TW: Domestic Violence

"So, here's the run down." Christian began.

"Mhm," I nodded as Christian and I walked out of Perry's towards the parking lot. "I'll contact Detective Myers to see if she and Detective Collins can help out in any way with finding Maia. We give ourselves time off notices for work to leave in two weeks and make it a one-way trip for now since we really don't know how long we're gonna be there."

I nodded in agreement. "It shouldn't be long; Maia can't be that hard to find." Christian raised an eyebrow at me. "Don't jinx it now." He grinned. "Let's just assume it's gonna be difficult."

I chuckled, playfully rolling my eyes at him. We approached his car as he unlocked the doors. I placed my takeout bag behind the passenger seat and tossed my blazer onto the back seats before getting into his car.

"Did you have a nice time?" Christian asked as he reversed out of the parking lot, driving towards the main roads. "Yeah," I shyly smiled. "Thanks for taking me out." I glanced at him, seeing a small smile appear on his lips as he smoothly switched the turn signal lever up to make a right turn. "No problem, thanks for letting me." He took a glimpse at me before looking towards the road again.

My eyes slowly gravitated to Christian again as I subtly watched him drive. He eventually caught my gaze, softly chuckling. "What?" He raised a comical eyebrow at me as the car slowed down to a steady stop. The red traffic lights aesthetically beamed onto his face and my heartbeat quickened as he eyed me.

I smiled, lightly shaking my head as I shifted in my seat. "Nothing." I crossed one of my legs over the other, feeling flustered.

"You sure?" A faint smirk was plastered on his face.

"Yeah." I chuckled, breaking my gaze away from his as I nervously glanced down at my hands on my lap. My eyes softened as I briefly stared at my engagement ring that seemed to glare at me in disapproval.

...

Christian pulled up to the curb in front of the main doors of my apartment complex, shifting the gear to park. He slumped back into his seat, turning his head to look at me. "Hey, um," He twirled the gold ring around his middle finger. "Thanks again for agreeing to have dinner with me and just, checking up on me." Christian softly chuckled and the sound of his laughter brought a gentle smile to my face.

He fixed his gaze on me and his eyes felt like they were peering into my soul. "What you said back at Perry's really meant a lot." He admitted.

"I know Danny wasn't kind to you in the end but, thanks for even giving your time to help him. Honestly." He expressed. There was that soft, serene aura Christian tended to radiate.

I genuinely smiled at him. "Of course, you're welcome. I'm here for you." I spoke softly, looking at him with the same depth of sincerity his eyes held. "Like I said before, I just want the best for you and your family. I could use the closure too." We both chuckled.

Christian looked out through the passenger side window towards the main doors. He tilted his head up a bit. "Can I walk you out to the front?"

A bashful smile greeted my lips. "That would be nice."

We got out of his car at the same time and I quickly collected my blazer and takeout bag from the backseat. We walked towards the main doors and I giggled as Christian kindly helped me up the stairs again. He placed his hands in his pant pockets, clearing his throat. "Have a good night Nadia, I'll see you soon."

"You too Christian, have a safe drive home." Without thinking, I hugged him.

I could tell he was a bit surprised but it only took a second before he wrapped his arms around me. I quietly sighed, hugging him a little bit tighter. I just wanted to close my eyes and melt into his embrace. There was something about him that made me feel, safe.

...

"So, how'd it go?" Amelia eagerly asked as I stepped inside her apartment.

I subtly nodded to myself, recollecting my time with Christian. "It was good. I had a nice time."

"And you kept it friendly, right?" Amelia raised a sly eyebrow at me, leaning against the wall after shutting her front door.

I playfully scoffed, glancing down at my heels for a moment. "Yeah I did Amelia, no worries. Nothing happened." I reassuringly smiled at her.

"Good." She beamed, proudly nodding her head in approval. "I'm glad."

I sighed, dramatically shrugging my shoulders. "Well, I wish I could stay and tell you more, but I have to go. Leo's waiting for me."

Amelia furrowed her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're gonna go see him now? It's not too late?" I shook my head. "Nah, it's only going to ten. Besides, I told him I'll stop by after Perry's and he sounded like he really wanted to see me so..." I trailed off, inching towards the front door again.

"Okay, well have a safe drive then. You know people drive crazy at night during weekends." Amelia warned. I lightly smiled at her concern. "Thanks, I will. I'll see you later Amelia."

...

I pulled up into Leo's driveway. I sighed, taking my keys out of the ignition after parking my car. I placed my purse behind the passenger seat, slightly pushing it underneath the seat so it was a bit hidden. I stepped out of my car, quietly shut the door, locked it and walked towards Leo's front door.

My keys were tightly enveloped in the palm of my right hand as I rang the doorbell twice, waiting for Leo to open the door.

I quickly smoothed out my dress, rolling my shoulders back ridding of the anxiety looming over me. I heard the door unlock and Leo slowly pulled the door open. I flashed him a radiant smile as our eyes met. "Hey."

"Hey sweetheart." Leo took hold of my hand, guiding me inside. He briefly let go of my hand to shut the door behind me. His arm suddenly snaked around my waist and he stepped towards me, making me step back until my back lightly touched the front door. He didn't leave much space between us as he placed a hand underneath my chin, tilting my head up as our lips met with a sloppy kiss.

The taste of liquor shamelessly greeted my mouth and I pried myself away from him, analyzing his demeanor. "You okay?" I nervously laughed. Leo chuckled, swooping me into his arms again. "Of course." He grinned, glancing down at my body in subtle desire. "You just look, so good sweetheart."

