But, I love you...

Stay With Me

Val's POV

Maks and I were watching old re-runs of Dancing with the Stars in our hotel room, when I got a call from Meryl.

Maks still didn't know that I had gone to comfort her this morning, if he found out he would surely kill me. I picked up the phone, completely forgetting that Maks was in the room.

"Hello? Baby...what's wrong? I'm on my way, don't make any rash decisions. Bye honey." I jumped off of the couch and slipped on my shoes.

"Who was that?" Maks asked, his eyes still glued on the television.

"Um, Meryl." I tried to respond as quietly as possible.

"Is she okay!?" He stood up and I could hear the urgency in his voice.

"She's upset..." I trailed off as I re-tied my shoes.

"What about? Why didn't she call m-? It's about me isn't it? She's upset because of me..." Maks sat down and started to get emotional.

"Yeah, but bro she sounded kind of drunk on the phone. Peta texted me and said that she went home with a guy." After I finished the last sentence, his eyes burned with anger.

"She told me nothing happened and that he just tucked her into bed and left. That's it." His eyes still burned with anger as he stood up again.

"Bro, I have to get to her. I don't want her to hurt herself, she's wasted. Meryl never gets this drunk. Please save this until I get home. Please?" He nodded before grabbing my shirt and pushing me up against the wall.

"If you try to sleep with her, I will beat your ass. Now, go take care of my Princess." Maks let go of my shirt and patted me on the back.

Meryl's house...

I quietly shut the car door and ran up to her front door. Where did she say the key was? Shit...

In the plant to the left, I quickly fetched the key and unlocked the door.

All of the lights were out except for the bedroom lights upstairs. As I climbed the dark staircase, I could hear the sound of someone vomiting.

After running up the stairs and into the bathroom, I found Meryl's small body curled over the toilet. At the sound of my footsteps, she tilted her pale face up for a second and then returned to her original position.

"Here let me fix this..." Her hair was falling out of her ponytail. Splitting it into three parts, I braided it quickly and tied it off.

After she was finished, I pulled her up to a standing position.

"Thank you." She said quietly as she pulled me into a tight hug.

"You're welcome baby. Why don't you get a shower and I will get you a glass of water for when you get out. Okay?" She nodded as I grabbed her a towel and a rag.

After almost an hour and a half, I decided to check on Meryl. When I walked into the bathroom, Meryl was sitting on the shower floor; shaking. Still in her clothes.

"V-Val" My heart broke as I heard her voice crack. I turned off the freezing water as Meryl tried to stand up, but didn't succeed.

"Hold on...where are your extra towels?" Meryl pointed her shaking finger to the cabinet below the sink.

I wrapped a brown towel around her shoulders and picked her up bridal style. Her whole body was shaking violently and her lips were a light shade of blue. After setting her down on the bed, I began searching for a t-shirt and shorts for her to wear to bed.

"Here you go. I'll leave so you can get dressed." As I went to close the door, I saw her just sit there staring at me.

"Do you want me to undress you?" Meryl nodded and I noticed that she was gaining some color in her face.

I stood her up next to me and hugged her tightly in my arms. While she was in my arms, she stopped shivering. I gently unzipped her dress, removed her bra and underwear, and dried her off.

"If you try to sleep with her, I will beat your ass." Maks' voice echoed in my head and I was reminded to keep my eyes from wandering as I dried her body off with a spare towel.

After dressing her and tucking her into bed, I started to gather my things and head back to Maks.

"Goodnight Mer." I kissed her forehead and turned away from her.

"Wait." Her voice cracked again as she grabbed my arm.

"Meryl I have to go." I whispered and kissed her forehead again.

"Please stay with me tonight." She said quietly as I was getting ready to close her door. I paused, what would Maks say if I spent the night with her?

He'd kick my ass. But...I can't leave her here alone.

I kicked off my shoes and set my phone and keys on the bedside table. As I climbed under the comforter with her, I pulled her still shaking body in my slightly muscular arms. Meryl rested her head on my chest and wrapped her arms around my waist.

Soon her breaths became even and a slight snore rocked her tiny frame. I couldn't help but pull her even closer to my chest and fall asleep with a smile on my face.