I knew that it was very late when I was woken up by muffled shouting coming from smewhere behind my door and I wanted to scream from annoyance as my head was bearing the worst headeache I have ever experienced. However, instead I just groaned in annoyance and tried to block out the noise and go back to sleep. Turned out that it was harder than I tought as the noise intensified and I wasn't sure whether I should go check if everything was okay.

I stayed in bed, trying to hear what was being said but it was too distorted. I sighed and dragged my hand accross my face. I winced in pain as my hand connected with the skin of my cheek, which, probably, now was sporting huge bruise, and I wanted to break down for letting James have the opportunity to harm me even when I wasn't with him anymore.

James.

My tired mind went through the events that happened just a few hours ago. Why can't he just leave me alone? He said he still loved me. I wanted to laugh at that. Obviously, if you love someone so much you go off behind their backs with a blonde bimbo, not.

I looked around the room that was enveloped by the dark, in order to block out the thoughts that were making me feel even worse. I'm not gonna pitty myself, or cry. No, I'm much better than that.

A shiver went down my spine and I noticed that the window was still open and the chilly air of late September was blowing through the thin curtains. It's gonna be October soon. Almost a month since I've been living with the boys. Time, surely has gone by so quickly.

Minutes later, I felt my eyelids getting heavy and my mind slowly shutting itself down. Tugging the blanket closer to my body, I turned on my side and welcomed sleep.

Suddenly, the lights were turned on and the door was flung open as quick footsteps entered my room.

"I'm so sorry." were the words that made me open my eyes and look at the person that was standing by my bed.

Paul looked sad, his hair, usually perefectly combed, were sticking out in every direction and his tie was gone as his eyes were looking straight at me.

His eyeswas his most fascinating feature. So big and beautiful, always filled with joy. Now they were filled with worry, making me want to take that worry away so that I could see that sparkle and liveliness again.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't there. I wasn't there to protect you." it pained me to see him so sad and to hear his shaky voice that was laced with guilt.

"Paul, no-" I wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault. That I had said that he should stay back at the club and I would be okay being alone. That there was no way he cpuld have ever suspected for this to happen. However, my words were cut short as he got on the bed and enveloped me in a gentle hug. He was holding me tightly and rubbing my back. His scent of cigarettes and cologne overwhelming my senses and I didn't want to leave his arms. The warmth that he was giving me, something that I hadn't experienced before. Something that made my heart beat faster and my mind go blank.

"No, Anna." he said sternly and held me even tighter. "I should have been there. I should have protected you and punched that son of a bitch." Even though I knew Paul for just almost a month I knew that he was angry as his voice was shaky and his arms were tense.

"It wasn't your fault." I tried to reassure him to ease his anger and guilt, hoping that he would stop beating himself over it. "I'm okay and George was there."

"But it shouldn't have been George. It should have been me there. Instead, I was enjoying myself back at the club, having fun, whilst you were in danger." His hand reached towards my face and tilted it so that I was facing his beautiful eyes. His gaze was focused on my cheek and gently he ran his thumb across the bruise that was decorating the side of my face. I tried not to wince from the contact as slight pain shot through where he was touching the bruise. "He hit you." he stated and I knew that George must have told him what happened. "Did you know him?" he scrucnched up his eyebrows and looked at me expectantly.

A part of me wanted to lie to tell.him that I didn't know him and that he was just a drunken passerbyer. That part of me was scared that once he'll know the truth he will ask questions.

Quostions that I waa scared to answer.

The other part of me knew that Paul deserved answers. Clearly, he cared about me, even if James had said otherwise. I wanted to let Paul in, to show him what a mess I am, so that he has a chance to back out from the relationship that was growing between us.

I nodded.

"It was James, my ex." there, it was done. I swallowed the lump that it was in my throat after I had said those words.

Paul was quiet for a few minutes and I just laid there, in his arms, soaking up the comfort he was offering.

"Has he hit you before?" the silence was broken by Paul's whisper and I knew that these were the queations that I hoped to avoid.

I wanted to lie, close the door, that linked me to James, completely and forget about the past but my heart seemed to have a mind of it's own as it screamed at me to tell him everything. I nodded, avoiding any eye contact and twidling with my fingers. I felt like a child who had trouble admitting that they had done something wrong, even though I had no blame in the fact that James had been abusive.

"Was it often?" Paul seemed very interested in my past and was completely dismissing and forgetting what had happened in the club. Then again, I was glad that he hadn't brought up the fact that I yanked him, and almost forced him, to kiss me after his words of affection.

I took a shaky breath and stared at the wall in front of us, noticing its swirly pattern that seemed to be very interesting right now.

"It depended." was all I said for I had no idea of how to describe James's sudden anger driven mood swings that occured very unexpectedly.

"On what?" he pressed on further and rubbed my shoulder in reassurance.

"On when he was mad." I knew that it wasn't good enough and that Paul was set on getting a hold of the answer he was searching for.

"Was he angry often?" I sensed that I had only to answers, to this question, that Paul will accept on with a shaky sigh I looked at him, from under my eyelashes.

"Yes." my voice sounded small and weak, close to it's breaking point, as my eyes showed Paul everything that I couldn't express in words.

I was broken and I was scared that there was no way of fixing me.

He didn't say anything, making me wonder if this was it. He was backing out from whatever this, that was going on between us, was. My heart fell and I hoped that my dissapouintment didn't show as I sat there awkwardly, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

I didn't expect for a gentle caress to tilt my face towards his, or a soft smile to grace his lips as he took me by surprise to capture my lips in a quick but meaningulf kiss. His hands were rough from years of playing an instrument and his mouth tasted of cigarettes as his long eyelashes were brushing against my skin. It wasn't forceful kiss, like the ones that James would usually land on me when I least expected it. Instead it was a kiss told me that Paul didn't want to rush into anything, making my hesitation to fade away as I found myself responding to Paul's lips with longing that I had never experienced, making me cherish each touch. No words were needed as Paul showed me that he was nothing like James, that he wouldn't hurt me.

We stayed.in each other's embrace for a while longer when, suddenly, Paul sat up and brushed loose strands of his hair away from his face.

"You should be resting, it was a long night for you and you need sleep to recover from tonight." he intertwined his fingers with mine and let his thumb gently make swirly patterns on my skin.

I had to admit that I was exhausted and that it was hard for me to keep my eyes open but the absent feeling of Paul's warmth was what didn't let me fall asleep in that very moment.

"Can you stay with me?" it was my heart speaking instead of my mind as I knew that I wouldn't have asked such question if my mind had the strength to think about what I was asking in more depth. If my mind was clear I would have been scared to face a rejection but at this very moment I simply didn't care because I knew that I would sleep much better if Paul was here, right next to me.

With no words said, Paul laid next to me and wrapped his hands around me, holding me tightly and safely. His soft lips brushed against my forehead and like the winf his whisper of 'goodnight, love' carried to my ears.

I fell asleep instantly, with a fluttery feeling in my chest and a soft smile on my lips.

All the bad things forgotten.

On my mind was just Paul.