Not really happy with this chapter, but it had to be here to get to the next one .-.

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Sitting in my lap on the bed, he'd tangled one hand in my hair, the other caressing the back of my neck. His lips were soft against mine, occasionally leaving my mouth to kiss my throat.

Slipping my hands under his t-shirt, I tipped him backwards onto the mattress next to me. He wrapped his body around mine, pulling me down on top of him and forcing me to throw my hands out to catch myself so I didn't fall on him. Both of us were giggling, and he tilted his head back as I kissed his neck, working my way back up along his jaw.

"Do you think that lady knows what we're doing?" I teased him. Pulling back for a second, I tried to gauge his reaction, laughing when it made his face flush.

He rolled his eyes at me with a repressed smile. "I'd imagine she has a fair idea, yeah."

Balancing my weight on one arm, I brushed his hair back off his face. I jumped a little as he untucked my shirt and his fingers brushed my stomach; his hands were fucking freezing, and he knew it too, by the way he was struggling hard not to laugh at my reaction. Still, I obliged and took it off. It didn't slip my notice that he wasn't that comfortable with the idea of getting undressed himself, and I wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

I wriggled out of my jeans, when he unbuttoned them, and having me undressed beside him seemed to prompt him to do the same. He locked his arms around me again, seeming to want the weight of my body against him. Having the blankets over us provided a bit of security, and it was only a few more minutes before my underwear were around my ankles, and Carlisle was in the same state.

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He wrapped his arms around my neck, burning his face in my shoulder. His breaths were suddenly shaky and uneven, and he was tensing up. Each time I pushed against him, it was getting worse, and his fingers were digging painfully into my back. His entire body was rigid, and the soft whimper he let out wasn't from pleasure.

I stopped moving, leaning on one elbow so that I could use my free hand to rub his back. "Am I hurting you?" I asked softly, suddenly not at all in the mood anymore.

He shook his head, but seemed desperate to stay close to me. I pulled out, rolling onto my back to pull him on top of me in hopes that it would make him look at me. "What's happening, Carlisle?"

"...I-I can't do this..." he mumbled, sounding upset. "...All I can think about is him..."

"Okay, then we won't," I assured him, rubbing his shoulder. While he was against me, I tucked the blankets around us, trying to take away the vulnerability of the situation.

"But you're my boyfriend and I love you...it's not fair on you..."

"It's okay, Carlisle. I don't care about that right now. It's alright." Hugging him, I kissed his cheek, squeezing him a little tighter. "Don't worry about it, it doesn't matter."

"...I'm sorry..." Slowly, he started to relax again, groaning quietly. "...why does he have to ruin everything?" he grumbled, a little pissed. "I've never slept with him, so it shouldn't get in the way now."

My reaction was to laugh nervously; I had no idea what to say about it. Everything seemed to have the potential to make it worse. Instead, I just ran my fingers through his hair, my other hand teasing the small of his back.

"...he can't ruin being with you too..." He was almost pleading with me, burying his face in my shoulder again.

"He won't, as long as I can cuddle you like this," I murmured, trying to tease but not quite able to. "And then I'll kick his ass if he does."

He laughed a little, but I was a little beyond it being a joke now. "He's bigger than you, Garrett, don't be an idiot." Again, it wasn't meant to be funny; a plea for me not to do anything.

"I'll be good," I promised sourly, setting into the pillows. I'd never hated a person so much.

"Calm down, Gar," he murmured, rubbing the arm I had around him.

I sighed, and forced myself to stop it; I didn't want to ruin the day we'd had.

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Aside from the fact that I was pissed, listening to the waves crash in the background as we fell asleep was soothing. Carlisle had cuddled into me and fallen asleep almost instantly after we'd stopped talking, but it had taken me awhile to calm down and stop my heart racing.

We stayed in bed until lunch time the next day, and my boyfriend had almost entirely wrapped himself around me. I was reluctant to move in case I woke him up; it had started to drizzle outside, and I was more than happy to lie there for a while anyway.

"What time is it?" he murmured after a while. Still half asleep, his words were a little slurred together, and I chuckled and rubbed his shoulder.

"Just after twelve. Since when do you sleep this long?" I teased him.

"Since you're warm and I don't want to move," he mumbled into me, laughing a little.

"That's fine by me. Theoretically, we can stay here until 4:30 tonight, and quickly clean up," I laughed, shutting my eyes and running my fingers through his hair repetitively. I could easily go to sleep again.

"God, I love you." He kissed my jaw, relaxing and falling quiet again.

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It was after two by the time my stomach growling couldn't be ignored any longer. "I'm hungry…" I admitted apologetically.

Nodding, he sat up. "Okay, Gar, let's go get breakfast- uh, lunch, rather," he chuckled. Leaning forward, he kissed me quickly before scrambling around to find his clothing again.

