Here's Chapter 8! Sorry that it's so short, I'll try to make up for it. Enjoy! (By the way, the last chapter was supposed to have the chapter name, so I fixed that.)

A Monchele Romance

Chapter 8- Trying to Hold Back Tears

Cory had wanted to find Theo. He was furious that Theo had hit Lea. Somehow, he needed to make Lea feel safe again. Cory hated to see her upset. So, after thinking about what was best for her, he decided that he needed to stay with her and be there when she woke up. Lea had gone through so much already, and he could only imagine how frightened she would be if she woke up and he had left; it would probably be obvious that he had gone to find Theo.

Instead, he sat on her couch and turned on the television. Flipping through the channels, he found a show and lay back, accidentally falling asleep.

Lea woke up before Cory did, rubbing her tear-swollen eyes and sitting up. At first, she just sat there, taking a deep breath, but then she forced herself to stand up. Checking the time, she realized that it was probably time to have dinner. She walked out of her room and found a sleeping Cory on the couch.

She didn't want to wake him, but Lea wasn't very hungry and didn't know if Cory wanted to go home for dinner. Gently, she kneeled down next to him and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Cory?" she said softly. "Cory, wake up."

Cory blinked as he opened his eyes. When he saw Lea, he quickly sat up. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even realize that I fell asleep. Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Lea shook her head. "Nothing, I'm fine. I just wanted to know if you were hungry. If you want, I have some food here that I can make."

"No, it's okay. I'll make it. Are you hungry?"

"Not really…" Lea looked down.

Cory stood up. "Come on, you have to eat something… please? I don't want you to starve." He smiled softly. "That wouldn't be good."

A small trace of a smile formed on Lea's face. "Fine, I'll have a little bit. Thank you Cor."

Cory slowly bent down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Don't worry about it."

He then went into the kitchen to make them both something to eat.

After eating, Lea didn't want Cory to leave, but she would feel bad if he stayed because he'd have to sleep on the couch, so she assured him that she would be okay. Cory wrapped her in a quick hug before he left, Lea shutting the door behind him.

Even though she had slept through half of the day, she was still tired and she knew that she would have to show up at work the next day, so she went straight to sleep.

The next day, when Lea went to work, she decided that she wanted to tell the cast that she was no longer with Theo. She left out the part about him slapping her, though, because she knew that if she told them, there would be a whole mob of angry people breaking down Theo's door that very day.

The only person she told was Dianna, who promised not to go crazy.

She was relieved to get through the day without any trouble, and filming even got her mind off of Theo for the time being.

It went by just a bit too fast for her, though, because as soon as she got home, she couldn't help but remember when Theo had hit her and she began to cry all over again.

Lea woke up in the morning, not even remembering when she fell asleep. It was Saturday, and she had no work that day or the next. Suddenly, her phone vibrated, signaling that she had a text message.

Cory: Hey, just checking on you. Did you want to go and grab a coffee?

I'm fine, thanks Cor. And sure, that would be great.

Cory: Okay, I'll be at your place to pick you up in about twenty minutes.

Lea put down her phone and took a quick shower before getting on some jeans and a sweater. By the time she was finished getting ready, Cory knocked on the door. She grabbed her purse and opened the door; they walked back out to Cory's car and he drove them to a nearby café.