I shyly smiled and he leaned in, wasting no time bringing his lips back onto my own. I'll admit, I was a bit uneasy. Leo's behavior was off-putting but I assumed it was just the alcohol talking.

He pulled away from me first, eagerly smiling at me. "C'mon," He gestured me to follow him upstairs. "I have a surprise for you." His eyes swept over my right hand. "Leave your keys on the counter."

I nodded, walking over to the kitchen to place my keys down before walking back over to him. "Close your eyes." He briskly instructed. I playfully scoffed. "Are you gonna guide me up the stairs? I don't wanna fall." I joked. "Don't worry, I got you." He assured, holding onto me as we slowly went up each step as I kept my eyes closed.

We reached the top of the stairs and he let go of me. I heard a door open and Leo gently took hold of my hand, leading me inside the room. The door closed and I excitedly smiled to myself, wondering what was about to happen.

"Leo, can I open my eyes now-,"

I swiftly felt his forearm abrasively land on my chest, shoving me back against the door and I let out a constricted gasp as his hand firmly grabbed my neck. "You little lying bitch." He gritted his teeth.

My eyes blazed with bewilderment as I stared at him in complete terror.

Leo's eyebrows knitted in anger and his eyes grew dark, resembling the depths of the ocean. "Just going out with Amelia right?" He mirthlessly chuckled; tears welled up in his eyes. Anguish surged into my eyes and my heartbeat ferociously pounded in my chest.

"You know I find it so funny," He scoffed, tightening his grip around my neck. I grimaced at the applied pressure, straining to breathe. "I bought you a bouquet of flowers, thinking I'd come surprise you and you know what I see as I'm in the parking lot?"

"Leo, please." I hoarsely whispered, desperately clawing at his hand as tears ran down my cheeks. He completely ignored my plea for air, tugging me closer to his body as he glowered at me dead in the face. "I see you all dressed up, just like you are now, all too friendly with Danny's brother."

I choked out a sob, shaking my head. "Leo, whatever you're thinking, it wasn't like that."

"Whatever I'm thinking?" He aggressively spat. His tears refused to fall from his eyes. "You said you'd be with Amelia, so where was she Nadia?"

My vision grew blurry and for a spilt second the thought of him killing me ran across my mind.

"Where was she!" He yelled, loosening his grip as he shoved me back against the door again. The back of my head slammed onto the door but I ignored the pain, taking in a deep breath before his hand tightened with the same deathly pressure.

I glared at him through the curly strands of hair that had fallen over my face. "She wasn't with me." Those four words harshly expelled from my mouth like I didn't care about the damage they caused.

My feet quickly dangled a few inches off the floor as I realized Leo had lifted me up. I thrashed around in his grasp, violently scraping my nails into the skin of his arms.

Leo's eyes burned with absolute rage. "What the fuck were you doing with him all alone?" He left chilling spaces between each word, clenching his jaw.

I mustered up all the strength I had left, letting my adrenaline consume me as I swung my leg back, aiming the stiletto of my heel towards Leo's shin, striking him as hard as I could.

He groaned out in pain, staggering back trying to keep a steady grip around my neck. I swung my leg back again, kicking him once more. Leo fell back, dragging me down with him as I roughly landed on top of him grunting as I coughed, gasping for air.

I rolled off of him, hastily standing up, rushing towards the door. I pulled the door open, making a run for it.

The hallway was dark and I stumbled over my own feet, bumping into the walls. My left foot landed on the first step down the stairs and I felt a hand latch onto my right leg, just above my ankle.

I swiftly turned around, seeing Leo on the floor, holding me back. I tried to shake my leg out of his grasp. My face twisted in distress and I contemplated on kicking him in the face to let me go.

As I struggled to pull my leg towards me, Leo mercilessly released his grip knowing I'd fall down the stairs. I attempted to reach out for the handrail, screaming as I plummeted down the stairs landing at the bottom with a loud thud.

There was a piercing ringing in my ears and my arms trembled as I lifted myself up. I knew I had to ignore the immense amount of pain I felt to escape.

I didn't dare look back up the stairs and I forced myself up, sprinting over to the kitchen to grab my keys. I unlocked the front door, running out of Leo's house. I reached my car and my hands shook as I fumbled with my keys. "C'mon Nadia, c'mon." I tried to calm myself down so I could unlock the car doors.

"Nadia!" Leo's voice angrily called out as I heard the front door open. I knew I wasn't going to have enough time to drive off, so I started running.

Three houses down, the corner house. Three houses down, the corner house.

I repeated that to myself over and over again. It was Seth's house, Leo's friend.

Breathlessly panting, I ran as fast as I could, not wanting Leo to see the direction I was going in if he decided to follow me. The yellow-orange streetlights breezed past my vision as tears flew out my eyes.

I got to Seth's house and rapidly knocked on the door, ringing the doorbell multiple times. "Seth please, open the door it's me Nadia!" I helplessly cried. I fearfully glanced behind me and my eyes scoped around the neighborhood for Leo.

I could hear the hurried manner of the door unlocking and I was greeted with Seth's tall, lean figure. He peered at me in shock and I wondered how battered I looked. My body quivered in fear as I weakly smiled at him.

"Holy shit, Nadia oh my god, come in, come in." Seth ushered me inside his house, taking a quick apprehensive look outside before shutting the door.

He didn't say anything else and just pulled me into a hug, prompting me to break down into tears. "You're okay, Nadia you're okay. You're safe here." He soothed. Seth pulled away and took another good look at me.

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up."

...
I know that was intense so...THOUGHTS? LOL
How do y'all feel about Nadia and Leo at this point?
I'll def try to get the next chapter up much sooner but tysm for reading! :)