I could hear the boiling of a kettle and footsteps on a wooden floor not too far away. The feeling under of cheek wasn't the grainy sand anymore. It was more soft and cushion-like. I moved my fingers and they came in contact with a fleece like material. It was a blanket. I slowly opened my eyes which still stung from the harsh weather I had put myself into. I was in apartment that had the same structure as the one I had, but I knew it wasn't mine. The decorations on the walls were different and the room was a different colour. I was laying on my side, resting on a pillow with my arm underneath my head. Still disorientated, I pushed my self up with my arm, only to fall straight back down due to the fact that my arm was dead from laying on it. I made a slight thunk and froze as I heard a door open. The footsteps grew louder and the shadow of a person came from the hallway.

"Oh, you're awake now." A young boy spoke. I guess you'd know who I hoped it would be. This was crazy, I shouldn't be so obsessed with someone I hadn't even ever spoken to.

Well, I was right.

"I'm guessing you're a bit confused, my name's Hope." he said, pulling up a chair next to me and sitting down and putting his hands in his lap. "I looked out my window last night into the storm and saw someone lying on the beach, unconscious. I ran down there and dragged you up here. What the hell were you doing?"

Trying not to embarrass myself in front of this dream come true, I stutted, "I think I fell."

Well done Snow, well fucking done.

He let out a small giggle as a cheeky smile crept onto his face. He was even more adorable now. "Whatever you say." He got up off his chair and slid it back under the table to the right, made from what looked like some form of pine wood. He walked into the kitchen and took the now-boiled kettle and asked if I wanted some tea.

"No thanks, I don't feel too well right now."

Hope put his elbows on the counter, holding a mug and sipping from it as the steam rose. He looked at me over the counter before asking me what my name was.

"I'm Snow." I replied. I wouldn't have been surprised if Hope knew I was lying about how I got down to the beach. "I'm from the area. I was staying the night here with my fiance," I continued, trying not to think about Serah too much, "but it didn't really end well."

Hope's forehead crinkled as if he was thinking of what to say. "Do you need a place to stay?"

I nearly fell off the couch. I widened my eyes at Hope while sitting up, trying to distract myself from the mental image of me and Hope alone together. "Um, probably." I looked up at him. "Thanks heaps man..."

"No need to thank me," he chuckled, "you look like a bit of a lost puppy anyway."

I grinned. This boy was adorable, and now I got to stay with him! I had no idea what the hell was going on with me and Serah.

"Make yourself at home." Hope offered, throwing me the television remote before pulling out the same chair he sat on before and plonking down. I really can't recall what happened in those few hours. And no, we did not fuck like rabbits, unfortunately. God, how could I even say that, I've known this boy for a few hours... We just sat there watching tv and talking like we were old friends. I told him where I grew up and he told me all about his childhood. We got onto the topic of how I met Serah. I felt my heart twinge as I spoke to Hope about what really happened last night.

Hope was staring at me, deep in interest with what was happening. "So you walked out on her because you were imagining someone else?"

I could feel my cheeks turning red, I didn't have to imagine the stunning creation's face, I could look at it right now; it was a metre away from me. My heart started to race. "Uh, yeah." I stammered.

Hope suddenly jumped up and began to giggle at me. His sudden reaction nearly gave me a fucking heart attack. Wouldn't be surprised, it was going pretty fast anyway. "YOU'RE GOING PINK!" He cooed.

I flopped down onto the couch and put my face into the pillow, pulling the blanket over me. He knelt down next to me and as soon as I could feel him closer to me, my heart started racing again. What I wasn't expecting was for me to get a boner. Still lying down, I looked up at him.

"Awww." He murmured. He had a half smile on his face. He was so adorable man, I can't even describe. He had little dimples which you only really noticed when you were up close. I was close, the tightening of my pants showed that.

Without warning, there was a deafening bang followed by a scream of rage. The beating of a door that sounded nearby.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, YOU DIRTY LITTLE BASTARD!"

I started shaking, I knew that voice.

Lightning.

Serah's sister.

"What the hell?" Hope questioned, getting up to go investigate. I shot out from the couch and grabbed his wrist which immediately sent shivers down my spine and pulled him back to the ground. He looked at me with alarm, but as soon as I raised my finger to my lips he was silent.

"Serah's sister." I whispered.

"He's not here," spoke Lightning with definite anger and hatred in her voice, "go in and get your stuff, we're leaving."

I'm sure I heard a voice say "Thank fuck." from next door. I began to shake, my grip on Hope's wrist getting tighter, but he didn't react. He remained silent looking at the wall, listening.

The next words I heard from Lightning were the ones that caused me to crash.

"He's probably cheating on you right now, the slimy dog."

Her words of hate and the fact that I knew she wanted to kill me, yet she didn't know that I was only a few metres away from her made me begin to hyperventilate. She wasn't someone to mess with. As my grip tightened on Hope's wrist, my knuckles went white. I was terrified. I felt something on my hand that was holding onto him. I looked down, still shaking to see his hand on top.

"It's okay, they're not going to hurt you." He spoke, words of reassurance that made my heart flutter and my mind change from what just happened to Hope's eyes which were staring into mine. Hope quickly looked away and jumped up, letting go off me and awkwardly not knowing what to do or say. He walked into the kitchen and got a bottle of water. "I'm going for a rest, help yourself to whatever." He told me before rapidly walking to his room with his drink. He avoided me eyes, which made my heart sink. The last thing I saw him do that night was bite his lip before shutting his bedroom door.