Hello! It's been a while, but I'm still working on this story!

All characters belong to Sega/Archie except my OCs.

Chapter 24

Christmas used to be my favorite time of the year. Smiles were spread across faces of all ages. Twinkling lights and goofy blowups decorated almost every front lawn. The schoolwork began to slow down due to the forthcoming break. Feel-good movies could be found on almost every single television channel. My parents were home more.

My father took some time away from the office as many of his employees and colleagues were out traveling or visiting family. While he usually locked himself away in his home office, his presence was still valued. Same with my mother. With the courts beginning to break for the holidays, she had less on her workload. So, she spent the holidays exploring the malls and indulging in as much retail therapy as she possibly could. As a kid, I thought she spent most of that time shopping for Christmas gifts. Little did I know, she was buying more things for herself than presents.

Around this time of year, I usually felt the pressure of my social restraints lift off my shoulders. Although I still had to deal with attending absurd parties with my parents, it was easier to feign my happiness. This year, I thought maybe I wasn't pretending to be happy. My smiles and laughter were genuine at the abundance of parties my parents dragged me to. Throughout all the basketball conversations and questions about my looming future, the rattling chains inside my brain maintained a subtle hold. Not once did they squeeze so tight to the point where I couldn't breathe. Did they almost get there? Of course. But then I remembered what I was going home to: a hot shower and a phone call from Shadow. Some nights, I managed to make up some excuse to my parents about hanging out with the team. Then, I'd sneak over to his house and spend the night wrapped in his arms.

As I lay comfortable and secure in his embrace, I pondered over what to get him for Christmas. He wasn't exactly into expensive jewelry like most of my girlfriends in the past. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I'd never actually given a gift to one of my male flings. There was never a relationship established where either of us felt the need to exchange anything – well not material things anyway. I hadn't realized how hard it was to shop for a guy – Shadow especially.

I'd searched the mall high and low with Tails on a Saturday searching for the perfect gift for him. My best friend tried to help, but he was still under the impression I was shopping for a girl. The dainty necklaces and diamond earrings he continuously pointed out wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I came out the stores empty-handed that day.

"Why don't you buy her an experience?" Tails suggested on the ride home.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "An experience?"

"Yeah, like a concert or something. I'm sure one of the singers she likes will be touring next year."

Honestly, it wasn't a bad idea. When I got home, I searched up some of the artists Shadow played daily. To my pleasant surprise, one of his favorite rappers was coming to our area in the next few months – and his tickets weren't super expensive. I thought Shadow might like a concert like that. It'd be something both of us could enjoy.

Speaking of experiences, I was able to give Manic one as well. The manager of the arena reached out to me via email, reminding me of the season passes I had for the Washington Wizards. Truthfully, I'd forgotten all about the free tickets. At the reminder, I made plans to attend a game with Manic and Shadow.

As expected, my brother was ecstatic. He could barely sit still during the car ride. He bounced and babbled for the entire half hour.

I tried to entertain his excitement as I drove, but he was asking for more attention than I could give him in those moments. Continuously, I glanced at Shadow, waiting for him to tap in and take over.

My boyfriend, however, sat quietly for the entire ride with his hood pulled over his head and his green eyes trained out the window.

Over the course of the week, he'd been talking less and less. In school, I understood his lack of conversation. Mrs. Ryan had begun alternating between reading short stories and watching their animated film counterparts. We rarely did any real work in her class. Still, I noticed he'd lay his head down on the desk or disappear in the bathroom for nearly twenty minutes at a time.

During our nightly conversations, he gradually stopped entertaining my topics of conversation and engaging with me. Usually, he'd ask me a simple question about my personal project or a recent controversial event that would send me ranting for hours at a time.

Whenever I tried to ask him if he was alright, he'd give me a sharp reply of "I'm fine" or change the subject altogether. A part of me was upset that he hid his emotions away from me. I'd always been open and honest with him – mainly thanks to his assertive nature, and I expected the same from him in return. But I didn't feel comfortable pushing him. If he didn't want to talk about it right then, I hoped he'd confide in me eventually.

I held his hand upon our arrival at the arena. Despite the thick of crowds of people, and high probability of running into someone I knew, I refused to be afraid of showing some intimacy. The least I could do was hold his hand while he was in a somber mood.

He glanced down at our intertwined hands, raising an eyebrow.

I pecked a soft kiss at his cheek. "It's fine," I assured him.