Doing the same, I was still stifling yawning. We made the bed again, and set about tidying any mess that we'd made, before throwing what little shit we'd brought with us into the car. The only food place I knew of was the diner we'd been to the night before, so we sheepishly went back, both of us looking like a complete mess and wearing the same clothes we'd worn there yesterday.

The diner was pretty much empty, and I deemed it okay enough for me to be comfortable enough to hide at one of the tables and eat. The food was fucking delicious, and I had no problem downing my meal. My boyfriend didn't manage to finish his, and quickly fed me what he didn't eat in an attempt to distract me from it. I just let it be.

On the way home, we were forced to stop at the supermarket, seeming as we had no food in the house. It was a chore that had needed to be done a few days ago, to stop us buying takeaways all the time, and there was no way that either of us wanted to go out again after we made it home. I groaned as we pulled into the carpark; it was packed.

Carlisle stiffened as I pulled into a parking space next to an SUV, but said nothing. He took the keys off me when I tried to shove them into my pocket and slotted them between his fingers.

"What's up?" I asked cautiously.

He just shook his head. As we walked in, he kept glancing around, quickly scanning as many of the isles as he could from the position we were in. His sudden paranoia was confusing, but I just grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the vegetables.

"Do we need milk?" I asked for the fourth time. "Carlisle?"

Glancing back at me, he bit his lip. "What?"

"Do we need milk?" I repeated, to which he nodded half-heartedly. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, let's just hurry up…" He stepped closer, reaching for my hand as I held the basket in my other. Still gripping the keys, he looked petrified, and I slipped my arm around his waist. "And yeah, we do."

"Tell me, Carlisle," I murmured, holding me against me.

"When we get home," he whispered back. He was hyperventilating and it wasn't instilling my faith in him.

Giving up, I just nodded and let him go. I was regretting getting a basket instead of a cart, slightly annoyed by how heavy the cans were, when something clattered loudly behind me.

"...Garrett…" Carlisle had his hand on the shelf when I turned around to face him. The crash was the beans he'd been holding dropping on the floor. "...I'm dizzy…" he pleaded.

I quickly set the basket on the ground, jogging forward the few steps to be in front of him. "Sit down, it's okay." I crouched in front of him when he did what I said. "Please tell me what's going on?"

Leaning forward against his knees, he forced deep breaths as he fought passing out. "...my boss is here...I saw his car in the carpark…"

I was instantly on high alert, wanting to find the bastard and lose my shit at him, but Carlisle tightened his hands around my wrists to hold me there. "Have you seen him? Where is he?"

"...with his wife…" Seeing my face darken, he shook his head at me. "Don't do anything stupid. Please, Gar."

Gritting my teeth, I nodded. "Are you okay?"

"N-no...I'm going to pass out…" he mumbled, just in time for a staff member wandered over to us.

"Are you two alright?" she asked awkwardly, hovering.

"No," I told her at the same time Carlisle nodded that he was. "He's not feeling well," I told her, rolling my eyes at him. God knows, he couldn't just get up and walk away, and people were starting to fuss around us. Instead of arguing with me about it, he leaned forward again, starting to collapse. "Hey," I whispered to him, rubbing his shoulder. "You can't faint in the supermarket." He was going to, though, and there wasn't anything I could do about.

The girl hurried away, appearing a few minutes later with her manager and a glass of water. The manger frowned as he watched the situation play out. "If you can stand, you can come and sit in the staff room," he told Carlisle. He looked confused and a bit concerned, and no doubt the last thing he wanted was a scene in his store.

Carlisle jumped at the chance to not do this in public. Leaning against me, he managed to get to his feet, and I quickly locked my arm around his waist to stop him falling again. "I'm okay," he mumbled to me. Still, he was quickly getting upset, though I couldn't tell if it was because he wasn't feeling well, or was freaked out about his boss.

Sitting in the supermarket lunch room, he was clutching the glass of water like it was a life line, his hands shaking so badly he was at risk of spilling the liquid everywhere. His whole body was trembling violently, tears welling up as he tried to drink.

"Breathe, Carlisle," I soothed, standing in front of him and rubbing his shoulders. "If you can't calm down, I'm going to have to take you to the ER." Already, the employees were whispering about calling an ambulance, but I didn't want to freak my boyfriend out more than he already was. "Just take some deep breaths."

Shaking his head, he tried to suck air into his lungs, and I offered the guy who him handed a water bottle instead of the glass a thankful smile. Although I was pretty sure he was humiliated, he was very, very pale, and his cheeks wouldn't heat. "Please don't take me to hospital," he stuttered out eventually. "I just want to lie down, Gar..."

I crouched in front of him, squeezing his leg. "I know, but you're freaking everybody out," I told him apologetically. "People panic when you collapse in public." My attempt at teasing him was lame, and neither of us smiled.

He groaned and leaned forward, hugging my shoulders and resting his head against my collarbone. "...I know...Can't we just lie to them?" he pleaded, his hold on me very weak.

