1,000 views! This is seriously the best thing ever. Thank you to everyone that reads my story. You guys deserve endless hugs :) Anyways . . . here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)


Chapter Songs:

**Video Games by Lana Del Rey

**Beach by Still Parade

**Hide & Seek by Amber Run


"This could change our relationship." Maya said.

Kyle nodded. "It could."

"Are you willing to take that risk?"

"Yes."

Maya let out a breath. "Then put it in already."

Kyle smiled and bumped her nose. "So impatient."

He reached over to grab the video game off of his dresser and put it into the game console. Maya smiled as he handed her a controller. "You are so going to lose."

The intro for Mario Kart began on his tv screen.

He grabbed a controller for himself and sat back down with her. They were both taking advantage of their free time together to play video games. As ludicrous as it sounded, he wouldn't have wanted to be doing anything else at that moment. He'd never played video games with his past girlfriends or any girl for that matter. They were never interested in what he liked to do, it was all about them. He was just there for show. But he didn't want to think about that, he had Maya and nothing was a show with her. She liked him for him and that was it.

They sat on the floor at the end of his bed, with him leaning against it and her leaning against his chest. His arms were around her, holding his controller. He almost felt like a child again, playing Mario Kart on an old Nintendo GameCube. A small smile crept onto his face.

"Is that so, Angel?"

She leaned further back into him and nodded. "Definitely."

They both picked their characters, her choosing Luigi and him Waluigi. She laughed and he raised a brow.

"What?"

She shook her head. "This is like the project all over again. First your favorite color is the complete opposite of mine and now you choose the complete opposite of my character. I just think that's ironic."

He smiled. "Black isn't my favorite color anymore."

She looked at him. "Then what is?"

He swiped his thumb under her eye and grinned. "Gray."

A blush slowly pooled into her cheeks as she whipped her head back around. "You can't say that now, you'll distract me."

"I can't help it." He wrapped his arms back around her. "Okay where do you want to go?"

"Uhh, Luigi Raceway."

He chuckled. "Do you have some sick Luigi fetish or something?"

She reached back and slapped him on the head. "A Luigi fetish?!" She laughed. "Yes Goldie, I have a secret stash of Luigi pictures hidden under my bed that I look at every night before I go to bed. My secret is out."

That was another thing he liked about her. She could keep up with his sarcasm and humor, there weren't too many people that could do that.

"So you would leave me for him?" He said.

She nodded and laughed. "Absolutely."

He smirked. "But I bet he can't do this," he tipped her head towards him and planted a kiss to one corner of her mouth. "Or this," the other corner. "And especially this," he pressed his lips to hers and took her bottom lip between his. When he pulled away, she smiled.

"No, I guess not."

He kissed her cheek. "Glad we cleared that up."

He picked the course that she wanted. "Ready?"

She leaned back against him and nodded. "Yup."

After taking time to load, the starter screen for the race splayed across the screen. They both got their controllers ready and looked at the screen as it counted down.

Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Go!

The characters on the screen all took off.

.o.O.o.

Maya tried really hard to focus on the game in front of her, but with Kyle's arms wrapped around her and his hard chest pressed up against her back, it was next to impossible. Her feelings for him were growing fast. Really fast. She'd never felt that way about anyone and it was obviously that he hadn't either.

She was beginning to think that he was it for her. If something were to happen to make them end things, she didn't think she would be able to move on to anyone else. Even if some other guy would be interested in her, they would never compare to him. He gave her goosebumps. He made her laugh, blush, and smile a lot more. Whenever he was around she just felt so much better.

He told her before that he needed her, but in reality she needed him. She had always been so independent, not wanting to depend on anyone for anything, but things have changed. Being able to see him, talk to him, and kiss him was the highlight of her day. She didn't know if she could go back to the way it was, when she was just surviving each day, still haunted by her past. He was able to take her mind off of her past when she didn't want to think about it. And when she wanted to talk, he was all ears. It was like he knew exactly what she needed.

Her mind snapped back into focus on the game to see that she was almost in the lead. Kyle's character was in front of her, with two more laps to go. The game was so simple, but it could seriously do some damage. This game caused breakups, arguments, fights, and a lot more things. She knew that a stupid video game couldn't get in the way of what her and Kyle had. That gave her the freedom to do anything.

In order to gain some distance, she reached her hand up to block his view of the screen. He chuckled and moved his head to the side. "So we're playing dirty now?"

She shook her head. "Of course not—"

But it was already too late. His hand left his own controller and moved to hers where he moved a button, making her character hit a wall. Her mouth dropped open as he laughed.

"Hey!"

She could almost feel him smiling. "Mario Kart is a dangerous game, Angel."

She removed herself from the wall and got back on course. He was still in front of her, winning the race. There were still two laps left. She was able to pass others, working her way to third place. Then she was hit from behind by a red shell. She cursed under her breath and Kyle chuckled again.

