Nero and I ended up doing the cliché dinner and a movie. We ate at Chuck-E-Cheese -much to my chagrin- and watched some gushy romance movie (also to my chagrin.)

I guess you could say he and I were total opposites. I was recluse and moody and Nero was cheery and social. We disagreed on a lot of things, our views on the world, our affection for our parents, and our tendencies on optimism and pessimism.

He liked gushy romances and I liked a movie where all the slutty main characters got their heads cut off.

He liked Chuck-E-Cheese and I liked…any place other than Chuck-E-Cheese.

But I guess these are all the reasons I liked him so much.

We were just so...different.

We constantly kept the other guessing, leaving this whole world of possibilities open. It was quite comforting really. I mean, who wants to be in a boring relationship?

And so that was my exact thought as I walked Noah up to his door step, the both of us chattering on like love sick teenagers while constantly holding hands.

"Can you imagine what Brennie would have done if Cassie had died?"

"Change his name to something less gay?" Nero stuck out his tongue.

"Oh don't be that way Mr. Grumpy. You have to admit him taking a bullet for her was so entirely romantic!"

I blanched.

What is with everyone and gushy romance?

"She would have been okay; he didn't need to be all heroic and dramatic."

"Well duh. He knew she wouldn't die. The point is he couldn't stand to see her get hurt."

"Pussy." I muttered as we reached Nero's door.

He rolled his perfectly blue eyes. "Wait here a second." He murmured before rushing inside.

I stared at the door, feeling vague déjà vu.

Five minutes later he came back and slipped a book in my hands. "Here, study it." Then he gave me a quick peck on the cheek before running back inside.

I was left highly confused and blushing profusely. I held up the small book in the moonlight, gaping like a fish.

"A romance novel? Really?"

Every night that week Nero called me on the phone at exactly 8:30 PM and every single time we would discuss how our days went, what we had planned for tomorrow, and then lastly he'd request (more like ordered) me to read a chapter from the romance novel.

Apparently he seriously meant it when he said he wanted me to study.

"Nero, nobody say things like 'my love burns for you with the intensity of a thousand suns.' That's just fucking idiotic ."

"Do you know everybody in the world?"

"What?"

"I said, do you know everybody in the world?"

"Uh…no?"

"Okay then, you can't say that nobody talks like that. You just can't know for sure."

"Touché."

Merely reading the dam book was proving more difficult then I ever thought it would be.

To start off with, the title was Passion Island. Probably also the title for at least fifty pornos. If that wasn't a red flag then I don't know what is.

The next thing in line was the fact that this was about a heterosexual couple. Like I want to hear about some guy saving a damsel in distress while she gets her period all over him. Gag me.

Then of course once I opened the book and actually read the crap inside, I found that the dialogue was worse then literally sticking sewing needles in my eyes.

None of it was realistic either. Oh yes, because the boat just happens to crash on an island in the middle of nowhere and the island just happens to be some sex resort full of nudists and couples seeking ways to spice up their sex life.

Right.

"Would you just read already, you're whining like a six year old."

"Fine, fine. But you owe me."

"We'll see."

I smirked and continued on from whence I left off. "James was glistening under the hot sun, sitting out on the beach nude and unaware of my presence. My heart was fluttering uncontrollably like a butterfly; the pit of my stomach was coiling with heat. I knew I loved him then. I knew we'd spend the rest of our lives together, away from this island. Away from these people. He'd be mine and I'd be his and everyday we'd wake up and watch the sunrise and every night we'd stay up and watch the stars. I'd lie in his arms so nothing could possibly harm me. Love was my protector. I don't need anything else. Just James and his love."

I blanched.

Ew.

"See, wasn't that romantic?"

"She seems a little clingy if you ask me; I mean, watching him while he tans? Fucking stalker."

"You have a lot to learn my young Padawan."

"Stars War nerd!" I teased, laughing lightly.

Talking and being with Nero these past couple weeks have been something…unexplainable. He makes me smile and laugh and see things from a whole different perspective.

In other words: Nero was rubbing off on me.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, this Saturday I was thinking we could hang out at the old abandoned building again. That place was actually really peaceful and nice."

"Alright. How does eight sound?" And using my own words, his reply was: "Sounds like a date."