Hello, my beautiful creatures! How are you guys doing? I hope you guys are doing well.

I hope you guys are enjoying this. I feel like it's nothing like I've written before so sometimes I feel like I'm in a little over my head with this story, but I also love this thing to fucking DEATH. Like sometimes I feel as if I'm writing too much too soon but also, fuck it.

ANYWAY! I hope you guys enjoy this! Much love, my friends!

"Stay right here."

"If you think I'm just going to sit here as you're going to go face your asshole high school bully then you don't don't know who the hell you're talking to, Lake."

"Claire, please." The look in his eyes was the softest I have ever seen them as a pained look glistened in his electric blue orbs. "I don't want you mixed up in this. I don't want you getting hurt or anything." He placed his hands onto my biceps as I couldn't help but just look up toward him as I felt my frustrations from before subsiding. "Please. Just this once, okay?"

"Okay." I gave him a simple nod as I swallowed dryly. I knew that waiting for him on this damned back porch was going to kill me and that I was itching to punch the asshole that caused that scar going through his eyebrow, but he was asking me to stay out of it. Not because he didn't think I could handle it, but because he was worried for me.

I sighed as I felt my leg anxiously jive up and down as I sitting on the step we used to occupy together.

And my ass decided that going against his wishes was the worse thing I could do and now I'm sitting here waiting as he could be getting hurt by a dude I know has done it before. Why the fuck did I agree to this? If it was anyone else, I wouldn't have agreed. I would have been a bull-headed bitch and go in there and knock that mother fucker right in the mouth.

But here I am. For once actually agreeing to what someone asked of me all because of a set of pretty blue eyes and the sensitive flower boy that owned them.

I stood up and stepped up onto the actual porch before I started to pace a little back and forth.

God fucking damn it this is going to kill me. I need anything to keep me from thinking about this right now. Anything at all.

I slipped my hands into Jim's jacket that I was still wearing. My right hand went over the shape of his keys as the gentle breeze of the wind pushed against my back ruffled the clothing just the slightest as I got a small whiff of the jacket's aroma. It smelt of roses and oil grease that just seemed pretty on the nose for Flower Boy, but I didn't mind. It calmed my nerves just the slightest until I heard the sliding door open once more. I turned my head to be greeted by a worried-looking Douxie who gave out a sigh of relief as he saw me.

"Thank God you're here. We need to get out of here." I gave him a confused look as he took a step toward me.

"Doux. We're at our house. What do you mean we have to get out of here and why do you look so worried?"

"You don't know?" He gave me a confused look as he gestured toward the door behind him. "Steve is here."

"I get that some asshole named Steve is here that used to bully Jim and Toby in highschool. What I don't get is what does that have to do with us leaving them here with that fucker."

"No, Claire. It's not just the Steve that bullied Tobes and Jim." He took a step forward and placed his biceps onto my arms as Jim did not long before as a soft look came over his face. "He's also the same Steve you know too." I felt my eyes widened slightly as a memory of a blonde-haired brute came into my memory.

"HereI thought I was the one with Daddy issues, but I guess you're even more fucked up!" I screamed out toward my boyfriend at the time as he growled at me in response.

"Shut the fuck up, Nuñez!" I groaned as he pushed me up against the wall with a loud thud but instead of falling down or whimpering about the pain, I just narrowed my eyes at him as a snarl came to my lips.

"Go ahead. Hit me, Palchuk. Prove that you're no better than your fucking father. Prove you've never given a damn about me. I'm nothing more than a poor attempt at concealing your sexuality anyway, so why not showcase you could care less? Huh?" He was nearly pinning me against the wall as I started to yell up toward the slightly taller boy. "Go ahead, asshole! Fucking do it! I fucking dare you because if you lay a single hand onto me, I'll make you fucking regret it!"

I shook my head as all I remembered after that was a loud smack echoing the halls of what was my empty childhood home at that point in time.

If he's here and Douxie's trying to get me out of here, that means it's obvious as to why the fucker came here in the first place.

I looked up toward Douxie with a worried look as my mind came to its final conclusion.

I never ran from the fucker before and I'm not going to now. Not when he's going to do the same shit he did to me to Jim.

I slipped out of Douxie's hands and started rushing toward the open sliding door as he called out toward me.

