2 Minutes, 23 Seconds

2' 15"

"Great morning, Van," Eury mumbled as she traced his nose with a forefinger.

He opened his eyes and instantly smiled a wide one. "Great morning, indeed. It was a great evening as well," he said then grinned meaningfully.

"Van!" She wanted to hide under the sheets in embarrassment and he only laughed at her cute expression.

"I'll cook breakfast," Eury faced the other way so she could hide her flushed face. She sat up on the bed, holding the blanket over her chest.

Van held her hand and asked, "Can we cuddle first for a few minutes?"

She chuckled but lied down again and snuggled close to him, not feeling embarrassed anymore.

"Does it still hurt?" He asked, full of concern.

She smiled at his thoughtfulness. "I'm more than okay. You? How are you feeling?" She looked up at him from his chest. Her hand caressed his hair, then his cheek, and then slightly rubbed his arm.

"I'm better than ever, baby girl."

It didn't ease the worry in her heart. It wasn't a wise decision, what they did last night, considering his condition.

"I'm sorry for forcing you last night."

"Ssh. I wanted it...and you wanted it too." He touched her rosy cheek.

"Yeah, but what if it does something to your body? I know that you're required to exercise and all but I don't think that kind of exercise is recommended..."

He chuckled as a reply. "Nothing bad will happen to me. Trust me." It was half a lie. His body was screaming in pain last night.

"I guess I'll ask Duncan," she pouted.

"You really wanna ask him?"

She knew it would be embarrassing but maybe she will still ask.

She sighed then said, "I'll cook breakfast. I'm kinda hungry, and I'm sure you are too."

She tried to sit up but Van held her closer by the waist and she's now aware of how close their naked bodies are. She could feel blood rushing to her face again.

She looked up at him and asked with eyebrows raised. "Hm?"

He stared at her for seconds before finally speaking.

"I love you."

Her heart swelled and her body relaxed.

"I love you too," she paused, "but I really have to make some breakfast for us."

His face shone with happiness as he laughed and it was picture-perfect, Eury thought.

Stacey agreed to go to the hospital yesterday but as soon as they were heading for Duncan's car, she realized she wasn't ready yet to confirm whatever illness she has and deal with it. Just thinking about medications and possible therapy sessions causes her anxiety already.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wide-eyed. Tears began to blur her vision. "I c-can't."

Duncan immediately cupped her cheeks as soon as he saw her teary eyes. "It's okay, Greta. We'll wait until you're ready." He couldn't help but kiss her forehead to offer comfort. She didn't mind it.

They went back inside her apartment and she decided to lie down on the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted.

Duncan went to her kitchen to grab a glass of water for her but when he came back, she had dozed off already.

He sighed as his thoughts raced. He has so many questions but will not force her to answer them. She'll probably tell him when she's comfortable enough to be open to him. He'll wait for that time. She's worth it.

Luckily, he didn't recieve any call from the hospital and so he spent the day watching the news and reading journal articles on the internet.

A pained mumble took him out of concentration. He glanced at Stacey and saw her crying in her sleep and it looked like she was a having a nightmare.

"No! My baby!" She cried and her words drowned but he caught it. He paused as she repeated those words.

Blinking the surprise away, Duncan put his laptop on the center table and kneeled by the couch to wake Stacey up.

"Greta, wake up. It's just a nightmare. Wake up, I'm  here."

She opened her eyes but only continued wailing. She looked so pain that it actually hurt him to see her like that and not know the exact reason why she was crying.

He helped her sit up and sat beside her. He held her close and ran his hand up and down her arms to comfort her, and he did not hesitate to kiss the top of her head. They stayed in that position as he let the tears subside. The crying eventually turned to sobs until they were just hugging on the couch.

Duncan peeked at her face to see if she has fallen asleep again but saw that she was awake and was staring at nothing.

He fixed her position on the couch as he wiped the tears from her face and the sweat on her forehead. He found that her clothes were damp with sweat too and so he asked her if she could change. She did not answer and looked at him with tired eyes instead.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and began to shed tears once again.

His forehead creased. "Ssh, you don't have to apologize."

It didn't seem to help for she only cried harder. "I have a lot to apologize for," she said in between sobs.

He rummaged through his brain for the right words to say as they prove to be affecting her too much. "What can I do for you? What will make you feel better? Should I help you change?"

Stacey realized how she has been acting so tried to take control over her own destructive mind. She held his hand tight, getting herself ready to open up to him. She chose to help herself get better and this might be one way. Only, two things can come from this. It's either he'd sympathize and understand or leave.

"I need you to listen."

He offered a timid smile, glad enough that she needs him.

She breathed in and gathered up courage to skin herself alive in front of a man who only stayed by her side and actually never left.

And so she began to tell her story, from her parents' separation to her first love taking advantage of her innoncence, and to her miscarriage and how it lead to her being who she is now.

Duncan took it all in, no matter how hard it was to swallow. Indeed, she had gone through so much and it pained him to know about all the hardships she experienced. What hurt him the most was knowing that a guy could do that to an innocent young girl. Damn, she was fourteen! She did not deserve all of those. He almost shook in anger.

He took both of her hands and looked straight into her scared eyes. "I am sorry."

She held her breath as she waited for him to continue.

"I am sorry I wasn't there." He was furious, and his breathing proved it, but the past is something they couldn't change. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm sorry, Greta." His voice broke and tears fell from his eyes.

She cried of relief knowing now that he understands. He is crying for her. She weeped at the fact that there can be someone who won't leave. She then realized that she had those in Van and Eury but she was too broken to take care of it and took them for granted instead.

"I know this might not be the right time to tell you this, Greta, but I am in love with you and I won't let you feel that way again as much as I can. I will protect you. I promise you that."

Stacey only hoped she could protect him from her.