The smallest hint of a smile graced his lips.

Manic grabbed Shadow's other hand. He practically towed the two of us into the packed arena.

My heart sped up as his quick speed mixed with the busy crowds separated us. Thankfully, only Shadow and I's hands were separated. Shadow kept a good grip on my brother's hand, complying easily to Manic's tugs. I thanked God Shadow was tall enough that I could pick out his head full of curls in the crowd. I followed him to one of the shorter concession lines where Manic had stopped.

My younger brother barely noticed I was gone. He glanced at me over his shoulder. "Sonic, can we get pretzels and nachos?" He asked.

"Sure," I replied. I slipped my hand back into Shadow's hand. "Order anything you want."

We carried our abundance of snacks into the seating area. Our seats were close enough to the court that we could see the fresh wax glowing off the wood, but not so close that we were sitting on it. The leverage was good for Manic, then he wouldn't have to crane his head to watch.

He sat between Shadow and I, happily munching away at the junk food. When the game finally started, he couldn't stay in his seat. He kept jumping up and down and cheering for the players.

I couldn't help but to laugh at him. I hadn't seen him so happy in a while. The pure joy on his face was a pleasant sight. I wished I could grant it more often.

He wore himself out from all his whooping and hollering. He fell asleep within the first five minutes of the ride home.

I'd glanced in the rearview mirror to check on him, noticing his babbling had stopped. I smiled at the sight of him curled up against the door with his hood over his head and soft snores blowing through his nose.

"And he's down for the count," I commented.

Shadow turned his head to look at Manic. "Mhm." He crossed his arms and leaned his head against the window.

"Are you alright?"

"Mhm."

I frowned. Slowly, I reached over and grabbed his hand. "Are you sure? You've been so quiet lately."

"Mhm."

I almost rolled my eyes. Squeezing his hand, I spoke again. "Come on, Shad, you can talk to me."

"It's nothing." His voice lowered to a whisper. "I just miss my dad."

"Oh," I echoed his small voice. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't apologize. It's fine. I'm fine. The holiday seasons are hard, but it'll pass. It always does."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," he replied. "Right now, what you're doing is more than enough."

I squeezed his hand a little harder. "Do you want to stay over tonight? My parents are out of town for the weekend – another holiday party."

"I'm sorry, but I can't tonight. I still need to pack."

"Pack? Pack for what?"

"I'm staying with my mom over winter break."

I smiled. "Oh, that's nice."

"Mhm." He paused. "I…I uh…I was actually wondering if you wanted to come down…to Baltimore…for New Year's Eve?"

I glanced at the bashful tilt of his head. "For New Year's Eve?"

"Yeah. My family usually doesn't really do anything special, but they, uh…they want to meet you."

"Oh," I said. The thought of meeting his family brought frenzied butterflies to my stomach. I'd never met parents before – well not parents of someone I genuinely liked. Besides, most of my girlfriends' families didn't count. I knew most of them way before my father forced me into dating their daughters. But at least with them, I knew their families liked me.

What if Shadow's family didn't?

"It's okay if you have plans with your parents," Shadow spoke after my short silence. "I understand if you can't come."

"No, no. I can come. I want to come."

A tiny smile appeared on his lips, and he returned the gentle squeezes I'd been offering.

Christmas morning, my sweet dreams of lounging on fluffy clouds in the warm embrace of a faceless lover were interrupted by an abrupt rattling on my bed.

"Wake up, Sonic! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" Manic shouted with glee.

I groaned and covered my head with a pillow.

"Sonic! Wake up!" He bounced down onto his knees and shook my shoulders. "Come on, Sonic! It's Christmas! You have to wake up!"

I ignored him, falling back into the blissful fantasy.

"Sonic," Manic whined. He snatched the pillow from over my head and hit me with it. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Hit me again, and I'll body slam your little ass," I threatened.

"Body slam me, and I'll call Shadow."

"And what is he going to do?"

"Put you on your ass."

A chuckle escaped my lips. Obviously, he'd been spending a bit too much time with Shadow and I. "Yeah, alright." Reluctantly, I dragged myself up.

Manic grabbed my hand and tugged me out of bed.

Together, we padded downstairs to the living room. Surprisingly, our parents were sitting on the couch with steaming cups of coffee in hand, waiting for us.

"Merry Christmas!" Manic exclaimed at the sight. He let go of my hand and darted into my mother's arms.

