Austin's P.O.V:


"Alright Alan I'll be right back. Keep an eye on her please?" I pleaded with him and he just nodded his head. "And, if she wakes up just tell her I went to run an errand or something."


"Got it chief. Go, we'll be fine. She's doing better today so just go!" Alan practically pushed me towards the front door. I sighed and nodded my head before I stepped outside and walked towards my car. I was about to go pick Vic up from the airport, and Lyla had no idea that he was coming. Vic insisted that I not tell her, but I wasn't sure if it was the best idea, especially after the conversation we had earlier this morning.


"Vic should be home soon. Are you excited to see him?" I asked and she averted her gaze to the ground.


"I want to be, but-" she paused and I grabbed her hand softly.


"But what?" I questioned. I put my fingers under her chin and forced her to look at me.


"I'm afraid to tell him about all of this. What if.......what if he doesn't want to be with me anymore? I mean, I wouldn't blame him-" I cut her off.


"Lyla. He loves you. Why would you think that?" My eyes met hers; she looked sad and scared.


"Why would he want to be with me? After everything I did with the drugs........and being raped.........he deserves better than that," she whispered, looking away from me. I sighed and squeezed her hand tighter.


"Lyla, people make mistakes. And about what happened to you? That was not your fault......" I had been trying to reassure her of that the last 2 days but she couldn't seem to accept it.


"I'm just scared to tell him, Austin. I'm scared I'm going to lose him again......and then what?" She shrugged her shoulders and started to cry. I hugged her tight and after a few minutes she drifted off to sleep.


I reached the airport and was surprised to see Vic already standing outside of the terminal. I pulled my car up against the curb and jumped out.


"Hey, man!" I said as I walked over to Vic and shook his hand. "Sorry if you were waiting a while."


"Nah, not long at all. My plane was a little early," he grabbed his suitcase and walked to my trunk and tossed it in before getting in the passenger seat.


Vic and Lyla hadn't spoken since what had happened the other night, and as far as I knew Vic didn't know a single thing. When I had spoken to him on the phone yesterday when he told me he was coming here I hadn't filled him in on the situation. I figured I probably should.......


"How's Lyla? Is she still angry with you?" He asked, answering my question: he didn't know a single thing. I was quiet for a while. "What?" he asked and I sighed.


"Vic.......she's not okay, not at all." I probably shouldn't have said it like that, but that was what ended up coming out. His head shot in my direction and I could see his face transform to worry.


"What are you talking about? What's going on with Lyla?" He pleaded with me for information; Lyla did say she was scared to tell him. Maybe if I told him everything and gave him time to calm down things would be easier for them. I didn't know where to start.....


I spent the entire car ride back to my house explaining everything to him; having to save her the other night, the drugs.........the rape. That was the hardest for me to talk about and the hardest for him to accept. He was so angry I thought he was going to explode; his face was red and he was shaking as I filled him in on what she had told me happened that day after the photo shoot. Vic didn't speak until I pulled up in front of my house.


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Vic's P.O.V:


"I'm gonna kill that motherfucker. I swear to God, Austin, I'm going to find him and kill him with my own two hands." I was angry. No, that was an understatement. I was livid.


Some strange man had hurt Lyla.....my Lyla, and I wasn't here to protect her; I wasn't here to help her.


I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself down. The information I had just received was a lot to take in. My heart was breaking as I thought about everything she had been through.


"Vic," I heard Austin say and I turned to face him.


"She was afraid to tell you all of this," he said and my face contorted into confusion. "She thinks that you're going to hate her and be disgusted by her. She thinks you're going to leave her," he said and at that moment I felt like I could cry.


"What?" I said, the word coming out as a whisper. "I would never.......she could never disgust me," I muttered aloud to myself. It was true; I wasn't thrilled about the fact that she had been doing drugs, but that wasn't enough reason for me to give up on her, especially since she had finally come to her senses about it. "I need to see her. I need to tell her how much I love her," I said as I opened the door and got out of the car, Austin doing the same.


"She's in my room. She was asleep when I left. First door on the right at the top of the stairs. I'll get your bag," he said and I nodded.


