After the beating from my mother, I call Xiu and Savannah over. They're going to take me to the mall to cheer me up. I'm sitting on the stairs, waiting to get a text from either one of them telling me that they're here. There's a small spot of blood on the ground from where my face was a few minutes ago, and I don't bother cleaning it up because I have no intentions of coming back here.

I look out of the window, and I see Xiu's white Volkswagen bug that her parents got her for her sixteenth birthday, and I get my crutches and make my way to her car. I can slightly see their faces through the car windows, and they both have long and saddened expressions.

"Are you okay?" Savannah asks in a worried tone.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Let's just go to the mall." I say quickly, not wanting to dwell on what just happened.

We drive, and we don't say anything to each other. It's just the sound of the music that the radio is playing. I look out of the window, and I involuntarily shake my leg, and a single tear falls out of my eye. I'm trying my hardest to keep myself together, but I can't do it anymore. I've already fallen apart into pieces, so I might as well turn those pieces into ashes.

When we get to the mall, we all sit down at Starbucks, and I slowly sip on my frappuccino. My tears still slightly blur my vision, and I blink them away. There's nothing being said between the three of us for a while, and I know that they're just staring at me with pity even thought I'm not even looking at them.

"Alex, I know that you're not okay." Xiu observes, and I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, thanks Captain Obvious." I say flatly, and shake my head.

I wince at the feeling of the welt forming on my face, from where my mother hit me. It hurts with just the slightest movement, causing my face to sting in pain.

"We just want to help you in every way we can. We care about you, Alex." Savannah says, and the sympathetic look in her eyes forces the tears out.

"I just wish my life was normal, y'know? Where shit like this didn't happen!" I exclaim, and I hold my head in my hands.

I bite my lip, and try to hold back a loud sob. I just stare at the floor, and my tears make polka dots on my jeans. This is just too much for me to handle. Going back home is not an option because I know what will happen. The look in my mother's eyes was different from any other time she has beaten me. There was nothing but pure rage in her eyes. I truly thought that she'd keep going until I died.

"Do you want a tissue?" Xiu asks softly.

I weakly nod my head, and they both walk to the bathroom. I'm all alone at the table, just playing with my thumbs which still have some dried blood on them.

"Can I get a Venti dark roast?" A familiar voice asks.

I look up, and my heart stops.

Dr. Rian.

What's he doing here?

I almost didn't recognize him because he's not in his doctors clothing. He's wearing a gray, v-neck sweater, and dark jeans with some sneakers. I cannot help but stare at him like an idiot as he's paying the cashier, engaging in a brief conversation with them.

He looks over, and surprise paints his face. Dr. Rian walks over to where I am, and my heart has that familiar fluttery feeling.

"Alexandrianna?" He says, in complete shock.

"Hi." I say shyly.

"Are you crying?" He asks, and he sits down at the table with me.

If my heart wasn't pounding before, it sure is now.

"I'm fine, really." I lie, still looking at the floor.

"No, you're not. What's wrong?" He asks, softening his voice and he grabs my hand.

Butterflies fill my stomach, and a smile tugs at my mouth. I see him give a small smirk, and then he reaches for something in his pocket. It looks like a tissue, and he hands it to me.

"Thank you, that's very sweet." I say, and as I'm about to wipe my eyes, and I realize this isn't tissue.

It's a handkerchief.

"You actually carry a handkerchief?" I ask, widening my eyes.

"My mother made me carry it around when I was younger. She said it was good manners." He replies, and he flashes that smile at me.

"Well, she's right." I say, and force a chuckle out of my mouth.

"Woah, what happened to your face?" He asks, inspecting it carefully.

He reaches across the table, and his hand is gently moving across my welt, and it surprisingly doesn't hurt because I'm too distracted by this airy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"My mom, she hasn't changed a bit." I say sourly.

He has a mournful look on his face, and his eyes are focused directly on my face. I finally manage the courage to look into his eyes.

His blue eyes seem cloudy, and his pupils are dilated. His eyes are gorgeous, like a shade of the sky early in the morning. Like I said, those are the eyes you can't help but fall in love with.

"Why didn't you go to the hospital?" Dr. Rian asks, and I shrug.

"Xiu and Savannah brought me here to brighten my mood. I guess we weren't really thinking about going to the hospital first." I explain.

"That should've been the first place you went to, Alex." He sternly says.