She embraced him in a tight hug. "Merry Christmas, honey," she replied. A smile appeared on her lips as she looked over Manic's head. "Merry Christmas, Sonic."

I feigned a smile. "Merry Christmas."

Manic pushed out of my mother's arms and darted towards the abundance of presents underneath the brightly lit tree. "Presents! Presents!"

I took a seat on the opposite side of the sectional, watching Manic shuffle through the wrapped boxes.

He shoved the large masses aside, glancing around the piles. A crease appeared between his brows as he searched for a specific gift.

"Why don't you open your presents, sweetheart?" Our mother asked.

"I want to give Sonic his present first," Manic said.

A smile tugged at my lips. "It's alright, Manic. You can give it to me later."

"No," my brother insisted. "I want to give it to you now." He shuffled through some more of the boxes, inching closer towards the base of the tree. "I put it under the tree as soon as I finished it. Ah! Here it is!" He briefly bent down underneath the tree and emerged with a concealed square.

I raised an eyebrow at the gift. It was a little heavy in my hands. What the hell did he make?

Manic nudged me. "Open it."

Carefully, I unwrapped the gift. Underneath all the shiny wrapping paper lay a wooden plaque. A golden rectangle plate was engraved with the words "The Best Big Brother In the World" in my brother's messy handwriting. Above the plate was a printed picture of Manic and I on the Wizard's basketball court. We'd taken the picture over the summer during my internship. I'd brought him with me to work one day, and the head coach was kind enough to give us a tour of the stadium – and some free merchandise. In the photo, he wore one of the oversized Wizards jacket the coach had gifted. I remember on the ride home, Manic told me it was one of his favorite days that we spent together – so far anyway.

Tears threatened to brew at the sight of the gift. "You made this?" I asked.

Manic nodded. "We made them in art class! We got to use these cool tools to write on the gold, and we used hot glue to put it all together." He tilted his head. "Do you like it?"

I smiled and brought him into a hug. "I love it. Thank you."

"Good!" He playfully pushed out of my arms. "Now, where's my present?"

I nodded my head towards the pile of gifts. "There's a few in there. Have fun finding them."

He grinned. "Oh, I will!" He practically leaped off the couch into the pile of presents.

I couldn't help but chuckle at him.

Our parents and I watched Manic surf through his gifts for an hour. Once he was finished tearing up all the wrapping paper, he collected a few of his favorite new toys and raced into the den.

Wordlessly, I started cleaning up the mess my little brother left behind.

"You didn't open any of your gifts," my mother noted.

"I'll open them later," I promised. It was probably just some clothes and gift cards, anyway. My parents wouldn't get too much of a reaction watching me unveil them.

My father moved from his seat and sat beside me on the floor. He picked up one of the smaller rectangular boxes left underneath the tree. "At least open this one."

I wasn't in the mood to argue. I accepted the gift and tore off the wrapping paper. Inside the box was a pure gold chain. Hanging from it was a gold pendant in the shape of my jersey number. My name was engraved on the side of the first digit. I stared at the gift in a mix of awe and confusion. I hadn't expected something so expensive.

"I talked to the head coach at Howard," my father explained. "He told me that they're planning to keep your jersey number for you when you play for them. So, I thought this would be a nice way to commemorate the end of your high school basketball career and the start of your college one."

"It's really nice, dad." I looked up at him and, for the first time in a long while, offered him a genuine smile. "Thanks."

He patted my shoulder. "You're welcome."

As if on cue, his cell phone began to ring. Not even a moment after, my mother's cell phone followed.

I looked away as my parents left the room to deal with their work duties. Just because it was Christmas didn't mean they were off the clock. At least they were able to stay long enough to watch Manic open all his presents. He deserved that much.

With my family's short Christmas behind me, the days leading up to New Year's Eve began to fly. With the rise of the sun each morning, my anxiety level rose an inch higher. I tried to distract myself by playing with Manic and working on my story. Still, I couldn't help myself from worrying about meeting Shadow's family. From what Shadow told me, his family seemed very close. If we were going to continue making this relationship work, I had to make the best possible first impression.

The drive to Baltimore was nerve-wracking. I kept practicing my smile and posture, aiming to look as polite and respectful as possible. I'm sure the other drivers passing me on the highway thought I looked like a dork, but I didn't care. I really wanted Shadow's family to like me – which meant I'd have to put on my best face. I'd call it another mask, but somehow it didn't feel as such. I wasn't hiding this time. Sure, my smile may look feigned and I'd be on my best behavior, but they'd be seeing all of me – every inch of the boy I'd tried so hard to conceal. My only hope was that they could accept this boy the same way others accepted the one I'd hid behind.

