As I entered, I looked around the small café. It had cherry wood floors. The walls were Mondrian inspired. They had black stripes in random places, and splashes of blue, red, and yellow. I walked to the back, where we agreed to meet. There was this perfect little two person table. It also was black and the chairs were yellow and blue.

I pulled out a book while I was waiting. Pushing my curly red hair out of my face, I relaxed. I didn't have to wait long though. I heard the squeak of rubber against wood as he pulled out his chair and got situated. He grabbed the small menu and looked at it, pretending to decide what he was going to order. I knew that's not what he was really doing, though. If his secret text messages were anything to go by, then he had been as eager to do this as I had.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound cool.

"Hey, babe." He said quietly.

Just then, the waitress came up. "Like, hi!" She said. She had bright blue hair and she looked like she fell face first into a tackle box. Although she looked like someone who would write morbid emo poetry, she was exceptionally perky. "I'm Tasha. Can I take your order?"

"May," I coughed, then turned bright red and covered my mouth with my hand.

"Um… Excuse me?" She asked.

"I'm s-sorry… I corrected you… It's just, I'm a grammar Nazi and I can't help but correct people…"

She laughed. "It's okay! I'm the exact same way! I slip up sometimes though… Anyways, may I take your order?"

"Yes, please," I said. "I'd like an iced caramel latté. But can I get the ice crushed and extra caramel? And I also want a slice of apple pie. Easy on the whipped cream and a bit of cinnamon sprinkled on top."

"Definitely! But the cinnamon on top will be extra, so will the extra caramel."

"It's fine," the boy in front of me said. "And I want the same as her." He talked quietly, making his voice deeper than usual to mask his identity.

"Mmkay! Hey, you look like-"

"I get that a lot." He said. She nodded and walked off.

"Anyways," He said. "How have you been?"

I smiled falsely. "Oh, you know, I've been good."

He nodded, but I knew he could tell something was wrong. "… Okay…"

"So, how have you been?"

"Well, you'd think you wouldn't have to ask that, considering the fact that my life has basically been broadcasted all over the world."

I smiled. "What about the hunt?" I asked. He had told me about it when we first started dating. By the way his face twisted into a miniscule frown, I feared the worst.

"It's been okay…"

I shook my head. "Don't think I didn't notice that bruise on your jaw."

He clenched his eyes shut, his breath getting shaky. "I told mom I wanted to quit, wanted a normal life for once… She slapped me."

I gasped, but I wasn't surprised. His mother could be a cruel woman when she wanted to. She was the reason we were keeping our relationship on the down low after all. That and the fact that if his relatives were to find out about me, they'd probably kill me…

I reached over the table and cupped his cheek. "Sweetie, your mother is a cruel woman sometimes. You can't let her get you down. And I know this whole thing is stupid and irrational and unbelievable, but you can't quit it. It's in your blood, and no matter how much you want to just give up, it's not going away without a fight. I of all people know that…"

He smiled. "I know…"

Tasha came back with our order and we ate in silence. When we got outside, he pulled me into an alleyway. "Baby, what's wrong? I know something's bothering you."

My vision blurred slightly with unwanted tears. I closed my eyes tight when I said the next part. "The voices, they came back. My panic attacks have started again. It's hard to handle. I… I started cutting again." His eyes widened and he grabbed my right arm, pulling my sleeve up. He counting the seemingly never ending scars, kissing each one. I felt his warm tears start rolling down my arm and I pulled it away gently. He grabbed me and pulled me to his chest, holding me tightly as I sobbed. The thing I said was muffled by his shirt and my tears, but he still heard it. "You… you what?"

"I… I over dosed…"

He pushed me away slightly so he could look me in the eyes. "I…" But he couldn't seem to get any words, so he pulled me into a kiss. It was sweet, and wonderful, and comforting, and it ended all too quickly. He then hugged me hard. "I love you, Chelsea."

I hugged him back, closing my eyes at the feel of his chin resting lightly on my head. "I love you too, Jonah."