Nikki's p.o.v.
I wake up in Austin's arms and glance at the clock on the nightstand. It says 3:17. I look up and see austin sound asleep. I decide that I won't be able to fall back asleep, so I sneak out of austin arms, careful not to wake him, and tip toe into the bathroom. I step inside and shut the door. Looking in the mirror, I notice the dark circles under my eyes. I wash off my face and head downstairs. I fill a glass of water and sit at the island. I start to think about the question austin asked me yesterday. I rack my brain for an answer, but I can't come up with just one. Too many things have been a factor towards it. I'm really not looking forward to that conversation. The stairs start to creak and I turn around to find a sleepy austin looking at me. "Hey baby, how you feeling?" He asks as he walks towards me. "I'm okay..." I reply as I feel his hands wrap around my waist. We make our way to the couch and sit down. I start to panic, knowing the conversation that is coming. My breathing starts to pick up and I get a heavy feeling in my chest. "Nikki, are you okay??" He asks worriedly, rubbing his hand on my back. I slightly shake my head and look down. "Is there anything I can do?" He asks, looking down at me. I shake my head again as a sob rips through me. He pulls me into him and rubs my back. I slowly start to calm down and am able to sit up. We sit in silence. "Austin..." I start. He looks up at me, allowing me to continue. "I have an anxiety disorder and I have depression. I'm bullied a lot. I hate myself. I cut because I don't care. I don't care about myself. I don't care about life. I've been such a mess because my medications are at my foster parents house. I'm so scared to love again. I have so much going on in my head. I act like I'm fine but I'm not," I pause and look up to see austin, with tears in his eyes. "I just... don't want you to worry about me.." I say looking at my hands. He grabs my hands and I look up. "No matter what, I'm going to worry about you. I care about you, so much Nikki. I want you to be happy. We are going to get through this together okay?" He says, with a small spark of hope in his eyes. "Okay," I whisper. He pulls me into his chest and we fall asleep in peace.