"Claire! Wait! What are you doing?" I let Douxie's voice become background noise to me as I started frantically searching for Jim.

Come on. Come on! Where the fuck are you?

"I'm just looking for a friend, Lake, so how about you fuck off and leave me alone, huh?" I stopped dead in my tracks as I realized that Steve's voice wasn't too far away from me.

"You're not welcomed here. Not just by me, but by Douxie as well. You know, the house owner? So how about you take your two mindless drones of yours and fuck off instead?"

"Once I find who I'm looking for, then I will." Once I came around the corner that leads into the back lounge area of the house, I saw that Steve was glaring at Jim and the usually gentle blue-eyed man was looking down toward the blonde with such an angered look that it made me shivered.

Note to self, Flower Boy can actually be mad. Here I thought he must have been super-human or some shit to never be anything but happy all the time.

"Well, looky here." I swallowed dryly for a second as I noticed that Steve's attention was brought toward my direction. "Just who I was looking for."

"Fuck off, Palchuk. You're not welcomed here." He only gave me a lopsided smirk as he tried to take a step toward me.

"I just wanna talk, Nuñe-." Jim instantly put a hand out to push Steve back from walking toward me as he gave the blonde another glare.

"She said you're not welcomed and if you don't know that the Nuñez name is dead to her, then she definitely doesn't want to talk to you." Steve reared his head toward Jim as if he was a bull being toyed with by a matador.

"Stay the fuck out of this, Lake!"

"Leave her alone, Palchuk." His voice was dripping with anger even though it was barely above his normal talking voice in means of volume. At this point, Douxie had joined my side as he looked between the three of us for a second.

"Aw, Fuzzbuckets."

"I told you to get her out of here, Doux."

"Jim, my dear friend, you think this one will listen to me? Ever? She's too bullheaded for her own good!" I ignored Douxie's words as I glared down at the blonde that was now looking between all of us with a snarl on his face.

"I wasn't going to leave when I realize it was him that decided to crash the party."

"You say that as if you don't love me, Nuñez." I felt myself nearly puke at his words as I remembered how I once actually meant those words to the blonde almost three years ago.

"I don't."

"But you used to scream my name as you did." He chuckled darkly to himself as I felt my arms cross themselves over my chest. "You were just looking to feel anything and used me to do it. Just as you do with everyone else, Nuñez. Jumping on any dick possible like the attention whore you-." Before he could even finish his sentence, I watched with wide eyes as Jim quickly cocked back his right fist and knocked Steve right in the face with a loud and satisfying smack before the blonde fell to the floor to cup his face. The blue-eyed mechanic loomed over Steve for a second before he grabbed him by the collar to force him to look up toward him.

"Speak about her like that one more time. I fucking dare you." As if it took them a second to realize what was happening to their ringleader, Steve's two friends suddenly jumped into action as they went to attack Jim who only dropped Steve onto the floor to then easily dodge the attacks of the other two men. He put himself into a boxing like stance before peering over his shoulder to see if Douxie and I were still there. "Get her out of here, Doux!" He turned his attention back to the two men before him as he dodged another swing from the taller one of the two. "This is gonna get ugly." Before I could even fight against the idea of leaving him there, I felt Douxie wrap his arms around my waist and pick me up so he could place me onto his shoulder.

"You heard the man. Let's get out of here." With that, Douxie started rushing toward the door as I started to try to weasel my way out of his grasp.

"We can't just leave him there!" I struggled to pull myself out of his grasp as he weaved through the crowds of people and made his way toward the front of the house. "I-. We can't leave him!"

"If we don't get out of here, Claire, it'll only get worse!" We slipped out of the front door with relative ease even though I was now pounding onto the back of the tattoo artist. "Stop hitting me, damn it!"

"Not till you put me down, asshole!"

"Not till you're in the goddamn car!" He made his way toward his car that was still parked out in front of the house and opened his passenger door somehow without loosening his grip on me. I fought against him for a moment before I gave up realizing there was no point in fighting anymore as he strapped me into the seat and closed the door right afterward. He slid across the hood and slipped into the driver's side with ease before igniting the engine. He shot me a saddened look as he buckled himself in.

"If you think I want to leave him and Toby here, you're dead wrong." He put the car into drive before he started to pull out the driveway. "But with yours and Steve's past, you can tell why Jim's more worried about getting you out of here."

