Drunken Love

Chapter Seventeen

Seventeen

"Matt!" I gasp out as I wake up from a nightmare and sit up to see Matt is gone from the bed. Shaking I grab my glasses from the nightstand and get up quickly unable to stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks as I head downstairs where I can hear a few of Matt's family talking. I look around the kitchen and everyone turns to me all of their faces full of concern dressed in either pajamas or swimsuits or casual clothes.

"Victoria, dear what is wrong?" Matt's mother, Elizabeth asks and comes around the island towards me reaching to touch my face. I flinch back and shake my head trying to keep from sobbing.

"Hey Mom, Noah wants-Tori!" Matt says suddenly and rushes to put his plate down on the counter coming around to wrap me in his arms. I immediately bring my arms around his bare torso and bury my face in his neck sobbing as the nightmare flashes through my mind. My father's angry face makes me shudder and I can practically feel his blows to my body like he's here now hurting me.

"H-He took you from me again." I mutter and Matt brings his hands to either side of my face leaning back to look me in the eyes.

"I'm right here, baby. He cannot take me from you or you from me." Matt says and wipes away my tears gently with the pads of his thumbs making me slowly start to calm down. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I-I don't know." I stutter and glance around at his family worried about what they think of me knowing they probably think I'm crazy or that I have some kind of issues.

"Let's go sit down." Matt says turning my attention back to him and he gently leads me over to the couch. I lean into his side and sigh when we sit down Matt grabs a blanket off the back of the couch nearby laying it over my legs that are only covered in workout shorts.

"He came to New York and then to our--your house." I say slightly embarrassed that I said his house was ours and play with my ring looking down the entire time.

"You can call it ours if you want, sweetheart." He says and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear looking at me. "He wouldn't know where to even find you or me if he came here."

"He'd find a way." I mumble and wipe away more of my tears placing my hands in my lap picking at the end of the sleeves of Matt's sweatshirt I like to sleep in.

"Victoria..." He says and takes my hand in one of his warmer ones using his free hand to lift my chin up a bit so I look at him.

"What?" I ask and his blue eyes stills my shaky hands knowing that no matter what he is here for me.

"I love you and I will never let anything happen to you, baby." Matt says and runs his thumb along the edge of my bottom lip. "I just wish I could take away your pain."

"I have too much for you to take away." I mutter and lean my head on his warm shoulder cuddling into him as he gently pulls my legs over his lap.

"That won't make me stop trying." He says and captures my lips in a soft kiss that makes me feel so safe and secure leaning into him as I feel his arms around me.

I sigh and cup his cheek pulling back to look at him. "What do you think they think of me now?"

"I told them I shouldn't have left you." Matt says and gently pushes a hand through my messy waves looking at me. "I should have come back up and brought us coffee."

"Baby, I don't want you to feel like you can't leave my side." I say and look at him. "I-I was fine just scared that you were hurt."

"Tori, I don't feel like that. I want you to feel safe and that's all that matters to me." He says and kisses my cheek hugging me close to him. "Are you hungry or anything?"