Lovelyanime: Sorry that I haven't updated in a long time! My computer wasn't working after I sent the last chapter. When it was working again I had to catch up on my reading. Now that I did, here is chapter 4.

Zoe: Hope it's not as bad as chapter 3.

Lovelyanime: I know chapter 3 was bad, I'm sorry about that too. I tried to hurry and when I was done it was almost midnight. I was really tired, but I had to get it done for you guys. Besides, everyone has to make at least one bad chapter. Right?

Zoe: Actually, that only happens to you.

Chapter 4- Bruises

After they ate they decided to watch some TV . They started to talk and pretended what had happen before they ate, didn't happen. But there was still a hint of red on their cheeks. They talked mostly about Zoe's five cousins,(Yes, I said five and they all used to live together.) and how Tatsuki, the oldest, was over protective of Zoe when Takuya was around. He was like a older brother than a cousin when it came to guys flirting and stuff around Zoe and his little sisters.

"Takuya, you know how you said that you did come to see me a few times, right?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah, what abut it?" He asked back.

"You also said that my cousin always said I wasn't there, right?"

"Yeah, I remember. Where are you going with this?"

"Just one more question… Which cousin was it?"

"It was Tatsuki." He saw her slap her hand on her forehead. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Don't you remember that Tatsuki threatened if you did this and if you did that. He even said he didn't like you."

"I thought he was just playing around, I didn't think he meant all that stuff. No wander he was always glaring at me. I thought he was just squinting his eyes like he couldn't see me." He joked.

"You are such an idiot, you know that?" She said with a small smile.

"Really? I had no idea, this is new information for me." He saw Zoe giggle. "Anyway, what's Tatsuki doing now?"

Zoe's face fell for a moment. "He moved to America and works on computer or something. I wish he would've stayed." She tried her best to smile. 'I wish he was around and be all protective. Then maybe he wouldn't let me date…' She thought.

"I see…Zoe, can I ask you something…" his face was a little red.

She stared at him and blinked. "Sure…What do you want to ask me?"

"Do you think I can spend the night? The hotel I'm staying at is to far away and it's a little late to be driving." He asked.

"Sure…I don't mind. Why are you staying at a hotel?"

"I-I have no where to stay yet and none of my family members live around here anymore."

"Okay…Are you tired?" He nodded She got up from the couch and pulled him towards the hallway.

He followed her until they reached a door. "Um…Is that your room?"

Her face turned red and a little anger grew in her. She punched him on the arm. "Don't be such a pervert!"

"I was just asking," he rubbed his arm.

She tried to settle down a little. "This is my guest room. When I have someone visiting they sleep in here."

"Got it, you don't have to tell me what a guest room is though. I'm not that dumb."

"But you are a pervert. I'm starting to think that in high school when you went in the girls locker room wasn't an accident."

"Hey! I'm not a pervert! And it was an accident! I was late for gym and I took the wrong turn!"

"Whatever you say." She walked further in the hallway 'til she reached the end. There were two doors on each side and pointed to the left. "This is the bathroom…" she pointed to the door on the right. "And this is my room. Got it?"

He nodded his head. "Goodnight Z." He went into the room he would be staying for the night.

"Goodnight Takuya." She headed in her room and closed the door behind her.

She walked to her bed and sat on it. She tried to get everything in her head on what happened today. First, Gabi came by to the bookstore and brought Zoe some awful memories. Second, she went to the creek and Takuya was there like the first time they met. Third, they started to tickle each other and they almost ki-

'NO! We weren't going to kiss!' she screamed in her head before falling backwards on her bed. 'We weren't about to…were we?'

One more thing Izumi…He never did love you. She remembered what Gabi said.

"She's right…He would never love me or at least not that kind of love." She told herself.

She got up and went to her dresser and brought out a gray pajama shirt and pants. She got undress and started to put on the pajamas. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and was about to put her head through the hole when…The door opened! Her back was facing the door so she had to turn around. She saw Takuya standing there at the doorway.

"Takuya! Get the hell out of my room!" She quickly slammed the door in his face. Her face was redder than a tomato.

"Zoe, are you okay?" She heard him on the other side of the door.

She was confused. That was the last thing she would hear from him. She thought he would apologized over and over or that he was about to go to the bathroom. Her arms were in the sleeves so he couldn't have seen her cuts. She fully put on her pajamas and opened the door to see Takuya with a worried look on his face.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" She asked really wanting to know.

"You have bruises on your back…"

'Oh shit! I thought those would've disappeared by now.' She thought.

"What happened to you?"

She looked down at her feet. She had to think of a lie. "I…I fell down some stairs…" She felt his eyes staring at him. 'Damn it. That's one of the worse lies that I ever told. But I can't let him know the real reason.' She thought.

"I don't believe you, tell me what happened."

"I fell down my friends stairs and got some bruises on my back, arms, and legs. That's all."

"Some bruises? Zoe, there were a lot of them and you should probably be in a worse condition, right?" She didn't answer him. He pulled her into a hug.

She looked up at him. "Takuya…" Tears formed in her eyes.

"Please tell me what happened Zoe. I want to know…

"Takuya, Just…" Tears started to fall down her cheeks. "Just forget about it. I don't want to talk about it." She let go of the hug "Go to sleep Takuya." She went in her room and closed the door behind her.

"Zoe…Please." She didn't answer him.

She waited until she heard him go back to the other room. Tears were still falling down her cheeks. She crawled on her bed and picked up a pocket knife(different one) that was on a table next to her bed. She pulled up her sleeve.

'If I tell him what really happened he'll get mad that I didn't tell him sooner. Or that I should've done something before it happened.' She thought as she started to cut herself. She watched as the knife left a cut and blood came out.

He'll get even madder if you don't tell him the truth. Said a voice that almost sounded like Zoe. Zoe looked around the room, but there was no one.

"There's that stupid voice again." She mumbled. "But she is right… He would get madder if I don't"

She remembered a man leaving those marks on her back. There were some on her legs and the one on her arms were gone. That's why she thought there weren't any on her back. She pulled down her sleeve after staring at the cut and watched as blood soaked through.

'Why aren't I dead yet, I've done this for so many years.' She thought as she went under the covers. 'You'd think I'd died by now from loosing so much blood.'

Because you have to stay for him. You two are still alive because you guys keep each other alive. Zoe heard the voice once more.

'I guess I understand…But… Why would…' She fell asleep before she could finish.

That night, she had a dream or a nightmare is more like it. She had a dream of the same man that she had started dating two years ago and left more than a couple of months ago. But he left behind nightmares that she had every night and bruises all over her. The other night she was lucky that it was a dream of Takuya leaving, but it still was a nightmare to her. To watch him leave and hoping he would come back everyday. But now she was back to the horrible dreams that haunted her every night…

End of chapter 4

Lovelyanime: Next time, Chapter 5-Phone Call. Who is it going to be and what do they want? I'm sorry again for not update sooner and I'll try to update more. I'll try to make it better than this chapter, but it might be short.

Zoe: Please review everyone.