We stay silent after that, and I'm now realizing that my leg is shaking. Something about Dr. Rian just makes me feel jittery and warm. Once again, he's making me feel something that I have no business in feeling.

"Let me take care of you, Alex." He says after a while.

My eyes widen, and a million different possibilities pop in my mind. I immediately think of what Savannah would say, but I know that he doesn't mean it in a sexual way. He wants to help me out, and I can tell. He genuinely looks concerned for my well-being.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Come on." He says and stands up.

"Wait, where?" I ask.

"C'mon, just trust me. I'll take care of you." He slightly begs, and my face heats up. I can tell that I'm blushing.

"I'm here with Xiu and Savannah, and they'll realize that I'm gone."

"Oh, you're right."

"Let me go talk to them, and then I'll go with you."

I stand, and I go to the bathroom. I see Xiu and Savannah washing their hands.

"What takes so long to grab some tissues?" I playfully ask.

"I had to take a shit, the Taco Bell from earlier just kicked in out of nowhere." Savannah exclaims, sighing as she pumps even more soap onto her hands.

"Yeah, plus there was a line of people before we got the chance to go." Xiu explains.

"You'll never guess who's here."

"Who is it?" Xiu asks.

"My doctor, he says that he wants me to go somewhere with him. He said that he'd take care of me. I just wanted to tell you guys so you know where I am."

"Are you sure you trust him enough?" Savannah asks, and Xiu nods in agreement.

"Yeah, I trust him."

"Are you sure you're sure? What if he's some deranged kidnapper or something?" Savannah asks, being overly dramatic, which makes me laugh.

If he's a kidnapper, then I have Stockholm Syndrome.

"I'll be fine, I know that I'm in good hands."

We hug, and we all say goodbye, and I walk back outside to Dr. Rian. He walks over to get his coffee, and then walks back over to me. I nudge my crutches under my arms, and I follow him to wherever he's walking. We're out in the parking lot, and I see him open the door of a black Mercedes Benz.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"You'll see," he says and ushers me inside of the car. "Let me help you."

I feel his hand press against the small of my back, and I sit down in the passenger seat. He shuts the door, and walks around and sits in the drivers seat. I watch him as he drives, how focused and steady he is. One of his large hands on the steering wheel, the other one rests in his lap. After a while, we pull up to an asymmetrical, modern looking house, and I gape at it.

"This is your house?" I ask, extremely dumbfounded.

"Correct." He says and smirks.

This man must be loaded.

This house reminds me of something that a rich socialite in Beverly Hills might have, or like a business man in New York who lives away from the city and has this incredible house on his own land.

I get out of the car and take my crutches and walk to the front door that he's holding for me. He turns the lights on, and I'm surrounded by modern, minimalistic furniture.

"Welcome to my house." He says, and shuts the door. "Let me show you around."

I look around, and I see a kitchen with black pendants hanging from the ceiling with a wine storage area and white, high gloss cabinets, and dark wood paneling and wooden floors. There aren't any photos on the wall, slightly making the house seem so stoic and plain.

I follow him, and I see the dining area and the living room. A large white sectional with about six pillows and a brown blanket splayed across it, and a dark glass coffee table. There's a laptop on the coffee table surrounded by what looks like medical books and papers.

As I'm following him, I'm noticing the smallest, trivial little features about him. His posture, his walk, the way his back muscles move, the way he occasionally looks back at me to make sure I'm still there.

"What do you think?" Dr. Rian asks.

"This is a really nice place, I'm almost at a loss for words." I admit, and he chuckles.

I look to my left, and I see a dark stained wood bookshelf, loaded with books from top to bottom. He then leads me to the bathroom, and there is a glass shower and a bathtub next to the toilet.

He turns on the lights to another room, and I see that it's his bedroom. I see a sheepskin rug on the floor, and a large, platform bed with an upholstered wall. White bedside tables on either side with lamps on top of them. Sheer black curtains opened on the windows, giving me the perfect view of the sky. An arm chair is in the corner by a large dresser, and a fake plant is on top of it. I see my reflection in the large flat screen TV that's on the wall.

I move to the bed, and I notice a dog lying on it. It's hair matched the color of the brown blanket that it's on. It has an adorably irresistible wrinkly face, and the snores that come from it are slightly loud.

"That's Bruno, he's my English bulldog." He says, and stares at Bruno.

I sit on the bed, being careful to not awaken Bruno. My hands are clasped in my lap, and I look around at my surroundings, taking in every feature of the house.

