That night, Rian continuously tosses and turns underneath blankets. Occasionally, he wakes up in a sweat, breathing erratically and trying to calm himself down. I've been awake for a couple of hours now, because my body isn't wanting to cooperate with me. I'm exhausted, but I can't fall asleep. My stomach has been churning all night, and I've done everything.

Pepto-Bismol won't work.

Ibuprofen won't work.

Just kill me because this is torture!

I'm going to eventually overdose myself if I don't stop taking painkillers, but this pain is unbearable.

First my unstable emotions, and now I feel like I'm being pummeled in the stomach by a Mortal Kombat character. Great.

I carefully pull myself out of the bed so that I don't disturb Rian's sleep, and I tip toe to the bathroom. Once I close the door, I turn on the light and stare into my own eyes in the mirror. They're puffy underneath and slightly red. It burns whenever I blink.

Fuck, I need some sleep.

I pull down my underwear, and there isn't a single drop of blood. The fuck?

Then why does my stomach hurt so much?

I probably ate something bad, or maybe it's because I didn't eat enough before I went to sleep.

I shrug before turning off the light and walking back to the bed. As I lay back down, Rian's body jolts up, and his breathing is shaky.

"Babe, what's wrong?" I ask, immediately placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I—," Rian starts, but stops to take more breaths. "I'm sorry."

His voice is raspy and slightly groggy, and I already find myself becoming soothed by the sound of his morning voice.

"Don't apologize, babe." I say, and I softly kiss the nape of his neck before wrapping my arms around him.

Rian sighs, and he wipes his palms on the blankets before he wraps an arm around my shoulder. I stare out out the window to the left, and the crescent moon lights up all of the nature below it, and there aren't any stars in the sky. Some gray clouds pass the moon, replacing the benign light, making it turn gloomy.

I take my phone and check the time. It is 4:37 a.m., and there is an eerie silence in the air as I wrap myself around him like a coiled snake.

"It's okay," I whisper, soothingly rubbing his back. "Baby, it'll be fine. Just try to relax, okay?"

"Did you ever experience this?" Rian asks, still breathing heavily.

"Experience what?" I ask.

"The restless nights? The vivid dreams? The stress of a situation in general. Any of it?" Rian asks, and I nod.

I get out of the bed, and I flip up the light switch. Rian sits up in the bed, rubbing his eyes and shielding his eyes after he looks into the light. Rian's hair is disheveled, and he has a red mark on his chest from where he slept. Rian beckons to me, and I give him a small smile before crawling back into bed.

"Yeah, I experienced all of it. One day it would be stress, the next day I'd have a nightmare, and some nights I turned into an insomniac. Some days all of those would combine into one, and those days were usually the worst." I admit, and Rian nods.

"I'm so sorry to wake you, love." Rian apologetically whispers, and I try not to smile like an idiot at what he just called me.

Love.

"Don't be. Besides, you didn't wake me up." I say, and he furrows his eyebrows.

"How long have you been awake?" Rian asks worriedly, and I frown.

I love how he's constantly worried about me, but he needs to let me be concerned about him for once.

"I don't know, my stomach has been bothering me." I admit, and his eyes show obvious concern.

"Are you okay?" He asks, softening his voice, which still makes me feel those flutters in my chest.

"I'm fine, baby. Just try to get some rest, okay?" I plead, and he nods before kissing my temple.

We both lay back down, and I listen to his heartbeat before finally feeling the pain in my stomach subside, and I finally fall into a deep sleep.

In the morning, Rian surprises me with a plate of breakfast in bed. An omelette stuffed with cheese and sausage and mushrooms is on the plate, and a perfectly golden potato hash is on the side. Rian feeds me a forkful of the omelette, and I do the same to him.

I'm happy to see him not be so upset, because yesterday was one of the hardest things to witness. Rian's so broken now by all of this stress with his father, and he's constantly worried about the condition that his father's in. Rian cried a lot last night, and it's the most I've seen him cry besides the night he came back to his flat.

I hate seeing him be so upset, and I wish there was a way that I could pause the world, and just stop all of the craziness, but I know that isn't possible.

I look into his eyes, and they're red and irritated due to how much he was crying the night before, and due to his lack of sleep.

