Violet

The sun still hasn't come up when I wake with a slight, barely audible gasp. I stare up at my ceiling as my eyes adjust to the lack of light and the black becomes grey and shapes start forming around me.

I can hear heavy breathing next to me and suddenly remember – wondering how I could forget – that Tate is curled up next to me, one of his arms slung heavily, and protective, over my stomach, his face nuzzled nicely in my neck. His breath tickles my skin every time he breathes out and I want to giggle at the sensation.

I feel content to stay where I am. I feel safe and protected and I don't want Tate to move, ever. But I fear he'll be missed and, from what I had heard of his mother, get into trouble for it. As slowly as I can, I roll my body onto my side to face Tate, our face inches apart. His hand shifts to my hip and pulls me in closer, fitting me perfectly to the lines of his body. I feel myself relax into him and all I want to do is shut my eyes and fall asleep in his embrace again. But I know I can't.

I feel brave as I stare at the close proximity of his sleeping face, his eyelashes fluttering delicately, and I start to lean in. I barely let my lips ghost over his but I instantly want more. I feel guilty for stealing kisses from him so I pull back and run my thumb over his cheek instead, rousing him from his peaceful slumber gently.

"Tate? Tate, you need to wake up," I whisper as quietly as possible. He moans in objection slightly and burrows his face further into my hair. I laugh almost silently and try again. "Come on, Tate. You need to wake up. For me?" I try, somehow knowing that it would work. His impossibly dark eyes flutter open tiredly.

Tate

I feel a slight pressure against my lips, barely there, and I'm not sure if I'm dreaming, but I hope it's real. I can hear her soft voice coaxing me out of my sleep and I moan in protest, burrowing into her body, her smell, her warmth. It surrounds me and I feel relaxed and relieved for the first time in so long.

"Come on, Tate. For me?" I know she's won as I can't deny her anything. I open my eyes and I'm greeted with the sight of her beautiful face just inches from mine. I wonder why I ever wanted to close my eyes in the first place. "Hi," she says with a triumphant smile.

"Hi," I say, my voice thick with sleep, my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth. She shivers slightly against me and I use it as excuse to pull her body impossibly closer to me. She's running her fingers through my hair again, brushing stray curls off my face and I can't help but let my eyes drift shut with the sensation. I moan slightly as she tugs softly on my hair, sending new sensations down my spine. She giggles and I open my eyes quickly to catch her smile. "What time is it?" I ask suddenly as I realise it's still dark outside.

"I don't know, four-thirty, five?" she replies, shrugging her shoulder, her eyes not leaving mine to search for a clock.

"Remind me again why I have to wake up then?" I ask, chuckling slightly at her odd behaviour. Her eyes finally release mine as she looks down at her hands that are playing idly with the front of my shirt. She looks nervous as I wait patiently for her response.

"I don't know. I just thought… that maybe your mom would see you were missing and she'd get angry and… you know, you'd get into trouble, or something," she mumbles to the sheets. I want to laugh at her concern for me, trying to keep me safe from Constance of all people. I lift her head up with my finger under her chin.

"I like that you worry for me. But Constance is more scared of me than I am of her," I say with a dark laugh. "And she won't even notice that I'm gone, don't worry," I finish, giving her a comforting smile. She hesitates for a second, searching my eyes, before she smiles back. "Besides, if she did get pissed that I was gone, all the more reason for me to stay," I add, leaning closer to her minutely. I relish the laugh that escapes her lips as she huddles back into me and settles down again.

I enjoy the feeling of her in my arms for a while longer before I think of something. "Hey, Violet?" I ask, checking to see if she's still awake. She hums a response against my chest. "Since we're awake, did you wanna go somewhere with me? I want to show you something." She looks up at me and smiles.

"Sure."

The sky is paling and becoming a wide blanket of pinks and reds and oranges in the morning light. It reflects delicately across the rippling water as it laps at the sand. Violet's hand is clasped firmly in mine as we clamber precariously over jagged rocks and debris to get to my favourite, secluded part of the beach.

I lay down the blanket under my arm on the sand and pull her down to sit next to me. She leans into my side straight away, burrowing under my arm for extra warmth and I gladly wrap my arm around her and pull her close. We sit in silence for a while, staring out into the sea.

"I come here a lot," I start, my eyes not leaving the ocean. "When the world starts closing in and I feel like I'm drowning, choking. And I look out and I see this… vast, limitless expanse and I think. High school counts for jack shit. That… that's your future," I tell her firmly, nodding out to the horizon. She looks up at me and smiles slightly, her eyes wide and open and nothing but accepting.

"You feel like that a lot? Like you're choking, I mean," she asks tentatively.

"Not so much anymore," I tell her truthfully, hoping I'm not scaring her with how much I've come to rely of her to keep me from doing something I'd regret; from fulfilling the fantasies that roam through my head, the voices that plague my mind.

"You don't want to…" she hesitates, stiffening slightly by my side.

"What?"

"I don't know. Those things that you told my dad – I read you file, Tate. You don't want to do those things anymore, do you?" she asks cautiously, but I still admire her braveness, the fact that she admitted to me, so readily, that she has read my file. She was so strong.

"I know that probably freaked you out – you should have seen your dad's face!" I add, lightening the mood as we both laugh out loud for a second. "But you're still here, you didn't run screaming… so I trust you." Her face is sombre again as she watches me talk. "They're still there. I don't think they'll ever go away as long as I'm here. But, they've faded; they're less intense. It doesn't feel like my only option now that you're here. By my side."

Violet

I'm touched by his confession. Everything makes me feel more drawn to him, but his last few words…

'…now that you're here. By my side.'

Did he mean helping him through it, or by his side in his visions. Was I there, holding a gun to student's heads too? A nagging thought in the back of my head won't let me completely dismiss the idea, but I can push it away for now, focusing on the more positive side of things.

"Thank you for trusting me," I whisper into the quietness of the day break. He smile's his full grin at me and I can't hold off any longer.

I stretch up on the sand and press my cold lips against his. I can feel their roughness against my own and I like it. He leans forward, pushing himself further into me, holding the back of my neck to keep me still. His mouth moves against mine in perfect rhythm and his tongue darts out to lick tentatively across my bottom lip. I moan into his mouth and he seizes the opportunity to thrust his tongue into my mouth, battling with my own. I hear his throaty groan as my tongue shoves against his, wanting to taste him.

My body is tingling like it never has before when I've made out with a guy. I'm so aware of every move he makes, where his hands are, where his body is pressed against mine. He doesn't feel close enough so I begin to tilt my body back, lying down on the blanket and bringing him down with me.

We stay there, making out like the teenagers we are, neither one of us moving any further than that. I want to, at one point, reach down and touch his obvious arousal through his jeans, eliciting new moans from him, but I hold back yet again. We're testing each other; playing a game. We are seeing who will give in first.

The sun has turned the sky a pale blue by the time we leave the beach and wander home, with bruised lips and rumpled clothes, hand in hand.

Aww, how sweet :P Thank you so much to everyone who has read/reviewed so far! Keep doing what you're doing :D

This chapter took a little longer 'cause of exams but it'll all hopefully die down soon :)

Also, if you have any requests for fics you'd like me to write, feel free to leave them in a review or PM me :)