I hear his footsteps, and he's changed into gray sweatpants and he's pulling a black shirt over his head. I notice his v-line, and I quickly look away before he catches me staring at his God-like physique. He kneels in front of me, and takes a look at my face again.

"You said that your mom did this?" He asks, inspecting the welt on my face.

"Yeah," I say and my voice is raspy. "I came home from school, and she just started hitting me."

"I feel like it's my fault. I'm the one who said that you should go home, and—" he starts, but I cut him off.

I don't want him blaming himself for something my mother did.

"It's not your fault, Dr. Rian. You just told me what you thought I should do."

"Yeah, but now you're hurt." He says, and hangs his head down and sighs.

"This is all my fault. I know my mother is manipulative, and I should've thought that she would pretend to be loving just so she could get me back home and abuse me." I whimper.

He stands up, and his hand is on my face, softly caressing the welt. I wince slightly, because it still has the stinging sensation. The pain goes away once I feel the warmth of his fingertips, and I look directly up and into his eyes. He looks slightly irritated, like what I said just made him upset.

"If anyone is to blame for this, it's not you or me, it's your mother." Rian says, slightly scolding me.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Where else did she hurt you?" He asks, and anger flashes in his eyes.

"She punched my chest, and my stomach." I say quietly.

"I need to look at all of the areas, to see if there's bruising or if anything is fractured."

"It's fine, Dr. Rian."

"It's just the doctor in me, and plus, if she caused enough harm to cause something to develop, I need to care for that." He says.

Hesitantly, and awkwardly, I lift up my shirt, and I cross my arms afterwards. The entire room feels like it's overheating, or maybe it's just my body.

I wonder what he thinks of how I look.

I don't have the best body in the world, but I don't have the worst. Dr. Rian's cheeks are slightly red, and I'm trying to hide my smile.

Is he nervous?

"You don't need to do that, y'know." He says with a slight smile.

"What?" I ask nervously.

"Cover up, it's me, your doctor. I'm not going to harm you, or judge you." He says, and I can feel my core melting.

He really does mean it, and I can tell in his eyes. So understanding, and gentle, it's just what I needed. There's no reason he would say something like that to me unless I meant something to him, and the brief thought that he cares about me causes me to grin.

"Lie down." He commands.

I do as he says, and I'm laying with both hands at my sides. I feel his large hands softly glide against my skin, and I slightly squirm. Not out of discomfort, but from satisfaction. He presses down on my side, and I let out a quiet whimper.

"Does that hurt?" He asks, stopping what he's doing.

"Yeah, a little bit."

He apologizes, and presses down a little more gently. He tells me to sit up, and he kneels in front of me again. He looks entirely focused on trying to locate any issues that might be happening internally, because externally, it's obvious that I'm bruised.

"When you say that she hit you in the chest, where exactly did you mean?" He asks.

"My...umm...," I stutter, and awkwardly gesture to my breasts.

"It's okay, you can say it. I'm a doctor, Alex. Don't feel embarrassed or anything." He says, and we both let out light chuckles.

His right hand slowly starts up my side, and then examines my breast.

"Alex, I may need you to—," he starts.

"Take my bra off?" I ask.

My brain goes into overdrive, and so does my heart. I know it isn't healthy for it to be beating this fast, but I can't stop it, especially if I'm going to be half naked in front of him.

I unclasp the hooks, and let my bra fall in my lap. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. My breathing is rapid, and I feel my hands start to shake again. Both of his large hands tenderly strokes my breast, and his fingers feel like feathers. I suppress a moan as he does the same to the other. I look at him, and I see that his cheeks are red, and his jaw is clenched. His breaths that escape his mouth are shallow, and they tickle my bare skin.

He looks up at me, and he nods. I don't know why he's nodding, so I just put my bra and my shirt back on.

"Well, you're not really hurt anywhere except for the welt on your face and the bruise on your side. I'll look at those some more in the morning, okay?" He says and a heavy breath leaves his mouth.

"Okay." I say and press my palms to my jeans to stop them from sweating.

"You should...uh, lie down. Get some sleep." He says softly.

"Okay." I say and nod my head.

"Goodnight." He says, and he walks out of the room and shuts the door.

I let out a loud sigh, and run my hands through my hair while I bite my lip. I take my jeans off, so I'm just in my shirt, and turn the lights off in the room and I fall asleep quickly in Dr. Rian's comfortable bed.