"How do you feel?" I blurt out, and Rian looks at me before smirking.

"I'm fine," He replies casually. "Just a little tired."

"A little? You look exhausted." I state.

"I'll be fine, Alex. Thank you for your concern." Rian says, lifting my hand to his mouth.

He kisses my hand a couple of times before placing it gently onto my own leg, and I smile before returning to the breakfast in front of me. Once we finish it, we walk hand in hand down the stairs to the living room. Before we turn the corner, Rian pulls me back and hides my body behind one of the large columns. He puts a finger to his lips, and I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. I can slightly see Vanessa's auburn hair, tied up in a messy bun, and she talks to someone.

"What's been up with you lately?" Vanessa asks, and I listen carefully.

"Why do you even want to talk to me? Shouldn't you hate me and be disappointed in me like Rian says you are?" Brendan shouts, and my eyes widen when I look over at Rian.

"I came to talk to you because Rian told me to because I was wondering what was wrong with you and—" Vanessa pauses briefly. "Wait, what? Brendan, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Rian said that you're all disappointed in me, and that I'm not like the brother I was before we found out about Dad. If that's the case, then just leave me alone!" Brendan exclaims.

"We aren't disappointed! We're just sick and tired of dealing with—"

"With how I've been lately?" Brendan finishes.

"Yes! I understand that you're upset and scared about Dad, Brendan. We all are! But in case you've forgotten, we're your family and that doesn't give you a reason to treat us like shit." Vanessa says, and I can practically feel her anger.

"I'm realizing that, okay? You don't have to yell at me like Rian did. It just makes me feel worse."

"Do you realize how much of a baby you sound like? Waaaaah, don't yell at me! Waaaaah, leave me alone!" Vanessa mockingly whines, and I suppress a giggle.

"Vanessa, I'm sorry! Okay, I'm sorry! You finally got it out of me." Brendan exclaims, and he gives of a defeated sigh.

"Why was it so hard for you to admit that? What, you don't want to damage your masculinity by actually showing emotion?" Vanessa asks.

"You know, I actually cried a bit after Rian had that talk with me. He really made me think, so yes, I showed my emotions. I'm upset, I'm hurt! I'm angry!" Brendan yells, and his voice cracks.

I look over at Rian and I turn away from the column and walk back up the stairs. In the middle of the staircase, Rian softly grabs my hand and I turn around to look at him.

"What did you say to him?" I ask, needing an explanation.

"You told me that he called you baby. That made me so angry that I had no idea what to, so I went in there and confronted him." Rian admits unashamedly.

"What else did you do?" I ask, remembering how angry he was.

The anger hooded his eyes, and it looked like no matter what I would say would dissipate how he felt. His fists were clenched so hard that the veins in his hands were more noticeable than usual, and his cheeks were redder than I've ever seen them before.

The anger spread out from his core inside, and gradually spread out from his feet to his face like a volcano beginning to bubble before an eruption.

"He sounds pretty pissed. You must've done something else." I say, and Rian nods.

"Well, let's just say that I smacked him into place." Rian says, and he smirks.

"You smacked your brother?" I ask, raising my eyebrows in surprise.

"I wasn't afraid to. Besides, nobody is going to call my girlfriend a bitch. He could've called me all of the names he wanted to. But you? I wasn't going to let him disrespect you, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let that slide." Rian says, and I smile.

I walk down to where he's standing, and I wrap my arms around his neck and I kiss him. Rian smiles at me, and I do the same.

He defended me even though I wasn't there.

"You're such a sweetheart, you know that?" I ask, looking into his eyes.

"I know," Rian says, and I laugh before giving him another kiss. "I'm always a sweetheart."

"I never knew you could be so...overprotective. That's so—" I pause, trying to find the perfect word.

"So endearing?" Rian asks, quirking his eyebrow.

He knows that gets me every time.

"That's so sexy." I say flirtatiously, purposely biting my lip to get a reaction out of him.

Rian's cheeks redden as I do this, and he quirks his eyebrow again before leaning in to kiss me. His hands rest on my waist, and I step on the stair again to elevate myself. On the step, I'm now taller than him, and I caress his shoulders gently as we kiss. His lips graze the underside of my chin, and I sigh as his breath tickles my skin.