"You told him?" I glared at Douxie as I crossed my arms over my chest which was kind of difficult now that the sleeves of Jim's jacket decided to engulf my hands into them.

"Only enough for him to be worried about you." The fellow tattoo artist just glanced out of the corner of his eyes toward me as he turned right onto the street. "Enough for the dumbass to want to beat the living fuck out of the brute." I couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought as I brought my eyes onto the road ahead of us.

One thing that I thought I knew about Jim was the fact that he seemed as if he couldn't even harm a fly. Even though it was obvious that he could if he wanted to. His biceps he more than likely got from lugging around heavy boxes of either flowers or tools was enough to showcase that.

But seeing him punch my ex right in the face after he called me a single bad word proved me completely wrong and I wasn't sure if I found it attractive yet or not.

I shook my head slightly as I mentally slapped myself for even thinking that way within this moment.

When the fuck are you going to stop being a hormonal teenager, Claire? You're twenty years old. Stop thinking like a sixteen-year-old girl. Someone you truthfully give a damn about is in a fight at your house during his birthday party because of your ass. Now is not the time to think of his attractive level at the moment.

I felt a worrying feeling swirl within my chest as Douxie and I continued going down the road in deafening silence. It was obvious that both of us didn't want to leave our favorite little blue-eyed flower boy, but we knew as well now that it would have only gotten worse if either of us stayed.

Didn't mean it didn't hurt knowing that we did.

I don't remember going home.

All I remember was the satisfying feeling that came from pounding Steve's face as what he said about Claire rampaged within my mind.

You never say anything like that to anyone. Especially someone that used to love you.

I swallowed dryly as I sat in Toby's little recliner that was in our living room as Claire was rummaging through our kitchen to find something to clean up the small amount of blood on my face.

Douxie told me that they used to date in high school as I was going to deal with the whole situation but why the way she looked at him it seemed like she had hated him from the moment they met. But then he said that she loved him and she agreed that she used to and I didn't know what hurt worse, hearing the fact that she used to like the fucker that would torment me every day or the fact that she agreed that he did.

Then he called her an attention-seeking whore and I couldn't help myself. When Douxie took her away and I knocked down his friends enough for them to leave me be, I started to make sure that Steve had learned his lesson.

I looked down at my red and bloodied fist that was some of the few evidence pieces on me that showcased the events of the night as I felt a saddened look take over my face.

I should have stopped after the second punch, but I kept going until Toby pulled me off of him and rushed me into his car.

"If I ever see you even look at her again, I'll end you. Do you hear me, Palchuk? Fuck with her again and it'll be your last. Ever come here again and I'll make it that even your mother won't identify you!"

"Come on, Jim! I think he gets it!"

"I don't think he learned enough if he has the balls to come here."

"Nope! Come on, buddy! Let's go!"

"I couldn't find anything better than this." I brought my attention toward Claire as she presented herself before me with a soft look in her eyes. The memory fading into reality as she held up the wet cloth in her hands as she sat onto the coffee table in front of the recliner. "Hopefully it's enough to get the blood off until Douxie brings over that first-aid kit I have stored away." I felt myself smile softly toward her as she already started working at getting the now dried blood off from my chin.

"I normally have one, but I guess Toby used the last of it."

"No big deal. He needs to get everyone out of our house before more shit goes down anyway." She spoke softly toward me as she gently dabbed the wet cloth onto my skin. "Don't need another fight breaking out. You know?"

"Sorry." I swallowed dryly as I felt that I caused her more trouble than I really was. She giggled at my reaction though which caused the burdening feeling I felt to lift itself off my shoulders just the slightest.

"You don't need to apologize for anything. Honestly, I'm sorry. I should have listened to Douxie the first time when he told me we were leaving."

"But I was the one that caused the whole fiasco." She pulled back from cleaning up the blood off my face for a moment as she gave me a 'Are you fucking serious?' look before she spoke again.

"Were you the one that decided to crash a birthday party that you know you weren't welcomed to by the owner of the house?"

"No."

"Did you purposely look for a fight?"

"No."

"Did you not have a reason to punch him?"

"No, but it doesn't mean I should of."