My heart sped up at the sight of the small, but seemingly cozy houses on the block where Shadow grew up. Even in the cold weather, small children raced up and down the sidewalks on their new bikes and hoverboards. All of them wore gleaming smiles and heavy winter coats. In some of the driveways, people greeted visitors with warm hugs or carried in bags of groceries. I noted a few of his neighbors dressed in flashy outfits getting into cars and carrying bottles of alcohol. The neighborhood was getting ready to bring in the new year.

My GPS led me to a navy-blue house with white shutters and a wide porch – complete with a small swing and cushioned lawn chairs. In the driveway, I spotted Shadow's uncle's black Ford truck and my boyfriend's motorcycle. It looked like I was in the sight place.

After I parked, I straightened the collar of my sweatshirt and ran a brush over my fresh haircut. Glancing one last time in the sun visor mirror, I gave myself a small pep talk. Meeting parents were easy. Just smile and be polite. That's all I had to do.

I painted a smile on my lips as I approached the front door. I rang the doorbell and waited patiently for a response.

"¡Ya basta! ¡Uno de ustedes va a romper algo!" a woman yelled as the door creaked open. A loud slam followed, and an exasperated sigh left her lips. "That better be someone's head and not one of my lamps!" The curly haired woman I recognized from Shadow's pictures finally turned her attention towards me.

"Hello, I'm-" I started.

A warm grin replaced the irritated scowl on her lips. "Sonic!" she exclaimed.

"Oh!" I grunted as she grabbed me into a tight hug. I hadn't been expected such strength from someone so small. Her slender arms squeezed me so tight I thought she might crush my ribs.

"It's so good to finally meet you! Shadow talks about you all the time!" She released me and placed her palms on my cheeks. "¡Muy guapo! I can see why mi hijo adores you!"

Blood rushed to my cheeks. "Thank you. It's very nice to meet you too, Mrs. Delgado."

"Oh, please, call me Ms. Maria! Mrs. Delgado makes me sound old!" She tugged me inside. "Come in! Come in!"

She led me down the short hallway towards the living room. Her warm smile fell into a stern frown at the sight of her sons wrestling around on the floor. Shadow's two older brothers had him pinned down to the floor. One had him in a headlock while the locked held his ankles up towards his back. Shadow was wriggling beneath them, struggling to free himself. "Didn't I tell the three of you to cut it out," she snapped. Her ruby eyes went to her brother who was lounging on the couch. "I told you to watch them!"

Manny, who was previously staring at the television, glanced at his nephews. "They're fine."

Ms. Maria rolled her eyes. She stormed up to her sons.

I couldn't contain my awestruck stare as I watched her rip the three of them apart. For a woman so tiny, she sure was strong. She tossed Shadow's older brother's off him as if they were ragdolls.

"I told you three to knock it off," she scolded.

"And we told him to stop talking shit," one of his brothers responded. He seemed to be the burliest out of the three, armed with large tattooed biceps and wide shoulders.

His other brother was much slimmer with a head full of curls that he kept tied back in a ponytail. "Pendejo," he said as he playfully kicked Shadow.

My boyfriend only smirked. He looked to me and instantly came to my side. "Hey," he said after pecking a soft kiss at my lips.

I stared at him with wide eyes from the blatant PDA. "Uh, hey."

He turned to his brothers. "Guys, this is my boyfriend: Sonic."

"Oh, is he the reason you've stopped making googly eyes at Hector during church?" His tattooed brother asked with a raised brow.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Sonic, this is my brother, Dom."

"An unfortunate biological fact," Dom added.

"And this is my other brother, Eli."

Eli rose from his spot on the floor and approached me. With a small smile, he held his hand out towards me. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sonic," he said.

I shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you as well."

"I hear you've been taking good care of my little brother."

I let out a nervous chuckle. "I've been trying."

His mother's hands flitted into my space. She physically examined my collared sweatshirt and fresh cut hair. "Oh, muy guapo – y intelligente! Shadow told us you're top of the class!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the couch. She kicked her brother's legs down to make space for me. "Sit, sit!"

I obeyed her commands.

Shadow sat beside me, a proud smile on his face.

