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I sat in the passenger seat with my eyes closed while Demi drove us back. I let out a huff, opening my eyes and turning to look at her. I grabbed her hand over the gear and she threw it off.

"I'm driving, Vince."

"So? Let me hold your hand!"

"Stop whining, please," she sighed in defeat. I turned to look at her with a frown on my face. She glanced at me before looking back at the road. "Who told you that you could drink so much tonight?"

"Ace," I answered quickly.

"Ace doesn't have practice tomorrow morning and evening. Ace isn't a hockey player who wakes up early every morning to go to the gym. Vince!" she scolded when I grabbed her hand again. She slowed down to a stop at a red light, turning in her seat to face me. "What is it? Can you please... please just sit still until we reach the apartment? It's less than five minutes away, please?"

I lifted a brow at her. "What do I get for doing that?"

She stared at me in disbelief before giving up, throwing her hands up before grabbing the wheel again. "What do you want?"

"A kiss."

She turned to me, driving when the light turned green. "Fine."

I laughed, staring out the window as she drove, reaching the apartment and parking in my usual spot.

"Come on, let's get you upstairs." She unbuckled herself and pulled the keys out with her, walking to my side and opening the door. She leaned down, taking off my belt. I watched her face while she did that and grabbed my phone from the cup holder. She took a step back, holding her hand out. "Come on."

I grabbed her hand and got out, stumbling a little.

She sighed, linking her arm with mine before locking the car and taking me inside. We got into the elevator and made it upstairs. "Can I let you be on the couch?" she asked.

I shook my head slowly.

She groaned, letting me go and standing behind me, pushing me along. I held onto the railing and went up to my room slowly. She opened the door and I made it to the bed, sitting down immediately and kicking my shoes off. She left my phone on the nightstand. "Keys and wallet. Quickly." She held out a hand.

I fished them out of my pocket, dropping both things in her palm.

She left that on the nightstand too. "Now lay down and go to sleep, Vince."

"You promised me a kiss," I said accusingly.

"I didn't promise you anything. Lay down." She huffed, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me to lay down.

I knocked her hands off and grabbed them, pulling her down while leaning up. I kissed her quickly but slowed down when she didn't stop me.

She mumbled against my lips, pulling away when I started to pull her closer. "No, no, no," she shook her head, "this time, I'm sober and you're not. Not to mention." She pushed me to lay down. "I'm not your real girlfriend. We can't have sex again. Nope." She took a step back and walked to my closet, taking out a pair of sweatpants, dropping them on the bed beside me. "If you feel like changing, you can."

I managed to unbutton my sleeves, struggling a lot and groaning in frustration by the time I reached the other buttons. "Tiffany!"

"Tiffany," she mocked, sitting beside me. She unbuttoned the shirt slowly, her eyes solely focusing on the buttons while mine focused on her.

"You don't like me very much," I stated, "do you?"

She chuckled dryly, "I think I like you just fine." She stood up. "You can unbutton your own pants and change. I'm going to my room."

I grabbed her hand before she left. "Can't you just stay?" I mumbled, closing my eyes as my head started to hurt.

"I have to change, Vince."

"Will you come back?" She stopped, watching me quietly.

"I'll come to your room if you don't," I threatened.

She nodded slowly, easing her hand out of mine. "I'll come back. Give me five minutes."

I hummed and she left, closing the door behind her softly. I managed to throw the shirt off and stand up, stepping into my sweatpants before falling back on the bed. I grabbed the covers, tucking my legs under them and lying on my side, staring at the door while waiting for her to come back. At some point, my eyes began to close and I drifted off, falling asleep.

I mumbled my essay to myself, reading over it and editing it before I had to submit it tomorrow. I stopped, my body running cold as I heard footsteps enter the kitchen. I knew it was him before I saw him.

His glass came down on the table with a loud clink and he grabbed the back of my neck before cursing under his breath and grabbing my collar instead, pushing me forward.

I clenched my jaw, just trying to stay calm and take it. He'll be gone in a minute anyway.

"Pour me another drink. Quickly," he ordered.

I don't know what I did wrong. I followed his order, I made him another drink, why did it make him so angry that I mumbled something under my breath? Even if it was about him, I was only worried about him drinking too much, he didn't have to hurt me like that. Because he did. It did hurt.