"True, there are always better ways to deal with certain things. Especially when it comes to violence." She shrugged a little before she continued. "But you acted with reason. You didn't just punch him because you could. Thank you for that, by the way. Not many guys are willing to stick up for a girl when someone is talking to them like that." I smiled up toward her slightly before I flinched at the sudden pain that spread across my lower lip. "Well, that explains where the blood on your chin came from." I chuckled at her as she started to clean off the blood once more. "Next time though, I'm going to be right by your side. I'm not some kind of damsel in distress, alright?"

"Never said you were." I gave her a soft smile that was small enough that it didn't hurt me to do so. She just gave me a soft smile in return as she swiped at the dry blood that was actually on my lip.

"Good." She whispered slowly as she dabbed at where the but on my lip was on the left side of my lower lip. "We're on the same page then." I couldn't help but look up toward her as I noticed the delicate look in her hazel eyes as well as the fact that she had kept my jacket on throughout all of this.

God, is she pretty. Even when she has a little worried crinkle in between her eyes. Everything about her is breathtaking. Definitely worth the pain in my hands and getting punched in the face.

I kept my eyes on her as she seemed to concentrate on getting my lip cleaned from the dry blood still. But there was this sudden warmth in her eyes as she glanced up toward mine for a split second before looking back down at my lips as if she was contemplating something and god did I wish she was. Hopefully the same thing I was withing that moment. I felt her hand slip itself onto my right side of my jaw and I felt myself swallow hard in reply while she swiped slowly at my busted lip.

How did this suddenly turn into some kind of heated scene within seconds? Maybe it was the alcohol still in my system. Maybe it was just hopeful thinking.

I looked up toward her hazel eyes as I noticed just how close she really was to me. A soft look was in her eyes as her other hand went to cup the left side of my face the best she could with the wet washcloth was still in her hand. Her thumbs rubbed gently over my cheeks as if she was afraid I was going to fall apart within her hands even though she looked at me as if I was something worthy of being graced by her eyes. Like I was something to uphold as they scanned over my face in the most delicate of ways.

Or maybe it wasn't.

I suppressed the urge to lean forward and capture her lips as I figured it would be her choice if she wanted to step over that boundary or not, but the look in her eyes told me enough that she was contemplating the idea at the very least.

"We're back and with medical supplies!"

God fucking damn it, Douxie.

Claire gave me a soft smile as she patted the right side of my face before pulling away from me to go get the little first aid kit from her adoptive brother. I sat there as I felt a blush come over my face with ease as I just simply watched her walk away.

Yup. Definitely worth getting punched for.

"So you nearly kissed him last night?"

"Yup."

"And you think that he wanted to do the same thing?"

"Yep."

"But you're being too much of a pussy to ask him to hang out when you and I both know you desperately want some one on one time with him." I glared at Douxie as he was at the opposite side of the table from me. He sipped from his morning tea with a knowing smile as all he did was lean back in his chair slightly while he spoke with a smug tone in his voice. "You and I both know I'm right here, Claire."

"Of course you are. I'm not saying you're wrong. You just didn't have to out me like that."

"Out you like that? You're talking as if the world can hear us within these little walls."

"With how my life has been, I wouldn't doubt it." Douxie just chuckled as he adjusted himself in his seat so he could lean his elbows onto the kitchen table as he held his black coffee cup with a bright blue crystal on it before him.

"Aw come on now, Little Maria." Douxie gave me a soft smile before bringing his cup to his mouth and taking a quick sip from it. "You know exactly what to talk to him about to make it seem like you're too desperate." I gave him a confused look as he took a single hand off the handle-less side of his mug and pointed toward my sketchbook I was doodling in while we were talking. "The tattoo. Remember? Just text him to see if he still wants to get that drawing you gave him tattooed onto him and see where it goes from there." He leaned back in his chair and brought his tea closer to him with a soft smile on his lips as he toyed with the teabag. "Just so you know, Jim was raised with the same morals I was with art since he was around Merlin a lot as a child. So," I cut off the older artist as I already knew exactly what he was going to say.

"So what he's wanting on his skin is close to him. I kind of already made the drawing really personal to him anyway so that makes sense."