"Hey, now! What're you two lovebirds up to?" Emmanuelle asks from the top of the stairs.

Both of our heads pop up at her, and she smiles before walking down to where we are. My heartbeat increases speed and my cheeks redden because she probably just saw us making out.

"Nothing, Mom." Rian says quickly, awkwardly scratching his head.

I smile while watching his cheeks progressively become more and more red. Emmanuelle kisses his cheek before walking past us, but then she stops in her tracks to look back at us again.

"Why are you guys just hanging out on the staircase?" She asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Oh, no reason." I say, shrugging.

Emmanuelle just smiles at us one more time before disappearing into the kitchen. Rian and I look at each other, trying to suppress our laughter by covering our mouths.

"Okay, maybe we should take this upstairs." Rian suggests, and I nod.

"That sounds great." I say back, winking at him.

I grab his hand, and lead him up the staircase. The heat spreads from the nape of my neck, down to my butt. I smirk, and I intentionally swing my hips more so that my butt swings as well. I turn around to look at him, and he's biting his lip.

Man, I've mastered the art of temptation.

Either that, or Rian is just really easy to seduce.

I'll do something simple like bend over to pick up my phone after dropping it, with no intentions of turning him on whatsoever, and he'll warn me about how little self control he has now.

The words self control haven't existed for almost a year now, and I have no problem with that.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Vanessa asks, and I internally groan.

Ugh, go away! Shouldn't you be having an argument with your brother right now?

Vanessa stands at the bottom of the staircase, staring right up at us. The light from the huge chandelier hanging in the foyer makes her auburn hair almost transform into a red velvety color, and she's wearing a casual t-shirt and ripped jeans with a pair of sandals.

"Just upstairs back to my room." Rian replies, sounding slightly eager to get there.

"Well hurry, because once Mom eats breakfast and everyone is ready, we're going to the hospital." Vanessa informs us, and Rian's eyes widen before his mouth makes the shape of an O.

"Okay, we won't be long." I say, ready to get back to his room.

We finish ascending the staircase, I open the door and close it. But before we kiss, Rian looks quasi-guilty for some reason.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I totally forgot that we were checking on him again today. God, that makes me an awful son, doesn't it?" Rian asks, frowning.

"No, it doesn't. You're an excellent son to both your mom and dad, and you just wanted to forget the stress of yesterday." I disagree, and he smiles before kissing my forehead.

"Are you still up to—" Rian begins, but I smirk.

"Oh, please. There's already an obvious answer to that question." I imply, and he smiles.

"We'll just have to be quick, okay? I know you're not really fond of the fast and spontaneous sex." Rian says, slightly pouting, and I smirk.

"Sure I do! Yes, I prefer our sex to be a bit slower because we take more time to actually love each other like we both deserve, but I love the fast sex equally as much." I explain, and he nods.

"I know my girl inside and out. I personally feel the same way, but in certain situations, fast and spontaneous will have to do." Rian says, and I laugh.

"Good. Now go lock the door." I demand, and he smirks before following my command.

He walks towards me, and we fall backwards onto the bed, and I can definitely say that our morning has definitely begun with a bang.

~~~

We arrive in the hospital, and we see a bag that is packed on one of the chairs. Daniel is standing up in the corner of the room, looking like he's about to call someone on his phone.

"Daniel, shouldn't you be in bed resting?" Emmanuelle asks, and I smile at her concern.

"Nope. They're releasing me today. They've reviewed my scans and a few other things, and I'm ready to go! They did recommend that I do come back if I experience any more discomfort." Daniel says happily, and Vanessa runs up and hugs him.

"I'm so glad that you're okay!" She exclaims, and Emmanuelle walks up and joins the hug.

Rian smiles brightly at me, and I wrap my arms around him.

"I told you that he would be okay." I whisper into his ear, and I give him a brief kiss.

"You're my good luck charm, Alex. I genuinely believed that he—" Rian starts, but I shush him.

"It's over now. Your dad is okay, so there's no need to worry." I say, looking into his gleaming eyes.

We all celebrate in the hospital briefly before continuing it back at the mansion, and there's relief yet sadness in me.

Rian's father is still alive.

Mine isn't.

