it's fine. That's a fair question. I honestly don't know." She picks around at the food in front of her.

"Do you mind if I ask why you're out here anyway? Not that I'm not enjoying you being here, in fact I really want you to be here, I'm just curious."

Sara clears her own throat, "No, that's also a fair question. I, uh, it's hard to say actually. It's complicated." She stares down at her plate, not wanting to give him any indication that she might not be okay.

It didn't help, "Sara," he says gently, reaching across the table to offer up his hand, "Are you safe?"

At this question, Sara couldn't hold it back any longer. The tears flowed freely from her face. Flashes of Jake flush through her skull. Her body shakes as she sobs. She feels a gentle hand rest on her back, and through cloudy vision she can see Sam kneeling on the floor beside her. No words are shared as Sara struggles to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry," is all she manages to say after a while.

"You have no reason to apologize to me. What happened? And what can I do to help?" His voice was quiet, calming.

Sara sniffed back the rest of her tears. "I just," she took a deep breath, "I just left home. My... situation was not great. I've probably stayed too long already I just... I'm just not ready to leave." Sam's eyes were staring into hers, the emotion that stood there was almost overwhelming. She knew he wanted to do something, anything to help. But there was nothing he could do.

"May I take your hand?" Sara nods, and he gently takes her hands in his yet again. He doesn't drop eye contact. "Whatever happened, you're safe here now. You've got people who will protect you. I'll protect you. If you don't feel safe at the B & B, I can make up a room for you here. If you'd feel better leaving, I understand as well. I will be here for whatever decision you make."

Sara nods as she fights the tears that sting at her eyes. "Thank you. I think I'll stay at the B & B one more night. Thanks, Sam."

"Of course. Would you like to finish your food here? Or should I pack it up and take you back to your room?"

"I should head out."

"I understand. Let me wrap this up."

Sam stands and moves quickly and quietly while Sara still sits, facing the floor. Sam grabs a bowl and adds some of the salad for her, though he's pretty sure she won't touch it anyway. Politely, he drops down to her side again and helps her stand on her feet. He walks her back across the street and makes sure she checks into her room before making his way back to the barn. He leans his head against the large, red door and looks at Annie.

"Girl, I think I messed up. What are we gonna do?"

***

Sara wakes with a start, trying to catch her breath. The sun is still out, she had likely only been asleep for a couple hours. She rubs her head, trying to get the images of Jake out of her brain. She's pretty sure she ruined any chance of keeping Sam around. Either as a friend or as more. No one wants to ever be with a crazy girl with trauma. She pulls back the curtains in front of her window and looks outside. The sky has darkened slightly, from the clouds, but the rolling hills still grab her attention. She hears a loud noise coming from in front of the B&B. She cranes her neck to get a look, but she couldn't see anything from her window. There was another crash followed by a yell, "Get the fuck off me!"

Shit. She knew that voice, she could recognize his yelling from anywhere. She grabbed her coat, practically throwing it over her shoulders as she stumbled down the stairs. She stopped just before the door. Through the window she could make out Jake trying to make his way towards her. Behind him is a sheriff and about half the town wondering what all the noise is about. The only thing blocking his way in is a tall man with shaggy blonde hair. Shit.

Sara throws the doors open to face Jake. He looks at her, a dark grin on his face. "Oh, see, there she is. We've been looking for ya, Sara. This sheriff and I. Why'd you go?"

Sara doesn't move, she's frozen in her body. She musters up all her strength, "Get out of here. We're done."

"Oh, babe, don't be like that. You're just being dramatic," he takes a step forward and an arm holds him back. "Get. The fuck. Out of my way."

"No," Sam stands strong, a barricade Jake would have to fight his way to get through. "You heard the girl. You heard what she wants. Go home."

Jake looks between Sam and Sara before he takes a deep sigh and laughs. "Don't be ridiculous. This," he points to Sam, "is what you're doing here? You're a cheating bitch."

"Nothing happened," Sam steps in.