"Well, yeah...but do you think you can stand up again without passing out?" Kissing his cheek, I ran my fingers through his hair.

He still looked terribly pale for someone who wanted to walk, but he nodded and shakily stood up, leaning against me. The few steps he took were unsteady, and I quickly grabbed him again.

I thanked everyone that was helping us, abandoning our shopping - as long as Carlisle made it home, I could come back later for the groceries. I didn't feel safe with him until we were back in the car and his seat belt was fastened around him. "You okay? You're not going to be sick?" I checked, pressing my hand against his forehead. As usual, he wasn't running a fever.

He shook his head. Sitting in silence and zoned out, it was a while before he could think through his actions enough to touch my leg. "I'm really sorry about everything, Gar…"

"It's alright. Is it better now you're out of there?" I closed my fingers over his to squeeze his hand. "He makes you that nervous, huh?"

Shrugging, he wouldn't look at me.

"You had a panic attack?"

"...I guess…"

"And you didn't eat this morning?"

"...Garrett…"

Sighing, I left it alone for a bit, but it was only so long before I couldn't help it. "Does the supermarket make you more nervous than other places?"

"Why would it?" he asked abruptly.

"Because you're weird about eating," I said, blunt with him.

"So are you," he snapped back.

"Not at home, I'm not. We've had this argument a million times, and it's not getting any better, Carlisle. I know you don't want to talk about it, but you've lost a ton of weight since we met, both with your father and with whatever's happening now; it's kind of scary. And don't say you're fine, because you aren't; you're sick - but I don't know how sick because you won't tell me anything." Again Leah's comment was too prominent, and I gritted my teeth in frustration.

"I don't know what to tell you, Garrett! I feel like shit, what'd you want me to say?" Upset, his feet were against the dashboard while he leaned his head against his knees to get away from me.

Sighing through my teeth, I surrendered; we'd had a nice weekend, and I didn't want it to be ruined by an argument at the end of it.

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I took him home, made sure he was sitting down, and then headed out to a different supermarket; there was no way I was going back to the other one any time soon, considering the fuss we'd just caused. Pushing the cart, I decided to pick up a few extra things to give myself time to cool off; an awkward mix of frustration and worry made me irritable with Carlisle, and I didn't think that he could handle me being angry with him; he was too fragile.

I only contained a certain amount of patience.

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Surprisingly, he'd already managed to pull together enough ingredients to make dinner by the time I got home. The rustling of the bags as I brought them in made him turn to face me. He offered me an awkward smile, fidgeting the spoon in his hand.

It was quite obvious he was trying to gauge whether I was pissed at him, and I stepped forward to kiss him gently, squeezing his arm. "What are we having?" I tried to keep my voice light, refusing to end the weekend on a negative note.

"...chilli…? It was the only thing I could make with what was left before you got home, and-"

"Chilli is fine, Carlisle." He relaxed as I hugged him. "Are you feeling okay now?"

"Yeah." His arms found their way around my waist, and I slowly rubbed his back. "...nervous about tomorrow though...don't want to see him…" he mumbled into me.

That was all it took for the anger to rise in me again. My hold on him tightened, and my jaw locked. "If you think he's going to hurt you, get out of there immediately."

"He's not violent; you know that. He's just...overly affectionate…? He doesn't do anything to hurt me." Not physically, maybe.

My hand knotted around his t-shirt, and I pressed my lips against his neck. I kept my mouth shut as I started to unpack the groceries; the only thing that was going to come out was a threat towards that man otherwise. Once it was done, I just sat at the table, my eyes trained on Carlisle as he finished making dinner. I didn't have to wait long for my food to be in front of him.

He sat across from me, cautiously picking at it; it tasted fine, and there was no reason for hesitance, aside from nerves. His plate was abandoned about ten minutes later, and he mumbled something about showering as he headed down the hallway.

I sighed and leaned my head against my hand. Figuring that he probably wanted space after being attached to me all weekend, I just washed the dishes and put away the leftovers. I wasted quite a bit of time before heading to bed, and by that point Carlisle was already under the blankets.

Instead of sleepy, he looked completely wired. Anxious. He shuffled over to me to cuddle into my side. "You're working tomorrow?" he asked softly, his face buried in my shirt as I lay down.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. "Yeah, but I'll drive you to your office first."

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The whole drive, he squirmed uncomfortably, hyperventilating and picking his clothing. Everything was 'off' with him this morning; he'd slept in too long, was barely dressed and hadn't had time for coffee. His hair was still a mess, and in all honesty, he looked like shit.

"Hey...if anything happens, call me and I'll come and get you. I'll keep my phone on me the whole day," I assured him. Pulling on the hand brake as I stopped against the car against the curb, I hugged him tightly. "I love you, it'll be okay."

"I love you too...thanks for dropping me off…" Kissing me quickly, he all but fell out of the car and stumbled into his office building.