"Manny, make yourself useful and run to the store." Ms. Maria whipped out a list from her back pocket and tossed it in her brother's direction. "Dominic go with him."

"What?" Dominic asked. "Why can't I stay? I want to hear about Shadow's nerdy boyfriend."

The stern look on his mother's face could invoke fear into the most fearless of men. I don't know how Dom only sighed under it.

"Fine," he said. He slowly rose from the floor. He bent down to whisper in Eli's ear.

His brother smiled and nodded to his words.

Dom gave me one last glance before he followed his uncle out the front door.

Ms. Maria's warm smile returned as she sat down on the other side of me. "Shadow also told us you're the star of the basketball team."

"Uh, I wouldn't call myself the star, but I play my best on the court. We've been undefeated since my freshman year."

"Fascinating!" She tilted her head. "What position do you play?"

"Point guard."

"Ah, have you always played in that position?"

"Not always. In middle school, I was primarily the shooting guard. Our high school coach helped me transition into a different position."

"Why did your coach change your position?" Eli chirped. He was still sitting on the floor, his legs crossed under him.

I shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure. During tryouts, he had me run some drills in the position, and I guess he saw some potential."

"How long have you been playing basketball?"

"My whole life, really. My father is a huge basketball aficionado, so he threw me into it pretty early."

Eli nodded. "And you like it?"

"Sure. It's fun."

"Shadow tells us you're going to college," Maria said. "Have you decided on a school yet?"

"Uh, yeah. I've committed to Howard University."

Her face lit up with glee. "Ah, such a prestigious school! What are you going to study?"

I glanced at Shadow. Our conversation from when our friendship was still fresh echoed through my mind. I hadn't given much thought to the idea of declaring an English education major since we'd spoken. I was too busy tip-toeing around my parents about the choice of schools. I didn't even want to think about my father's reaction when I told him I might want to become a teacher. He'd definitely rip my head off. But, I was in a safe place. I could confide in Shadow's family. It wasn't like they were going to tell anyone I knew.

"He hasn't decided yet," Shadow answered for me. His hand curled around mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. "With his brain, there's too many successful career paths to choose from."

"I see. I'm sure whichever profession you chose, you'll excel. Shadow has spoken very highly of your success in school. Student body president, valedictorian, and basketball star. Such a lovely foundation for a bright future."

I smiled. "Thank you."

Beep, the oven rang in the kitchen.

"Oh, excuse me! I have to finish dinner!" Maria offered me one last smile before she hurried out the room.

I turned my gaze from Shadow's kind mother to his older brother. My nerves threatened to jump out of my skin from the curious yet speculative look on his face. It didn't help when he tilted his head and opened his mouth.

"Eli –" Shadow spoke before his brother could.

"Shut up, pendejo," Eli silenced him. "Let's all be real here: what's really going on between y'all?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "He doesn't believe you're actually dating me," he explained.

"Damn right. How much did he pay you? Or is it sex? Are y'all having sex?"

"Elijah!" Shadow yelled.

His older brother waited for an answer.

"Um, we are dating – and no, we're not…uh…yeah…"

Eli's lips curled in disbelief – to which part, I wasn't sure. "What changed your mind about my brother? Shadow said the two of you have had classes together for four years. Why date him now?"

Shadow's brows came together at the question. His expression softened as he turned to me for a response.

"I…I'd never really spoke with him before this year. I didn't realize how much we had in common." Or how beautiful his eyes were. Or the dimples when he smiled. Or his intricate tattoos. Or his defined arms from his raw labor in the auto shop. Or his silky curls. Or the taste mint on his lips whenever I kissed him. I'd never noticed him before we were paired together in English class, and I was still kicking myself in the ass for it.

"Mhm. And I assume you have only the best of intentions?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I do," I insisted. "I only want to make your brother happy."

"Uh-huh. And you're positive the two of you aren't having sex?"

"Elijah!" Shadow yelled. "Stop asking! We're not!"

"Right and those hickeys on your neck magically appeared in the few days before you came down for break."

Shit. I'd totally forgotten about that. I wasn't thinking during the last night we'd spent together before winter break. I'd been too caught up in enjoying my time with him that I didn't think to prevent leaving evidence of my affection.

"I haven't broken my promise," Shadow stated.

My brows came together. Promise? What promise?

His brother noticed my confusion. "He took a promise to practice chastity until marriage." Eli tilted his head. "Did you show him the stupid chastity ring?"

"It's not stupid," Shadow snapped.