"It's okay, Sam." Sara regains her strength and approaches Jake. She stands beside Sam. "I'm not a cheater. He's right, nothing happened. We've been broken, it's because of what you've done to me. Now get out of here, I never want to see your face again."

Jake's face grows red, "So that's it, then? Just like that? And you're going to blame me for everything? You're the one around here who can't do anything right. The one who's broken."

Sam pushes him, forcing him to take a step backwards, "Don't talk to her like that."

Jake marches forward and gives Sam a harsh shove, "I can talk to her anyway I want, she's my bitch."

"I'm no one's bitch."

Before she knows what's happening, Jake steps forward and slaps her across the face. Sara's steps falter and she catches herself before she stumbles. Sam is by her instantly, whispering promises and encouragements in her ear. He's holding her hands, she realizes, he's holding her whole weight.

The sheriff and the group of people behind him begin to advance on Jake. Everyone pauses when he speaks; "You are leaving me for this asshole, aren't you? You're lying to yourself. Instead of just telling me about it, you left. I had to track you down by your car through the company to find you. Can you not see how much I love you?"

"You don't love me," Sara manages to say, "What you love, is using me. And I'm the only one who will let you treat me this way. I'm saying I'm done."

A strange calm falls over Jake as his voice drops, "You bitch."

What happens next feels like slow motion to Sara. She can not move or change their actions, all she can do is watch the events unfold. Jake reaches into his jacket pocket to pull out a rather large pistol. With the sight of a gun, the Sheriff takes off running at Jake, but he is much too slow. Many of the onlookers scatter, ducking and running towards the cafe. Sara watches Jake point his pistol at her chest. She hears the bang of the gun and watches the smoke rise from the barrel. A blonde flash passes her vision as she feels herself falling. Her head hits the ground.

***

The lights are blinding as Sara struggles to open her eyes. She's laying in a hospital bed. She's hooked up to monitors which give off a small hum and beeps every few seconds. She tries to sit up, but is hit by a wave of dizziness. She shuts her eyes and lies back in the bed, her head throbbing. She hears a small squeak. The door opens and Sam steps into her room.

She smiles and tries to sit up again, forgetting about the vertigo she had experienced moments before. "Hey, hey, it's okay." His voice soothing as she leans back in the bed again. "How are you feeling?"

She opens her eyes slowly to look up at him. His bright eyes are staring back at her, a smile on his face. His left arm reaches up to brush some hair from her face. "I'm okay." She catches sight of a sling around Sam's right shoulder. "What happened?"

He shrugs which leads to a grimace appearing on his face. "I messed you up pretty bad. When Jake came," flashbacks of Jake swarmed her as she fought with her consciousness. The gun. Sam. He paused for a moment to let her catch up, "I knocked you out of the way and you hit your head pretty hard. A concussion, the doctors say. They want to hang onto you for a while."

"And you?"

He looked down at his shoulder for half a second then back up at her. "Jake got me, but just barely. He's a pretty bad shot. I don't think he would've hit either of us if I hadn't pushed you down. My bad I guess."

Tears welled in her eyes, "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Sam made his way to the edge of her bed and sat beside her. He placed his left hand over her right. "You have nothing to apologize to me for, none of it was your fault."

"I mean, it kinda was."

"Sara, it most definitely was not. He's a crazy person who took advantage of your kindness. He's gone now. He's being held for assault and attempted murder. He did everything in front of the sheriff, so he won't be anyone's problem for a while."

Sara let out a small sigh. "He's gone? Really?"

Sam smiled, "You're safe now. I will be here for you, and whatever comes next." He leans down and gently presses his lips to her forehead. "You should get some rest. I can talk to the doctor and see when we can get you out of here."

He begins to stand when Sara grabs his hand, "Can you stay? Just for a bit longer."

He squeezes her hand and sits again, "Of course, love. I can stay for however long you need me to." He wipes the stray tear from her face with his thumb. "I'm not going anywhere."