"What I'm saying is the fact that it might not matter on what he's getting but from who he's getting it from." He gave a soft chuckle as I could tell he could see the sudden blush that took over my cheeks. "You've got that to give back to him anyway." He pointed to my right where I know Jim's blue off leather jacket was laying on the table beside me. I had forgotten to give it back to him when he and Toby had left an hour or two earlier. I don't doubt that he noticed that I was still wearing it even though we were all cleaning up the aftermath of the night prior's party together, but he never minded to say anything about it. I had only taken it off when Douxie started toying with me about it after both witnesses to my silent crime had fled the scene.

That or he was too oblivious to even notice and honestly, I wouldn't be able to tell you which option was right. Jim could be a really observant guy with wits that could battle mine any day while also being the dumbest mother fucker I have ever met.

There is just so much that just made him, well, him. He is both loving and vengeful. Soft and strong. Joking and serious. He's like a coin and no matter what side he lands on, I always end up enjoying whichever it landed on. Each day I learned something about him that couldn't up but make me smile or realize that we were much more alike than I thought we were.

Each day also got me closer to feeling the one thing that I promised myself that I would never feel again. One miserable word that I hated saying to almost every person I have ever met or muttered it to.

Love.

I shook myself mentally out of my thoughts as I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket of my skinny jeans. I pulled it out and saw that the screen lit up with my nickname for Jim taunting me as I saw that he sent me a message. I tapped at the screen and put in my code like it was second nature to only be greeted with a seemingly simple text from my favorite little flower boy.

My uncle gave me the day off once he saw my face lol Do you want to hang out or something? We can go to that spot on the cliffside you like so much. Lmk.

I smiled at I typed a quick reply consisting of a "Totally" and "Meet me at my place in 30" before sending it off and looking up toward Douxie who had a knowing smirk on his face.

"And to think our little flower boy was the one to shoot the first shot of the day. Told you there was nothing to worry about." I shot him a smirk in reply as I pressed the shutter button of my phone to darken the screen before slipping it back into my back jeans pocket.

"I think I remember saying that to you as well when it came to a specific pink haired tech girl that you're hopelessly in love with."

"I was an absolute mess with that woman, yes." He leaned back into his chair with a dopey smile as he toyed with his teabag once more. "I should face time her. She should be up around now."

"Must kill you that she's in England without you."

"It's just for the semester." He shrugged as he gave me a soft smile. "I have a wonderful sister to keep me company anyway." I gave him a soft half-smile in return before getting up from my seat and gathered my sketching stuff together into my arms.

"Guess I should get ready."

"Have fun. Not too much though fun though. I want to threaten him first." I rolled my eyes at his remark as I started making my way toward the staircase.

Even though I wouldn't admit out loud that I've thought of that idea at least once, but I'm not looking for Douxie to go to jail or have a dead Jim on my hands.

I was anxiously bouncing my right leg as I waited rather impatiently for a specific tattooed Latina to exit her house. My mind was still reeling over all of the night prior's events and I was still wondering if it was all real or some kind of half-drunk fantasy.

Well. More the most part. Toby was able to talk some sense into my ass before I got the guts to text Claire about going to hang out or something after Blinky sent me back home for the day.

"Just be chill, Jim. It's obvious she's into you. Just roll with it."

"How am I suppose to act chill about it all? What if I fuck this up? Sure I had what you can call 'girlfriends' in high school but I never even kissed them. If we have a shitty first kiss, wouldn't that mean I won't even get a second? Why am I even thinking about a kiss? Maybe yesterday was an off-handed experience for both of us."

"God damn it, Jim! She was willing to clean your ass up after your fight with Steve. She was still wearing your favorite jacket throughout all of it. Even as we were helping them clean up their house this morning. I doubt you're getting that back, by the way."

I felt a smile grace myself under my helmet as I saw that Toby might have been right on that last statement due to how Claire came out wearing the said jacket with the sleeves pushed up, a white crop top with what I knew was her favorite pair of black ripped up skinny jeans, and her combat boots. The splash of blue in her hair complimenting well with the added layer as she flashed me a toothy grin as she made her way toward me.

Even though it's my favorite jacket, I don't mind going without it if it brings that smile across her face.

Once she got closer, I handed her the spare helmet which she took with the same wide smile on her face.

"Sorry I was a little late. Was finishing some sketches for work tomorrow and lost track of time." She slipped the helmet on and clipped it with a lot more ease than she had when I had to first show her how to strap on the protective gear.

