My mind has been an utter mess since my last encounter with Christopher, which was two days back. Since then, I haven't seen him. I don't know where he is. I don't know where he went. Why didn't he get back? Somewhere I feel guilty thinking that I might be the reason behind him not coming back home.

And it's starting to eat me up now. I am probably driving myself crazy thinking about him. Where could he be? What is he doing? Why didn't he come back? Is he okay? These are the only thoughts that have been occupying my mind for the last 2 days. We have been living together for a month and shortly did I realize how much the house feels empty without him.

After having no clue about where Christopher is, I decided to seek help from the guards. I asked them if they had any information about him, but they were just as clueless as I am.

Whatever happened between us that night echoes wildly through my head. It's so strange that the moments that I spend with Christopher tend to linger over my mind for a long time. I remember telling him about Sam being my boyfriend and then running back to my room. I remember how dejected he looked when I said that. I wasn't able to get even a bit of sleep that night because of it. Later that night Emily called me, telling me that she reached home safely. Talking with Emily actually helped me get some distraction.

The next day I came down thinking about making amendments with Christopher, aiming to sort everything out properly with him. But then Christopher wasn't there and since then I haven't seen him. I wish I had his number. For god's sake! I am living with him and I don't even have his number. I surely am going to ask it as soon as he comes back.

We can't keep going like this forever. I don't know what kind of relationship we share, but it's definitely getting complicated. We need to clear things and settle with a decent link before it gets too late. Living with him in the same house has actually become very difficult for me in the last few days. I don't know why did I even agree to live with Christopher. It's not like I am obliged to do so. I can go back whenever I want, but still, I choose to live with him. Why? Do I really trust him? Is it safe for me or I am risking my life?

I wish I could talk to my family about this, especially to my mother. But my relationship with my family hasn't been well for quite some time. I think that's one of the reasons why I trust outsiders so easily because when your family isn't there to be trusted then you tend to incline towards strangers. And my father has to be blamed for all this. He is the reason why I don't visit my home frequently. I wish things weren't this bad back at home. I would have visited them more often. But now it's been around 6 months since I met them. I feel so helpless about everything going on now. As I am rambling in my thoughts, I hear a voice.

"Miss Johnson, all well?" I see Dr. Wells asking me. At present, I am at the conference hall of a veterinary hospital. I came here in the afternoon to attend a seminar. They conduct such type of seminars thrice a year, especially for new professionals. And last year I attended all of them. I had only a few patients today, so after winding up everything, I came straight here. I like these kinds of gatherings because they are really informative and innovative and you always get to learn new things from experienced senior doctors.

"I am fine sir, you can continue," I tell him straightening up on my seat.

"Okay..so I was saying that 3D printing is extremely helpful in surgical procedures for animals. The prototyping is made easy by it, that helps create animal bone models from the information collected using computed tomography scans." He says and I focus my attention back on the topic rather than Christopher. I take down notes about everything for the next two hours. My back is aching by the time seminar ends. Sitting in one place and listening to lecture is more tiring than doing labor all day. I am so happy that I am done with my student life.

After leaving the hospital, I book a cab and head straight home. It was really a tiresome day, not only physically but also mentally. I am worrying so much that I might end up being sick. I need to rest now. When I get back home, I see Robert standing outside like always. I ask him if Christopher has contacted him, but again I am hit with disappointment.

I infer him to go back to his place and take rest. I say that usually because I don't want to be a burden on him. However, it's fair enough to not bother him as I haven't found any threat since I started living with Christopher. And it makes me believe that Christopher was right. I feel safe living with him.

I go inside and proceed to my room. Freshening up immediately, I change into a tee and pajama shorts. Going back to the hall, I plop onto the couch. I take out my phone from my bag and I see two texts: One from Peter and the other from Sam. I frown looking at their names on my screen and then don't open their messages. I don't wanna talk to anyone until Christopher comes back. I am just too worried about him that I wouldn't be able to talk with anyone properly.

It's around 8:30 pm and my stomach starts growling fiercely for food. I immediately dial a restaurant's number and order Chinese takeout. I feel like I am spending more money on food these days. I should probably make my dinner, but the problem is by the end of the day I am so tired that I don't feel like doing anything.

