Torn

XII

Chapter Song: You Are In Love (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift

Emma

That night my heart was beating so loudly I couldn't fall asleep. It was the craziest first day of work I'd ever had. I wanted to kill Ren after hearing what he'd done, he was a despicable person. Looking back, I should have known he'd end up hurting her, I wish I'd have done something.

I was also really worried about Nina's physical and emotional state, each time I saw her she looked more frail and tired. And those last few days had been the roughest ever since we met, her constant breakdowns were a painful sight, but even worse was the fact that I didn't know how else to help her. At that point I didn't even know if was actually helping her. My only wish was for her to get better.

...

The next day I officially moved in and spent all day organizing my stuff around. When I was done it still looked empty, after all it was the biggest job-related room I'd ever had. That night we both went to bed early to hit the road the next morning, but soon I realized I wouldn't be getting much sleep. Maybe I was still getting used to the new room. I rolled around in bed to no avail, so I went to the kitchen for a glass of water. The light was on which I found odd, as I got closer I noticed the door to the terrace was slightly open. I peeked and saw Nina sitting there.

"Having trouble sleeping?" She asked, sitting on the couch with a blanket and headphones on, vacantly starring at the city.

Getting noticed was startling. "I could ask you the same thing." I said, trying not to appear nervous.

She placed her eyes on me, sending a shiver down my spine. "But I asked first."

"I think I'm still getting used to being in a new place. It happens every time I move somewhere." I stepped closer to her, trying to make things less awkward. "Now you have to answer, are you also having trouble sleeping?"

"I guess, I thought I'd be fast asleep by now but here we are." There it was again, that bitter smile.

"Is there something wrong?"

She took a deep breath. "It just keeps replaying in my head. I see it, all of it whenever I close my eyes for too long. So, it's a bit hard to sleep right now."

"Well, I can't sleep either. So, do you mind if I stay here with you for a bit?"

"Be my guest." She pointed to the place next to her.

I sat down and we stared at each other. My cheeks were burning. "Is it okay if I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How are you feeling? I mean these past few days have been..." All the words I could think of were...

"Horrible." She said like she'd read my mind.

"Yeah..."

"I'm not sure how I'm feeling. Sometimes I get the sense that my life has become a rollercoaster that doesn't stop, and I'm trapped in the cart, never able to get down. And I always brushed it off, thinking that's the way life is supposed to feel. But I'm not so sure anymore, I don't know if it's ever happened to you but... there are times when I wish I just get away from everything and simply...disappear."

"Nina..." I was happy that was being honest with her feelings, but it was hard to find the right words to say.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-."

"Please don't apologize. Thank you for trusting me enough to say that." I sat closer and held her hand. "I can't fully understand the way you're feeling or what you're going through, but what I can say for sure is that it'll all get better. I know you'll be able to get through this and I'm here to help you in any way I can."