Just to shut him up and hopefully distract him, she rolled her hips slightly from where she was sitting. He stopped laughing.

"Angel?"

"Hmmm." She did it again.

He groaned and tightened his arms around her to keep her still.

"Angel." He said into her ear, his voice low.

She rubbed her leg against his. "What?" She said innocently.

They crossed the checkered finish line to begin their final lap. She felt his breath tingling the hairs at the back of her ear. His lips brushed her ear as he spoke. "Two can play at that game, Angel."

Before she could do anything to stop him, his lips were on her neck leaving behind small wet kisses. She gasped and the feeling made her drop her controller. He smiled on her skin and moved her hair to one side, kissing the back of her neck. Her eyes slipped closed and her breathing increased. She couldn't help but shift herself again. He dropped his controller also and his hands moved to her hips. His lips continued to move across her neck.

After a minute, she couldn't take it anymore and moved both controllers out of the way. She twisted herself to face him, straddling his lap. His grip tightened on her waist and they didn't skip a beat before bringing their lips together. The game was completely forgotten about when their lips met. It was clear they both lost, but neither of them cared.

Ever since that night when he told her about his parents, they haven't been able to keep their hands off of each other. It was like something sparked in their relationship where one constantly wanted to show how much the other meant to them.

She reached up to hold his face in her hands. He pulled her closer to him and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Her mind was a jumble and she couldn't focus on anything else but him. It was definitely not how this day was supposed to turn out. They were just supposed to spend the day playing a simple game. Ditching the game to cling to each other was definitely not the plan.

After a moment, Maya pulled away and gasped for air. His eyes opened to look at her. He didn't say anything, just watched her. She tucked some hair behind her ear and bit her lip.

"Sorry."

He smiled and continued to place kisses along her jaw. "Sorry about what?"

She closed her eyes. "About the . . ."

He picked his head up and leaned his forehead against hers. "You mean the world to me, Angel."

She gasped, not expecting him to say anything like that. Just minutes before they were playing a video game, now he was telling her things that made her heart skip a beat. Literally.

"I do?"

He nodded. "Of course. You're one of the only people that I can be myself around. I've lost a lot over the past couple of months, but not you. You stayed and that means the world to me. You mean the world to me."

She smiled. "I stayed because you were worth staying for. We've both been through so much and we deserve to be happy."

He kissed her lips again and grinned. "Damn right we do." He looked at her for a moment. She moved some hair out of his eyes and looked back.

"Let's do something." He said.

She raised a brow. "I thought we were doing something."

His eyes drifted to their controllers that were disregarded a while ago. When he looked back to her, he smirked. "I think it's clear that we both lost." He took one of her curls between his fingers. "Let's take a walk. I want to show you something."

She smiled. "Okay."

He stood up with her still sitting in his lap. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He chuckled and set her down.

After turning off the tv, he took her hand and led her out of the room. She usually wasn't into surprises, but she trusted him completely. It was nice to trust someone for a change. There used to be only two people that she trusted, her mom and Jon. Now she trusted Kyle just as much. He silently led her to the front door, onto the driveway, and down the road. It was surprisingly a pretty quiet neighborhood.

"So is this where you take all of your conquests?" She asked jokingly as they walked.

He chuckled. "No, Angel. I've never taken anyone here."

That sparked her curiosity. "Seriously? Not one?"

"It was one of my secret spots. I went there to get away from everyone and anything. Haven't been there in a while though."

She didn't know he was taking her somewhere that held this much importance to him. It was obviously a sacred place for him if he never brought anyone. She almost felt like she didn't deserve to see it, but he thought differently and she wasn't going to question his intentions.

After taking some shortcuts and walking down different pathways, he stopped them from walking. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Okay. You have to close your eyes."

She raised a brow and he nodded.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

To show him just how much she did, she covered her eyes with both hands. His arm snaked around her waist as he continued to walk.

"No peeking." He whispered into her ear. She shivered then nodded slightly.

They walked a little longer, her still keeping her eyes closed. He slowly stopped walking and his arm left her waist.

"Okay, open your eyes."

She dropped her hands from her eyes and looked up at him in front of her. He moved to the side to stand by her and give her a full view of what was in front of her.

It was a large field covered in tall grass and a variety of beautiful flowers. The sun was just starting to set and the wind was blowing softly around them. It was like heaven was in front of her. She'd never seen a scene so perfect. A huge smile appeared on her face. She understood why he would want to come here to get away. It was the perfect place; quiet, beautiful, and just downright peaceful. She was in complete awe.

"Welcome to my hideaway." He put his arm over her shoulder.

She looked at him. "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

His hands went up to her face and a small grin tugged at his lips. "I can think of one thing that's way more beautiful."

She blushed. "I just walked right into that one didn't I?"

He nodded. "I'm going to tell you how beautiful you are every chance I get, whether you like it or not."

She smiled. "And I'll try not to blush like an idiot every time you tell me."