"It's all good." I felt her weight add itself to the bike as her arms found their way around my waist. "Ready to roll?" I felt her place her chin onto my shoulder while the tone in her voice told me enough that she still had a smile on her face.

"Most definitely." With that, we were off onto our little adventure.

Or as much as an adventure as it can be when you already know what you want it to end with.

I smiled widely as I felt her arms tighten around my waist as we rode down the street and toward the back roads of Arcadia. Even though it was just to myself, I didn't quite care. I had everything I could need within that moment in time. The slight breeze ruffling my white v-neck as Claire's embrace fought off the cold around my center. It was like a dream. I ended up swallowing dryly suddenly as a single thought danced within my mind.

Now to make all my dreams from these last few months a reality.

"This is seriously my favorite place in the world!" I chuckled at Claire's reaction as she laid down onto her back and looked up toward the sky. "Personally, I enjoy it better with the stars though."

"Clouds are just as entertaining, don't you think?" She leaned her head back so her hair sprawled out over the grass as she looked up toward me where I was leaning against my bike still. Sun seemed to grace her with some kind of spotlight. Which made sense with her theater history.

"Are you going to join me?" I gave her a lopsided smile as I went over to sit down beside her. I placed elbows up onto my knees as I just looked up toward the sky as silence fell between us. It wasn't forced or awkward, but to me only proved that the two of us didn't need to speak to one another to enjoy the time we spent together. It made my heart flutter in my chest as an easy smile crept itself onto my face.

Just another reason why I like being around her. Another reason I like her herself as well.

"That one looks like your helmet kinda." I glanced over toward the punk to see she was pointing up toward the sky as a little kid would. "If you squint and tilt your head a little." I couldn't help but laugh a little at her actions as I decided to lay down on the grass beside her.

"Which one?"

"That one." I followed her finger with my eyes to see exactly which one she was talking about.

"Claire. That looks a lot more like a ram's head than anything."

"Now that you say that, it does look more like your tattoo. But like, fluffier."

"Fluffier?"

"Yeah. Like, you know. Hazy. Fluffier." I chuckled at her as I felt a teasing smile take over my face as she smacked me lightly into my shoulder. "You know what I mean, you fucker."

"Hey! You're the artist that decided to describe a cloud, and I quote, a tattoo but fluffier."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"You might be right on that, but at the moment I want to beat you with a stick." I laughed wholeheartedly at her which only caused her to lose the fake venom in her voice and start laughing along with me as we stared up toward the sky above us. It was silent once more as we just watched the few white nearly shapeless clouds danced across the sky in a lazy waltz. The almost ignorable breeze toying with her hair gently causing it to move around out of the corner of my eye as I realized why she would normally cement her hair down forcefully with a horde of hairclips. As I turned my head over toward her, I got to witness her puffing a small strand of her hair out of her face before shooting herself a triumphant smile as her eyes still scanned the sky for anything that would catch her attention. I smiled at how childish the normally empowering woman was acting beside me.

It was nice seeing her so relaxed in comparison to some of the events we've shared. Though, I knew within this moment at I would never change even the troublesome moments I shared with her. It did matter if we were to sit together like this or deal with each other baggage as if we've known each other for much longer than we really do, I think I could live spending every moment with the Latina that was laying beside me.

I didn't know if the thought terrified me or empowered me within this moment, but it was comforting, to say the least.

"You know," Claire started to speak and it nearly caused me to jump out of my skin if it wasn't for how soft her tone of voice was. "I'm really glad I met you." I felt myself give her a shocked look at her sudden confession as she moved her arms so she could prop up her head with them. "I know, it's a little sudden to say after what, six-ish months of actually hanging out together, but it's true. I'm really happy I met you. Don't say this to Douxie or the girls," She turned her head toward me for a moment as she gave a sweet smile on her face. "You've my favorite person by far." I felt myself give her a dopey lopsided smile as my cheeks burned at the compliment.

"You're my favorite person too, Claire." Her smile upturned slightly on the right side for a second as she brought her attention back toward the sky. I decided to do the same after another silence blanketed itself between us once more. I felt like saying more than that and I really wanted to follow through with that idea, but I couldn't gather the courage that I had when I first picked her up from hers and Douxie's house not even an hour or so ago.

You wanted to tell her how you feel, Jackass, and you're bailing out. Just fucking bite the bullet! How hard can it-?