Chastity? Ring? Holy fucking shit. "I…I didn't know," I murmured.

Eli's brows rose. "Really?" He looked at his brother. "You didn't tell him?"

"It didn't seem important."

"Oh, but it was important when you were wearing it around your neck like a goddamn trophy."

"Shut up, Eli."

Eli shrugged. "Whatever. It was Dom's question anyway. I just thought you were bluffing about a boyfriend in the first place." A smile finally appeared on his lips. "But, it seems like you've caught a good one."

"Gee, thanks for your approval."

Eli chuckled. "You're welcome." He rose to his feet. "I'll leave you two alone. Remember mama is in the kitchen, so don't try to get any more hickeys."

Shadow glared at him. "Get out."

His brother's carried a smug smirk as he walked out the room.

My boyfriend let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry about Eli – he and Dom are nosy as hell."

"How come you didn't tell me you were practicing chastity?"

"Like I told Eli, I didn't think it was important. Is it?"

"No, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I know I can be a little too affectionate sometimes."

"You're fine," Shadow assured me. A small smirk played on his lips. "Truth be told, I like the attention."

I smiled. "Good." I leaned in to kiss him briefly. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He stood up and walked towards the other end of the couch. Leaning down, he grabbed a decorative gift bag. "I got you something."

"Yeah, I have a gift for you too."

He sat back down beside me. "Open yours first."

I dug my hand into the bag, raising an eyebrow at the fabric beneath my fingers. Carefully, I pulled out a sleek Laker's jersey. My favorite player's name and number bombarded the back of the jersey. In the far corner of the jersey, I could spot the player's iconic signature. "Holy shit," I muttered. "How much did this cost you? Autographed jerseys are hard to find – and expensive!"

"Let's just say not all of Dom's acquaintances are terrible. Don't worry; it's authentic. Dom made sure of it."

I pecked a kiss at his cheek. "Thank you. I love it." I slid the wrapped tickets out of my pocket and handed them to him. "Open yours now."

Pure glee conquered his ruby eyes at the sight of the tickets. "These are great seats! We'll be right near the stage!" He peeked a bit closer at the small print. "And expensive as hell. Sonic, I can't accept these."

"You will," I said firmly. "As long as you take me with you."

He chuckled. "Who else would I want to spend a concert with?" He kissed me. "Thank you."

"Chicos!" Ms. Maria called from the kitchen. "Ven a ayudarme!"

"Estamos llegando," Shadow replied. "Come on. My mom is going to put us to work."

"Did you tell her I'm not great in the kitchen?"

"Don't worry. She'll whip you into shape." He tugged me up.

My smile widened as he towed me into the kitchen.

The rest of the night went much better than I expected. Ms. Maria lovingly bossed Shadow and I around the kitchen – indeed putting us to good work. I enjoyed watching her and Shadow banter over the recipes and playfully toss ingredients at each other. My favorite interaction was when she chased him around the kitchen with a wooden spoon, threatening to beat him with it. I couldn't help but laugh when she finally caught him and gave him a good few swats.

During dinner, Dom and Manny drank until they were sloppily intoxicated. Manny seemed to be a chill drunk. He sat back, enjoyed his food, and watched his nephews attempt to kill each other. Dom, on the other hand, instigated an argument with his brothers whenever he could. Every other word out his mouth was some type of insult or smart remark. He and Shadow really got into it a few times – once to the point where I tried to stop Shadow from jumping on him. Eli convinced me to let him go, assuring me that I was in for a show. A spectacle it was indeed.

I'd never seen Shadow fight – not seriously. And I guess this didn't count much either. Still, after seeing him take on his brother, who was twice his size in muscle, and hold his own: I didn't want to piss him off. If he could almost take down Dom in a semi-serious fight, the damage he could do when he was ticked off had to be lethal.

At the end of the night, Shadow and I sat on the porch and watched the fireworks. Kissing him as the clock stroke midnight was a moment I'd never forget. For once, I truly felt safe and accepted. I was in the arms of someone who cared about me. Someone I didn't have to hide from. Someone who saw me for the man I was beneath all the masks. Someone I thought I might love.

Love?

The question lingered in my brain as he smiled at me, the vibrant colors of the fireworks outlining his features. Did I love him?

Before I could even let the question throw my brain into a whirlwind, he leaned in and kissed me again. And just like that, all my worries were forgotten, and sensations of euphoria replaced them.

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