When I look at her, I'm eighteen again. I can still smell the lavender and hear the rumble of the planes taking off into the great unknown. I feel her hand in mine and the cold metal against my wrists…

"Come on. You can't be serious," I said, arching my eyebrows and staring at Rose in disbelief. She was always full of crazy schemes but this was one of her worst. Rose smirked and tilted her head to the side. I felt my heart race at the look she was giving me. It was stupid but my crush on her was only getting worse.

"Aw, come on Mason. Don't tell me that you're too chicken for it?" she said. I shook my head. She would be the death of me. I ran a hand through my hair, giving her a pointed look.

"Really, aren't we a little old for stunts like this?" I asked. Rose smirked at me and opened her mouth, making chicken noises.

I grabbed my car keys and shook my head. "Fine! Let's go," I conceded, opening my car door and climbing in. Rose followed suit and smirked at me.

A slight feeling of embarrassment washed over me at just how easy it was for Rose to manipulate me. One slight hint of a challenge and my male bravado rose to the bait. I pulled into the road and scowled at the massive 'no trespassing' sign.

"You're sure about this?" I asked. Rose smirked and turned to face me.

"What? Are you scared?" she teased. I ground my teeth together and shook my head. Goading me.

I pulled forward, past the no trespassing sign and along the road to the clearing which looked on to the airport runway. When I pulled to a stop Rose smirked, and jumping out of the car, she pulled down the tailgate for us to sit on.

"You really are something else, you know that, right?" I asked. Rose laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. The action brought a smile to my face and I looked at her.

"What exactly are you planning on doing if the cops show up?" I asked. Rose laughed and looked at me.

"Come on! You worry too much. Besides. We could always run. It would make one hell of a story," she said giving me the smile that could stop hearts. I laughed and shook my head and stared at her.

"You're certifiably insane Rose Hathaway," I said, shaking my head and watching her smirk to herself.

"I know," she giggled, patting the tailgate beside her for me to sit.

As I made my way towards her, I tripped over some sort of plant. Lavender. Picking a sprig, I hopped up on the tailgate and placed it behind her ear. I gestured toward the runway and Rose turned to look at the first plane taking off. Rose let out a laugh and she clapped her hands together.

"Look how fast it is going," she said in amusement. I shook my head. I couldn't believe I was here. And with her. It was already one hell of a story.

Suddenly, she stood up and glanced at the plane pulling up from the ground. Then she glanced behind us and cursed. "Fuck, Mason. Run," she said, grabbing my arm and tugging me off the car.

Then, I heard them. The sirens. I glanced at Rose and tugged her towards me. The blue lights shone on her face and I noticed the excitement in her eyes. It sent a jolt of excitement through me.

"Stop. Right there," A voice echoed across the clearing to us. Rose tugged my arm.

"Dude, come on," she insisted. Her naïve innocence in the belief that she could outrun them almost made me laugh.

"Rose! We can't. You know that!" I whispered, the laughter over taking me. She tugged her arm from mine and laughed.

"Sure we can! Just watch!" she said, about to tear off in the opposite direction, but instead, she ran into a chest. Hard. I let out a bark of laughter and was forced against the car.

"You think this is funny?" The officer hissed slapping a pair of cuffs on me. And man were they tight. I glanced over at Rose and saw her batting her eyes at the officer putting the cuffs on her.

"Come on. Surely you guys can let us off with a warning," she said, her voice had taken on a flirty edge to it. The police officer scoffed and looked at her in amusement.

"You can't flirt your way out of this," he told Rose. Yeah she can. The thought had crossed my mind before I was even fully aware of what I was thinking.

"I love your accent, Officer…sorry didn't catch your name," she swooned.

"Belikov," he announced, smirking at her. "Not that it'll help you any to know my name."

At least her officer didn't seem to be handling her so roughly. Mine on the other hand was steering me towards the car and it seemed like he was deliberately trying to make me fall. I let out a whine and winced in pain when he forced me into the car. He slammed the door shut and I noticed the other officer letting Rose slide into the car herself.

Ah, good cop, bad cop routine. Trust me to get the asshole. Rose looked up at the officer in front of her and her eyes suddenly she looked about twelve years old. I noticed the guys face soften and I knew I was probably doing the same. She was scared. At least that is what I thought before I seen her lips turn up at the corners.

"So…" she paused and flicked her eyes to his badge. "Officer Belikov, got a light?" As soon as the words left her lips, a bark of laughter left mine. The guy slammed her door shut but when I looked at his reflection in the mirror it looked like he was struggling to contain a laugh too.

I glanced at Rose and shook my head. I nudged her leg with mine and we shared an amused look. She smiled and my heart began to beat faster under her gaze. I couldn't help but admire the shine of the blue lights on her hair. She was so beautiful.

Being there with her…well I wasn't even scared about the fact we had just been arrested; however I could feel a lump forming in my stomach at the thought of what Abe would do to me when he heard about all of this.

As the car took off, I had a sudden realization. I stared at those deep brown eyes and hoped she understood the message I so desperately wanted to convey.

I love you.