Suddenly I felt her slip her right hand into my left that was sitting by my side. I turned my head toward her to see she was still smiling, but now with her eyes closed and a content smile on her lips as her left arm kept her head propped up still. To say she was beautiful at any normal moment could have been argued by any person wandering down the streets of Arcadia. But as a look of peace graced the tattoo artist's face as she just seemed to enjoy the feel of my hand within hers was breathtaking and I would fight anyone that will try to fight me on it.

Oh, God. You're fucked. You're way too deep, Lake. Abort mission. What was that thing from Monster Inc? We've got a 23-19. Yet this situation has all the same worry but without the whole white sock thing.

I nearly jumped out of my skin once more as Claire let out a small sigh before speaking again.

"Are you still wanting me to tattoo you?"

"If you would be willing."

"I'm more than willing. Just wanted to make sure you still feel the same about it."

"Why would I change my mind?" She gave a small shrug as her hand still kept itself in mine.

"Each tattoo has a story and I don't want yours to be 'Hey, I was given this drawing when I was half-drunk and went 'I want that on my skin'." I couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh at that as she shot me a glare. "I'm being serious here." My laugh subsided to a soft chuckle as I spoke to her.

"So am I! Because first of all, I wasn't that drunk, thank you very much. Second, that wouldn't be the story that it tells."

"What story would it be then?" I turned my attention but toward the sky as I felt my cheeks burn slightly in embarrassment.

I know what I want to say but I'm afraid it would be too much.

I glanced over toward her with a soft smile when I saw that she was looking toward me as if whatever I had to say was the most interesting thing she would ever hear.

But we're already two damaged twenty something-year-olds hanging out on a cliffside looking at clouds like children. We know of each other's struggles and what made us who we are. What's something new to the mix?

"It'll tell of probably the best birthday I ever had." I gave the sky my attention once more as I couldn't keep my blush from spreading if I was looking toward the Latina for any longer. "It won't remind me of the fight or anything that had to deal with he who shall not be named, but it will tell of everything before that. Of the night chill that graced my skin like a long lost friend as we sat on the back porch. Yeah, the smell of medical alcohol taints it a little, but all I'll remember is how a pretty tattoo artist was willing to clean me up and deal with my shit. That's all the story I need, honestly." I turned my head and flashed her a toothy grin as she just had a playful smirk on her face.

"A pretty tattoo artist, huh?" I felt the blush that was creeping on my face came full blast as I gave out a small nervous laugh.

"Did I say out loud?"

"Oh, you most definitely did." She gave my hand that she was still holding a soft squeeze. I let out another nervous laugh to calm myself as I felt a small amount of anxiety fill my system. "Well, it seems we think the same of each other, Flower Boy."

"What's that suppose to mean?" She let go of my hand so she could sit up and bring herself a little closer to me as she turned her body to bring her complete attention to me.

"How about I show you?" She moved her hair so that it's short strains could loosely hang over her right shoulder. She then decided to place both of her hands beside my head so she could seemingly hover above me as she looked down at me with a soft look in her eyes. I swallowed anxiously as I looked up toward her. The clouds seemed to shape a halo-like formation around her head. It was as if she even made the sky seem more beautiful than it was before.

Then suddenly she came closer and I felt what was possibly the softest touch I have ever encountered against my lips. I instantly brought my hands up to cup her face as my eyes fluttered shut in bliss.

I've always been someone that would ramble when nervous. Always speaking in hurried blurbs of words that either never tell enough or tell all too much.

We bumped our noses slightly together as both of us deepened the small kiss we shared and I couldn't help but smile at the feeling of it. The cut that I got from the night before was stinging like hell but the fact that I felt as if I was on cloud-nine caused my mind to be numb to the pain my lip was enduring.

But God am I happy I couldn't shut myself the fuck up for once.

I felt her smile against my lips before she pulled back slightly to look at me from hooded hazel eyes that somehow were even more intoxicating than they ever were before.

"So that's what you meant." I let out an airless reply that only caused the Latina to laugh at me while shaking her head slightly.

"Only you." I beamed up toward her before she leaned in to capture my lips once more. I couldn't help but keep my smile as our lips met in fluttered touches.

Unknown to me, there was one thing going through both our minds at the same time.

What Douxie doesn't know won't hurt him.