Seven minutes. He spent the first seven minutes yelling at me and pushing me around. My back hit the counter, at one point the fridge. I didn't even say anything that triggered him. All I did... was sigh.

And then the glass shattered, flying everywhere. My entire body froze up while he looked around manically, finding a shard and coming up to me, the glass glimmering under the light. It happened so fast. He was waving it around, screaming at me one minute and I was bleeding the next, wincing in pain.

The drive to the hospital was the worst. With the bleeding and the gash, it felt like someone was just twisting the knife slowly.

My eyes snapped open and I realized I was panting and breathless. No, it wasn't happening again. I had to remind myself that it was only a dream, that I wasn't reliving it. I'm sure nothing was happening to me physically, but it felt like I was stabbed in my chest all over again.

I sat up, leaning against the headboard, and realized I was hyperventilating. I closed my eyes, hitting my chest with a fist, hoping to breathe a little better but it didn't help. Nothing was helping. I reached over, blindly, and grabbed my phone, knocking my wallet off the nightstand in the process. I was calling her number before I knew it.

She answered after one ring. "What is it, Vince?"

"You said you'd come back!"

"What?"

"Where are you?" I took in a deep breath, kicking the covers off.

"Vince..."

"Demi, it hurts."

"What does? What hurts?"

"It really hurts!" I choked out.

She paused and fell silent before I heard the dial tone. She hung up. My door swung open less than a second later and she came rushing to the bed, sitting in front of me. She took my phone, left it on the nightstand, and moved closer to me. "Are you okay? What hurts? Tell me. Why are you crying? Vince?!" She moved up on the bed, kneeling in front of me, taking both my hands in hers. "Breathe," she instructed.

I gasped softly.

"Slowly, breathe, come on. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Just breathe. Keep breathing, slowly. Calm down. It's okay."

"Demi," I sputtered, grabbing her shirt.

She moved in closer and I put my arms around her waist, holding her in place and closing my eyes, resting my head against her stomach. "Okay, it's okay." I felt her rubbing circles on my back. "You're okay." She fell quiet as my breathing evened out eventually and my heart calmed back down. "You're okay," she whispered again, "nobody's hurting you right now." She paused again, waiting. "Who hurt you, Vince?"

I clutched onto her tighter.

"You can tell me. I'm right here, nobody's going to hurt you," she said softly, still rubbing my back. "What's wrong?"

"H-he... he hurt me."

"Who?" she whispered.

"D-Dad."

"Where?" I thought I heard her voice crack. "Where does it hurt?"

"In my chest," I exhaled loudly.

She grabbed my arms, pulling them off while I fisted her shirt, hoping she wouldn't. She sat down properly, moving closer to me. "Does it still hurt?" she asked.

I nodded, staring at her.

"You're okay, I'm the only one here," she said slowly, wiping my cheeks while I grabbed her other hand, holding it with both my hands, bringing it closer to my chest.

"Here," I breathed out shakily.

"It hurts here?" she asked, looking at me while her fingers brushed over the scar.

I nodded frantically.

She watched me, blinking a few times. She began moving up and I pulled her back down, thinking she'd leave. "It's okay, it's okay," she said quickly, "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." She moved over and sat beside me instead, grabbing the covers and pulling them over both our legs. "Lay down," she instructed.

"Demi..."

"Just lay down. Trust me."

I lowered my head back onto the pillow, still holding her hand.

She lay beside me, facing me while she stroked my cheek with her thumb calmingly. "What do you want me to do, hmm?" she whispered.

"Just stay," I mumbled, my eyes closing again.

"I'll stay," she replied. "Do you... want me to hold you?"

I shook my head. "No."

"No?"

"I want to hold you."

She paused, hesitating. "Okay," she finally said.

"Come closer," I ordered desperately.

She shuffled forward.

"Closer," I ground out.

She stopped, her body completely pressed up against mine. "Closer?" she asked.

"Turn," I mumbled. "Turn over."

She waited, slowly rolling over until her back faced me. I pulled her hips into mine before putting an arm around her. I let out a sigh, my vision getting foggy before I closed my eyes. She grabbed my hand that rested on her stomach. "You're okay," was the last whisper I heard before I dozed off.

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