"What fun would that be?" He swiped his thumb along her cheek.

"You just love making me blush don't you?"

He kissed her forehead. "Very much."

She crinkled her nose then laughed at herself. He shook his head and guided her towards the middle of the field. She sat down with him and looked up at the sky. The sun had a certain glow that made the flowers stick out. She felt like she was in some cliché movie scene, but it was a good cliché. When she looked back to Kyle, she saw that he was already looking at her. His eyes raked across her in appreciation.

She raised a brow. "What?"

He leaned back on his hands, still looking at her. "This reminds me of a dream a had a while ago." He looked around a little. "We were in a field and now that I think about it, we were in this field."

She smiled. "Is this the same dream I was wearing a dress in?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that was like a dead giveaway that it was dream."

She looked at him. "Would you like to see me in a dress?"

"It doesn't matter what you wear. Clothing will not change the way I feel about you."

She leaned over to kiss him. "Good answer."

She sat back down and he laid his head in her lap then looked up at her. She smiled as he took some of her hair between his fingers. He curled the strands around his fingers and smiled to himself. She watched him closely.

"So how did you find this place?"

He chuckled. "A couple years ago, I was just tired of being left alone when everyone else was out doing whatever. I had to be at most fourteen and called myself running away. So I packed a bag with clothes, snacks, all the cash I had, and took off. It was stupid, but I was just really angry then. I didn't get far. After a while I just started walking and walking, not really knowing where I was going then I stumbled upon this place. It was nice and quiet so I decided that I would just come here whenever things got bad. They wouldn't notice that I was gone so it wasn't a problem."

"Well I think you found the jackpot in hideaways. This kind of place would have definitely come in handy back then. And I don't think it was stupid of you to try and run away. You definitely had a pretty good reason to."

"I think that sometimes too, like if I never tried I wouldn't have found this place. And I know you couldn't have this hideaway back then, but you can now."

She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

He smiled up at her. "I mean whenever you want to get away, I'll take you here. It could be our hideaway. A place just for us."

He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. She bit back her smile.

"I like the sound of that. Just us."

"Just us, Angel."

She let herself smile this time. "Deal."

.o.O.o.

They were lying on their backs looking up at the night sky. Kyle didn't know where the time went, but they weren't in a rush to get back. The stars were pretty visible from where they were.

The field had always been a place where he went to be alone. He never thought to share it with anybody until now. She was special to him and he wanted to show her just how much. He was falling for her, that was for sure. There was no point trying to deny it. He didn't know if they were there yet or if they were even ready for it. He never told a girl that he loved them before, his feelings were never that strong.

But he felt something with Maya, something that could probably lead to him feeling that way. He wanted her to be the first girl he told that to, there was no doubt in that. He didn't want anything with her to be temporary, he wanted them to last. She was his and he was hers, that's how he wanted things to be. For as long as they could. He meant it when he said she meant the world to him. In some ways, she was all he had. His parents now refused to look at him out of guilt, his so called friends abandoned him, but she stayed. She said that he was worth it. That made him realize that he didn't need anyone else. Of course he still cared about his brother and sister, and of course, Imogen.

Alex had come to him a while ago to tell him that she knew what was going on. That she noticed how their parents treated him. She also told him that she looked up to him and thanked him for looking out for her while their parents left. It was a shock to here that coming from her. She even told him that he was more of a man than their father.

He knew why his parents didn't want to be around him, but they ended up leaving Alex in the process. Sometimes he forgot that Alex had to deal with only seeing their parents and Max a few times a week too. They both didn't deserve that, it wasn't their fault. None of this was.

Him and Alex have gotten closer since then. They actually talk to each other now. He'd thanked Maya plenty of times for helping them to repair their relationship, but she still didn't think that she did anything. She just didn't understand how much she impacted people's lives in such a positive way. He knew she was still having trouble accepting herself, but he was slowly squashing her insecurities day by day and he wasn't going to stop until she felt completely free.

When he looked over at her, he saw that her eyes were closed. She was slowly drifting off and he knew that he had to get her back. So he got himself up and lifted her up into his arms. He began walking back towards their houses. Her arms went around his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder.

After a while, he was able to see their houses down the street.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" She asked.

He smiled. "You know you're welcome to my bed whenever you want. Besides I kinda like you sleeping in my bed. No weirdness intended."

She laughed. "None taken."

He walked up to his front door and got the keys out of his front pocket. There was no way of guessing who was inside. His parents never really told them when they were coming so he opened the door as quietly as he could. He used his foot to close the door behind him and walked up the stairs to his room. After making it inside, he closed and locked the door to his room.

When he walked over to his bed, he set Maya down and quickly went to his closet to put on some sweatpants. He returned to his bed and wrapped his arm around her. She sighed blissfully and tucked herself into his chest. He kissed her cheek and closed his eyes.

"Night, Angel."

"Night, Goldie."

There was no denying it. He was definitely falling for her.