"Austin. Thanks, man.....for being here for her when I wasn't," I said before walking into the house. Alan was sitting on the couch watching TV and he turned and waved at me as I began to walk up the stairs. I took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. She was still asleep, curled up on her side, her black hair spread around the pillow; she looked peaceful. I walked over to the side of the bed and sat next to her; she didn't even move. I spent a while just looking at her beautiful face, and I put my hand on her head and stroked her hair softly. She stirred a little and opened her eyes.


"Vic?" she questioned softly. I gave her a small, sad smile.


"Hi," I replied.


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Lyla's P.O.V:


I felt the bed shift as someone sat down, but I didn't open my eyes to see who it was. After a while I felt someone stroking my hair gently. I opened my eyes expecting to see Austin or Alan, but it was someone I never expected.


"Vic?" I question, my voice still quiet and coated in sleep. He smiled a little at me.


"Hi," he said. I sat up and rubbed at my face trying to wake myself up. I was surprised to see him; I had no idea that he was coming here. Before I could say anything he scooted closer to me and pulled me into a tight hug burying his face in my hair, mine buried in his neck as my arms encircled his waist."I love you," he whispered in my ear and my heart practically skipped a beat.


"Vic-" I muttered, my voice muffled by his skin.


"I know. Austin told me. Everything," he muttered and I tensed up. I was preparing myself for the yelling and the arguing; I was preparing to lose him again, but he just tightened his hold on me. "I'm not going anywhere," he said. With those words I started to cry.


"Vic, I'm so sorry. I messed up so bad and-" I couldn't get anymore words to come out and I began to sob louder. He pulled away from me and held my face in his hands.


"It's okay," he whispered. "I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you when you needed me. I'm sorry that you had to go through that........I should've been here...." his voice trailed off and he rested his forehead against mine. I saw a tear roll down his cheek and it broke my heart. I lifted my hand to his face and brushed it away with my thumb. His big brown eyes met mine and I leaned in and kissed his lips softly.


"I love you too," I muttered.
----------


Vic and I spent the next 2 hours in Austin's room talking; I told him everything, leaving nothing out no matter how much I wanted to. I was just glad he was here now. There was a quiet knock on the door and it opened revealing Austin on the other side.


"Hey sorry to bother you guys, but do you want me to take you back to your apartment so you guys can be alone?" Austin asked and I nodded my head. Austin and Vic gathered my things and I said bye to Alan before we got in Austin's car and began to drive back to my apartment.


We pulled up in front of the building and Vic got out and grabbed my bag and his suitcase from the trunk. I got out and walked over to where Austin was standing. He pulled me into a hug.


"Thank you, Austin. For everything. I can't thank you enough," I said.


"That's what I'm here for, Lyla," he responded before kissing my forehead. "Love you."


"Love you too," I replied before letting him go. "I'll see you later." I smiled at him and he smiled back before getting in his car and driving off. Vic grabbed my hand with his free one and we climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked to my door. I pulled my key out and unlocked it, pushing it open and walking into the darkness. I walked over to the side table and turned the lap on, illuminating the small space. Vic kicked the door shut behind him and I just shrugged my shoulders. "This is it," I said. I pointed him in the direction of my room and he walked off to put the bags down. I locked the door and followed him to the room. I crawled into my bed and soon Vic did the same, pulling me into him. I rested my head on his chest and smiled a little. "I missed you so much."


"I missed you too, babe," he responded. We laid in silence for a while before Vic spoke again. "Come home with me for a while." I sat up a little and looked at him. "Come spend a few weeks with me in San Diego. I know you haven't been home in a long time, but....." he paused. "Maybe it would be good to get away from here for a while and just spend some time together?"


I sighed as I thought about it; I hadn't been home to San Diego since I left 6 years ago, and the thought of going back wasn't really appealing. San Diego held a lot of bad memories, but right now so did this place.


"Okay," I finally responded after I thought about it. I leaned down and kissed Vic passionately; my stomach filled with butterflies immediately. I pulled away from him after a while and laid my head back on his chest, his arms tightening their grip around me. "I love you. I'm glad you're here."


"Lyla, I love you so much. Nothing will ever change that. I'm not going to lose you again," he said and I smiled a little bit before I drifted back off to sleep.