~~~

Once Rian's father was released from the hospital, Emmanuelle told us that we could go home if we wanted to. Rian has to return to work, and I needed to spend as much time with Xiu as I can before she goes to New York. It's been almost two months, and it's nearing to the end of August.

We've visited his family more frequently, and I've gotten closer to the family. Brendan and I still aren't on the best terms, but he's admitted that his actions weren't very smart, to say the least.

Vanessa, Emmanuelle and I have been out shopping many times, and I'm still not quite used to their sybaritic lifestyle. Like when Rian bought me that gorgeous Burberry trench coat, and I couldn't even fathom spending that much money on one item.

Daniel has taken the time to tell me a recap of what raising Rian was like, and how he's so proud of him. Daniel told me that he couldn't see Rian with any other woman, and that he's super happy for the both of us.

Rian and I are just lounging on the couch with Bruno, and my phone begins ringing. The picture of Xiu is on the screen, and I immediately press the answer button.

"Hey! What's up?" I exclaim, and I can picture her smiling.

"Nothing much, I'm currently packing right now." Xiu says, and my smile slowly drops.

Bitch, I was in a good mood. Why'd you have to ruin it?

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot that you're leaving tomorrow." I say flatly, and I frown.

"Yeah, my parents have been helping me. Everything's almost packed. Savannah and I planned a sleepover, and I was going to invite you over today, but I don't know if you're busy or not." Xiu offers, and I smile.

"No, I'm not busy. I'll be there as soon as possible." I say enthusiastically, and she cheers.

"Yay!" Xiu cheers, and I giggle before hanging up.

"Get in the car. I'll drop you off." Rian says, and I smile.

We drive along the road, and I stare at the sun as it seems to follow us along the way to Xiu's house.

"I'm really gonna miss her when she goes to New York." I admit to Rian, and he nods while focusing on the road.

"I know you will. You'll still have Savannah, though." Rian says, and I nod.

"I still have Savannah, and I have you. So I don't think I'll be upset for too long." I joke, and he laughs.

After about twenty five minutes, we pull up in front of Xiu's house. Xiu lives in the classic suburban house, with the same cherry blossom tree in front of each brick house with the hydrangea bushes and two cars in each driveway. Her neighborhood is considered to be a "cookie cutter" neighborhood, due to the fact that most of the houses look the same.

Rian drops me off in front of her house, giving me a kiss before I get out and walk towards the front door. I don't even bother ringing it anymore, so I just walk inside. I can hear Rian's car begin to drive away, and I smile because he was watching me until I got in safely.

"Xiu!" I call out.

Their dog comes running up to me, excitedly wagging her tail. Mei is her name, and she's a six year old Chow Chow.

"Hi Mei!" I squeal, and I softly pet her fluffy coat.

"Hello?" Xiu's father calls out.

"Hey! Is Xiu here?" I ask politely, and he nods before pointing upwards.

I walk up the stairs, and I gently knock on her door before proceeding to open it. Xiu stands in front of her bed, stuffing her clothes into a suitcase.

She looks over at me and smiles, and I smile back. Her blonde hair has grown out a bit, and her tall body has gained some muscle.

"Alex!" She exclaims, and she walks over to hug me.

"Damn, you've gotten strong." I say while she squeezes me.

"Yeah, all of this packing and taking down heavy things has made me so toned." Xiu exclaims before giggling.

"No kidding," Savannah says from Xiu's walk in closet.

Savannah walks out, and I can't even see her face because it looks like she's holding more than half of Xiu's wardrobe.

"Hey Vannah," I say, and she greets me back before setting Xiu's clothes on her bed and groaning.

We hug briefly before we all stare at each other in complete silence.

"Your room looks so bare now." I say, staring at the walls.

Xiu took down everything that was hanging from her walls down, and I her bags overflowing with stuff. All of the memories in this house are playing through my mind like a montage video, and I smile.

I remember the first time we hung out here back when we were still in seventh grade, and Xiu still had pitch black hair, and Savannah wasn't as carefree and reckless as she is now.

"God, I hate school so much." I whined, throwing my backpack down.