Soon the delivery boy comes and I take the bag from him. I settle on the couch again and eat hungrily, leaving the share of Christopher. I hope he would be back today. After finishing my dinner, like my usual routine, I wait for Christopher. I am just tired of all this worrying. I swear If he isn't going to show up today then I would probably go out myself and hunt him down.

Time passes quickly and before knowing, it's midnight already. Fine! It's done that I am going out to find Christopher. The moment I stand up from the couch, I hear the shuffling at the front door. A wide smile spreads over my face, realizing who could it be. It's him. Christopher is back! I quickly sprint towards the front door without wasting any time. Before I am about to open it, Christopher gets inside. I cross my arms, ready to give him a nice scolding, as I say.

"Where the hell were you, Christopher? I was so worried..." ahead of me completing the sentence I see Christopher stumbling and falling over the floor.

"CHRISTOPHER!?" I scream and run towards him in panic.

He doesn't acknowledge my presence. When I get closer to him, I realize that he is drunk as the smell of alcohol reeks out of his body. I pull his arm around my shoulder and with much difficulty help him to stand back. He still doesn't look at me.

"Oh god!! you are so drunk!" I say supporting him with my other hand around his waist. He is definitely muscular and way more taller than me so it's hard for me to hold him. I shift on my other leg to balance his weight.

Listening to me, he turns his face slightly and looks at me. "Youuu??? Gooo..a.away." He slurs, pulling his arm back to him as he stumbles to the other side.

I frown but immediately grip his arm, preventing him from falling again. I see that his eyes are blood red, filled with grief. Why is he so drunk? He looks at me and when I touch him; he flinches back as if he doesn't want to be anywhere near me.

"What the hell, Christopher? Let me help you." I tell him, gripping his hand tightly.

"Go..away.. I don't... need.... your helppp." He says shaking his head violently. Why is he acting like a five-year-old?

"Go.. back to....your little.. boyfriend." He sings in between hiccups.

"What?" I look at him in disbelief.

"Yes... go back to him..." He says looking at me as he loses his footing again. Drunk Christopher looks really strange. He never came back home like this ever. I have never seen this side of him before. This is the very first time I am seeing him drunk, and it's really amusing to witness how different he is from his sober self.

I place my hand behind his back. Not paying any attention to what he is saying, I guide him towards the couch. I make him lean against the couch and run towards the kitchen to get water. Without wasting a second, I come back with a glass of water.

"Here, drink it. You will feel better." I say handing him the glass.

He scowls at me, but when I narrow my eyes at him, he eventually takes it and drinks. I then keep the glass on the table and help him get to his room.

"I don't need your help..." He whines as he pulls his hand away from my shoulder again.

"Shut up!" I tell angrily, losing my patience. Enough of his childish behavior. He looks at me in shock, taken aback by the sudden change in my tone. He doesn't protest further, taking the cue that it would only make me more furious as I take him upstairs. By the time I reach the top of the stairs, I am already breathing heavily. It was really hard to get him up. I take him to his room. This is the first time that I am going inside his room. Everything here seems to be plain. However, I wouldn't expect him to have many things here as it's not his permanent residence. I guide him towards the bed and he plops on it. He then kicks his shoes off like a little kid and starts to remove his jacket. But he fails in it miserably as his drunk ass wouldn't allow him to do it.

"What the fuckkk!!" He groans struggling with his jacket. I smile, looking at him as he whines like a kid not being able to get his jacket off of him.

"Wait, let me do it," I say as I sit beside him on the bed and help him pull out his jacket.

He then faces me and says groggily. "You know, you don't.... have to do.... this."

"Do what?" I raise an eyebrow questioningly.

"Pretend..that ...you care about me." He says with sadness in his eyes.

"The reality... is.... you don't care about me." He speaks looking at me. He then lets out a humorless chuckle and says. "In fact, nobody cares about me."

"You were right... I am just a criminal. A..... fucking... pathetic criminal and nothing... else." He says shaking his head and I feel bad for saying that to him. That was just said by me in the heat of the moment, and I never really meant it.

"Who doesn't have a family or friends...." He says in a small voice as if he is talking to himself. "Nobody would cry over my body if I'd die this fucking moment." Why is he saying so? He never told me about his family but from his words, it seems like he doesn't have one. He thinks that nobody cares about him, but it's not true. It's really disheartening to see him in pain. I want to say something to make him feel better, but I don't know what to say. I have never been good at comforting people.

"Hey! look at me, Christopher. Don't say that. I do care about you." I tell him, placing my hand over his shoulder.

"You are lying. You only.. care about your little... high... schooler boyfrienddd." He says in a childlike voice, pouting at me.

"You know you look like a heartbroken teenager who just got friend-zoned on his very first date," I tell him smiling. Drunk Christopher is actually fun. I bet it would be really embarrassing tomorrow for him to know how he behaved last night. I can definitely use this against him.

He looks at me, and I see the corners of his lips curving. "Has anyone.... ever.... told you that you have a terrible sense... of humor?"

"I don't think so if I managed to put a smile on your face," I say cheekily.

He swings his head disapprovingly and then when he glances at me his face appears dead serious. I am truly surprised by his next action as he reaches towards my face and gently caresses my cheek. I instinctively lean into his touch.

"It's true that I am heartbrokennn." He says in a husky voice. It's probably because he is drunk, but I find it extremely sexy.

"I am... heartbrokennn... because you have a boyfrienddd." He leans his face closer to me and my breath hitches. I close my eyes automatically expecting something to happen. What are you expecting, Nicole? You expect him to kiss you? For god's sake, Nicole! He is fucking drunk.

"I am heartbroken because I can't have...." I open my eyes when he stops mid-sentence. He drops his hand from my face and I shiver at the loss of the warmth of his skin. He looks at the other side as his shoulders slump. "Leave it....it doesn't... matter now because you are takenn."

"Sam is not my boyfriend." I instantly blurt out unknowingly. He turns his head immediately as he gazes at me intently.

"Wh..what.... did you say?" He asks, rubbing his eyes to get a clear focus on me.

"Sam is not my boyfriend, Christopher. He is just a friend." I tell him hesitantly, looking away.

"Then... why.... did you say... that to me... that day?"

I sigh and look into his grey eyes which are looking at me expectantly. "I lied to you. I said it because I wanted you to stay away from me then..."

"And.... nowww?" He raises an eyebrow amusedly.

"I don't know..." I don't meet his gaze. I don't know why I told him this. It just didn't feel right to lie to him, and apart from that, I don't enjoy seeing him so dispirited. Is this the only reason, or am I just trying to fool myself?

"It's okay...you don't have to say anything." He smiles at me cheekily.

"Thank you, Nicole. For telling this. You don't know... how relieved I feel now...." He says after a moment placing his hand over mine. I blush and smile too.

He then swiftly pulls me and falls back on the bed. What the hell? My phone slips out of my pocket and drops on the other side of the bed in the meantime. I squeal in surprise when I realize that I am on top of him. He closes his eyes with his arms gently holding me.

"What are you doing?" I ask him in horror. I realize that my top has ridden up in the process as I desperately try to pull it down. My ears grow red hot as I feel his arms around my bare waist.

"Can't you see? I am sleeping." He mumbles and I look at him in disbelief. My face is so close to his that I can see the striking features of his sculpted face. The face that doesn't use to let me sleep at night. The face that always invaded my dreams. I hold the sudden urge to touch his face, to feel his sharp nose, his firm jaws, his perfectly lean cheeks, his full lips. It makes me wonder how god can gift someone with such a beautiful face?

He doesn't open his eyes and for a moment I assume that he actually has fallen asleep. But then he startles me when he talks. "Can I ask... you a.... question, Coleeee?" He whispers still keeping his eyes closed.

I hum in response. "Did you fuck with him? That Sam?" He asks, opening his eyes and my cheeks flush up with embarrassment. Fuck! Out of all fucking things, he just had to ask this.

I shyly shake my head in denial. His face lits with happiness, knowing my response as he says. "Thanks fuck! You just saved that kid, otherwise I would have beaten him into a pulp."

"But..."

"Shhhh......Don't say anything. This was...enough for me to know." He says placing a finger on my lips before I could speak something.

"Goodnight Cole." He murmurs softly before falling into a peaceful slumber. I feel awkward sleeping in this position with Christopher. I have never slept with a man before. I mean like only sleep not the other kind of sleep and yeah I haven't slept in that sense too. This feels so weird to me but I don't have the energy to protest and besides, I cannot get out of his strong grip. I notice that being in his arms strangely feels comfortable. I smile and admire his handsome face before sleep takes over me.

And I am sorry if this chapter isn't that good.